Flogging stuff on eBay

[tameriska]

Hi, I've only sold a couple of things on Ebay, but have bought a bit .
If you are buying things, make sure that you read the description, and ask any questions before bidding.
Check the postage. There are a lot of items listed really low prices, but the postage can be astronomical.
If I am buying from a high volume seller, I usually check out thier negative/ neutral feedback through http://toolhaus.org/
This will only bring up the negative or neutral feedback for the ebay Id that you enter, but it has on occasion helped me decide not to buy off a particular seller, especially if there seems to be a common problem experienced from buyers, eg item not as described complaints.
Make sure that you read the sellers instructions fully. I have recieved my first and only negative feedback through this, sending off a moneyorder, and not printing of a copy of the invoice to send with the moneyorder to the seller.
When selling I offer paypal, bank deposit and moneyorder. i havnt had any problems with any of these.
For my selling fees, I have my savings account details entered into the sellers tools, payment options thingy, and the fees are automatically taken out of my account.

When buying things to up my feedback score, it looks like that if I buy two items off someone, I get two feedback comments, but only one feedback rating.

If selling, in the selling form you can choose to block certain types of buyers from bidding on your item. You can block bidders that have had more that one unpaid item dispute in something like the last 60 days, block bidders that have a - feedback (eg 1 positive and 3 negative feedback), or buyers from diffeent countries, if you only want to sell to eg australia.

For payment when buying I look for items with paypal or bank deposit.

[bitingmidge]

Thanks all, there's some great advice there!

I'm having a bit of trouble buying stuff though.... TEN items you say?

I'll just have to keep trying I guess!

Cheers,

P

[munruben]

when I buy on ebay I like to deposit the money direct into a bank account. Its quick and easy to do. Like to read feedback and wont buy from anyone unless they are at least 99.8% preferably 100%

[ozwinner]

I have recieved my first and only negative feedback through this, sending off a moneyorder, and not printing of a copy of the invoice to send with the moneyorder to the seller.
.

wont buy from anyone unless they are at least 99.8% preferably 100%

The problem with that is, neg feed back is some times left for no reason, like the above quote, and it takes ages, sometimes hundreds of transactions to get back into what your comfort zone is (99.8% preferably 100%).

Al

[Gumby]

Thanks all, there's some great advice there!

I'm having a bit of trouble buying stuff though.... TEN items you say?

I'll just have to keep trying I guess!

Cheers,

P

Give me a few minutes and I'll list 10 items for you. Just buy them all and I'll leave you good feedback - after you leave feedback for me first of course.

To find them put 'Used Crap GMC old tools' in the search box. Happy bidding. I hope you 'WIN'.

[durwood]

I've been using ebay for about 5 years now and have a feedback rating of over 300.

Not everyone leaves you any feedback as I have bought more than 500 things mostly from overseas.

A couple of points, if you get a friend to bid your article up you risk him being the winning bid so you have to pay him the money he bid and then you also pay the ebay fees so you sold it at a loss to you and you still have it.

The highest bidder wins not the last bidder, if I want something at any price then its easy to get just bid a massive amount. The other bidders don't know how much you have entered so they enter what they are prepared to go to and you get it for the next increment in the bidding. You can bid days before and win if you have bid more than anyone else is prepared to go.

Having said that if you bid late (sniping) no one knows that you are going to and they don't have a chance to rebid because the item has ended as you bid in the last few seconds.

Someone mentioned about cheap prices and big postage fees, there is one company in Canada that sells router bits starting at about $10 but the postage to Australia is $50. !!!!!! I had a set of dado blades posted for $20.

[Gumby]

A couple of points, if you get a friend to bid your article up you risk him being the winning bid so you have to pay him the money he bid and then you also pay the ebay fees so you sold it at a loss to you and you still have it.

Why would you have to pay the friend? He's not out of pocket.

[Big Shed]

Just been reading on Ebay about PayPal.

Apparently from June Ebay will no longer provide buyer protection, it will only be available through PayPal. So if you want buyer protection, you have to pay with PayPal.

I must say that as a buyer I like Paypal very much, quick and easy, particularly for o/seas purchases.

As a seller I am not so sure, it does add to your costs, and as Ozwinner has pointed out it seems very much slanted to the buyer, even though the seller pays all the fees!

[durwood]

Hi Gumby, You are correct I worded it badly, I'm sure you know what I mean.

He's made the bid on your behalf, its supposedly sold, but you havn't actually got rid of it it just looks like someone paid for it.

[Robynb]

Yes, PayPal is great for the buyer - quick, easy and relatively safe. For the seller, it can be expensive as fees are paid on the total transaction inc postage. Lets say you sell a reasonably bulky item (say books or something) for $10, netting you a small profit of say $3.50. Someone from Europe buys it and wants it sent fast airmail at a cost of $60. Buyer pays total of $70 by PayPal. Seller pays PayPal fees (and currency conversion fees?) on $70. Not much left of your profit.

Also PayPal disputes for items not received are often resolved in favour of the buyer, unless the seller can prove postage by providing tracking number. Not many Australia Post services offer a this, and those that do are expensive. Your market shrinks if you offer only expensive postage options. Caught between a rock and a hard place.

Many sellers advocate clearing out your paypal account as soon as payment are received - there is a fee for this, but if your PayPal acct is frozen due to a dispute, there's hardly anything in there to freeze.

If you are thinking of selling, there are a few things to consider

- Think carefully about whether you want to sell internationally or just to Australia
- Think about which postage options to offer - especially for higher priced items. If you don't send registered post, posties will sometimes just leave items on doorsteps where they can be stolen or spoiled in the rain. Remember, the seller is considered to be responsible for delivering the item to the buyer. If you use AP, they are just your agent. Think about how you will handle the situation if the parcel doesn't arrive. Familiarise yourself with the procedures AP use to find or reimburse for lost parcels.
- Make sure your descriptions are really clear, give measurements and wieghts. Honestly describe item condition and flaws / wear if used item. Use good clear photos. (You can host extra photos from photobucket with no additional ebay fees) If it's books, give a rundown or a picture of the contents.
- Think about your starting price - you may have to sell at that price

Having said all that, the vast majority of transactions go smoothly. It's just occasionally you will encounter a numpty who can't read, is unreasonable or is just plain mean. It might not seem like it, but I like eBay. I've bought some great stuff, and dealt with some great people. Just have to be careful and mindful of the possible pitfalls

[ozwinner]

And after all the good advise, all I can say Midge is......

DONT DO IT!!

Al

[Groggy]

It is risky. Don't put up anything you don't mind losing. Your first trade may go bad, or maybe the fiftieth, but it will happen and eBay (in my experience) have a history of not helping.

[echnidna]

I use Paypal to buy & sell with.

Most aussies prefer direct deposit but paypal is popular for international trading. Its worth having, mine is connected to a Visa debit card with limited funds instead of a Visa credit card. If I buy something o'seas I just pop enough in the account to cover the costs when needed.

Ebay fees can be a big trap for the unwary so be careful trading on ebay.

Ebay lost thousands of sellers a few months ago when they increased their store fees as much as 500%. I closed my ebay store and now sell a bit through Oztion (far lower fees) though most of my sales are direct from my website.
I don't sell anywhere near as much from my website as I did when I sold through ebay but I actually make more money as my costs are minimal

[Burnsy]

Ebay, probably the only site I spend more time on than this site at the moment. I like to trawl for bargains in my local area that require pickup. I have got a heap of things such as a large mirror very cheap - couple of dollars. All things I needed but were unable to be posted so this reduces the bidding pool substantially. Saying this however I have sold alot on ebay, much of it bulky that required local pickup. Plenty of time I have thrown something on for $2 thinking easier to take a photo of it and list it that drag it to the tip and pay tipping fees only to be very surprised by the number of people bidding on it. (which turns a very nice unexpected profit for me for no effort).

Everyone has made good points so far but as far as I am concerned no-one has hit the most important point when selling - USE A DICTIONARY
If you are at all unsure of spelling check it. Selling on Ebay relies on people searching for and finding your item. If you have misspelt it, it is likely that someone like me will get it for a steal I have grabbed plenty of bargains because I have been the only person bidding on an item, not becaue it is unwanted but because it has not been found by the 20 people who do want to buy it.

Likewise if you want to buy something, search for common spelling errors in somethings name or try alternative (US) spelling. For example I play around with old Holdens so if I search for grey motor, I will also do a searxch for gray motor and sometimes grey moter and gray moter. You will be amazed by what you find.

[Purpleheart]

I've purchased plenty of stuff off e-bay over the years, although I've never sold anything (Hate to get rid of stuff). I know plenty of people who do sell though.

Plenty of good advice offered already, here are some of my ideas.

Definately check the "postage" to avoid the hidden sting. You may need to contact the seller first to get a quote.

I agree with the "use visa or similar debit card", which only has enough money on it to cover transaction. Keep account empty at other times.

Only buy things of a value that "life will go on" if you get ripped off.

If the deal seems to good to be true, there is a fair chance that that will be the case. (Although there are exceptions).

Look at feedback, especially people who are good "communicators". This generally means they will answer your questions and reply promptly to your e-mails. If there is negative feedback, read the reply to that negative feedback. No-one can please all the people all the time. Some people just like to have a winge.

Start of small, and if you are inexperianced, tell the person first. That way if there is any bumbeling through the transaction, they should be a little more complient.

Thats about all I can think of for now. Ph.