help!!... trying to ebay my way to disney

[mickeymousefan]

I put 14 auctions on this week and 3 have ended unsold and the others don't even have any bids. I am selling infant girls clothing and sports memorabilia.

This is my first attempt to sell..... and I am very discouraged as I have $10.00 in ebay fees to pay and my auctions arent even going to pay for it!!

For all you ebayers... what % of your auctions sell? Do you relist for less money?
I am thinking I may do a yard sale in a few weeks and then try to sell whatever I have left through Ebay.

 

[ceecee]

Name brand clothes will usually sell, I haven't had any luck with others unless sold in lots.

 

[Shelby5514]

Before I list anything I do a search to see how many like it are for sale and how many have bids. Also search Completed Listings, this will give you a good idea of what sells and for what price.

Good Luck!

Shelby5514

 

[Robinrs]

Many variables can cause a product not to sell. Are your prices comparable to similar items? The pictures, the description, whether or not your description contains regularly searched words, all of these things can affect the sale.

Many times the time and date that your items ends can determine the sale, also. The time of year, holidays, shipping information, unclear payment choices, whether or not it's a Buy it Now... lots of stuff can affect a sale.

PM me your username and maybe I can offer some advice. Otherwise, don't be discouraged. Ebay, like any other business, takes time and expertise to perfect. It doesn't come overnight.

 

[maggiew]

Did you sell the clothes in lots?? That is the only way I have been able to sell clothes. But these have done well in lots.

Make sure shipping is reasonable. I don't want to pay $4 shipping on a 99Cent T-shirt.

Maggie

 

[Dancind]

If you don't have plenty of feedback, noone will bid on your auctions. Sorry, that's just how it is. If you've been on there for a while as a buyer, and have a feedback score of at least 25 with a perfect rating, you might get a bid. Also, bidders avoid auctions that don't accept Paypal.

 

[myfairygodmother]

Don't get discouraged yet!! Learning to make money on eBay is a trial and error process for everyone who eventually does well. I started selling children's clothes on eBay 4 years ago and still sell full time as a powerseller. It's really hard to say why the clothes aren't selling without seeing the auctions or knowing anything about them. My basic tips on selling kid's clothes:

--Make sure you are selling the right season at the right time. Spring/summer seasons are January - May and Fall/Winter seasons are July-October.

--Top NAME BRAND or BOUTIQUE clothes will sell as pieces or stand alone sets. If it's not name brand, sell it in a lot!! This means that clothes from walmart, kmart, target, sears, family dollar,etc... don't sell by themselves.

--Include pictures in your auction. If you do not have a picture or the picture quality is really bad, no one will bid.

--Accept Paypal payments!!! Most buyers now prefer to pay via Paypal and will not bid on auctions that do not accept it.

--Infant sizes are incredibly abundant since everyone overbuys and the babies grow out of these so quickly. Infant clothes really need to be in lots unless they are high end name brands.

--State your shipping charges in the auction and make them reasonable. Consider shipping first class on the baby clothes as it can be considerably cheaper.

--Before you yard sale or donate ANYTHING--research it on eBay!! You may be very surprised that the baby rattle you just about donated will fetch $10-$15 used!!

Don't forget that there are lots of help boards on eBay where community members are eager to advise and help. There is a children's clothing board and I'm sure there is some type of sports memorabilia board as well. Good Luck & Happy eBaying!!

Liz

 

[mickeymousefan]

Thanks for all the info.... I guess I will try again... probably combining my lots and seeing how that goes. I just got a accouint fraud alert message from Ebay ... so I am even more discouraged by that.
Also what do you think about this...... On 2 of my auctions I have been privately contacted from a buyer who wants to buy only one piece of the auction. ??????
For anyone who has any constuctive critisism..... my ebay user name is kissesforjandj. Please be kind.... I am new at this!! Thanks!!!!

 

[Shelle&Dave]

Don't believe that ebay fraud email if it is asking you to log in through a link. I just got one that is fake. I get probably 2 or 3 a week. It sends you to a page that looks like ebay but isn't. When you log in they can then steal your account because they know your username and password.

Just forward it to spoof@ebay.com

 

[mickeymousefan]

I already followed the link and signed in but I did not ener the bank account/ credit card info requested. Uh oh... was that bad??
I will change my password just in case.

 

[MiraDawl]

I sell on eBay all the time. Recently, we recieved a message alerting us of a purchase made with fraudulent funds. Luckily we hadn't shipped the item, but we had made a transfer from paypal for over 10 sold items. Since a purchase was made with what eBay deemed fraudulent funds, our paypal transactin was frozen until the issue was resolved. It'll probably take a few days, and we won't get the money from that sale. However, since we had yet to ship this item, the joke's on him.

I assume it was a stolen credit card number. Anyway, like anything else, buyer / seller beware. Someone will always try to deceive you I guess.

I've also gotten email from potential buyers asking to lower shipping rates, or sell a single items from a lot. I never make exceptions. If they want an item badly, they'll buy your lot. If the lot doesn't sell, put the item up solo. Also, since I consider my shipping fair, I don't negotiate shipping either. I'm not going to lose money in shipping costs! If people take the time out for an email, it means they have some level of interest.

eBay takes time. A slow start is always discouraging, but once you get the knack of it, and start getting some sales, you'll be hooked! We sell a variety of items, and have made a decent amount of extra money. We're not the yard sale type, so it is very convient. Plus, since my BF is a computer guy, it's right up his alley, and I get to benefit financially!

Good Luck!

~Mira

 

[DMRick]

Uh oh... was that bad??

Yep..hope you were quick at changing your password. eBay will never ask you for your password in an email..only if you go to eBay directly will you ever cneed your password.

 

[mickeymousefan]

I changed my password already. I can't beleive how real the fake page looked. I looked at it again without entering any info and then compared it to Ebays real sign in page. The only difference I saw was that the URL (hope this is the right term for the address at top) was different!!!! The pages are identical!!!
What a scam!!! I guess I will be closely watching my bank account and credit card for a while. Hope I didnt burn myself.

 

[synclair11]

hi i also sell on ebay (same user id as on here) these are just my thoughts on your auctions . i would list the brand name if any, not if it was like faded glory or something, but if you had a gap item or tcp etc. alot of people just type that in looking for a certain line. also i would use 99 at the end of my starting prices i can list something for 10.00 and not a bid (and you are paying more in listing fees because of that penny) and then next time list it at 9.99 and get a bid! ebay is my "job" i am a sahm but ebay lets me buy $$$ clothes for my daughter so that is why i do it, we are going to disneyworld in october so all of my ebay money this month is going to that, so far i have made $400 hey its a start! also never sell something to someone off of ebay if they ask, you could get your account suspended, because that is against the rules. i would be happy to help you in anyway, just ask and good luck! -heather

 

[momm2four]

I agree about ending your prices with .99 For some reason, people will still look at 4.99 and think $4 instead of $5. I don't know why. My DH even does it.

Also, try to think of any words that people would type in the search field that would relate to your items. For example, the lot that you have for $12.00 has several name brands in it. I would list it something like "Baby Girls DISNEY OLD NAVY HILFIGER Huge LOT 9 mths", then I would change the price to $11.99 (although, if it was me, I would lower it to under $10 to keep my listing price at $.35 If it's a good lot, it'll go higher, but keeps your listing fees down)

I have been selling on Ebay since 2001 and am funding our 2005 Disney cruise with it. You can check out how I listed my things under user name momm2three. Don't have too much on there now since I haven't listed in the last few days, but you can check out the finished auctions if you want for possible ways to list things.

Good luck. Just search around and see what things are going for and what is selling. Just be careful b/c you might find lots that you want to buy and that just eats up even more of your profit

Lori P.

 

[Planogirl]

Is it true that a lot of people won't bid unless you have feedback? That makes it kind of hard.

 

[momm2four]

If someone had low feedback with no negatives and was selling low ticket items, like children's clothing, I would probably bid, but not if it was an expensive item like a game system or stereo.

Lori P.

 

[Robinrs]

Originally posted by Dancind
If you don't have plenty of feedback, noone will bid on your auctions. Sorry, that's just how it is. If you've been on there for a while as a buyer, and have a feedback score of at least 25 with a perfect rating, you might get a bid. Also, bidders avoid auctions that don't accept Paypal.

If this were the case NO ONE would have a sale on eBay. I made a huge amount of money for the things I sold after my parents died my first month on eBay, which is why I'm STILL on eBay.

I agree with Lori, I would NOT buy a computer or any high end product from a new seller, but some children's stuff, in a second.

 

[disneymom3]

Well, you have a lot of summer clothes and believe it or not, it's a bit late for those. People figure they have to wait for the auction to close, payment to clear and shipping time. By then it will be practically August.

I would also make the descriptions easier to read. More explanation and different format. For instance:

Outfit # 1 is a cute two piece outfit from the Disney store. It features solid blue bloomers paired with a blue and white checked top and full collar with an embroidery of Minnie mouse. Size 6-`12 months.

OUtfit #2 Blah blah blah

Outfit #3 You get the idea.

And the pictures could be bigger. I would not pair that cute jacket with an outfit that has a stain on it.

Hope this helps, just offering advice, not criticism.