eBay selling

[taimatsu]

I now live right near a post office, so my major objection to having anything to do with online buying and selling has melted away. I know some of you sell on eBay - what do I need to know about it, assuming I know next to nothing?

Comments

[omentide.livejournal.com]

May I follow this closely?

I'm also thinking about taking the plunge into ebay selling.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

The best way is just to sell one small thing and learn as you're going. By the time you've done that, you'll have got the idea really. Don't do what I did and list 16 things at once as your first attempt at selling -- this takes way too much time and effort!

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

Agreement with this. I used to sell posters on Ebay, and it wasn't too difficult after a false start or two.

Start with things that are *very* easy to ship.

[diffrentcolours]

Read the EULA, run away screaming.

[taimatsu]

Especially bad bits...?

[lovingboth]

a) .. and it cuts eBay out of their percentage.

I'd wish they'd respond to complaints about people breaking the rules about, say, charging £20 for 'postage' for something that's sent in an ordinary envelope 2nd class, but...

[kisai.livejournal.com]

They do. Trust me,

The conditions for something to be taken down for excessive shipping are pretty much:
a) has to be obvious
and
b) it's upon the burder of the buyer (Buyer Beware) to prove it.

Sending an email with "WAHHH I BEEEN RIPPED OFF!! SHIPPING TOO MUCH" is not helpful

Sending an email like this is better:
"Dir sirs, I received my item 01234456 today and the postage says it was only 0.49$ when I paid 25$ for this. Here is a link to a photo of the package with the shipping label and costs. Here's a tape measure against the side of the package to prove that this item is only 4" by 4" by 6" and here's a picture of it on a scale, it only weighs 400g."

Now if we got a lot of those for the same seller, I'm fairly certain there would be more than enough proof.

The second point, is which point do you complain. Use the webform if you are thinking of, or planning on bidding on it, but don't bid if you aren't prepared to pay it, If the listing is removed, it is gone. If you win you are on the hook for it.

To be true though, there is a lot more criteria, but I'm not going to share it. Pretty much what looks to be excessive at first, isn't always, and unfortunately, you shouldn't take inaction from eBay as eBay doesn't care. Believe me, nobody gets away with anything for very long. The more high profile, the less likely someone will get away with it. Because competitors always rat out their competition.

[lovingboth]

Have a look in the area you're interested in. What makes you want to buy? What goes for the most? Copy their basic approach.

So that'll probably be things like good photos and enthusiastic (but honest) descriptions. Description writing is probably the most time consuming bit (before packing it up and posting it).

Never ever sell something early: lots of people wait until the last seconds before bidding, so the price can shoot up in the last minute.

[v15u4l-3rr0r.livejournal.com]

All I know is that it costs you to list stuff to sell on Ebay.

[curious-reader.livejournal.com]

It is now very expensive selling on ebay on a normal day. When I want to sell more than one thing I wait for a 10p or 1p listing day. They ad more fee for each additional item. I always put a gallery picture on it which cost always 15p. Wait for a cheap day. I just canceled broadband before the 10p day and waited for the other one. I couldn't get rid of all my stuff. It took too long to download pictures. You need to have broadband to download pictures otherwise it takes ages. My dial up is pay as you go which I only use when I have no broadband.