tips for selling on ebay?
- Thread starter CaoPi
- Start date
paintballers
CAGiversary!
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I always put it on bid it tends to work better then buy it nows. I also offer a full refund and optional insurance.
It hard to say because Ebay is a unual marketing place.All you really need is luck of the draw and need two people going in a serious bidding war.Use the buy it now option on high sought after or rare games to block against snippers such as Phoenix Wright and Marvel Vs Capcom 2.Of course,it prevent you from getting the possibility of more money in auction based price and receive a smaller bit in ebay fees.It really depend on the two bidders.
The number one rule is never charge low or free shipping.I remember one professor did a unscientific study and listed 80 auctions of the same item,but wit different shipping prices.The one with the higher shipping cost received more bids and money.People who shop on ebay tend to ignore the shipping price.This could be helpful to reduce the amount of ebay fees and paypal fees.
The number one rule is never charge low or free shipping.I remember one professor did a unscientific study and listed 80 auctions of the same item,but wit different shipping prices.The one with the higher shipping cost received more bids and money.People who shop on ebay tend to ignore the shipping price.This could be helpful to reduce the amount of ebay fees and paypal fees.
Items sold history is your friend, just pay attention to trends and price it accordingly. Buy it now can be priced a little bit more since the buyer knows that they can get it without having to wait. If your afraid of getting lowballed there is also the reserve. That is only useful on large ticket item since it is like $1.
I like using BIN, but it's more up front work and also a matter of preference to some extent. If you look at the average selling price for straight auctions, remember that roughly half of all items auctioned will end below it.
Always offer at least optional insurance.
Always offer at least optional insurance.
mastertard
CAGiversary!
i've sold over 25 games on eBay and i've found that optional insurance isn't really a big difference maker (or offering refunds, surprisingly - although i always keep my games in mint condition and make that clear to the buyers). i've offered optional insurance and free delivery confirmation for the first half of games i've sold and i haven't really seen a higher profit because of it (or a decrease in expected profits).
good communication and good feedback rating is a plus. people definitely trust you more with sellers who communicate well with their buyers and with people who have high feedback %.
also, even though a thorough detailed description sounds like it would help, from my experience it doesn't, just keep your stuff simple and straight to the point, it seems people don't want to read too much.
about the shipping cost thing, it is hit and miss, sometimes you will have somebody ignore the shipping costs, and a lot of other times you won't. usually, it doesn't matter much because the cost of selling + the shipping costs usually add up to about the same. smart people who know how to use eBay usually look for shipping costs that arent too high (i think). when you go to list your item, it'll tell you what the average shipping cost is (if you use eBay's UPC product database).
it is my opinion that reserve discourages buyers at times because they're not sure if they're going to get what they bid for (that's just my opinion, though). items sold history, like someone mentioned above, is a good idea of where to get your approximate selling goal.
about the $0.01 start of auctions, that works fine, but there were a few times i actually sold for a lot less than the usual cost because of it... my only explanation for this is people possibly think it is cheap quality? i'm not sure. make sure you check ebay's fee charge for initial starting bid price, as it is different according to how much you start at ($9.99 and $24.99 are good starts depending on how valuable the game is). $0.01 starts for popular games get more bids but usually sell for about the same as higher starts (although there is a bigger fee, something like $0.15 or $0.20 more). i think buy it now is lame, i rarely see anybody pay via buy it now unless it is clearly a good deal or the game is brand new. it is just a way to get charged more fees, i recommend against it (unless you really want to get rid of it).
also, another reason why i chose not to do insurance/delivery confirmation is because you have to wait in line in the post office to do it (at USPS, anyway). whereas, if you only charge shipping costs (I charge $4.25 for shipping via priority maill; the actual cost is $4.05), you don't have to wait in line, you can just get a box and package it and dump a bunch of stamps on it and hand it to the people at the counter without waiting... what's even better is if you pay for priority mail, you can get FREE shipping boxes/envelopes and FREE tape to use. without waiting in line (sometimes, the line in my local post office is 20+ minutes).
at my post office, there is a vending machine where you can pay $4.05 to cover the priority mail cost... then just grab a free box, put the addresses on, stick the stamps, and use the free tape. takes only a few mins. also, for packaging inside that free box, crumbled newspapers do just fine.
good communication and good feedback rating is a plus. people definitely trust you more with sellers who communicate well with their buyers and with people who have high feedback %.
also, even though a thorough detailed description sounds like it would help, from my experience it doesn't, just keep your stuff simple and straight to the point, it seems people don't want to read too much.
about the shipping cost thing, it is hit and miss, sometimes you will have somebody ignore the shipping costs, and a lot of other times you won't. usually, it doesn't matter much because the cost of selling + the shipping costs usually add up to about the same. smart people who know how to use eBay usually look for shipping costs that arent too high (i think). when you go to list your item, it'll tell you what the average shipping cost is (if you use eBay's UPC product database).
it is my opinion that reserve discourages buyers at times because they're not sure if they're going to get what they bid for (that's just my opinion, though). items sold history, like someone mentioned above, is a good idea of where to get your approximate selling goal.
about the $0.01 start of auctions, that works fine, but there were a few times i actually sold for a lot less than the usual cost because of it... my only explanation for this is people possibly think it is cheap quality? i'm not sure. make sure you check ebay's fee charge for initial starting bid price, as it is different according to how much you start at ($9.99 and $24.99 are good starts depending on how valuable the game is). $0.01 starts for popular games get more bids but usually sell for about the same as higher starts (although there is a bigger fee, something like $0.15 or $0.20 more). i think buy it now is lame, i rarely see anybody pay via buy it now unless it is clearly a good deal or the game is brand new. it is just a way to get charged more fees, i recommend against it (unless you really want to get rid of it).
also, another reason why i chose not to do insurance/delivery confirmation is because you have to wait in line in the post office to do it (at USPS, anyway). whereas, if you only charge shipping costs (I charge $4.25 for shipping via priority maill; the actual cost is $4.05), you don't have to wait in line, you can just get a box and package it and dump a bunch of stamps on it and hand it to the people at the counter without waiting... what's even better is if you pay for priority mail, you can get FREE shipping boxes/envelopes and FREE tape to use. without waiting in line (sometimes, the line in my local post office is 20+ minutes).
at my post office, there is a vending machine where you can pay $4.05 to cover the priority mail cost... then just grab a free box, put the addresses on, stick the stamps, and use the free tape. takes only a few mins. also, for packaging inside that free box, crumbled newspapers do just fine.
[quote name='mastertard']
also, another reason why i chose not to do insurance/delivery confirmation is because you have to wait in line in the post office to do it (at USPS, anyway). whereas, if you only charge shipping costs (I charge $4.25 for shipping via priority maill; the actual cost is $4.05), you don't have to wait in line, you can just get a box and package it and dump a bunch of stamps on it and hand it to the people at the counter without waiting... what's even better is if you pay for priority mail, you can get FREE shipping boxes/envelopes and FREE tape to use. without waiting in line (sometimes, the line in my local post office is 20+ minutes).
at my post office, there is a vending machine where you can pay $4.05 to cover the priority mail cost... then just grab a free box, put the addresses on, stick the stamps, and use the free tape. takes only a few mins. also, for packaging inside that free box, crumbled newspapers do just fine.[/QUOTE]
If you use paypal to make your own shipping labels, you don't have to wait in ANY line...you can even schedule the postman to pickup your items!
Other ebay tips (from a powerseller who also used to work at Fedex):
- I always include insurance as part of the shipping costs...it will save you alot of headaches if you run into a package that gets lost in the mail or even damaged.
- Always include a packing slip...if your original label somehow becomes damaged or unreadable, the first place they'll look for the information is inside the package.
- Try to list auction items to end on monday...alot of bidding goes on during the weekends, as well as last-minute sniping during a person's break or lunch during the first workday of the week.
- Finally, if your serious about selling alot of items on ebay, you need to STRONGLY consider getting a paypal account. I'm not trying to endorse them (my experience with them has been neutral ), but they are integrated well enough into ebay that I don't mind paying the additional paypal fee if it will let me limit my bidders to those with paypal accounts (helps weed out deadbeats/scammers). Not fullproof, but I can't complain.
Hope this helps!
also, another reason why i chose not to do insurance/delivery confirmation is because you have to wait in line in the post office to do it (at USPS, anyway). whereas, if you only charge shipping costs (I charge $4.25 for shipping via priority maill; the actual cost is $4.05), you don't have to wait in line, you can just get a box and package it and dump a bunch of stamps on it and hand it to the people at the counter without waiting... what's even better is if you pay for priority mail, you can get FREE shipping boxes/envelopes and FREE tape to use. without waiting in line (sometimes, the line in my local post office is 20+ minutes).
at my post office, there is a vending machine where you can pay $4.05 to cover the priority mail cost... then just grab a free box, put the addresses on, stick the stamps, and use the free tape. takes only a few mins. also, for packaging inside that free box, crumbled newspapers do just fine.[/QUOTE]
If you use paypal to make your own shipping labels, you don't have to wait in ANY line...you can even schedule the postman to pickup your items!
Other ebay tips (from a powerseller who also used to work at Fedex):
- I always include insurance as part of the shipping costs...it will save you alot of headaches if you run into a package that gets lost in the mail or even damaged.
- Always include a packing slip...if your original label somehow becomes damaged or unreadable, the first place they'll look for the information is inside the package.
- Try to list auction items to end on monday...alot of bidding goes on during the weekends, as well as last-minute sniping during a person's break or lunch during the first workday of the week.
- Finally, if your serious about selling alot of items on ebay, you need to STRONGLY consider getting a paypal account. I'm not trying to endorse them (my experience with them has been neutral ), but they are integrated well enough into ebay that I don't mind paying the additional paypal fee if it will let me limit my bidders to those with paypal accounts (helps weed out deadbeats/scammers). Not fullproof, but I can't complain.
Hope this helps!
Yep, print your own labels and you can do DC and insurance from your computer, don't even have to go to the PO at all. I think there's a guide somewhere on here about creaiting USPS shipping labels... 
k
I like Mondays for ending auctions as well, but that's also something I've heard lots of theories on.
And accepting PayPal is definitely a good idea. I only buy stuff that accepts PP.
kI like Mondays for ending auctions as well, but that's also something I've heard lots of theories on.
And accepting PayPal is definitely a good idea. I only buy stuff that accepts PP.
alonzomourning23
CAGiversary!
- Feedback
- 26 (100%)
[quote name='fatbeer']It hard to say because Ebay is a unual marketing place.All you really need is luck of the draw and need two people going in a serious bidding war.Use the buy it now option on high sought after or rare games to block against snippers such as Phoenix Wright and Marvel Vs Capcom 2.Of course,it prevent you from getting the possibility of more money in auction based price and receive a smaller bit in ebay fees.It really depend on the two bidders.
The number one rule is never charge low or free shipping.I remember one professor did a unscientific study and listed 80 auctions of the same item,but wit different shipping prices.The one with the higher shipping cost received more bids and money.People who shop on ebay tend to ignore the shipping price.This could be helpful to reduce the amount of ebay fees and paypal fees.[/quote]
Actually free shipping helps sometimes. When I have trouble selling an item I'll sometimes add the 4 or 5 bucks I charged for shipping onto the original price, and then list it and state "free shipping" in the title. It tends to work.
The number one rule is never charge low or free shipping.I remember one professor did a unscientific study and listed 80 auctions of the same item,but wit different shipping prices.The one with the higher shipping cost received more bids and money.People who shop on ebay tend to ignore the shipping price.This could be helpful to reduce the amount of ebay fees and paypal fees.[/quote]
Actually free shipping helps sometimes. When I have trouble selling an item I'll sometimes add the 4 or 5 bucks I charged for shipping onto the original price, and then list it and state "free shipping" in the title. It tends to work.
alonzomourning23
CAGiversary!
- Feedback
- 26 (100%)
Well, if you've sold over 500 things you're going to encounter instances where people do chargebacks. Without dc anyone can file a chargeback and win, no questions asked.
[quote name='mastertard']i've sold over 25 games on eBay and i've found that optional insurance isn't really a big difference maker (or offering refunds, surprisingly - although i always keep my games in mint condition and make that clear to the buyers). i've offered optional insurance and free delivery confirmation for the first half of games i've sold and i haven't really seen a higher profit because of it (or a decrease in expected profits).
good communication and good feedback rating is a plus. people definitely trust you more with sellers who communicate well with their buyers and with people who have high feedback %.
also, even though a thorough detailed description sounds like it would help, from my experience it doesn't, just keep your stuff simple and straight to the point, it seems people don't want to read too much.
about the shipping cost thing, it is hit and miss, sometimes you will have somebody ignore the shipping costs, and a lot of other times you won't. usually, it doesn't matter much because the cost of selling + the shipping costs usually add up to about the same. smart people who know how to use eBay usually look for shipping costs that arent too high (i think). when you go to list your item, it'll tell you what the average shipping cost is (if you use eBay's UPC product database).
it is my opinion that reserve discourages buyers at times because they're not sure if they're going to get what they bid for (that's just my opinion, though). items sold history, like someone mentioned above, is a good idea of where to get your approximate selling goal.
about the $0.01 start of auctions, that works fine, but there were a few times i actually sold for a lot less than the usual cost because of it... my only explanation for this is people possibly think it is cheap quality? i'm not sure. make sure you check ebay's fee charge for initial starting bid price, as it is different according to how much you start at ($9.99 and $24.99 are good starts depending on how valuable the game is). $0.01 starts for popular games get more bids but usually sell for about the same as higher starts (although there is a bigger fee, something like $0.15 or $0.20 more). i think buy it now is lame, i rarely see anybody pay via buy it now unless it is clearly a good deal or the game is brand new. it is just a way to get charged more fees, i recommend against it (unless you really want to get rid of it).
also, another reason why i chose not to do insurance/delivery confirmation is because you have to wait in line in the post office to do it (at USPS, anyway). whereas, if you only charge shipping costs (I charge $4.25 for shipping via priority maill; the actual cost is $4.05), you don't have to wait in line, you can just get a box and package it and dump a bunch of stamps on it and hand it to the people at the counter without waiting... what's even better is if you pay for priority mail, you can get FREE shipping boxes/envelopes and FREE tape to use. without waiting in line (sometimes, the line in my local post office is 20+ minutes).
at my post office, there is a vending machine where you can pay $4.05 to cover the priority mail cost... then just grab a free box, put the addresses on, stick the stamps, and use the free tape. takes only a few mins. also, for packaging inside that free box, crumbled newspapers do just fine.[/quote]
[quote name='mastertard']i've sold over 25 games on eBay and i've found that optional insurance isn't really a big difference maker (or offering refunds, surprisingly - although i always keep my games in mint condition and make that clear to the buyers). i've offered optional insurance and free delivery confirmation for the first half of games i've sold and i haven't really seen a higher profit because of it (or a decrease in expected profits).
good communication and good feedback rating is a plus. people definitely trust you more with sellers who communicate well with their buyers and with people who have high feedback %.
also, even though a thorough detailed description sounds like it would help, from my experience it doesn't, just keep your stuff simple and straight to the point, it seems people don't want to read too much.
about the shipping cost thing, it is hit and miss, sometimes you will have somebody ignore the shipping costs, and a lot of other times you won't. usually, it doesn't matter much because the cost of selling + the shipping costs usually add up to about the same. smart people who know how to use eBay usually look for shipping costs that arent too high (i think). when you go to list your item, it'll tell you what the average shipping cost is (if you use eBay's UPC product database).
it is my opinion that reserve discourages buyers at times because they're not sure if they're going to get what they bid for (that's just my opinion, though). items sold history, like someone mentioned above, is a good idea of where to get your approximate selling goal.
about the $0.01 start of auctions, that works fine, but there were a few times i actually sold for a lot less than the usual cost because of it... my only explanation for this is people possibly think it is cheap quality? i'm not sure. make sure you check ebay's fee charge for initial starting bid price, as it is different according to how much you start at ($9.99 and $24.99 are good starts depending on how valuable the game is). $0.01 starts for popular games get more bids but usually sell for about the same as higher starts (although there is a bigger fee, something like $0.15 or $0.20 more). i think buy it now is lame, i rarely see anybody pay via buy it now unless it is clearly a good deal or the game is brand new. it is just a way to get charged more fees, i recommend against it (unless you really want to get rid of it).
also, another reason why i chose not to do insurance/delivery confirmation is because you have to wait in line in the post office to do it (at USPS, anyway). whereas, if you only charge shipping costs (I charge $4.25 for shipping via priority maill; the actual cost is $4.05), you don't have to wait in line, you can just get a box and package it and dump a bunch of stamps on it and hand it to the people at the counter without waiting... what's even better is if you pay for priority mail, you can get FREE shipping boxes/envelopes and FREE tape to use. without waiting in line (sometimes, the line in my local post office is 20+ minutes).
at my post office, there is a vending machine where you can pay $4.05 to cover the priority mail cost... then just grab a free box, put the addresses on, stick the stamps, and use the free tape. takes only a few mins. also, for packaging inside that free box, crumbled newspapers do just fine.[/quote]
A
Apossum
Guest
I think simple, proofread listings are the best way to go.
--Game title and system
--Condition (with thorough details about any cosmetic or gameplay related defects)
--where you ship to
--clear picture of said game
--thanks
done. It's less headache for your buyer and it's easier for you.
Some of these places have these huge "look we're professional" listings with a ton of extraneous text and info and it's just a pain in the ass. I'll take the guy with the simple listing with 50 positives over the guy with the elaborately designed, wordy listing with 50,000 positives but 20 negatives every month. not to mention that you'll definitely get better CS from the non-powerseller and a fairer deal on shipping.
The item sells its self really. it doesn't matter how many ugly borders and graphics you fit into your listing.
to reiterate: ALWAYS use DC. that's just common sense. the one time you forget to, the guy will be a douche.
finally, don't sweat negatives or neutrals. if you're doing everything right, it's all good and your business will roll on. I have 2 neutrals and a negative from people who either didn't communicate or weren't right in their heads, but my stuff is still selling.
--Game title and system
--Condition (with thorough details about any cosmetic or gameplay related defects)
--where you ship to
--clear picture of said game
--thanks
done. It's less headache for your buyer and it's easier for you.
Some of these places have these huge "look we're professional" listings with a ton of extraneous text and info and it's just a pain in the ass. I'll take the guy with the simple listing with 50 positives over the guy with the elaborately designed, wordy listing with 50,000 positives but 20 negatives every month. not to mention that you'll definitely get better CS from the non-powerseller and a fairer deal on shipping.
The item sells its self really. it doesn't matter how many ugly borders and graphics you fit into your listing.
to reiterate: ALWAYS use DC. that's just common sense. the one time you forget to, the guy will be a douche.
finally, don't sweat negatives or neutrals. if you're doing everything right, it's all good and your business will roll on. I have 2 neutrals and a negative from people who either didn't communicate or weren't right in their heads, but my stuff is still selling.
Block buyers who:
Have a feedback score of -1 or lower
Have received 2 Unpaid Item strikes in the last 30 days
Ebay does not set these as defaults for some reason.
Use Paypal shipping if you can because it makes keeping track of domestic shipments easier and saves you time. Always get delivery confirmation.
Have a feedback score of -1 or lower
Have received 2 Unpaid Item strikes in the last 30 days
Ebay does not set these as defaults for some reason.
Use Paypal shipping if you can because it makes keeping track of domestic shipments easier and saves you time. Always get delivery confirmation.
[quote name='alonzomourning23']Actually free shipping helps sometimes. When I have trouble selling an item I'll sometimes add the 4 or 5 bucks I charged for shipping onto the original price, and then list it and state "free shipping" in the title. It tends to work.[/QUOTE]
I did this for two items that weren't moving... they sold within a day with the free shipping, even though all I did was raise the price 4 dollars, and took out the 4 dollar shipping.
To someone else who said Ebay had weird trends, definately... I've had some items not sell, and the BIN has been lower then what people have bid on. For instance, I have a new sealed game with a BIN of $35, people bid the last few ones up to $40 - $45... why they don't just buy mine up front, I'll never know.
I did this for two items that weren't moving... they sold within a day with the free shipping, even though all I did was raise the price 4 dollars, and took out the 4 dollar shipping.
To someone else who said Ebay had weird trends, definately... I've had some items not sell, and the BIN has been lower then what people have bid on. For instance, I have a new sealed game with a BIN of $35, people bid the last few ones up to $40 - $45... why they don't just buy mine up front, I'll never know.
bread's done