Ebay tips, etc?

[stevew]

I have not seen a thread about ebay-ing here in awhile, and was looking for any helpful hints anyone might have. Basically I was looking through a lot of my stuff over the last couple months, and I have a lot of DVD's I don't watch anymore, a lot of video games, etc. If I could get a couple dollars out of some of this stuff it'd be better than the nothing I currently get out of it.

I have an account set up already, my wife has sold some stuff there already a year or so ago. Also have a paypal account. Some tips I have seen are to make sure that the Auctions end on a saturday or sunday during the day, when there is the most traffic. And also to take pics for everything. So any more tips/cool software(preferrably freeware), etc would be of great help.

For now I am not planning on doing this as any more then of a slight hobby, although it does seem to be something(Buying out storage garages, etc) that I may pursue as more of an income earner in the future, perhaps.

[Lorena]

We haven't sold anything on Ebay, but I can say that taking a good picture can go a long way. I tend to buy products if I see a good, clear picture of what I'm purchasing. I have no doubt that a good picture will even get you more money.

[WSUCougar]

A few tips:

1. Take the time to write a good item description. Spell-check it. Be honest.
2. Be willing to ship international, and have an idea in advance what the postage rate will be to do so.
3. Don't set your initial bid price too high. It scares bidders off.
4. Try and gauge the "market" for similar items. If ebay is saturated with the exact thing you're selling, hold off for awhile or try a set price on half.com or someplace else.

[Lorena]

dola,

Blurry pictures are a definite turn off as are picture with glare... try to avoid that as much as possible.

[rkmsuf]

work in some reflectoporn if you can

[stevew]

work in some reflectoporn if you can

Dude, that was a given.

[mooreadamc]

Very good tips. Also, create your own basic web site. I like sellers that look like they put an effort into a nice looking description and other details.

[Bee]

I've never sold anything on ebay, but I know there's a local business here that will sell stuff for you for a small commission. I've been thinking about talking to them and unloading a bunch of crap that's built up in the house (games, DVDs, etc) because I don't have time to list it all and then deal with shipping and everything. Anyone else ever used anything like that before?

[Marc Vaughan]

Selling make sure you put in a fair bit of 'blurb' about your stuff - eg. if its a game paste review scores (favourable ones preferably ;) ) into the listing etc. and as with websites ensure that the title is keyword friendly ...

Also aim for the auction to end at a friendly time for your timezone (ie. when people are awake) as its the last few hours where most bids are made normally.

When buying do the opposite and bid on items ending at 2-3am where there will often be less competition, also bid irregular amounts - ie. if you are willing to pay £2.00 for an item bid £2.15 that way if someone else bids £2 there's still a small chance they'll give up and you'll retain the item.

[dervack]

I've never sold anything on ebay, but I know there's a local business here that will sell stuff for you for a small commission. I've been thinking about talking to them and unloading a bunch of crap that's built up in the house (games, DVDs, etc) because I don't have time to list it all and then deal with shipping and everything. Anyone else ever used anything like that before?
I've looked into one of those, but it's crazy how much they take. I wouldn't do it at all that way. But it's a YMMV all the way.

[Bee]

I've looked into one of those, but it's crazy how much they take. I wouldn't do it at all that way. But it's a YMMV all the way.

Yep, if you're looking to make money I don't think it's a good way to go, but I'm more interested in cleaning out the house and getting rid of stuff. If I end up with some pocket change, all the better. I'm just trying to avoid work because I don't have the time to deal with it.

[Mustang]

I've looked into one of those, but it's crazy how much they take. I wouldn't do it at all that way. But it's a YMMV all the way.

Plus, alot of them want a minimum value on an item.

few things.

1. Pictures, pictures, pictures. People like pictures so, make sure you have plenty of them. Selling a CD, show the case and the front and the back. If you are going to sell a bunch, consider picture manager for a month. I believe it is $9.99 and you get around 60 Mb of pictures that you can use instead of paying .15 cents for every extra past the first.

2. Boxes - priority mail boxes can be ordered free from the post office and will show up at your door. Any excess can be returned to the local post office

3. Scale - if you are selling a bit, pick up a reasonable priced weight scale for around $15-20 off Ebay to pre weigh your items. That way, you aren't playing a guessing game and people know right away the cost of shipping.

4. Paypal - If you don't use it, people can be turned off and you will probably get less $$ for it.

5. International - Don't fear shipping internationally. I've never had an issue with it and despite the shipping costs, people buy alot from overseas.

6. Give a good description but, don't go crazy and type a novel. I swear, some people don't even read the description.. I could put in 'Never opened' and people will ask.. has this been opened?

7. Returns - figure out how you will handle and put in your description. Sure, there are ways around it for people but, I still think 99% of the people on Ebay are honest people that won't try to hammer it to ya...

8. Turbo lister - Free program from Ebay that you can set up... put your items in at your leisure and then upload when you want. Space your items out a minute or two apart to allow people to bid on more than one item and get combined shipping. I can't tell you how many times I've bid on multiple items that end consecutively from one seller...

[Marc Vaughan]

4. Paypal - If you don't use it, people can be turned off and you will probably get less $$ for it.
I should have mentioned this - I personally don't purchase things unless I can pay paypal (or my wife bids ;) ).

[Joe]

if youre just selling dvds and video games, you'll probably get more for them at a pawn shop than on ebay.

[Flasch186]

i cant use ebay....literally. My email is attached to my account there BUT when they started incorporating .net passwrods a while back things got all jacked up. Since I cant call them and make them fix it, it always says my email is already attached and i cant log in....probably saved me money in the long run though.

[WVUFAN]

I'd sell it on Amazon Marketplace instead of Ebay.

[IwasHere]

2. Be willing to ship international, and have an idea in advance what the postage rate will be to do so.


5. International - Don't fear shipping internationally. I've never had an issue with it and despite the shipping costs, people buy alot from overseas.


FYI. 99% of the PayPal fraud cases can be avoided by not going international.

[samifan24]

I've never sold anything on ebay, but I know there's a local business here that will sell stuff for you for a small commission. I've been thinking about talking to them and unloading a bunch of crap that's built up in the house (games, DVDs, etc) because I don't have time to list it all and then deal with shipping and everything. Anyone else ever used anything like that before?

In the offseason (now) I work full-time at an eBay dropoff store for one of the largest national franchises in the country. We sell items at a 1/3 commission and then you get back the balance minus the 7% eBay fees so your net is approximately 60%.

I recommend using a service like ours for large or very expensive items where our feedback (reputation) and template can really help your product. I would recommend AGAINST using a dropoff store for something small like DVDs as they don't tend to hold their value well and it's just as easy to do it yourself. If you've got jewelry or a bedroom set, it's a different story.

[Mustang]

FYI. 99% of the PayPal fraud cases can be avoided by not going international.

This your opinion or fact? I'd like to see that..

I've had 3 issues on Ebay.. all 3 were from the US..

[nilodor]

I have been watching an item on ebay but the seller will only accept payment through this site (www.moneybookers.com). I have never heard of it before but it just felt wierd when I checked it out. Have you guys heard anything about it? It just didn't seem as secure as paypal does.

[DanGarion]

I've got a 200+ rating on ebay from selling a number of items and buying some stuff. I've sold about 40-50 DVDs/VHS/Console Games and here is my advice.

There is NO need to write up a blurb about the movie or game. The people that will buy the movie or game are the people that WANT the movie or game. Utilize the built in UPC system on ebay for it to select a picture and put in the game description.

Personally if you are selling smaller items like DVD/Games, it's worthless to sell international, it is not worth the time or effort.

Charge a set fee for shipping something like 4 or 5 bucks for 1 item, and offer a discount if someone gets more items. Like $5 for the first and an additional $1.50 for each item afterwards. Ship the items priority mail or you can do media mail if you want. What you may not realize is shipping charges add up. You have the cost of the box/envelope and then labels (if you use them) and the cost of sending it. If you do priority you can use the USPS priority mail boxes that you get for free!

Use paypal. In fact I would suggest to ONLY accept paypal, it cuts a little from the profit, but the ease of payment makes up for it, and people love having the ability to pay for things with credit cards, you will have more bids and make more money to make up for the paypal costs.

Always start your auctions at the lowest amount (especially for these types of items). Don't do buy it now or reserves. Use a 7 day auction. Let the people that want the items bid it up.

And lastly don't get discouraged if people aren't bidding on your items, most of these types of items don't get activity till the last 24-48 hours. And if something sells for really cheap, who cares, you wanted to get rid of it anyway. You will be suprised at how high some items go. I sold a copy of Red Card Soccer for PS2 a couple years back and I got like 40 something bucks for it and it was almost 2 years old.

Good luck!

[Marc Vaughan]

There is NO need to write up a blurb about the movie or game. The people that will buy the movie or game are the people that WANT the movie or game. Utilize the built in UPC system on ebay for it to select a picture and put in the game description.
That isn't actually the reason I do it - its because presenting the advert professionally tends to help reassure nervous people that they're dealing with someone trustworthy and thus more likely to bid.

(I don't ebay sell a lot but have found a real difference between my 'rushed' adverts without information and those where I present things nicely - I sold Xmas tree's during the last holiday season to help pay for my kids presents and the adverts I took time over recouped higher prices than the rush jobs where I threw something up in a hurry)

[Marc Vaughan]

I sold a copy of Red Card Soccer for PS2 a couple years back and I got like 40 something bucks for it and it was almost 2 years old.
I can vouch for this sort of thing - indeed I know I've over-paid for some items myself because they were 'must haves' for sentimental reasons ... eg. I purchased a copy of 'Snitz Revenge' (old TSR board game) because I played it as a kid and had been hunting it down for over 2 years and wanted to play it with my eldest son ... I paid nearly £30 for it which is a ludicrous price for a tatty 15 year old board game ... but it was worth it to play it with Jake and its now one of his favourites :D

[DanGarion]

That isn't actually the reason I do it - its because presenting the advert professionally tends to help reassure nervous people that they're dealing with someone trustworthy and thus more likely to bid.

(I don't ebay sell a lot but have found a real difference between my 'rushed' adverts without information and those where I present things nicely - I sold Xmas tree's during the last holiday season to help pay for my kids presents and the adverts I took time over recouped higher prices than the rush jobs where I threw something up in a hurry)
Well the thing is though, with games particularly E-bay puts the game or movie information there for you.

Like this

Red Card Soccer 2003
Stock photo
Stock Photo

Platform: Microsoft Xbox Genre: Sports
Rating: E - Everyone Sub-Genre: --

UPC: 031719300129 Release Date: 2002
Publisher: Midway Home Entertainment

Portions of this page Copyright 2001 - 2006 Muze Inc. All rights reserved.
Additional Information about Red Card Soccer 2003
Portions of this page Copyright 2001 - 2006 Muze Inc. All rights reserved.

Description
There are 32 teams, but only one can claim the elusive World Championship. Which one will it be? Whichever one you choose, hopefully. Marked by the same over-the-top gameplay made popular by the likes of NFL BLITZ, REDCARD 2003 uses the basic rules of standard soccer and blends them into a flurry of diving headers and dangerous slide tackles. Choose whether you want to engage in a single match or stick with the action for the long haul, competing with the world’s best in a winner-take-all tournament. Each unique stadium is packed with a pumped-up crowd, which raises the stakes significantly. Also adding to the realism factor is the fact that there are more than 500 motion-capture animations used throughout the action, and the graphics are as detailed as anything on the market. The 11-on-11 setup allows for maximum impact, and there’s a wide selection of mini-games to keep adventurous soccer fans glued to this one for months on end.

Special Features
32 teams; lots of mini-games; more than 500 motion-capture animations; incredible graphics; multiplayer action

Warnings
Mild Animated Violence

Details
Players: 1-4 Players
Controller: Gamepad, Joystick
Memory Card: No

What more do you really need?


They even have your game Marc! ;)
http://cgi5.ebay.com/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?PageSyiProductDetails&ProductMementoString=67476:2:1051:78028310:100892340:43969330eec1c5b50696f81bc4e04b32:1:1:1:1354786702&IncludeAttributes=1&ShowAttributesTable=1&OriginFlow=SYI&sessionId=18654237303

[Marc Vaughan]

dangarion

You're being a bad influence on me - I didn't even realise they did that (I'm presuming the uk version has the same stuff as the US one?) .... might have to shift some of my older games at some stage then, would make my wife very happy as I naturally accumulate junk at a rate of knots (I still have a SNES+games, Saturn+game, Megadrive+games amongst other things ...).

[Lorena]

For some awesome ebay photography tips, go here: http://www.tipsfromthetopfloor.com/2005/11/17/tfttf71-ebay-photography/.

I listen to this guy's show all the time and he offers some wonderful photography tips.