Ebay Auctions?

[svtcobra]

Hey Everyone,

I would like to start selling some things on eBay. Here is the problem. I have no clue on how to sell it on eBay with the proper channels. I do have an eBay account and paypal acct. I have been going through the cost of putting up and auction and found that eBay really rapes you for Listing and and extras etc etc and end of auctions sales, they take a percentage of the final sale amount ++++ plus plus plus...

Does anyone here sell stuff on eBay? Please pm me.

I'm just looking for some pointers on how to sell my Items properly and of course try to make some money.


Thanks
Svt

 

[C Dick]

There is a store in Brampton on Bovaird East of Torbram that is an eBay store, they sell the things for you. It might be a good place to start and see how it goes, as a step towards doing it yourself.

 

[Master_Bates]

I've sold some stuff on Ebay... they really take a very small cut. Also you have a choice if u want to take advantage of those selling options... i've always had ample response with 1 picture(free). FYI... the bidding only really begins in the last few minutes of an auction, so don't be too worried if the bids aren't where u want them at first.... also look at other auctions of the same item you're planning on selling to get an idea of the going rate

 

[xarir]

Like Strongbeau says, just do it. Learn by observation too - by this I mean read a few eBay listings and figure out what it is in the description that would make you buy something. Then write a similar description for your item. (Don't plagarize of course!) One thing I always like to see for higher end items is the reason for sale, but that's just me.

As for the costs, put it another way. If you don't pay those costs, what are your alternatives to selling your item?

 

[lonecoxxman]

Maybe someone can help me with this ebay problem. I got on there once looking to buy something. I went thru all the drills, - getting a username, password, or whatever but at some later point I was not able to get back on. I then tried to contact them to straighten out the mess but wasn't able to find a way to do that. So I gave up on ebay figuring it should be easier than this. Adding to the problem is that there's said to be spammers out there imitating ebay and possibly carrying viruses along so even if I were to get a response from ebay I don't know that I'd feel safe opening it. Anybody have any thoughts on this??

 

[forcebwu]

perhaps the best way to learn - with minimum risk but less exposure.. is to list on ecrater.com or epier.com

I am an ebay seller and if you want to make it a livelihood you really have to stay on top of your listings. If you just want to do it for fun and you really do not want alot for your items - just whatever you can get - start your bids at 1 cent or 99 cents with reasonable shipping & handling fees to recover your ebay listing and final value costs. When you list low starting bids, the worse you can do is lose 75 cents per listing but there are lot of people looking for deals so you at least will get look-see traffic. I do not recommend you start all listings with low bids because you risk undervaluing rest of your auctions. Another key is to spread out start time for your auctions , mornings, early afternoon, mid evening and late evening. Why? because not everyone is in the same time zone. There are ebay video tutorials for new sellers and buyers - research, research and apply what you learn

 

[Dodger]

I have been using EBay to fund my hobbying for a few years now. It is great. Sometimes there are lulls in the bidding depending on what you got to sell. Various items are hot all year some at certain times. You will learn the cycles. As SB said list it and learn. It won't take long to figure things out. Stay away from the extras that they try to sell you. Stick with a basic listing that is well described. Most people search by keywords, so all you have to do is figure out the words that work best for you

 

[svtcobra]

Thanks guys,

Keep in mind I've already been on ebay since June 1999, and have a nice feedback profile already built up. I'm not here to cheat the guys/girls on the information, and shipping. I'm here to make some money back on items I haven't used. Some are brand new and some are barely used. .LOL

I was up late last night reading their site information. Yes there pricing structure is different for listing, re listing, Auction end and Final sale items. It is a little discouraging, but I don't mind paying the fees though. Also their layout are lame and It is just and extra money maker. I plan on using the extra pictures feature. The one thing is that I don't really want is undervalue my items. I have some AudioControle EQL units that are totally brand new, never been used. I know those units are expensive. But then again I'm taking a risk putting them up and starting it at .99 when they are worth over 300.00 cad brand new. But I guess it is a risk, I'm going to have to take.

I have some questions

What about setting a lower reserve? Does that work well for you guys?
Selling in USD or CAD?
Shipping do you guys use their shipping info to get rates ?
Are they accurate?

Thanks again
Svt

 

[skypilot]

I have been selling things on Ebay for several years, and I am not very computer literate. Just follow their instructions and it will work out for you. I find their fees very reasonable considering I reach such a huge number of consumers.
Also I find that Ebay is almost pure supply and demand in that prices tend to rise at least to the actual value of the merchandise. I will list things as low as I feel comfortable with (sometimes at .01) regardless of its value because it seems that people want to get things cheap and will bid for it, and once they start bidding they want it more and will bid higher. I recently put a record album on starting at $4.95 and got no bids, relisted it starting at .01 and wound up getting $43 for it.
I use their calculations for postage and find it pretty accurate, put I did buy a postal scale and use the post office website to verify the cost before I post the items.
I have used the reserve in the past, but would only do it if I had a real valuable item I was selling. One of the things I have seen is some people feel their item is worth more than it really is so they reserve themselves right out of a sale.

 

[Dodger]

Skypilot makes good points about the reserve price. I to have used it without much success. It tends to scare people away. Real value vs perceived value is always a tough thing to deal with.

As for the currency I only deal in US dollars. It is easier overall as most people understand the US dollar better. I have sold all over the world and even in Europe and the far east the US dollar is easy for them.

As for shipping I usually stick to a set value which is sometimes a little low and sometimes a little high depending on the destination. Generally the buyer have no problem once they realize the method I use and the care in packaging I use. Generally I sell items that can get damaged easily, but due to the care I take and the systems used I have only had one item damaged in the hundreds that I have shipped. That was cured easily with insurance and good communication with the buyer.

 

[tboy]

Well, I personally never or rarely bid on anything with a reserve because a) you may be the winning bidder but not win the item (meaning you've wasted my time) and b) Most sellers won't disclose their reserve bid so even if I do want it, they won't tell me how much I can buy it for.

As for your eql units, do they even sell them anymore? If not, they might have been worth 300 at one time, but not anymore. For eg: a brand new nikon d50 kit just sold for $450.00 cdn and they were $1400.00 not a year ago.

MY advice is: if you're looking to make your full purchase price back, you probably won't. If you're looking to turn some old stuff you have never and will never use into cash, it will work for you.

As for shipping. I've never found their shipping calculator to be accurate. What I would do is give some estimates but make a note saying contact the seller for an actual quote and include your postal or zip code.

 

[svtcobra]

MY advice is: if you're looking to make your full purchase price back, you probably won't. If you're looking to turn some old stuff you have never and will never use into cash, it will work for you.
.

The eql is still avaliable but not sold as new product line hense discontined. It is one of the best items used in the Audiophile industry and still being sold. In no way I'm looking to retreive the full amount of money on what I paid for the items. What I;m trying to say It will be sad to see an item go for 50 bucks anyway , but I realized that is the way how auctions goes. You win some and loose some.

 

[svtcobra]

Thanks guys all this information is noted and is great.

 

[tboy]

I know the Audiophile eq line are great, I have an eqx in my boat.....but as for them going for 50 bucks, you may be surprised, I saw a nak TD1200 go for $600.00 recently...

 

[Meister]

As for your eql units, do they even sell them anymore? If not, they might have been worth 300 at one time, but not anymore. For eg: a brand new nikon d50 kit just sold for $450.00 cdn and they were $1400.00 not a year ago.

can be had now for 700 something incl. lens at vistek. not worth spending more than 20 or 30% of the new price.

 

[svtcobra]

I know the Audiophile eq line are great, I have an eqx in my boat.....but as for them going for 50 bucks, you may be surprised, I saw a nak TD1200 go for $600.00 recently...

I hear ya..

 

[C Dick]

The last second bids on eBay make no sense to me. They should keep the auction going as long as there is at least a new bid every 30 seconds. That way the seller gets a higher price, and the buyer who wants it the most gets it.

 

[svtcobra]

The last second bids on eBay make no sense to me. They should keep the auction going as long as there is at least a new bid every 30 seconds. That way the seller gets a higher price, and the buyer who wants it the most gets it.

I do agree with you. I've seen guys, bid on the last 5 sec of an auction an usually they win it. Even though they haven't bid on it during the whole auction.