eBay beginner seeks help

Try alt.marketing.online.ebay and its google archives.

This guy set me on the way to make thousands from ebay.

(this is Don Lancaster from alt.marketing.online.ebay and sci.electronics.design). He is sometimes hyperbolic, or kidding, but rarely wrong.

i

Hi Ed,

I'm sure may others will chime in, but FWIW:

I don't haunt ebay anymore, I just set a few favorite searches, and read the mail when it comes in. I few weeks back I posted some instructions on setting a favorite search, you might google to see if my post is in archives.

I don't rely on high percentages positive feedback any more: it seems that more and more ebayers are reluctant to leave negative feedback, for fear of retaliation. So read the negatives on the OP, even if the rating is 98% positive.

I don't bother with sniping (leaving a timed bid to come in on the last minute of auction), but simply bid what I'm willing to pay. 2/3 of new value for immaculate condition, 1/2 of new for good to excellent condition still seems reasonable to me, and is more than most bargain hunters seem to be willing to spring for. I figure that most of the folks that are selling are "us", why should I want to cheat or hammer down a fellow metalworker. Others seem to disagree on this, but there you go.

The last piece of advice will be reduntant in your case, given your background: really read the listing. As with exam questions, a close reading will prevent problems later on.

Regards,

Adam Smith Midland, ON

BTW, I just read one of your old posts on concrete machinery, that someone had linked and saved out on the web. I still haven't given up dreams of that concrete planer, you never know ...

Have a good thanksgiving.

My kind of guy. :)

ebay has, imo, quite helped to erode part of our social fabric. What would normally be given away to a neighbor or their kid or a local charity is now hoarded for ebay, including belly lint, selling for literally a few dimes. goodgawd... I guess charity starts at home.

Now, iffin inyone is innerested in belly lint, I think I have some gourmet shit over here.... and cheap! Don't get me started on the lottery....

I bought a book when I got started, I believe the author was Sinclair.

Most any ebay book will give you the basics. Ebay even puts on FREE seminars all over the US. Some have a very reasonable fee.

If you can find someone who is doing ebay, they can show you the relevant things without you having to go through all the chaff. There is a lot to it, but the basics are pretty easy, and the learning curve short.

A few gems:

Select the proper keywords. Short, accurate, concise.

Take GOOD pictures.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS HAVE A GALLERY PICTURE.

Write an accurate description, including ALL the flaws and scratches.

Use color, good spelling, and good grammar in your description. No need to use all the cutesy templates.

Time your entry so it ends about 9PM EDT when most folks are home.

Time your sale to the season; Easter bunnies sell best at Easter.

Learn how to do advanced searches under "completed items."

Start off with a low price to keep your insertion fee low.

Do seven day auctions.

Set up a PayPal account to get more buyers.

Link up to USPS to be able to make your Priority Mail labels at home.

Get FREE USPS Priority boxes, they DELIVER, too!

Pack like you were shipping to yourself. Make it good for a ten foot drop. The Post Office will test this. UPS is worse.

E mail me if you get stuck.

Steve (an ebay PowerSeller)

Eroded the social fabric, perish the thought....

ebay has saved many items from the garbage truck because the owner didnt want them or didnt know anybody who did.

It has also made many surplus items available to tinkerers such as as that were previously unaffordable.

Ebay (and craigslist) has also severely wounded the leftist news media by depriving them of classified ad revenue.

Tony

Ed

Read Other Peoples adds to see why the item sold or did not sell. Great pictures are a must. Sell International. It takes some learning but it is worth it. Learn to pack and always be ready to hoard some packing material. Get a shredder. Get a FAX. Get a high speed connection. Have a place to take your pictures. Use the same background everytime. Have a good supply of markers to fill out labels. Lots of other things but I can't remember them all. Bob AZ

good advice

no it is not...

May I also suggest to understate condition of the items.

i

Good points. Silver linings to most clouds, I guess.

Oh yeah, and great for UPS stock--musta quadrupled over the past 10 years, no??

Use common sense.

Know what new is worth and figure out what bid + shipping is and if the uncertaintly is worth buying a pig in a poke.

Search for what you want with correct spelling and common mispellings. Sometimes you get a deal because no one saw it.

Remember that this is riskier than an actual live auction where you can inspect the item and figure that into the price you are willing to pay.

Ask the seller questions, don't assume. It also gives a record of what was described in case of a deal gone bad.

Wes S

I have to disagree. Where before a perfectly useful item might have been given to the neighbor kid -- to then sit unused in the neighbor kids closet

-- it can now=20 find its way to someone who actually NEEDS it.

"Dave" wrote

I have to disagree. Where before a perfectly useful item might have been given to the neighbor kid -- to then sit unused in the neighbor kids closet

-- it can now find its way to someone who actually NEEDS it.

Not to mention ..........

You got a 1976 left handed lime green hardwood widget that is worth $25.

You call the local newspaper and they want $27.50 for an ad .............

Wait. Wait. I know the answer to this.

Steve

OK, and thanks. That one's first on my list, for Saturday.

-- Ed Huntress

Will do.

What's "OP"?

close

A concrete-bed lathe that a hobbyist could build without expensive tools would be a great newsgroup-wide development project, IMO. Post-tensioned concrete, with commercial stock (round or square) for bedways and so on...it has potential.

I did, and I hope you did, too. Thanks for the tips.

-- Ed Huntress

I guess eBay proves what some economists have been saying for a long time, that the value of everything is best understood in terms of its price.

I encourage other people to spend heavily on it, unless they're friends of mine.

-- Ed Huntress

Filed for frequent re-reads, Steve. Thanks very much.

-- Ed Huntress

This is more refined and sophisticated than I thought. I hadn't thought of getting rid of more than a few items, but I'm fascinated by what you guys who are doing it big-time have worked out.

Thanks much, Bob.

-- Ed Huntress

Thanks, Wes. That sounds like a good place to start. And thanks for the other tips.

-- Ed Huntress

Might want to hedge your bets and purchase some indulgences. I think you can get them on Ebay.

R, Tom Q.

Ed, I don't have a lot of experience, but have dabbled at ebay for a few years. Here are a few thoughts.

I find ebay to be really useful in selling stuff. The number of buyers who see your items is far larger than any local advertiser. Buying stuff isn't necessarily such a good deal--it can easily be an auction with too much competition. There are deals to be had buying, just keep a lid on your excitement.

Selling--you must have clear pictures of your items. Spell out exactly what additional costs there will be for the buyer in your ad; buyer pays shipping, describe any crating charges, etc. If you can give firm $ costs, even better. I don't think including the shipping in the auction price is a good idea, I think all it does is get you less money in your pocket.

One of the first few things I sold was a small coil winder. Very nice Swiss machine I'd gotten surplus years previous, decided to get rid of it but where do you sell something like that? Ebay, of course. It went for $800, I was amazed.

Ebay has feedback on members. You buy or sell something, the other person adds feedback to your account, a short message expressing their satisfaction (hopefully). I think having at least some feedback (100% good is important!) will help you get better prices for stuff you sell. Buy a few things, sell some cheaper items, and get some good feedback before trying to sell stuff you want real money for. Be sure and leave feedback for the other guy too.

To get good feedback as a seller, you need to be honest, have good descriptions and ship immediately. I get the item boxed and ready before the auction ends, so all I have to do is slap a label on it and ship that day. As a buyer, you need to pay right after the auction ends if possible (sometimes you need to wait while the seller tells you how much shipping is...).

Buying, I usually wait until the last bit, 10-30 seconds before the end of the auction before I bid. People get pissed and excited, just like a live auction. The more time you give them to respond, the higher the final price will be. Be cautious about cutting it too fine, I've lost items where the auction closed before my bid made it in. I usually use Ebay's setup where you tell it your max price and Ebay will bid you up no further. I use PayPal and have had no problems. Almost always the seller eats the PayPal costs, just like credit cards.

It's all a lot of fun.

Steve