accepting any and all ebay tips & rant how long do you hold firm on items >$100

[dumpsterdiver]

accepting any and all ebay tips & rant how long do you hold firm on items >$100

first post so apologies for any wrong board, grammar etc.

i use to sell on ebay 7 years ago. i quit because I was keeping too much. I recently started again and I have a pretty good eye for hunting. I listed 3 things I've seen others sell for $150 within the last couple of months. I list the exact same thing and no takers. same condition etc. My feedback is 100% around 200 ratings.

So I end up selling my more expensive items $50 cheaper than what others are. Yes they are not very common items. So my question is. Do you hold firm on the big dollar items and let the $20 items go cheap. Hold firm on all of it. Or hold firm on the $20 items and discount the more expensive items. I'm looking to keep enough money flowing that I stay motivated. I don't want 1000 items listed I couldn't handle it.

While Im at it. Do you photograph flaws. I always do but I see others not photograph them and briefly mention them buried in a wordy dissertation.

General rant.
Ive sold maybe 30 items in the last couple months in that time I had one lady change her address after I shipped the item and then tell me I sent it to the wrong house. Well I sent it to the only address she had listed. There is no other way I could have known her other address. She told me she wasn't going to pay to have it shipped again. Well to be honest I wouldn't mind paying if she would admit she changed the address afterwards but she blames me. oh and did i mention the correct address is in Hawaii. offer a full refund but she doesnt want that.

I also get other people wanting to bid on the item and have me send the item to their brother who lives somewhere else. can i just send it to you and you send it to your brother? no response.

set of 3 mugs. can i buy just the one? well just the one is listed in other people auctions. why not buy it there. thanks for any and all advice?

do you still have the ashtray? relist it and I will buy it. relist it. send him the link. goes unsold.

This is probably not even all for 30 sales. Are the scams getting weirder or do i just get the weirdos

thanks

 

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[diggummup]

As far as pricing, it depends on the item, as in what it specifically is, whether or not I will lower it too, too much. Example... I have an item i've been listing for a couple years. I'm down to $399. I will not lower it anymore, I'll keep it first. I started at $799 which is the higher side of what comparable examples of this particular item have sold for. I really don't have any idea why it hasn't sold yet to be honest.
Photographing flaws... yes always when possible. With a description of the flaw leading to photo, example "see last photo" or something to that effect. Besides photographing flaws make sure you describe any and all condition issues no matter how insignificant they may seem to you. Some people are real sticklers and will examine your item with a fine toothed comb and a microscope.
Never send an item to any other address other than the listed address for that person. To do otherwise will void any and all seller protection you may have. As long as you send it to the address they have listed on ebay/paypal then you are covered. I had a lady that moved and never updated her info on ebay. She bought an item from me. I sent it to her (old) address listed on ebay. She never received it because she didn't live there anymore. She filed a case against me for item never received. Item showed it was delivered. I won. End of story. I have had people ask me to relist an item, usually they buy it. More than once someone didn't, it's no big deal.

So yes there are weirdos out there, but they aren't running rampant, lol.

 

[inspectorgadget]

I couldn't have said what Dig said any better!

I will also HIGHLIGHT & say DO NOT EVER ship to an unconfirmed PayPal address! This is a scam just waiting to happen! Questions such as will you ship it to their brother.. tell em no sir, ship it to him yourself! I can't say I have never done this as I have done costumers a favor a few times before & shipped somewhere else for them but NEVER on an item over even say $20. In the past I have sold many many many $5ish items & I don't think people try to scam as much with these lower dollar items. At least that's my experience with it, & I use to sell a lot of $300-$600 laptops years ago & believe me nothing gets as many scam bidders as laptops or any higher end electronic devices. I know all their tricks of their trade & I have never ever been had by one of these guys!

Accurate photos & descriptions including damage is more than a must!

Some items sell better some months so just because something sold 2 months ago for X amount of money that doesn't mean it will do the same next month. Again I once sold laptops & 1 month I might get $500 for a machine & the next month only get $400 for the same machine. Some items have good value but low demand & you just need that one right buyer to come along & sometimes this can take a while if you have to have top dollar out of your item!

 

[dumpsterdiver]

If you have listed something for a couple of years, then I guess I'm way too impatient. After you have gone to the work to find, photograph and list an item it would be nice to get a return on your hard work. But I guess I better just keep relisting. Just seemed like Im dropping the price more than others. They are sought after collectible blown glass items. Near to the high end of their respective brands. I guess the smaller items might keep the money flowing steadier.

I guess in regards to photography I know I wouldn't want to receive an item with a scratch, chip or something I didn't know about. But I noticed some peoples descriptions really downplay them. And I get so close with my camera a very minor scratch can look huge in the photo. I don't want to be dishonest I just don't want to short myself unnecessarily.

I've worked as a manager in customer service for 15 years. I guess its not the weirdos that bother me But why not just be honest and say I changed my address after I bid because I have two houses. I hadn't bought anything on ebay in awhile. Which I'm certain is what happened. Otherwise the package I sent wouldn't have ended up at a house you happen to own.

Well I appreciate the advice. I guess I need to keep trying to find smaller items to keep the cash flowing.

 

[inspectorgadget]

But why not just be honest and say I changed my address after I bid because I have two houses. I hadn't bought anything on ebay in awhile. Which I'm certain is what happened. Otherwise the package I sent wouldn't have ended up at a house you happen to own.

As unreasonable as she seems I might think she did it on purpose! I bet she paid for shipping to somewhere much cheaper than what shipping to Hawaii would have cost. This saved her money then she could claim foul & possibly get you to reship it (at your cost) to Hawaii. I say either she pays for reshipping it & if not then tell her that refunding her money is all you can do! I won't reship something with my money if it's the buyers fault they didn't get it the first time!

 

[cherrypicked]

I'm a little different in how I price things. First, I do a "best offer" option. Second, I try to find a profit that I can live with rather then comparing what others get. I start out listing on the high end but if after 15 days I don't have anyone interested I will lower it. After 30 days if it still hasn't sold I list it for what I need to make a profit that I can live with. If it's worth 700 but I only paid 20 dollars for it, I'm quite happy to take three or four hundred instead of sitting on it for months.

 

[gunsil]

I'm a little different in how I price things. First, I do a "best offer" option. Second, I try to find a profit that I can live with rather then comparing what others get. I start out listing on the high end but if after 15 days I don't have anyone interested I will lower it. After 30 days if it still hasn't sold I list it for what I need to make a profit that I can live with. If it's worth 700 but I only paid 20 dollars for it, I'm quite happy to take three or four hundred instead of sitting on it for months.

Cherry is smart. One can NEVER expect to get what another seller does. Many things go for way more than they are worth because some under-educated person pays too much. The rest of the public may be wiser and you'll never see the price go that high again. If you're making money, just make money and don't fret about what somebody else got for a similar item. If you list an item for months or years it just becomes a laughing stock for all who watch that category and is way over-priced or it would sell. In general ebay is a pretty fair determiner of the value of an item, and if you don't get your asking price put it on for auction and it will reach a realistic value in most cases. I have bought thousands of items on the bay, and I almost always filter out BINs because most of them seem to be people fishing who have no idea what the item is really worth. When I sell I only sell in auction format, and sometimes I get a disappointing result, but usually the items do get a fair price.
I go on a month-long fishing trip every year, and if I make a purchase I have it sent to a friend's address where I am so it doesn't get sent back by the P.O. and sometimes if the seller wants a tax because they are in my state I have it shipped to a friend in a nearby state. I only sell and buy antique collectibles at auction and will only buy a BIN item that is new, such as clothing.

 

[dumpsterdiver]

As unreasonable as she seems I might think she did it on purpose! I bet she paid for shipping to somewhere much cheaper than what shipping to Hawaii would have cost. This saved her money then she could claim foul & possibly get you to reship it (at your cost) to Hawaii. I say either she pays for reshipping it & if not then tell her that refunding her money is all you can do! I won't reship something with my money if it's the buyers fault they didn't get it the first time!

Well I have already been taken for the extra cost. She didnt want the refund. It was an item I could have easily resold. I'm having trouble coming to terms with the fact that someone who can afford two residences would go to such lengths to save a few bucks. However I fear I was naive.

 

[inspectorgadget]

Well I have already been taken for the extra cost. She didnt want the refund. It was an item I could have easily resold. I'm having trouble coming to terms with the fact that someone who can afford two residences would go to such lengths to save a few bucks. However I fear I was naive.

Who says she has 2 residences? One of them might have been her parents house where she use to live or her ex boyfriend or just a friend she once lived with! The lady wont even admit to making a mistake & IMO that's because she didn't make a mistake she probably did it on purpose! Typical con artist behavior weather she is or not who knows because dealing with ignorant people can be as bad as dealing with a con artist & can be hard to tell the 2 apart!

 

[cherrypicked]

Well I have already been taken for the extra cost. She didnt want the refund. It was an item I could have easily resold. I'm having trouble coming to terms with the fact that someone who can afford two residences would go to such lengths to save a few bucks. However I fear I was naive.

Also, you have to keep in mind that sometimes you're not dealing with people that are all there. I've had plenty of people try to scam me but others just genuinely seem to be off their rocker. At first it was really frustrating but over time I've learned that it's just part of being in a business that deals with people. Sometimes I have to acquiesce a bit to make customers happy but I only do what I am comfortable with.

 

[dumpsterdiver]

CheryyPicked,
Thats a good point. And telling myself the person is not all there does calm the rage/frustration. From here on out every time I get taken I'm taken I'm going to convince myself they had a mental condition. Which if you could see the emails may be the case. But I think narcissism was only recently considered an actual mental condition. At any rate you raise a good viewpoint. I saw your other recent sales post and I would have had a hard time parting with Alice that was a good find. I never stumble on the old cookie jars anymore. a little bit jealous of that find.

Also, you have to keep in mind that sometimes you're not dealing with people that are all there. I've had plenty of people try to scam me but others just genuinely seem to be off their rocker. At first it was really frustrating but over time I've learned that it's just part of being in a business that deals with people. Sometimes I have to acquiesce a bit to make customers happy but I only do what I am comfortable with.

 

[cherrypicked]

CheryyPicked,
Thats a good point. And telling myself the person is not all there does calm the rage/frustration. From here on out every time I get taken I'm taken I'm going to convince myself they had a mental condition. Which if you could see the emails may be the case. But I think narcissism was only recently considered an actual mental condition. At any rate you raise a good viewpoint. I saw your other recent sales post and I would have had a hard time parting with Alice that was a good find. I never stumble on the old cookie jars anymore. a little bit jealous of that find.

I sell everything! If I let myself keep one thing then I would probably start hoarding it all. The only thing I ever had a difficult time parting with was a bracelet from the 50's. I was about to take the listing down and at that very moment it sold. It's the only thing I kind of regret parting with.

 

[deserdog]

If you buy the unusual stuff, sometimes you migh have to list it many times before the right person sees it. Case of point, I have had a book: Hawaiian Time, from 1954, for several years. Paid a dollar or so for it. Finally the right person saw it and paid $60.00 for it. Listed it for free many times until it sold.

 

[Nickleanddime]

As far as the pricing goes here's a example, I sold a princess grace doll a few weeks ago, I researched current and past listings before I name a price. A guy had one for 39.99 and relisted 4 times to date and couldn't sell it. Mine was listed at the same time for 60 plus shipping, well I lowered it on the 3 day left and changed the shipping options. Well it sold with one bid and I think it's because if the postage change.

When I look on ebay to buy the shipping breaks me on a item. Like why are you offering express shipping on a 20 yr old game? Send it standard and save me 20 bucks. I'm buying a item currently that's a prepay card, 2.58 for shipping! Why not .47 cents? It'll ship in a envelope.

So outta all that I wrote here's my tips that I've learned so far to increase my sales.
1. Know what your selling, price within $15 bucks of similar items.
2. Give multiple shipping options, some don't care how long it takes.
3. Communicate with people, nothing pisses me off more then sending a question and they blow you off.
4. Always photo damages, and mention in the description. It'll save you mad customers and refunds/ bad feedback.
5. A great cover photo is a huge key. If it looks like junk it's going to get passed over.
6. Junk boxes, toss in a few old coins or jewlery, it gives people hope. But again tell what it is in description so people can't say your lieing.

Hope it helps.

 

[dumpsterdiver]

Thanks those are good. Despite what others are saying my auctions with other people listing the same auction pricing a few dollars higher doesnt seem to stop the bidders. but I still keep the prices in line. I dont understand the express shipping either but it seems like ebay pushes it because when you get to the shipping line it pretty much autofills use what other sellers are using and its always priority or express. Several more clicks to choose standard shipping. I dont know what ebay gets out of this. Probably a few pennies more per transaction which probably does add up for them. I guess I do need to work on my cover photos. And Im not up to the junk box level yet. So far those are going back to the thrift shop.

So outta all that I wrote here's my tips that I've learned so far to increase my sales.
1. Know what your selling, price within $15 bucks of similar items.
2. Give multiple shipping options, some don't care how long it takes.
3. Communicate with people, nothing pisses me off more then sending a question and they blow you off.
4. Always photo damages, and mention in the description. It'll save you mad customers and refunds/ bad feedback.
5. A great cover photo is a huge key. If it looks like junk it's going to get passed over.
6. Junk boxes, toss in a few old coins or jewlery, it gives people hope. But again tell what it is in description so people can't say your lieing.

Hope it helps.[/QUOTE]