You HAVE to try this!! EBAY your way to DISNEY Part 2!!!!

[mbelec]

I agree that reducing s/h costs to sell an item might just make the sale, but my point was that this person wanted to negotiate when I already had bids. I thought when listing that I was committed to selling that item to the person with the highest bid. It seems unfair to me to negotiate on the side with another potential bidder.

Another question to people who sell a lot: do you only charge what it would cost to send the item? Doesn't anyone consider a minimal fee for their time or the gas to get it there? Maybe I'm overestimating my s/h costs if that's the case.

Can't wait for yard sales this summer!!!!

 

[cpl100]

I finally found everyone! I noticed that the old post was locked but couldn't find the new one until today!

 

[airhead]

I usually have 100 or so items up every week. The S&H absolutely includes cost of all packing material and mileage to the PO(10 miles from my house). Buyers can get S&H costs BEFORE they bid. Some of my items (slates) weigh 2-3 lbs. That can be pricey for anyone on the west coast. Funny,I sell lots of slate to west coast buyers because its not a common item. I also offer optional insurance.

 

[cats mom]

Originally posted by jeankeri
I am about to go through my DS closet when a thought occurred to me- he asks that all tags be removed from the necks of his shirts because they 'bug' him!! If I know they are branded outfits, how do I list them? Or do I just take the pix and hope others know what brand they are? Any advice would be very helpful!!!

I would definitely list them as whatever brand they are if you know that for sure. Do let people know that the tags have been removed. I even put in my description if the tags have been snipped (several local boutiques do this to prevent full price returns on sale items) I don't think it's a big deal for most people - but you want to be up front about it.

 

[DMRick]

It seems unfair to me to negotiate on the side with another potential bidder.

Sometimes shipping isn't fair. I sold something recently that was $8.00 to ship within NY and over $12 to ship to Alaska. Since many people put the higher shipping in their auction, they may be very willing to lower the cost of shipping, if it isn't going to cost them the full amount. For me it doesn't matter if I have bids or not...I don't "make" money on my shipping, and if I can be more fair with the cost, if someone lives closer, then I'll lower the shipping price. eBay is an individual thing..each have to decide for themselves what works best. I've bid way higher than I meant too, when the seller has worked with me, so in the end, it was a positive experience for both of us. While I don't mind paying a lot for an item if I really want it, I admit I would be miffed to find out, not only did I spend a lot fo the item, but I paid way more than their cost to ship/package (again, I'm talking general here..not your items).
I still would be following eBay's rules as far as the bidding goes (highest bid wins)..however, whatever deal you make with the shipping is between you and another..eBay stays right out of it, unless it becomes very obvious it's fee avoidance. Sometimes I have offered to lower shipping, before I used the table for them to figure it out for themselves. I used to charge what my highest shipping was, but when I found out where they lived, I lowered it, before they paid, or before they bid, if they emailed me. Sometimes people will ask if we could meet (which I would rather not do) to exchange the item, and they pay no shipping at all. That saved a local bidder a ton on a table saw when he asked if he could come to our home to pick it up...and I thought it was very fair. I got what I wanted, they saved money...lots of money. I think they may have bid higher, once we made that arrangement (because they actually picked it up from my house, I didn't have to drag it anywhere).
Doris

 

[DMRick]

Another question to people who sell a lot: do you only charge what it would cost to send the item? Doesn't anyone consider a minimal fee for their time or the gas to get it there? Maybe I'm overestimating my s/h costs if that's the case.

I charge a very minimal amount over the actual shipping costs. I get my peanuts and boxes free (C.Ann..I have some for you), I get my bubble wrap delivered for a good price, and I buy my envie's (bubble and otherwise) by a few cases at a time, so my costs are very low. I try to start my items at the prices I would like to get, with a little extra to cover my fees.

 

[DMRick]

How do you go about getting boxes for large items that won't fit in a regular square type box???

Gift shops are a wonderful source for boxes, of many sizes. For the item that just won't fit, I pick up some bike boxes (again, around the corner), cut them down and make a box..my least favorite thing. If I have to buy a special size box, that becomes part of my handling fee...but it doesn't happen often.

 

[#1 DOUG Live Fan]

Originally posted by tinkandhook
...when i sign on it tells me i have to update my credit card/debit card. is this a new thing?...

This happened to me after the first of the year because my debit card had expired, and they needed the new expiration date. Could this be why?

Liz

 

[floridagirrl2]

Originally posted by mbelec
.
Another question to people who sell a lot: do you only charge what it would cost to send the item? Doesn't anyone consider a minimal fee for their time or the gas to get it there? Maybe I'm overestimating my s/h costs if that's the case.

I do charge extra handling charges on my auctions since I purchase bubble envelopes,bubble wrap, and boxes. I sell mostly books and generally charge a S/H fee of $3.00-$3.50 on items with postage averaging about $2.00.

I do think $6.00 is more than I would want to spend on postage for a clothing item (obviously other people don't feel the same way, since you have several bids ). A bathing suit is very light and could probably be mailed via First Class Mail for about $2.50-3.00 in a Tyvek (waterproof) envelope--these envelopes cost about 25 cents each in bulk or 50 cents at your local office store. Or for $3.85 via Priority Mail in a free envelope or box from the post office.

 

[Mommy Poppins]

Haven't really listed since Christmas, but we are getting ready to move so I want to get some of this crap out of my house. Guess I'll be spending the weekend taking pics and listing items! I'd rather get rid of it than move it!!!

 

[strasfamily]

Originally posted by airhead
....crafts or things they create on eBay? I've never sold any clothes or used items. But it sounds like a great way to get rid of things I've never even wore!!!!

Yes - I sell handpainted vintage "shabby chic" items on E-Bay. It takes a while to build a following. I am successful and selling my items, but not at the prices I would like right now. Hopefully if I keep plugging away, that will change.

 

[jgates]

I normally upcharge .75 to 1.50 on my items for s/h. Sorry!!! It's just what I feel it is worth to me. I have often offered refunds, especially when it ends up in my state and shipping is a lot less. Nearly all of my items are Priority Mail. I probably should do a little more offering of regular, but I hate the mucky-muck with bubble envelopes etc. I have a large box of them for postcards and small items but I don't reallly want to do a big box of #2's or bigger. Just more to store. I do always state PM in my auctions and if someone requests a different method, I will honor their request.

Pnuts and bubble wrap are not free for me and seem to be very pricey. But a GREAT source for boxes might be your bank. I have mentioned this before but a bank or cu where they are sending out statements, etc., often has boxes from Quill, etc orders or their envelope stock. A lot of ours end up crushed etc. I don't have room to save a few hundred boxes at home.

What I do use in place of bubble for filler (I wrap in bubble if it is needed), is empty WM plastic bags. Normally in the front entryway they have a plastic bag recycle bin and they said I could grab out of there. I just 'schmuck' the bag and about 4 or 5 of them make very nice filler. Also for something such as a small stuffed animal (beanie types), I use a freezer bag and 'inflate' with a straw - blowing up as full as possible. Pull the straw out while you are sealing and you have a nice 'air pocket' around the item. I then tape over the end of the bag so air does not leak out. Had some compliments on that funky way of packing so it must have worked!

I seriously have to do more on eBay if I want to do this Disney trip. We have taken an $1100 + per month pay cut due to DH's job change. About $550 of this should be temporary and we should recover that amount in the next 6 weeks. (With his new job he couldn't do his PT job too, took a $1/hr pay cut, lost 6 days mo OT and our insurance went up over $300 switching to my company). So I'm hoping for garage sale weather soon!!!

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

HELP!!!

My auction ended last Thursday with BIN. I sent a PayPal invoice, an Ebay invoice and a personal email to which the buyer finally responded on Tuesday. By yesterday, still no payment so I sent Ebay's reminder. Nothing. Last night I sent a reply to the original email that the buyer had stated "Will do" in response to my request for payment. My message to him:

When/how will you be paying for the ******* listed as ebay item
>#*******? It has been 7 days since you clicked Buy It Now and seeing
>you have an excellent feedback rating leaves me concerned as to why you
>haven't submitted payment since the auction ended. I'm sorry if I seem
>pushy, but other than the reply below I've had no response to the invoices
>or reminder I've sent. I'm trying to be patient as the item you won is
>sitting here waiting to be shipped. Please contact me a.s.a.p. to advise me
>of your intentions.
>Thank you.

This is in my inbox this morning:

our account has been suspended for unknown reasons. We think a hacker has
gained access to our information and ebay has taken actions to stop any
further action by that person. We have no current access to our account and
cannot continue this transaction with you according to ebays emails to us. I
am sorry for any trouble this may cause you, we have always done everything
in our power to maintain a good reputation on ebay.

I've confirmed his NARU status with Ebay. What is my next step? File NPB with Ebay? Can I relist? This person has over 300 FB, mostly positive with no current negs. All sellers have posted fast payment, which was why after a week I was quite upset that I still hadn't been paid. He had auctions running a few days after he bid on mine and was receiving FB as of 3/10. He last posted FB on 3/8.

 

[disney4us2002]

Sorry no answers for questions posted as I'm an ebay newbie.

I've been watching the sale of Disney vouchers with some interest on ebay. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason with the auctions. There are two for instance right now that are ending within 45 min of each other both for 10 q & c. One is currently at $127 and the second is at $154. Ten vouchers cost $115 so both are making a profit but they are written nearly identically, neither have the paypal symbol and the second (the higher) auction is actually for vouchers expiring May 2004 as opposed to the first which expires in May 2005. So why is the second auction selling $25+ higher?? There is another seller who has 20 auctions of 12 vouchers each and I'm dying to know how she is able to bypass the 40 voucher limit per year to sell them on ebay. It's interesting that the sellers start these auctions at .99 or sometimes even .01 and still more than clear the cost. That seems a lot of money to invest to sell on ebay.

Anyway, I suppose my point is that I can't really get a feel for what makes some things more appealing than others. I've listed in all caps, no caps, bold, with a gallery picture, etc. and I haven't really noticed any more bidding than on those I didn't pay any extra fees for. I'm stumped.

 

[DiznEeyore]

I've got a question for those who use the "Buy It Now" feature.

Two days ago a bidder emailed asking if I would add it to one of my auctions that had no bids. I told her what I'd list it at, and she said that sounded fine, as she needed the item shipped to a U.S. address ASAP. (Turns out she's in Australia and I don't ship there, but she gave me a zip in the U.S.)

Well, I added the BIN, and she took several hours to use it (I figured if someone else used it in the meantime, that was fine, too). Anyway, I've had no communication from her since.

I sent an eBay invoice the first day, then emailed her yesterday to confirm that I hadn't missed her reply, as Yahoo sometimes does that. Still nothing.

I'm really irritated that she was in such a rush to get this (her words) and now she's completely blowing me off. Any advice?

She only has a little feedback but it is all very positive.

 

[annsteere]

I have read several times on this post about getting delivery confirmation for cheaper than P.O. prices. Can you do that even if you are shipping media rate? (I sell books and the postage is much cheaper at media rate.)

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by annsteere
I have read several times on this post about getting delivery confirmation for cheaper than P.O. prices. Can you do that even if you are shipping media rate? (I sell books and the postage is much cheaper at media rate.)

If you use shipping assistant option you can.. I use it quite often

 

[DMRick]

I've confirmed his NARU status with Ebay. What is my next step? File NPB with Ebay? Can I relist?

I would email them and suggest that they can still pay, via check or direct from their PP account. If they don't want to , or don't respond, as soon as you file NPB, it will refund your listing fees, since they are naru'd, and you can relist.

edited to add:

Oops..that should say they will refund your final value fees. Sorry.

Doris

 

[DNBois]

iNTeNSeBLue98

My husband watched some local news station who did a report on problems with ebay and individuals stealing identities of those that have several positive feedback. My husband and I have been selling stuff on ebay for more than a year and are completely hooked. Once we won some movie mylars (not much - $7 bucks or so) - we had ordered from this seller about five times before and never had a problem and he had thousands of positive feedback. Never heard from him again and for about six months, that seller has not been listing items.

I just purchased two jam cams from a seller who had 75 positive feedback - I won the auction over six weeks ago. After several
e-mails and contacting Square Trade, nothing so I posted my very first negative feedback. I again noticed that this seller has no other items for sale - I have no idea if someone stole his identity to sell items, profit the money and not send the item, but that is what I think happened. Even after posting the negative feedback more than a week ago, I have not heard from this seller.

Not sure what you can do in this situation but I would ask that in order for you not post negative feedback, the buyer should forward you the e-mail that ebay sent him so you can verify that it is legitimate. If it is, then you should relist and if it isn't or you receive no response, you should e-mail once again letting him know your intention to post negative feedback if he does not comply with your request.

We have 53 positive feedback (100%) and we will continue to sell items but never again will be purchase anything on ebay. This infor probably doesn't help much but thought I would give it a try- good luck

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

Not sure what you can do in this situation but I would ask that in order for you not post negative feedback, the buyer should forward you the e-mail that ebay sent him so you can verify that it is legitimate. If it is, then you should relist and if it isn't or you receive no response, you should e-mail once again letting him know your intention to post negative feedback if he does not comply with your request.

Yesterday his username was still on my feedback to be left list. This morning it is not there. I sent another email asking if he was the person who placed the bid and if he could submit them money through PayPal or money order if it was a legit bid. Based on his answer I will either ship or relist.