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

[Mrs. Snowgod]

I have done well with little "Golden Guides" They have been around since the '50s and orignally sold for anywhere from $1.95 up to $4.95, from what I've seen printed on the covers for prices. I've found them at yard sales for .50 each. Just sold 2 lots of 5 for $15 BIN for each lot. I listed them starting at $7.50. For those of you for whom it is too early for math , that's $25 profit!

 

[Mommy Poppins]

I had an auction that ended on 8/27. The buyer would have received the end of auction notice from Ebay, an invoice from me and yesterday I sent another email. Today is day 8 and I have heard nothing from the buyer. How long do you wait until you start the NPB process? My auctions say that payment must be received within 10 days, so I have two more days, but I just wish they would answer the emails and tell me what they are doing!!

 

[maggiew]

I have a pair of women's boots up for auction and a bidder has asked me to send her another picture of the boots from another angle. I think this would make a good addition to my auction, so I want to add this picture. But, I already have a bid for it, so I can't change the description. But I thought I could ADD to the description. Ebay isn't letting me add the picture (I have it on my own server and doing an IMG SRC thing in the description area. But ebay is saying that I have either 1. received a bid while I was making the revisions or 2. have less than 12 hours left in the auction, neither of which is true. So, HOW CAN I ADD THIS PICTURE??? I am even willing to pay the extra for ebay to host the picture, but I can't figure out how to do it?

Maggie

 

[claudia]

I had an auction that ended on 8/27. The buyer would have received the end of auction notice from Ebay, an invoice from me and yesterday I sent another email. Today is day 8 and I have heard nothing from the buyer. How long do you wait until you start the NPB process? My auctions say that payment must be received within 10 days, so I have two more days, but I just wish they would answer the emails and tell me what they are doing!!

If your auction states 10 days, they do have the 10 days to send a payment to you and still be within your terms. I would wait until the deadline and send out another email requesting payment...and specifying the terms of the sale. If you receive no response you could start the NPB at anytime after that.
You may want to change your terms to a shorter pay time frame, say 7 days or less....this way you are not waiting so long for your payments.

 

[claudia]

I have a pair of women's boots up for auction and a bidder has asked me to send her another picture of the boots from another angle. I think this would make a good addition to my auction, so I want to add this picture. But, I already have a bid for it, so I can't change the description. But I thought I could ADD to the description. Ebay isn't letting me add the picture

You could add to your auction that you do have additional photos available and that anyone who is interested should email you.

 

[claudia]

I am thinking of adding either or both of the following: 1) The exact weight of the item packaged for shipping. This would require some work on my part to package and weight the item prior to listing.

2) An approximate shipping cost based on my guessed weight and shipping to zone 8.

Any one encountering this problem or care to share some more advice?

I package and weigh all items before I list. I do not seal the boxes/envelopes just in case I need to combine items for one buyer, but I do make a note on each package what is in it. When I do a listing I choose the "calculated shipping rates" and enter the information. When I write the description I always include in my auction
"Shipping is by Priority mail, please enter your zip code into the calculator to get your shipping costs"
This way there is no question for the buyer about his costs...helps him/her decided before they bid if the shipping is what they want to pay. Also, if you print your priority label online, delivery confirmation is included for free.
Packaging does take time...(something that has to be done at some point anyway) but once it is done, everything is neat and in order and there is no hassle when it comes time to ship.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by claudia
I package and weigh all items before I list. I do not seal the boxes/envelopes just in case I need to combine items for one buyer, but I do make a note on each package what is in it.

Packaging does take time...(something that has to be done at some point anyway) but once it is done, everything is neat and in order and there is no hassle when it comes time to ship.

----------------------------

I tried doing this in the beginning and it never failed that I would receive an email asking some obscure question - which meant I had to dig out - and unwrap - the item to answer it..

I really would like to do this to save time but I'm not sure if it would be the best idea or not..

Any hints or suggestions? Today I have to package up 17 auctions and I'm getting tired just thinking about it.. LOL!

 

[Mommy Poppins]

Congrats C.Ann!! I wish I had the energy and time to get 17 things up at one time and that they all sold!

 

[poober25]

To whomever posted the ? about the decanters with the alcohol still it them. If they are still sealed, I would definetly try to sell them that way. Emptying them will cause them to lose MUCH of their collectible value. If you cannot sell them on e-bay without emptying out the alcohol, I would try to find another venue to sell them. An antique dealer may pay you more for them sealed than you would get from e-bay if they are empty. HTH.

 

[mom2smjn]

okay okay I am going to scream...I can't get the shipping label print thing on the usps site to work. Any ideas???


OH btw, STILL no book.......I know I know I should call but I am soooooooooooooooo chicken...I also know I will be angryand don't want to get into it with a total stranger on the phone. This item was supposed to ship within 24 hrs we live in the same area code for goodness sakes and it has been WEEKS...still no book.
It was supposed to be a gift...and know that has passed so I guess I keep it, which is ok, but I wish he would just ANSWER HIS STINKING email


Anyway I have another question...I found a huge box of VERY old(1800's) books in the attic with DHs grandmothers stuff. Even school books, a paper almanac from 1809, and some primers and such. There are THOUSANDS of antique books on ebay how do I decide what to start bidding at?





Thank guys!

 

[DMRick]

I use my FTP on my AOL (keyword MyFTP) to add photos to a description after I have a bid (if I need to). It costs nothing..and most ISP's have this ability to store pictures for you. It's a little complicated to first learn, but once you do, it's just a matter of uploading a photo into your ftp, and then putting the HTML into the area where you can add to the description.

 

[C.Ann]

For those of you who list using Turbo Lister this is a "heads up" for you.. Last week I used TL to do my listings and inadvertently listed an item that is prohibited on eBay!! The only way I found out was when I went to relist the item on-line via my sell page and a big old warning came up!!

I have since cancelled the auction, but I wanted all of you to be aware that if you have a questionable item - or even a item that there may have been a recall on - you will not be aware of this when you are listing thru Turbo and you may run the risk of having ebay cancel your auction.. If you have a questionable item you would be much safer doing the listing on-line via the sell page...............

------------------------------------------------------

Now - about all those antique books... Especially the school books which have been known to sell for a tidy sum - you are going to have to work very hard and research each one individually thru the search function on eBay - unless of course you're willing to just pick a figure out of the air and wait to see what happens..

GREAT find!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[indigo]

I package and weigh all items before I list. I do not seal the boxes/envelopes just in case I need to combine items for one buyer, but I do make a note on each package what is in it. When I do a listing I choose the "calculated shipping rates" and enter the information. When I write the description I always include in my auction
"Shipping is by Priority mail, please enter your zip code into the calculator to get your shipping costs"
This way there is no question for the buyer about his costs...helps him/her decided before they bid if the shipping is what they want to pay. Also, if you print your priority label online, delivery confirmation is included for free.
Packaging does take time...(something that has to be done at some point anyway) but once it is done, everything is neat and in order and there is no hassle when it comes time to ship.

I've never tried the 'calculate shipping rates' before. I always use DC and Insure my packages. How do you know what the insurance cost will be if you don't know the final cost of the item. I suppose if the final price is over $50 you could just eat the extra dough and be happy your item is selling for so much.

About the DC, does anyone print their own labels, getting free or cheap DC, but still charge for the DC? I just downloaded the software and thought this would be an excellent way to recoup some handling costs while still providing the buyer with great service. Or do you think providing lower Priority Mail costs is a better customer service?

Thanks again for the advice. Let's keep this thread going strong so we can all 'Ebay our way to Disney' real soon!!!

 

[HPHILBIN]

Has anyone closed an auction early for a buyer?

I got a message from someone today:

"HI there! Ive been looking for this exact bag FOREVER and am interested in buying it from you now - if you'd be willing to end the auction early and come to an agreed price,I'd be more than happy to pay you right now through paypal )) Thanks so much and let me know!!!"

I'm just not sure how I should handle this. The item doesn't end for 6 days - it's only listed at 2.99. Should I end it now, maybe at a buy it now?

The buyer has 36 feedback - 100%

If I do end it early -
1. How do I do it?
2. That means I won't be protected by eBay if she doesn't pay right?

Thanks for your help!!

 

[indigo]

The only time I will end an auction early is if I can still revise the item and add a Buy It Now option for the price the person is willing to pay. I add the BIN, email the person, and it's their choice to use it or not. This way everyone is still protected by Ebay and Paypal.

Of course, if someone is emailing you, then the demand for the item might be higher than you initially suspected. So maybe make a counter offer?

 

[Cinders]

Has anyone closed an auction early for a buyer?
I'm just not sure how I should handle this. The item doesn't end for 6 days - it's only listed at 2.99. Should I end it now, maybe at a buy it now?
The buyer has 36 feedback - 100%

IMO I would not end it early! If she really has been waiting "FOREVER" and wants it she'll bid and wait for the end of the auction to get it. Most likely she is just trying to get it as cheaply as possible and you could lose money ending it early. Way back in this thread someone asked about ending an auction for a Pooh box early and was glad that they didnt because they made a much higher profit by the end of the auction. Do a search on your bag and then click completed items and that will show you what others have sold for. You can also be noisy and do a search on the person who contacted you to see what bids they have placed lately so as to see if they have really been trying to find your exact item.

 

[DMRick]

The only way I found out was when I went to relist the item on-line via my sell page and a big old warning came up!!

Although you know your item was prohibited..the big old warning comes up if you sell records, police items, etc. You have to read through it and see if you do in fact have a prohibited item. I get the warning a lot..but none of my items are prohibited.

If you do sell a prohibited item and you are reported, that auction and possibly your other auctions will be stopped and you'll get a warining. If you argue the warning..they will prob suspend you for a month.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by DMRick
Although you know your item was prohibited..the big old warning comes up if you sell records, police items, etc. You have to read through it and see if you do in fact have a prohibited item. I get the warning a lot..but none of my items are prohibited.

If you do sell a prohibited item and you are reported, that auction and possibly your other auctions will be stopped and you'll get a warining. If you argue the warning..they will prob suspend you for a month.

--------------------

Phew! I'm glad I DID end the auction early because after reading thru all the info it was definitely a prohibited item.. Of course I had seen others selling the same item when I initially researched it so I had no idea I was doing something wrong.. I don't know if eBay would have caught it or not, but that's a chance I was not willing to take!!

Why would a warning come up for records??? Someone just gave me a HUGE box of them that they want me to list.. I don't want to end up having to cancel yet another auction..

 

[Madi100]

I have MSN, and I have the ability to upload pictures and store them online. DMRick, you were mentioning that you use this through AOL for your auctions. Can you please tell me how to do this?

 

[claudia]

I've never tried the 'calculate shipping rates' before. I always use DC and Insure my packages. How do you know what the insurance cost will be if you don't know the final cost of the item. I suppose if the final price is over $50 you could just eat the extra dough and be happy your item is selling for so much.

On the same place as the "calculate rates" is a box that you can enter for insurance. Just click and choose optional. This way when the auction is finished the insurance fee is calculated to the amount of the selling price. The buyer can then choose to add the insurance on if they want it. Since I am sure you have in your auction "buyer pays all costs", there would be no reason for you to have any out of pocket layout for the insurance.