Post by 2nd Bat on Mar 27, 2017 17:24:14 GMT -5
Over the years I have both bought and sold hundreds of items on EBAY often referred to as EVILBAY indeed mine is a love hate relationship. There is MUCH that is wonderful about them as a company and much to be wary of. Obviously they are a great source for hard to find items and in some cases can be an educational resource (although be careful as some items and listing whether intentional or accidental are missleading).
When buying don't get caught up in the emotion of "winning". You haven't WON anything in fact you just paid more than any other viewer IN THE WORLD was willing to bid!
Always establish what's the MOST you'd be happy to buy the item at and factor shipping into that cost. Don't bid exorbitantly as a way to insure you'll get an item at close of bidding. If even one other person does so, one of you is going to regret your bid! Never hold it against the seller if you bid stupid unless the seller clearly misrepresented the item.
Always examine the pictures carefully. Do not wait until the last second to ask for clarity on an item but do ask any questions you might have that aren't covered in the description. Read the description thoroughly! Don't be an EBAY snowflake! If you bought something and paid too much or misread a description or decided you no longer wanted it once it arrives TAKE YOUR LUMPS and learn from it. Don't whine and cry to EBAY or make up false excuses about what's wrong with it.
Pay quickly. eBay makes it real easy and with PayPal the buyer has ALL the power (even though the Seller eats the 3% cost of it's convenience). If there is a dispute PAYPAL always sides with the buyer. No exceptions here. NONE!
Always factor in shipping cost and understand that they are typically more than one expects. This is critical when selling! I have under estimated far more times than I have come out ahead. For heavy but small items the Postal Flat Rate envelopes and boxes are awesome. Understand that EBAY charges a listing fee AND a sellers commission (typically 10%) and even adds the commission to the postage! This is no doubt due to the skanky folks who listed things low but with outrageous shipping.
The seller also eats shipping supplies and spends time and fuel getting things sent out. I once had a buyer complain that I charged him $5.00 shipping when the actual cost was 4.78). Literally complained to EBAY! Never heard a peep when the estimate was 18.00 and actual cost (printed right on the box was $28.00!). As a seller provide as clear and accurate of a description and provide as many pictures as are needed to tell the story. Up to 12 pictures are allowed with no extra charge. More pictures and less words is the right way to go.
Be sure your title will show up in logical buyer searches. Choose the right listing category. Extra categories MIGHT make sense but will add to your listing fees and these really add up. Any extras on listing are a revenue stream for EBAY no surprise here unless you aren't paying attention as they quickly add up. Double check your spelling (especially in your titles) as a slightly misspelled item might "disappear" on the site. This used to be my godsend as a buyer as I used to deliberately misspell items when searching and found items few others were looking at. Hence got some great items real cheap. This is usually not true anymore except with greviously misspelled items. If you buy from a seller see if they have other items you want and take advantage of combined shipping opportunities. If you need a lot of a given item search for groupings rather than single items. Typically the offering price is lower and you will usually have less bidding competition.
If you are selling a lot of the same items don't do five separate listings of the five items. List them one at a time. It will of course take you longer to sell all five but your chances of competitive bidding go up exponentially. When you do sell an item include direct contact information and a list of similar items you have to sell in your packed item. I recently sold a grouping to a fellow who literally bought $1,000.00 worth of similar items directly from me saving listing fees, 10% and the 3% PayPal fees. $135.00 more dollars in my pocket!
Sometimes you can list an inexpensive item that suggests the existence of a more expensive item. I used to sell my converted Garands on eBay at $475.00 to $750.00 (long before ICS, GnG or A&K released theirs). The price variation was based on materials used and aggressiveness of the bidding. Once sold the commission fees on expensive items went way up. Toward the end of my sales production I started listing the M1 Garand AEG magazines (with lots of pictures of the rifles). This have tremendous exposure world wide at minimal cost. This lead to inquiries about the rifles themselves which EBAY does a great job of screening and preventing side deals. (No exchange of emails or redirection to commercial sites). When asked about the "2ndBat M1 Garand AEG". I directed them here which ultimately lead to quite a few sales. No commissions and frankly several new members to this site. WIN WIN!
eBay is a great tool if you use it well. Lots of listings there currently as I help out a neighbor's widow with her late husband's militaria.
When buying don't get caught up in the emotion of "winning". You haven't WON anything in fact you just paid more than any other viewer IN THE WORLD was willing to bid!
Always establish what's the MOST you'd be happy to buy the item at and factor shipping into that cost. Don't bid exorbitantly as a way to insure you'll get an item at close of bidding. If even one other person does so, one of you is going to regret your bid! Never hold it against the seller if you bid stupid unless the seller clearly misrepresented the item.
Always examine the pictures carefully. Do not wait until the last second to ask for clarity on an item but do ask any questions you might have that aren't covered in the description. Read the description thoroughly! Don't be an EBAY snowflake! If you bought something and paid too much or misread a description or decided you no longer wanted it once it arrives TAKE YOUR LUMPS and learn from it. Don't whine and cry to EBAY or make up false excuses about what's wrong with it.
Pay quickly. eBay makes it real easy and with PayPal the buyer has ALL the power (even though the Seller eats the 3% cost of it's convenience). If there is a dispute PAYPAL always sides with the buyer. No exceptions here. NONE!
Always factor in shipping cost and understand that they are typically more than one expects. This is critical when selling! I have under estimated far more times than I have come out ahead. For heavy but small items the Postal Flat Rate envelopes and boxes are awesome. Understand that EBAY charges a listing fee AND a sellers commission (typically 10%) and even adds the commission to the postage! This is no doubt due to the skanky folks who listed things low but with outrageous shipping.
The seller also eats shipping supplies and spends time and fuel getting things sent out. I once had a buyer complain that I charged him $5.00 shipping when the actual cost was 4.78). Literally complained to EBAY! Never heard a peep when the estimate was 18.00 and actual cost (printed right on the box was $28.00!). As a seller provide as clear and accurate of a description and provide as many pictures as are needed to tell the story. Up to 12 pictures are allowed with no extra charge. More pictures and less words is the right way to go.
Be sure your title will show up in logical buyer searches. Choose the right listing category. Extra categories MIGHT make sense but will add to your listing fees and these really add up. Any extras on listing are a revenue stream for EBAY no surprise here unless you aren't paying attention as they quickly add up. Double check your spelling (especially in your titles) as a slightly misspelled item might "disappear" on the site. This used to be my godsend as a buyer as I used to deliberately misspell items when searching and found items few others were looking at. Hence got some great items real cheap. This is usually not true anymore except with greviously misspelled items. If you buy from a seller see if they have other items you want and take advantage of combined shipping opportunities. If you need a lot of a given item search for groupings rather than single items. Typically the offering price is lower and you will usually have less bidding competition.
If you are selling a lot of the same items don't do five separate listings of the five items. List them one at a time. It will of course take you longer to sell all five but your chances of competitive bidding go up exponentially. When you do sell an item include direct contact information and a list of similar items you have to sell in your packed item. I recently sold a grouping to a fellow who literally bought $1,000.00 worth of similar items directly from me saving listing fees, 10% and the 3% PayPal fees. $135.00 more dollars in my pocket!
Sometimes you can list an inexpensive item that suggests the existence of a more expensive item. I used to sell my converted Garands on eBay at $475.00 to $750.00 (long before ICS, GnG or A&K released theirs). The price variation was based on materials used and aggressiveness of the bidding. Once sold the commission fees on expensive items went way up. Toward the end of my sales production I started listing the M1 Garand AEG magazines (with lots of pictures of the rifles). This have tremendous exposure world wide at minimal cost. This lead to inquiries about the rifles themselves which EBAY does a great job of screening and preventing side deals. (No exchange of emails or redirection to commercial sites). When asked about the "2ndBat M1 Garand AEG". I directed them here which ultimately lead to quite a few sales. No commissions and frankly several new members to this site. WIN WIN!
eBay is a great tool if you use it well. Lots of listings there currently as I help out a neighbor's widow with her late husband's militaria.
