Ebay tips and pointers?

That reminded me...
What is the difference between Deer Nuts and Beer Nuts?
Beer nuts are $1, Deer Nuts are always just under a buck.
And now back to your regularly scheduled thread...

 

Look up items like the ones you would be selling and see what they are going for. Make sure to check near the end of the auctions because sometimes an item will get no bids until the final 2 or 3 hours and then the bids soar from people trying to snipe.

If you do decide to sell something make sure you have a good idea of what the shipping will cost to most places in the lower 48. You don't want to have too high a shipping cost, but you also don't want to lose money on shipping either.

It is really very easy. It also helps if you do a little self advertising. There are alot of ebay forums and communities where its perfectly fine to post links to your auctions.

Also, make sure to take good photos of your items. No one wants to buy something they can barely see.

 

The photo tip is a very good one. I never buy anything without a good photo.

One thing I look for as an ebay shopper is the customer feedback. If you are a brand new seller, you might start off selling 5-10 small items to build up a good amount of feedback.

After you've build up a good amount of feedback you can start selling the big ticket items.

If you are only planning on selling one or two things, you can probably ask a ebay savy friend who has more feedback than you to sell it for you.

Good luck!

 

When you check out similar selling products, look to the far left hand side, under Search. There is an option to click on "Completed listings" that will track the most recent purchases. If it is in green, then it has been sold. All red prices have not been sold.

Look at what prices similar items are being sold, if at all, and click on the completed listings to see how many people visited that product's link. That will provide a good foundation of research to see if it is worth it to list your item.

Don't forget about fees associated with ebay, paypal (if you are using that), and shipping costs.

 

All good advice. I've sold some stuff that I was embarrassed to send an invoice. Like a N64 98 FIFA Soccer for over $20. A 2 year old Proform elliptical discontinued model for pickup only for $280 (new ones with a fan are $299 at Sears). A programmable thermostat that I paid $20 for 2 years ago - sold for $20. A couple of garage door opener controls for over $20 each.

I saw a TurboTax 1998 go for over $25 the other day. Why? I've got 2001-2004 I'm getting ready to "part with".

 

What ever you sell, make sure you are letting them know what buying ie what's included and what's not included. No surprises will make your life and the buyer's life better. In the case of old TurboTax software, I don't think most would care if instruction were not included since the help is on the cd and installation is fool proof.

 

Also, I find that you will get a better price if you accept Paypal, Money Orders or Cashier Checks. I personally stay away from personal checks because the risk of a bounced check. Sometimes I've seen where a party will accept a personal check if they have more than x positive feedback. But I just keep it simple and don't take them. While Paypal will hit you with fees that take a chunk of your profits, if you exclude it as a payment type you might find that your item didn't sell for as much as other similiar items that did accept it. If you are planning on accepting Paypal, setup your Paypal account before you list.

 

Faos,

One more thing. As far as which payments you accept, I would go with "Paypal or money order" only. Even using Paypal exclusively isn't such a bad idea. Make sure to give a payment deadline. 10 days from the end of the auction is usually what I use. After 10 days if you haven't recieved payment make it clear you will be re-listing the item and giving the bidder bad feedback.

There are always a few situations where the person will email you and let you know they sent the money order, but it will be there a few days late, or they promise to pay with Paypal on a certain day. That's ok as long as there is communication, but it is my experience that you have to set a few ground rules on your auctions to keep flakes from bidding on your items.

It sucks having to wait a month for a personal check and then it bounces in your bank account. (Not making that mistake again)

Be sure to leave good feedback too for those bidders who pay quickly and expect them to leave you good feedback when their item arrives.


edit: ArtV covered some of this too while I was typing this post.

 

I sold a version 1.1 AOL floppy disk, still in the shrink wrap, for $15. For every piece of junk in your house, there's usually a willing suc....errrrrrrr...buyer.

Keep an eye open for penny gallery days. Penny gallery days will allow you to put a pic on the search page for a penny. I think this usually goes for a quarter. Having a gallery pic is pretty important...some people will not go into the item description without having one.

Good luck!

 

AOL 1.1 for $15? You should be ashamed...


One more thing...As a buyer, I have found that auctions that end on a Sunday night seemed to go higher than most other days. I'm not sure if others have the same experience though.

 

Wonder if someone is getting audited and they cannot afford an attorney.