Any advice for a new boy "ebayer"?!
Discussion
Been watching a few bids etc and have taken the plunge and put a few items on there. I`ve learnt to do some market research before placing though. I put a rare Barry Sheene book on there with a starting bid of £5 and no reserve and then checked for competition to find one other copy nearly up to £400!!
A reserve was quickly added
A reserve was quickly added 
mungo said:
vixpy1 said:
I've often thought about putting myslef up for auction on Ebay..
Do it. Go on. Use the pic with the dildo too... You may become as infamous on the web as the star wars kid
Don't do it Vixpy - Mungo just wants to up his arrest rate by booking you for public obscenity...
(Oh what the hell...do it. Might as well be infamous...)
>> Edited by alexkp on Thursday 30th December 19:03
If you have paypal, its a lot easier.
If you have a fair amount to do, it takes time too photograph and list, you then have to weigh it all to estimate costs of postage, then when you get the money in, take time to post it out and follow up to ensure they received it.
On a positive side, stuff that is sitting round the house could be making you money, and its fun to watch your bids increasing, especially near the end
If you have a fair amount to do, it takes time too photograph and list, you then have to weigh it all to estimate costs of postage, then when you get the money in, take time to post it out and follow up to ensure they received it.
On a positive side, stuff that is sitting round the house could be making you money, and its fun to watch your bids increasing, especially near the end
If you're selling something, make sure you have a decent photo and an accurate description. I always go for 10 day auctions, as I think you get more people seeing the auction and will maximise the amount of money you get for it.
Go for a reasonable reserve, just in case it doesn't attract any decent bids, and always factor in a reasonable amount for postage (including boxes, bubble wrap etc...). I've sold a few items and generally send them via Special Delivery as it has to be signed for and is next day which tends to impress the buyer. If you know the weight of the package, you can get postage costs from the Royal Mail website.
If you're bidding for something, don't bother bidding until the last minute, as otherwise you're just pushing the price up. Also check out exactly what you're bidding for, and see how much you can get it for new, or what similar items went for on previous auctions (you can select "completed" auctions in the advanced search). I've found with almost everything that I've sold that people have bid more than it was worth, and in some cases they've not paid much less than if they bought the item new.
It is quite addictive selling stuff on there, and it's exciting to watch the bid amount tick up in the closing moments of the auction!
Go for a reasonable reserve, just in case it doesn't attract any decent bids, and always factor in a reasonable amount for postage (including boxes, bubble wrap etc...). I've sold a few items and generally send them via Special Delivery as it has to be signed for and is next day which tends to impress the buyer. If you know the weight of the package, you can get postage costs from the Royal Mail website.
If you're bidding for something, don't bother bidding until the last minute, as otherwise you're just pushing the price up. Also check out exactly what you're bidding for, and see how much you can get it for new, or what similar items went for on previous auctions (you can select "completed" auctions in the advanced search). I've found with almost everything that I've sold that people have bid more than it was worth, and in some cases they've not paid much less than if they bought the item new.
It is quite addictive selling stuff on there, and it's exciting to watch the bid amount tick up in the closing moments of the auction!
ehasler said:
If you're selling something, make sure you have a decent photo and an accurate description. I always go for 10 day auctions, as I think you get more people seeing the auction and will maximise the amount of money you get for it.
Go for a reasonable reserve, just in case it doesn't attract any decent bids, and always factor in a reasonable amount for postage (including boxes, bubble wrap etc...). I've sold a few items and generally send them via Special Delivery as it has to be signed for and is next day which tends to impress the buyer. If you know the weight of the package, you can get postage costs from the Royal Mail website.
If you're bidding for something, don't bother bidding until the last minute, as otherwise you're just pushing the price up. Also check out exactly what you're bidding for, and see how much you can get it for new, or what similar items went for on previous auctions (you can select "completed" auctions in the advanced search). I've found with almost everything that I've sold that people have bid more than it was worth, and in some cases they've not paid much less than if they bought the item new.
It is quite addictive selling stuff on there, and it's exciting to watch the bid amount tick up in the closing moments of the auction!
It is quite addictive isn`t it! I only put some bits on there a couple of days ago and now I`m looking to the loft, there is so much up there that hasn`t been used for years, including hifi equipment which I have seen on ebay the same as mine going for loads. My Barry Sheene book I started this thread with has already hit it`s hastily added reserve and I have several more books just like it!
Someone has asked if I want to divulge my reserve on another item. I have requested they bid on it to find out! Is that best?
>> Edited by iandbeech on Friday 31st December 08:50
mxdi said:This is something that I was unsure about too. I ended up telling the 2 or 3 people that asked, as it doesn't do any harm I don't think. I have had lots more people offering me what seems like a decent amount of money to sell early, but in every single case it's gone for a higher amount in the auction, and those people have never, ever bid for the item they've expressed an interest in anyway, so I always politely turn them down.
Divulging reserves are up to you, sometimes I do- depends what it is I am selling.
Just dont end any auction early if someone offers you a good price, chances are it will go up higher than they offered.
All my items on ebay have over 5 days to go on a 7 day bidding and virtually all have bids on them already with one hitting its reserve already. What I have noticed though is most of them have quite a few "watchers" which to me shows interest from them with the possibility of bids later on, would that be correct thinking?
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