using ebay for sales

[digitalbeachbum]

Does anyone use ebay for selling and if so what is your preferred settings for the auction? I don't believe that starting your auction at .99 is logical. I would rather do the 'buy now' or start the auction at a percentage of the value of the item.

[Damomac]

I was selling on ebay got too hard and time draining -  i now send all my posters to Bruce at EMP when i want to sell now - after fees you still get a great price on average without all the work. Quite often a lot more than you would get on ebay. Highly recommend you look into it.

[Ari]

on;ly wai I can make ebay work nowadays (used to be great)

Is use the monthly free listings.

you can get 40 free a month (just free to LOIST, they still take their % for anything that sells, on the different sites (ebay US, Australia, UK etc)

And then anything that sells, you have a potential customer to sell later OFF ebay.

So basically its networking or advertising.

I lost at what I think is close to full market value. Or what I think its worth,

Ebay doesnt get the bidding wars it used to, theres just too many sellers.

[Crazy Vick]

Ari isn't it 50 free listings a month?  You must have done something to piss them off if you are only getting 40!   

[AdamCarterJones]

In the UK, it's 100 free listings unless you are a business.

eBay is a lot harder than you think if you don't understand it.
PayPal is an absolute nightmare which is why I never accept it on any sales websites I build for myself or others.

Make sure when you sell you immediately withdraw the funds from your PayPal account to your bank account.
It's very important because it protects you from unscrupulous buyers.

I had a case with an international buyer (based in the US) who said they never received their order and put in a refund request with eBay.
He then proceeded to say it was damaged (even though he said he never received it) and included photos of the "damage" using photos that had a digital date preceding the date he said he never received it.
The item he ordered wasn't the one I sent him because it had a Ltd Ed number and the one in his photos didn't correspond with the one I sent him.

eBay sided with him, despite my proof he was lying.

I, therefore, disconnected my bank account from my PayPal account after ensuring all funds had been withdrawn - make sure you do this in these situations.
PayPal then said I owed them x amount as eBay refunded the buyer in full and charged the refund to my PayPal account - I told them they weren't getting it because I had the proof.
A few months later they sent me a lovely letter saying they were going to send the debt collectors in, so I called them up and told them I would take them to court for not protecting my rights and also told them to send whoever they wanted to send. After 10 minutes of them threatening me and me just calmly telling them where to stick their idiotic and illegal policies, a manager told me they were going to write off the debt because they could see I was telling the truth.

Whilst I dislike PayPal with passion, I have to give kudos to the manager who I spoke with because she told me to be careful on eBay because people do stuff like the aforementioned all the time and eBay will 99 times out of 100 side with the buyer no matter what the seller says.

eBay staff in the main are incredibly lacking in simple intellect with regards to their own policies and commonsense, and I put that politely.
Need any advice, message me and I'll help as best I can.

[basemem]

eBay always sides with the buyer. The link with PayPal where they can dip in and out gives them total control. The fees for eBay are 10% including postage (never understood that one) then PayPal on top 3.4% + 20p and the seller does all the work and carries all the risk.

Adam, that story is typical and I know people that has happened to as well. Luckily hasn't happened to me.

I only use eBay for BIN listings where I just recycle the items when the offers come up for lower FVF that's it - as Damo said not worth the hassle.

[Undead]

eBay always sides with the buyer. The link with PayPal where they can dip in and out gives them total control. The fees for eBay are 10% including postage (never understood that one) then PayPal on top 3.4% + 20p and the seller does all the work and carries all the risk.

Adam, that story is typical and I know people that has happened to as well. Luckily hasn't happened to me.

I only use eBay for BIN listings where I just recycle the items when the offers come up for lower FVF that's it - as Damo said not worth the hassle.

They used to leave postage out until people stated selling items for .99 and then charging $600.00 for postage to save on the fees. Now it is fees across the board as a result.

[basemem]

They used to leave postage out until people stated selling items for .99 and then charging $600.00 for postage to save on the fees. Now it is fees across the board as a result.

True. 

They also started limiting the postage amounts as well on some categories. For some items it costs more to post with Royal Mail than you can charge so after losing 10%, Royal Mail and paying for packaging out of pocket on postage.

[Simes]

Cracking story Adam.

I have never had that happen to me and probably would not have thought to disconnect the bank account from Paypal as soon as this story had begun.

Although never bitten, consider me twice shy.

[Ari]

weird, I get 40 a month, haha. anyway.

ebay USED to be great to sell, early 2000's, if I listed 100 items, 90+ would get bids, and most lots of bids.
ANY BLOODY POSTER.

anyway, it does have uses. Most people find its not worth it now though.

I find Facebook is the best sales avenue nowadays, for me at least.

that and just clients who I know, and know what they like and i can offer before it ever becomes public.

[Crazy Vick]

So the UK gets 100 free listings a month, Canada/US is 50 and Australia is 40.  Anyone else have local limits?

[FFFMoviePosters]

It's very important with Ebay to calculate the cost of your time into earnings.

Ebay can work and has worked for us for many years. But it does take a lot of effort and building up a reputation first. As previously mentioned, Ebay does always side with the buyer in any dispute.

Buyers love to see a strong feedback rating. To get one you have to earn it:

1) Fast, professional communication with buyers
2) Clean images and descriptions
3) Multiple shipping options
4) Fast, secure shipping

Those are the obvious ones.

The best way to find out is to run a few tests with less expensive items and judge the experience for yourself.

[Crazy Vick]

It's very important with Ebay to calculate the cost of your time into earnings.

Ebay can work and has worked for us for many years. But it does take a lot of effort and building up a reputation first. As previously mentioned, Ebay does always side with the buyer in any dispute.

Buyers love to see a strong feedback rating. To get one you have to earn it:

1) Fast, professional communication with buyers
2) Clean images and descriptions
3) Multiple shipping options
4) Fast, secure shipping

Those are the obvious ones.

The best way to find out is to run a few tests with less expensive items and judge the experience for yourself.

Great advice!  How do you do this: "It's very important with Ebay to calculate the cost of your time into earnings"

[jayn_j]

Great advice!  How do you do this: "It's very important with Ebay to calculate the cost of your time into earnings"

Not that tough.  Select a poster.  Photograph them. Write description.  go through the ebay process of listing.  Figure an hour of answering questions.  Then figure how long it takes to package the items and drive to the UPS/Fedex/Post Office.

I would guess we are talking about 4-6 hours per item.  I value my professional time at $70/hour.  Probably half that for personal time. YMMV.  $35*6 = $210 in lost time.

Better be an expensive poster.  If it is a $200 poster, Bruce will charge you 28% or $56.  So, is it worth $56 to let Bruce do all the work?

[FFFMoviePosters]

I would guess we are talking about 4-6 hours per item.  I value my professional time at $70/hour.  Probably half that for personal time. YMMV.  $35*6 = $210 in lost time.

The value of one's time is what will greatly skew the calculation. For some there is no value on the time because they might be retired and not care. For others, say with a day job and kids, time is hard to come by.

[Crazy Vick]

alone time away from the wife and kids slowly packaging posters in the basement = priceless 

[Harry Caul]

alone time away from the wife and kids slowly packaging posters in the basement = priceless

 

[Crazy Vick]

Wondering if folks here have experience selling multiple posters on ebay via a single listing.  I am basically listing 200 posters or so, but would rather post a complete listing with price in a list (I am lazy) rather than a single listing for each, which i have zero time for.  This in the hopes that folks will purchase more than one at a time. Photos would be provided on demand.

Is this allowed?  Is it effective? 

[bigmike]

Wondering if folks here have experience selling multiple posters on ebay via a single listing.  I am basically listing 200 posters or so, but would rather post a complete listing with price in a list (I am lazy) rather than a single listing for each, which i have zero time for.  This in the hopes that folks will purchase more than one at a time. Photos would be provided on demand.

Is this allowed?  Is it effective?

I would think you would have a lot better chance listing individually vs one lot. As it would also be easier for someone to find the poster versus a listing in a lot when they search for it. Plus I’m sure, (I always do), will click on sellers other items to see what they have so I can combine on shipping.
I would list individually.