Selling on eBay

[mc2fool]

Kind of an open DAK on the subject...(mods feel free to move if you think this is better elsewhere)

I'm trying to (finally) get my act together on a (very) long overdue clear out and am thinking of putting some items up on eBay. It's an eclectic mix, from books to photo accessories to an analogue 14" CRT TV/VCR to a vintage 1960s Hooverette vacuum cleaner, and other random stuff.

I've never sold anything on eBay before, so any/all hints and tips, gotchas, etc, are welcome, both on putting things up on eBay to sell and on post-sale packaging and delivery (I don't have the original packaging for any of them), and anything else I should know/do in-between.

[BullDog]

I always wait for a 80% off selling fee offer before I list anything, otherwise in my opinion, the fees are just too high.

When you ship something, I recommend you always ship it signed for on delivery. If you don't, you are leaving yourself open to claims of non arrival even when it has. Ebay always side with buyers so you can potentially lose the goods and lose payment through no fault of your own. Hope that helps.

[mc2fool]

I always wait for a 80% off selling fee offer before I list anything, otherwise in my opinion, the fees are just too high.

12.8% plus 30p* if I've understood correctly, yes? So at 80% off it's 2.56% plus 6p? How often do those offers come up?

Also, I'm a little confused about Auction / Buy It now / Best offer. The page below seems to say that if I want to set a reserve I can only set one that's a minimum of £50 (and pay 4% for the privilege), which is lots more than I'll ever get for some of my items, but if the auction ends up at 10p I'd rather give them to the local charity shop. Could you explain how Auction / Buy It now / Best offer work and interact with each other please?

* https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/frais-pour-les-vendeurs-particuliers?id=4822

[vrdiver]

If I'm selling something on eBay, I search for the same object, using the "sold items" and "completed items" search filters (search for your item, then scroll down and on the left hand side should be a selection of check box filters under the header "Show Only").

This gives me an idea of a) what it's worth to eBay purchasers and b) what the most successful listing looks like (photos, title, description). If I'm still motivated to sell, then I'll probably copy (use as a basis) the best listing, but use my own photos.

Postage - can destroy profit. I pack my item (with the idea that the courier is going to drop it...) and then check postage costs (2nd class signed for, or other courier, signed for). Then I update the postage on the listing. For items where postage is <10% of the total cost I might offer free postage, but I've never noticed a real difference.

Insurance - check if your items are covered under the courier's policy! I sold some Hi-Fi separates and one was damaged in transit; turned out the courier didn't cover turntables...

eBay will try to promote all sorts of "extras" from large photos to extra sub-titles etc. etc. I never bother as they just eat into profits.

If listing as an auction, rather than a buy-it-now, if the sales history shows a healthy throughput of similar items, I just start at 99p, no reserve. Then again I'm prepared to take a hit if it actually only sells for 99p! Usually undervalued items do get bid up to a sensible sales price, but you can be unlucky. It's a trade-off versus the increased listing fees for adding a reserve or high starting price.

If listing as a buy-it-now, I choose 30 day and automatic renewal if unsold. I'd rather get my preferred price than a quick sale, but will reduce the price a small amount if the item is in my way and I just want rid of it.

I don't usually accept "offers" from buyers, and I don't end auctions early - most bidders like to wait until the last moment. I like to let the auction play out in full. If the offer was serious then they can bid as well.

eBay fees - I've not checked, but memory suggests the current fee is around 20% (including postage charges) so be aware you'll only receive 80% or so of your final sales price. Fees vary, so check, if it's important to you.

If a buyer is unhappy, I always accept returns / give a refund. It's not worth the grief to argue (imho). That does mean that I record and include serial numbers etc. if an item could be "swapped" for a broken/different one and returned as a scam.

As a seller I ask the buyer to leave feedback as confirmation of receipt and that they are happy with the item. Once received, I also leave feedback.

Hope that helps!
VRD

[bluedonkey]

I've never found it financially worth the hassle compared to giving away; donee collects.

[EviesDad]

I sell on ebay as a measure of last resort these days as the fees are now so high. First port of call for me is to list on Facebook Marketplace & Gumtree for cash on collection only. Have cleared loads of stuff from the loft in the last year and I've been surprised how far some people will travel to pick stuff up. You do get the odd timewaster who says they want something and then doesnt turn up to collect, but I'm prepared to put up with that as I'm not paying any selling fees.

[bruncher]

I use ebay a lot for selling CD's and books. The fees are expensive, maybe similar to Amazon Marketplace.

Anything that cannot be easily posted I sell on Gumtree or a local neighbourhood forum - everyone understands that it's collection only. Stuff I'm giving away gets listed on the local online forum or taken to a charity shop.

Ebay does require work - uploading pictures and filling in various categories of info, unless the item has already been listed by someone else and you can use standard data that's already in the public domain.

[gryffron]

If you do decide to go with ebay, good, well lit, pictures from several angles are vital to getting best price. I never found any of their premium stuff worth the effort.

I concur, NEVER end an auction early. Quite a few chancers ask, but most bidders bid in the last hour, so even if its going slow, don't panic and accept an early bid.

NOTHING sells in December, ebay is a ghost zone that month. Everyone is out christmas shopping.
And January it is flooded with unwanted gifts.
But otherwise, cold dank weather means more people browsing. So a wet November is good.

Gryff

[BullDog]

I always wait for a 80% off selling fee offer before I list anything, otherwise in my opinion, the fees are just too high.

12.8% plus 30p* if I've understood correctly, yes? So at 80% off it's 2.56% plus 6p? How often do those offers come up?

Also, I'm a little confused about Auction / Buy It now / Best offer. The page below seems to say that if I want to set a reserve I can only set one that's a minimum of £50 (and pay 4% for the privilege), which is lots more than I'll ever get for some of my items, but if the auction ends up at 10p I'd rather give them to the local charity shop. Could you explain how Auction / Buy It now / Best offer work and interact with each other please?

* https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/frais-pour-les-vendeurs-particuliers?id=4822

I guess the 80% off selling price is algorithm driven. I never sell unless it's on one of those offers so the algorithm sends them every week or two to me. I list something maybe 50% of the time.

I never set a reserve, I set the minimum bid price at my bottom acceptable price. I switch make an offer off. I usually list at a weekend so the 7 day auction also ends at a weekend. I never pay for larger photos or any form of premium listing features.

Stuff generally only sells it it's dirt cheap, and not always then. HTH.

[jfgw]

eBay only allow postage to be charged at cost price but they charge fees on postage so you make a loss on the postage.

I always do as vrdriver does and search for a similar item and select "completed items". This gives you a rough idea of what something sells for (although this can vary a lot for the same type of item) and how well it sells (how many remain unsold?)

eBay always sides with the buyer. I know of someone who sold an expensive handbag and the buyer send a different one back and got a refund. I also know someone who sold a 'phone; this was signed for but the buyer claimed that it did not arrive and claimed a refund. Unless you are prepared to keep video evidence and, if necessary, sue the buyer, I suggest not selling anything valuable on eBay.

Similar alternatives exist. I have purchased something via eBid, https://www.ebid.net/uk/ . I have yet to use it for selling but might look into it for my next sale as eBay fees are getting silly.

... to an analogue 14" CRT TV/VCR

Surprisingly, these can make a bit of money.

you can potentially lose the goods and lose payment

You can't lose both, but that is for Pedants' Place, not here.


Julian F. G. W.

[88V8]

I'm trying to (finally) get my act together on a (very) long overdue clear out and am thinking of putting some items up on eBay. It's an eclectic mix, from books to photo accessories to an analogue 14" CRT TV/VCR to a vintage 1960s Hooverette vacuum cleaner, and other random stuff.

I've never sold anything on eBay before, so any/all hints and tips, gotchas, etc, are welcome, both on putting things up on eBay to sell and on post-sale packaging and delivery (I don't have the original packaging for any of them), and anything else I should know/do in-between.

Pack your items as you would like to receive them. Plenty of bubble wrap and a strong box if fragile, a courier bag or flimsy box may suffice if the item is light or robust. Don't be the clot who ships fragiles in a Jiffy bag.

Supermarkets often have piles of unwanted boxes if you ask.

Buy a tape gun and some decent packing tape, 3M tape is good quality and nicely sticky.

Weigh the packed item, then you won't get caught out on postage costs.

In the garage attic I have a huge pile of boxes and bubble and the hated poly chips. I do like it when I can get rid of poly chips, there is almost a sadistic pleasure in pouring them into a box. Scrunched up newspaper is also useful. Beware when shipping heavy items or things with corners, they can destroy their boxes if not well packed.

Don't use Evri!!!

Good photos sell the item.

Mention any defects, especially if you are a new seller. In my experience, eBay will generally side with whoever has the most feedback. Good for me as I have over 2000, not so good if you are a noob.

The easiest way to list is to find the same or similar, and click Sell it Yourself. This can save a lot of tedious pre-filling and box ticking. You may want to expand the description as many sellers seem unable to describe things, or for that matter spell or punctuate correctly.

If you do a Buy It Now you can just leave the item to go round and round. I have sold items that had been listed so long ago I had forgotten about them, and had trouble recalling where I had put them.

Some things will be killed by their postage costs. Hardback books unless they are special, for instance.

Heavy things that are Collection Only reach a much smaller market unless you live near an arterial road or motorway. If at all possible, do be prepared to ship. Shiply can be useful for heavy items although one cannot usually know the cost in advance as Shiply is a very dynamic market.

V8

[quelquod]

Unless it’s worth £50+ don’t even think about it, it’s just not worth the hassle. At £50-£100 maybe worth it but I usually advertise on gumtree for a couple of weeks first (free and people collect). Better just giving cheaper items away once you factor in the (20% + packing materials) costs and hassle of packing and coping with the occasional problem. Other than that as others have said wait for a low fee offer, don’t bother with any of the add-ons which cost but really add no benefit, add LOTS of pictures and details, don’t accept offers and don’t stop an auction early, if it’s a sought-after item or hard to pack etc try collect-only first - you can always change later if no one bites.

[Watis]

I'm an occasional eBayer.

I get the 80% off selling fees offers every fortnight at the moment - I assumed it was the same for everyone?

I agree with most of what the previous posters have said.

I have sold a couple of non-working electronic items for spares or repair. These fall in the £20 to £50 range but the main satisfaction here is passing the item on to someone who can use it, rather than taking it to the dump.

I never set a reserve, instead setting a starting price at the minimum I want - then reducing it when relisting if the item hasn't sold.

I've used the 'Best offer' feature a couple of times with items that were hard to shift - buyers like to think they are getting a bargain.

Like mc2fool, I have a 14" CRT TV/VCR to sell. I'll have to check out how much they're going for. It's the last heavy-but-fragile item I need to sell at this time.

Watis

[mc2fool]

Thanks for all the replies. A lot to consider, only some of which I'd thought of before.

Re the 80% off selling fees offers, I assume you have to be registered as a seller to get these ... I'm been registered with eBay for many yonks but only as a (very infrequent) buyer.

A few mentions of Gumtree, which is something else I'm unfamiliar with. It's totally free? And only ever collection only? On a cursory look I see you can pay to "feature" or "promote" ads; is it worth it?

[BullDog]

Thanks for all the replies. A lot to consider, only some of which I'd thought of before.

Re the 80% off selling fees offers, I assume you have to be registered as a seller to get these ... I'm been registered with eBay for many yonks but only as a (very infrequent) buyer.

A few mentions of Gumtree, which is something else I'm unfamiliar with. It's totally free? And only ever collection only? On a cursory look I see you can pay to "feature" or "promote" ads; is it worth it?

AFAIK you're already an eBay member. You can buy and sell as an individual member. I don't recall there being anything you need to do to start selling.

Probably, you need to sell something. Then leave it a while until the algorithm sends you an offer to sell something else at a reduced fee. Others may know better than I. But that's what I believe.

Gumtree is a bit like Facebook Market Place. Both are free but to me they feel a bit like the wild West compared to eBay. There's huge number of scammers inhabit both places. However, I have on occasion used both successfully. Just to add that on Market Place, I think many of the "inquiries" are from bots, I delete them without replying.

[mc2fool]

A few mentions of Gumtree, which is something else I'm unfamiliar with. It's totally free? And only ever collection only? On a cursory look I see you can pay to "feature" or "promote" ads; is it worth it?

Gumtree is a bit like Facebook Market Place. Both are free but to me they feel a bit like the wild West compared to eBay. There's huge number of scammers inhabit both places. However, I have on occasion used both successfully. Just to add that on Market Place, I think many of the "inquiries" are from bots, I delete them without replying.

Facebook? Wossat?!?

Ok, I do have a Facebook account, but only for looking (I've never posted anything) but Facebook Market Place is another thing I'm totally unfamiliar with....

[BullDog]

Gumtree is a bit like Facebook Market Place. Both are free but to me they feel a bit like the wild West compared to eBay. There's huge number of scammers inhabit both places. However, I have on occasion used both successfully. Just to add that on Market Place, I think many of the "inquiries" are from bots, I delete them without replying.

Facebook? Wossat?!?

Ok, I do have a Facebook account, but only for looking (I've never posted anything) but Facebook Market Place is another thing I'm totally unfamiliar with....

Then you don't need to worry about it. I suspect Gumtree and FB Market Place have a lot of the same audience anyway.

[88V8]

I've never sold anything on eBay before...

One other point... if you sell by auction, some people like to bid at the last moment, so schedule it to finish at a time when people are around.
I usually arrange for mine to finish just after the end of The Archers.

V8

[servodude]

Facebook? Wossat?!?

Ok, I do have a Facebook account, but only for looking (I've never posted anything) but Facebook Market Place is another thing I'm totally unfamiliar with....

Then you don't need to worry about it. I suspect Gumtree and FB Market Place have a lot of the same audience anyway.

In general I agree
FB Market Place though does have selling communities which work as a pre-filter for nutters, as you have to be a member to participate; the missus disposes of old school stuff via a school one.
If you can find one of those that makes sense for what you're selling it can possibly cut down on the interesting character component?

[Mike4]

I concur, NEVER end an auction early. Quite a few chancers ask, but most bidders bid in the last hour, so even if its going slow, don't panic and accept an early bid.

Never mind in the last hour, I always bid at the last possible second. Minimises any chance of a competitor outbidding me as they get no time to consider.