What was your most surprising or highest Ebay sell?

[samsid99]

I was just wondering and thought it might be fun.

What has been your most surprising ebay sell?

I am new ebayer , and I haven't even come close to a high ticket item yet.

But I just thought it would be fun to read about the surprising sells.

My best sale was for two meal vouchers that I had left over from a july trip.

 

[zoeyandmakennasmom]

I got 20.50 for a salad shooter that only cost 20.00 on sale. I started the auction at $2. There were other salad shooters up for auction at the same time but the starting bid for those was $9.99. Even when the bids for mine went over $10 people were still bidding on mine instead of starting to bid on the other salad shooters.

 

[elfbo]

A parallel connector logitech quick cam. I started the auction at $5 because It was a few years old and i just wanted to get rid of it as I had upgraded to a usb connector cam. The camera sold for 65$. I had originally purchased it off of ebay for about 25$. Too bad I hadnt picked up a few more at the time, hehe.

 

[tinaluis]

An old DISH Network satellite receiver we had laying around -- in fact, we tripped over it so many times in the basement that we almost threw it out. Someone here on the DIS mentioned that satellite receivers sold well on eBay so I did a search of completed listings and was astounded at the price they were going for. I listed it with a "Buy It Now" price of $224.99 and an opening bid of $.99 and it sold in about an hour. We were doing the happy dance here ! We couldn't believe that something we'd considering throwing away would sell for so much. In fact, I was so relieved when the buyer posted positive feedback because I was sure that he thought it was something more than what it was. He was thrilled and so were we!

 

[luvthatduke]

Ok, after reading your posts I have
a slightly OT question:

I just sold my first item on eBay, with good results.
Now I have other things to sell, which would
KILL me to let go for .99 or 2.99, etc...
If I start my bidding at 9.99, according to
your input it seems that people would be
less likely to start bidding...
But, don't I risk having to sell something
that's truly worth more than 9.99 for
just a buck or two?

Does this mean I must/should risk my
auctions by starting them low in order
to get people to bid higher?
I am a total rookie and trying to understand
the best strategy, while getting and giving
a fair price to all...

Any help is much appreciated!

 

[PatriciaH]

-A box of old trains, track, etc..(sitting in my parents attic) for $500.
-A box of old "Plasticville" (model train sets, houses, cars, people, etc..) for $525. DH was going to throw those out and I told him just list it.
-Hallmark Wizzard of Oz ornaments for $40+ each (sold for $9)
-Not Ebay, but we took a Babe Ruth autographed pic we had in storage (DH's old boss lived in our building and when he moved he did not want to take a lot of his stuff-he said to keep it, sell it or throw it out) to a sports store near Boston. We got $1,400 for it along with some old baseball programs!

 

[pcottrell]

luvthatduke,
You could set a reserve price. If I really did not want to part with something for less than a set price, that is what I would do.
HTH,
Paige

 

[BringBackTapestries]

I bought 3 specialty CCTV pieces at a local discount store. The boxes were crushed but item inside was perfect. Paid $3.00 EACH for 4 of them. Sold ONE of the 4, 2 weeks ago for $500.00. I have 3 more left, one is listed as we speak!
also
I paid $100.00 for an LCD projector at a yard sale, and sold it to a very happy bidder in CA for $750.00
also
I paid $85.00 for a huge lot of faucets and plumbing supplies at a yard sale, I kept back over $400.00 worth of parts to sell off my plumbing van, kept back 3 more faucets valued at another $300.00, and sold everything else that I couldn't use (mostly commercial stuff) for my initial investment of $85.00, and sold one of the faucets a week later on Ebay for $520.00. It was an $1100.00 Kohler Kallista.
My favorite sale, however, is I bought an old Pulsar Time Computer watch (James Bond wore one on one of his movies) at a yard sale for $1.50. 11 years later, (yes, 11 years later retrieved from the attic because no one local had a battery to fit it) I listed it on Ebay, with a partial band, in unworking condition. It brought $185.00. The buyer later told me that he bought the watch for the cardboard box it was in. It alone was worth more than the $185.00 bid.
Ebay is good to me sometimes.
Darn, my home theater speakers just ended without a bid!

 

[Cindy B]

Most suprising-- that can be so many things.

Just yesterday i listed a textbook on half.com after a NPB on Ebay. I paid $5 for the textbook, (with some Amazon credits!)

So I listed it for the price it would be originally--$65!

It sold for $65!


A lot of our computer stuff sells, I'm shocked. We got over $400 for an old laptop once!

 

[fknaut]

$305 for a Star Trek ornament that originally cost $21.00.

 

[BringBackTapestries]

I once saw an auction where a seller sold an old watch. It was missing the band, the crystal (glass front), BOTH hands, and it didnt work. No joke. She listed it for $10.00, and it sold for over $3000.00. It was quite rare and a buyer needed the movements inside.

 

[TiggerStac]

Mickey Mouse Bean Bag for $150.00!!!

 

[revrob]

HOLY COW! I can't imagine bringing that kind of money in on ebay! I thought we had done so well on the Thomas the Tank Engine trains of my sons that we just sold for $152.

 

[disneychrista]

A Lot of Blue Clues toys that I had listed twice already with no luck. I started it at $0.99 and it went for $40+ .

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

While cleaning out my grandparents' house for my dad to move in after they passed on, I came upon a watch that nearly was tosswed in the garbage. It said Rolex, but in the back of my mind I suspected it to be a fake. "Where would my grandfather get a Rolex?". I toyed with the notion of listing it on ebay for over a year. I considered the cost of repairing it and making it look decent again, but I was looking at a minimum of $150. And, if I had it fixed, what would I do with it? It had no sentimental value-I never knew it existed and my Dad seemed disinterested as he wanted to throw everything in the trash.

I listed it early this year, after lots of research to ensure it was authentic. I started the bid at 17.95 with a reserve of $150 (I think). The watch didn't work properly, it didn't have a bracelet, the crystal was yellowed and it desperately needed to be cleaned. It was a diamond in the rough! The final bid was for over $300, ending in a real bidding war in the final minutes.

 

[bsusanmb]

I began collecting Disney Pins when they first came out - and it became an addiction - an expensive one! I knew the only way to quit was to sell them.

So, I began listing them on ebay - I had the Mickey for President and the Presidential Seal of USA with Mickey on it - I sold them for $300. I sold one pin at a time, I believe I have about 300 pins and made a profit of over $5,000.

Amazing. And I don't want any more pins - I envisioned myself being hauled away to the poor house with pin bags in hand - glad I got over it!

Susan

 

[disneysteve]

I picked up a cruise ship display model (the kind that the travel agents get) at a yard sale for $1. It sold for $213.

I bought 5 pieces of old sheet music for $.50. I auctioned them individually for nearly $200 total.

 

[Sammy]

Not quite the $$ in the previous posts, but a while back I picked up an infant-sized "onesie" undergarment on a clearance rack for $.50. It was still in plastic wrapping and had a Suzie's Zoo character on the front. I listed it on Ebay and two people had a bidding war on it. I ended up selling it for $25.00!! I couldn't believe it!

 

[kfeuer]

My mother-in-law was cleaning out the home of an elderly aunt (she had to go into a nursing home). She offered us this ugly green vase. I didn't like it, but figured I'd sell it at our next garage sale. It rolled around the back of the van on the 7-hour drive home.

When we got it home I looked at it a little more closely and realized it looked old. I flipped it over and it was marked--turned out to be part of a rare collection by the Roseville pottery factory and it sold for $1,580 Collectible or not, the thing was U-G-L-Y!

 

[sorchamac]

My best and most surprising were a set of scholarly books about JRR Tolkien. I had paid $5 each years ago. I was going to be happy if I got $10 for them. One sold for $200, one for $100, two for about $50 each. Talk about surprised! The people were very happy to get them.

You'd be surprised at what stuff might be worth to someone. A first issue of Victoria magazine goes for $20-30. Older quilting magazines can be worth money. 1st edition/1st printing of books from first books of famous authors can go for good money.

That's why you shouldn't use BuyItNow unless you are really sure what something is worth.

Sorcha