Please tell me about E-bay

[Feelin' Goofy]

How do you sell on it and do you pay monthly fees and anything else that I should know.

Thanks

 

[lalapodip]

You should check out the resources available right on eBay for sellers. It gives you all of the basics, including fees, which seem very reasonable to me.

I'd love to hear if anyone out there has any "secrets" to share, because I am just getting ready to start selling also!

Are you currently registered to buy off of eBay? I think that already having feedback (for buying) is a great start. I have also been checking out auctions for items similar to those that I'd like to sell.

 

[ceecee]

Yes already having feedback will help. I am hesitate to buy from someone with little feedback. You pay a listing fee and when and if the items sell you also pay a fee on the selling price. You need to keep that in mind, especially if you have smaller or inexpensive items, you can group them together. There are no Monthly fee (just the above from ebay). If you elect to use Paypal there is also a fee from them.

 

[DianeV]

You pay a listing fee that is nonrefundable based on your starting price and then you also pay a final value fee (or commission) based on the selling price. You will have to register with a credit card I believe in order to sell so they can charge you for the fees.

The listing form is pretty simple, it is like a fill in the blanks type thing. I would suggest a scanner or digital camera as items with pics tend to do better.

Finally shipping costs are a big issue on ebay. Many charge handling charges for everything including their printer ink and waiting in line to mail the package, many only charge for the supplies needed to mail the package. You will need to decide this in advance so you can let buyers know in your auctions.

You will need a scale or access to one so you know what your items will weigh packaged up in order to quote shipping costs. The post office website has where you can fill in the info and weight and get the postage amount.

It can be a lot of work but you would be surprised what you can sell on there.

 

[CuteKatCar]

Also, keep in mind that with the last postal increase, priority mail is now based on location rather than a flat rate. Something I send from my address here in NJ will cost more for me to mail to Wash. State then it will to Maryland.

I, also, will not buy anything from someone with little feedbacks. You will probably learn the ropes if you buy some things first. Be warned: Ebay is addicting!!!

Anna

 

[RamseyTrio]

Ebay is an amazing thing! I started buying a few things here and there on it and then on a whim thought I'd try selling some cookbooks that I had from Williams Sonoma that didn't sell at a tag sale I had had earlier that week. Well, the price at the tag sale was $1.50 - no one wanted them. On ebay I had the listing price as $2 and ended up getting almost $12 a book! Needless to say I was hooked. Since then I've sold many things - clothes, toys, housewares.

It definitely helps to have some positive feedback about you already posted. Also, you should have a digital camera or a scanner to provide pictures. It's easy to do and doesn't take much time to list the items. Like others have said - ebay charges you a fee to list an item and gets a certain (small) percentage of the final sale.

Here are a few things that I can offer - It's easier and quicker to limit the payments you accept to PayPal (or another online service) or money orders. That way you have your guaranteed cash without having the hassle of waiting for a personal check to clear. PayPal is great (I think) because it can accept credit cards for you. Also, the USPS website can provide you with fee packaging supplies for Priority Mail. That way you have almost everything you need shipped directly to you.

The money you get from auctions can add up pretty quickly and is a great way to make extra $$$ for a WDW trip. You get much better prices that at a tag sale and it's SO much easier!

Give it a try & good luck!

 

[lalapodip]

Hi, Kim, thanks for the tips! (I, too, live in Fairfield County.) I was thinking of limiting payments to Paypal or money orders, and I was glad to see that you have had success going that route!

I was unsure of the aspect of Paypal that is credit cards vs. direct debit to your bank account, because I have seen that some sellers don't take the credit card payments through Paypal. Since it has worked for you, you can say that your opinion has helped this future seller - thanks! I can't wait to get started - so that I, too, will have a countdown clock on my signature - right now our next trip is only in my dreams....

 

[DisneyKidds]

Just a note about PayPal. The way you set up your PayPal account determines what PayPal fees you will pay. If you want to be able to accept credit cards as payment you have to have a Premium account. If you have a premium account PayPal charges you a fee when you get payments via PayPal. If you have a standard account you don't pay any PayPal fees to send or receive money. However, payments would be via funds transfer from the buyers bank account and you may have to wait for the funds transfer to clear.

Just thought I'd pass it along. At one time I had a premium account as I sold something and wanted to accept a credit card payment. The item wasn't that much money so the fee was no big deal. Subsequently I had a much larger payment sent to me via PayPal (not for selling something) and I got hit with a whopper of a PayPal fee.

 

[lalapodip]

DisneyKidds - Thanks for posting that Paypal clarification! It does explain why some sellers won't accept credit cards through Paypal. I will need to do some more research in the coming days....

 

[cindala]

If you have books to sell, do they do better on Amazon.com or Ebay?

 

[Cinders]

For books I'd suggest Half.com which is owned by Ebay. I recently tried it and made a nice lil profit. First do a search on the book/books you are selling to get an idea what price people are asking and take into consideration the condition of your book. This allowed me to price my book a few cents cheaper than the books already listed and made for a quick sale. Half.com sets a standard shipping price based on average book size and media mail costs. The seller sends payment to Half.com then once a month they can direct deposit your money into your bank account. When you get an email notification of a sale you only have 2 business days to respond and then must mail the book the next day. In the email they include the buyers address and a portion of the email you can print as a packing slip to enclose with the book. If you would like to see a copy of the email with personal information deleted PM me. You might try selling video games, CDs, DVDs or VHS movies too.

 

[RamseyTrio]

Hi Laura -

I'm glad that someone helped to clarify the PayPal/Credit Card thing I must admit that although I have a premium account on PayPal either people haven't paid me with credit cards or PayPal has forgotten and never taken a fee (shhhh...don't tell !) I've had a few times where Paypal has told me to wait a few days for the funds to clear from a buyers account but it's never been a long wait and everything has gone through fine.

I see you have Cure Autism Now in your signature - do you have an autistic child? Just asking because our son was diagnosed as having PDD and one specialist said he could probably be considered a highly functioning autistic. He's been in special ed for preschool and kindergarten and is doing wonderfully. We live in Bethel.

 

[lalapodip]

Yes, Kim, my son Dennis is almost 8, and he is autistic. We started out with the PDD diagnosis but have come to realize that Dennis is considered more severe. He is a happy child (so much that we quote "you mean that happy child?" from TOY STORY all of the time) I am glad to hear that your son is doing well - autism is just SO complex. I seem to hear from more people that they either have an autistic child or they know someone that does! We live in Bridgeport and our son goes to CES in Trumbull. I don't know that he will ever be mainstreamed, but that is not our priority - we are just glad that he is healthy and happy and has made significant progess. Feel free to PM me - I have a feeling that I have digressed too far from the eBay topic!! BUT I do feel that AUTISM AWARENESS is also very important.

Thanks again for giving some extra details about how Paypal has worked for you. I don't plan on selling any "big ticket" items, so the credit card vs. bank account probably won't make a big difference. Personally, whenever I have bought something from eBay I tend to always pay "cash" and never by credit card. Kind of defeats the purpose for me to use credit!! Have a good night - I need to tend to my bed jumping, Raffi blaring, son!!

 

[Feelin' Goofy]

 

[twinklingstars4u]

Check out the Community page on e-bay's website. They have many discussion boards that can help you with any questions that will come up as you sell. I check them out daily!

 

[DMRick]

If you have a standard account you don't pay any PayPal fees to send or receive money.

You are limited each month on your amount if you don't have a biz account on Paypal. If you don't intend to sell much, standard may work for you..however I don't buy from anyone who doesn't accept my cc, since that is my ace in the hole if you misrepresent your item. My cc will put a hold on the Paypal amount until we come to a settlement, if there is a problem. Some people don't take cc because of that.

I have almost 1500 pos feedbacks (one neg from a non paying person), and I have always accepted checks. The only bad check I ever got was a mistake and fixed quickly. Many of my buyers are homebound, and may not have paypal, so checks are how they like to pay.

I agree with the poster who said to check out ebays tutorials...they make it so easy to sell. You should have either a scanner or a camera since without pictures, it's hard to sell items. Priority boxes are free (well, you pay in the shipping, whichmeans your buyers pay) and are ordered on line and delivered to my door. Light items such as clothing mail well in the Tryvek bags, which I also get online (not free). I charge a small handling fee along with shipping, which covers my tape, bubblewrap, paperwork, and other expenses.

Is it time consuming? You bet. I run 50-100 items, daily 9 months a year, and I'm sure hour for hour, I would make more at a waitressing job..but I like to set my own hours, my own vacations, etc. You have to be organized..and if you are selling other than out of your closets, you need to pay attention to income tax. I pay eBay fees, Auction watch fees (they host my pictures and help me keep track), Paypal fees, and vrane fees (they do my return feedback automatically.

A good way to build up quick feedback, if you like to go out to eat, is to purchase restaruant certificates for cheap. A local place we like to eat at is up all the time..and I often bid $1.25 and get it. The place charges a $1.00 service charge. This is for a $25 gift certificate. You pay immediately by CC, and they give you feedback immediately. I would suggest you have two accounts. One for buying and one for selling. Start out selling small quick items to build up that feedback if you aren't going to have just one combined account.