Getting into Ebay

[PDS]

My question is how easy it is to start selling items on Ebay. I am not very computor savey, and I have an old computor(pentium 1). I have a bunch of stuff that I don't need but I feel others might want to buy(old stuff like gold watches and windup music boxes) Do I need a state of the art scanner with a didgetal(sp)camera to post what I have to sell? All input is welcom. PDS.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Getting into Ebay

PDS, if you have any pictures at all or are able to take some it will be real helpful.<br />People just won't buy if they can't see what they are bidding on.<br /><br />You will have to set up a sellers account and some way to pay the listing fee's etc.<br />A credit card will be put on file and these fees will be deducted once a month.<br /><br />Any more questions just ask and someone will try to answer them.<br />Ralph Spencer is a power seller on ebay and is very knowledgeable.

 

[PDS]

Re: Getting into Ebay

SBN, thanks for your fast reply I realize pix are needed,(who wants to buy blind) I may have to invest in a didgetal camera (I think I may anyway)but is Ebay that good(lots of people have been burned by sellers) Is paypal pretty solid(crook-proof) I don't want to be burned and I don't want to burn anybody that I sell to. PDS

 

[one more cast]

Re: Getting into Ebay

PDS, I have been doing the eBay thing for a few years now and IMO paypal is the way to go. go to ebay.com , open an account and click the sell button.you can go through the whole shebang ,get a feel for it,and see what your auction will look like. as long as you don't click the thingy on the end to activate the auction it won't cost you a dime. The secret is to start low to get a bidding war going.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Getting into Ebay

Selling, and especially buying, on E-bay is a real pain in the butt.. my 2 cents.. I'm about done with it..<br /><br />Paypal... The jury is still out on them.. so far, so good..

 

[11 footer]

Re: Getting into Ebay

Don't let snapperbate run you away from ebay, I've been doing it about a year and have not had any prolbems.<br /><br />I don't even use paypal, and not one bad trasnaction yet. You just have to be smart about it when buying, and if its to good to be true it is!<br /><br />All you have to do is click on "register" and ebay will walk you threw everything, pretty foolproff IMO

 

[roscoe]

Re: Getting into Ebay

Spend some time looking at ebay.<br />Maybe buy a couple things, fishing lures, etc.<br />Watch how others list items that are similar to the items you want to sell.<br /><br />I rarely will buy an item if the seller won't take PayPal.<br />Most of the other electronic payment methods are a pain in the but. I never accept ANY check. If a buyer can't set up a PayPal acct, or go to the Post Office and send me a money order, then I don't want to do business with them.<br /><br />When you list an item, make sure you put all the key words in the title, and make sure you list it in the best catagory(s). This will get you the most exposure when people search for items.<br /><br />I've only had 2 sloppy transactions out of a hundred. THe first took a month to ship. THe second was lost (supposedly) in shipping, and my money was refunded.<br /><br />About the old Pentium and digital pictures; You can have someone else post the pictures from a more up to date computer, if yours won't cut it.<br />You don't need a $500 camera. Even one mega-pixel is enough, just get good clear close-ups.<br /><br />Good Luck and <br />GO PACKERS!!

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Getting into Ebay

I have used Ebay for about 5 years, mainly to buy things. It is now commonly referred to as "Feebay" because they have raised their fees over the years. I have not had any bad transactions. I buy way more than I sell, and anymore I don't bother with bidding. I look for the "Buy It Now" feature, and if the asking price and shipping are within what I am willing to spend, I go that route. I get tired of spending days watching an item. I never "snipe", which is the practice of bidding within seconds of the auction ending. I just decide what my max amount I am willing to spend is, place my bid, and if I get outbid, thats fine. Too many people get caught up in bidding frenzy and pay too much for an item, I won't be one of those. <br /><br /> Like has been said, look around the site, look for similar items that you want to sell, and see how they do. When you list an item, make sure you list it right. Think about how most people will search for it, and list it that way. If the titleing is too obscure, it won't show up for the general searcher, thus it won't be seen. Good, clear pictures in a small JPG file size, 80K or less is a must. If the pic is too big, it takes too long to download, and people will skip it. No one wants to wait anymore, and don't assume everyone has DSL. The person looking for the good deal on Ebay most likely has dial-up, so tailor everything towards that. Good luck....

 

[Homerr]

Re: Getting into Ebay

Yep... Been doing EBay for quite awhile now, both buying and selling.<br /><br />No doubt you will get lots of good advice on this forum.<br /><br />I bought a used digital camera off EBay to get me going. I got a Canon DC215 camera.<br />They take great pictures. The only problem with them is they have a weak battery tray an often break, but if you can get it for around $50 or less, you're doing good. If the tray breaks, use tape. Can't expect much for an entry level $50 digital camera... But they take awesome pictures.<br />You can also get a readily available card reader for them and download them right to your computer fast. Then simply upload to your picture host web site.<br /><br />I personally won't bid on an auction that doesn't have pictures. As the old saying goes... A picture is worth a thousand words...<br /><br />I'm set up with the business PayPal. <br />I'd say a good 75% of auctions I see are set up with PayPal now. It's quick and easy.<br /><br />I also keep a separate bank account for PayPal, EBay and on-line activities. You are never 100% safe on-line, so if you happen to get a breech, you won't be out of luck until you get things cleared up.<br />We've all had 'access denied' or 'card denied' for one reason or another... That's why I keep it separate from my main account.<br />PayPal is not without flaws, so don't link them to your main bank! There are horror stories that will keep you reading all night.<br /><br />I use an auction manager called 'Shooting Star'. It keeps track of all my selling and buying on EBay, does feedback..the works...<br />Another one I use to list is 'Turbo Lister'. You can create all your auctions with it offline before you upload to EBay.<br /><br />There are lots of auction helpers/manager programs available. Just take your pick.<br /><br />If I could give some advice for selling on EBay? BE HONEST and describe ACCURATELY!<br />Nothing is worse than a PO'ed female that receives that shirt with a microscopic stain on it... <br /><br />Be diligent in describing your items.<br />Keep in mind "what you see is what you get"<br />All of us that have received items from EBay have no doubt been a victim of some kind of flaw that wasn't described in the auction listing.<br /><br />Write your auction terms WELL. Take a look at some professional sellers on there. Your auction is a contract, so be specific. It may save you some grief later with a disgruntled buyer.<br /><br />I had a recent argument with a person who seemed to think I can control what FedEx does.<br />She didn't get her package on time and blamed me for it! As much as I would like to have the ability to tell the shipping carrier what to do, I can't! DUH ? Stupid people... <br /><br />Jason brought a good point on shipping.<br />I've seen an increase in auctions overpricing their shipping. Some to the point it is outrageous, and flat rip people off. I simply won't bid on those auctions.<br />How you want to handle shipping charges is up to you. Some charge actual amounts, and some do a flat rate. Depends on how much you sell.<br /><br />WHEW!<br /><br />Hope this doesn't scare you off...<br />Selling on EBay and getting rid of the clutter in the garage sure helped me and my boat project.<br />In fact, the wife and I sometimes set a goal and make EBay pay for it. So far it's worked out pretty well.<br />She buys things at yard sales in the summer, and I sell some tooling I make in my spare time. (For the fear of being *poofed*, I won't say what kind of tooling!) <br />And of course... getting rid of MY junk (as she says) ...<br /><br />Good luck PDS, and welcome to IBoats!<br /><br />H.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Re: Getting into Ebay

I sell and buy on ebay. I have no complaints. I have sold many items for more than I ever imagined I could I get. I also got some good deals when buying on ebay. Give it a shot and see what happens. Spinner gave some good advice about having photos with your item. Also make sure your description is as accurate as possible, that helps a lot. Good luck.

 

[Ralph 123]

Re: Getting into Ebay

PDS - eBay has something called Trader's Assistance. Basically, it is made up of local pros (mostly powersellers) who will sell your stuff on eBay for you for a % of the take.<br /><br />If you don't want to spend the time and money to do it your self, check it out. Here is a link:<br /> http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/know-seller-trading-assistant.html <br /><br />If you decide to go through the process and do it your self, post back and I can help with some specific advice (as can SBN).

 

[roscoe]

Re: Getting into Ebay

There are also ways to snipe a bid, automatically, without ever watching the item. Just enter the item number and your max bid amount. Then the computer places your bid within a few seconds of the end of the auction. You are notified by email if you won the item.<br /><br />I don't win a lot of items this way, because someone usually comes along and bids the price higher than I am willing to pay. But once in awhile it works out.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Getting into Ebay

I have over 200 transactions on Ebay, Been took twice! Still have 100% feedback! Minor amounts! Ive had a ball over the years!! Go for it!!

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Getting into Ebay

I just bought this cheap digital camera at target for 30 bucks It is called a concord eye mini. I just wanted it for taking pictures of fish I caught and did not want to dump a lot of money into it. It requires an usb port which I doubt your P1 has. The pictures are not great but for ebay who cares. The picture of the gps wastaken with it.

 

[JoeW]

Re: Getting into Ebay

eurolarva,<br />For a minute there, I thought you were trying to show us a picture of the digital camera you bought. I wasn't sure which of us was going to have to break the bad news.

 

[DJ]

Re: Getting into Ebay

 

[PDS]

Re: Getting into Ebay

Thanks for all the helpful information, guys! I think I'll have to give it a try, as I've got tons of stuff leftover from my mothers estate. Useful stuff, but not to me. I recall hearing of someone selling what they claimed was the world's longest french fry and they sold it for a pretty penny so old antique plates and serving dishes must be worth thousands(just kidding ) Well, gotta go. The Pack is playing the Seahawks right now. Thanks again!

 

[Ralph 123]

Re: Getting into Ebay

If you are going to give it a try start with your low value items and work your way up to the valuable ones. Until you build up some positive feedback it will be tough to get full value for your expensive items. I call this is the risk premium - people will bid less becuase of the risk that they will be taken. As you build feedback (positive history) the risk premium decreases. A good way to start is to buy some items first and then start selling.<br /><br />Paypal, and money orders are a must.<br /><br />Go through the eBay ID verification process - it will cut down the risk premium.<br /><br />At least 2-3 good pictures and description.<br /><br />Keep your first bid reasonable and avoid reserves whenever possible.<br /><br />Be bidder friendly - keep negative language out of you listings and bidder requirements.<br /><br />Answer your emails quickly<br /><br />Ship as soon as you get paid - priority mail is usually the best bet.

 

[Homerr]

Re: Getting into Ebay

I have to disagree a bit there Ralph...<br /><br />FedEx is cheaper in most cases... <br /><br />I typically use USPS on small (1 lb. or less) items. Anything larger and it goes FedEx.<br />Besides, you get free tracking and $100 in insurance. You can also sign up with their ship manager and make your own labels at home and pay for it with your credit card or bank account.<br />I'm not sure, but I think USPS does this too.<br /><br />I recently put my PayPal debit card on my FedEx account. This way I at least get a few pennies back each time my debit card is used. Not much, but it adds up.<br /><br />With USPS, you have to pay for insurance and a delivery confirmation number that doesn't do you any good until it's delivered. I like the ability to see where the package is at a given moment.<br /><br />UPS destroyed too many of my packages, so they don't get my business anymore.<br /><br />My 2 cents...<br /><br />H.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Re: Getting into Ebay

PDS, If any of those dishes and stuff are marked "HALL" on the bottom give me a shout. I collect that stuff and might be interested in it.<br />Thanks Flathead