Thinking about selling some items on ebay - It's been a long time since i have sold, any tips?

[mrmopar]

I was reading up on selling through ebay, as we are planning a garage sale soon, but wanted to list some of the "better" items on ebay in hopes of getting more for them. This is not going to be sports collectibles, so I am also a bit out of my element in general. I'm not sure it is even worth the potential gain in the end. The problem is that garage sales tend to bring out the cheapest of the cheap (probably most are looking to flip stuff) and although I don't mind bartering, some of the offers I have gotten in the past and laughable. I've even donated items rather than let some low baller get them for their absurd offer prices. I know that sounds bad and counterproductive when trying to sell, but it is never a need for money situation and sometimes people just need to be checked...

One thing I noticed was that ebay charges 10% of the total final amount, which includes shipping charges (It hasn't always been 10% has it?). I find this interesting, because if I charge the buyer actual shipping costs for something (say priority flat rate), then ebay takes 10% of that amount and I am at a 10% loss for shipping right out of the gate. Seems that this is encouraging people to overcharge for shipping, just to cover their costs. I know this is probably in part to people charging lots of shipping and selling items for next to nothing to avoid fees, but there has to be a better way. i don't mind the fees for selling items, but I don't want to take a loss on shipping, especially on oddly sized items that could be expensive to ship. I just want to charge the actual postage (I'll cover the labor, gas, packaging materials, etc). I guess in the end, a handling fee is the best way to recoup that piece ebay takes.

I think this is one of the reasons I have avoided selling on ebay, because it becomes such a hassle to deal with all the crap/rules/etc.

I believe I read somewhere that buyers don't need (or are not required at all) to buy insurance and that insurance is basically for sellers. If I want to protect myself for damage/loss, I should require insurance. Any thoughts on that aspect?

Thanks.

 

[nevermore]

I know that in exchange for the 10% on shipping they do give a supposed discount with PayPal shipping, I believe it is 20% of the USPS rates. Not sure about insurance.

Have you thought about Craigslist? You can put your price and can move stuff locally without worrying about shipping.

 

[EDGARMARTINEZcollector]

Keep in mind that ebay charges 10% and paypal charges an additional $0.35 + 2%...basically 12%.
Unless the items you are selling are quite expensive, I would not require insurance as this will detract buyers.
USPS Priority boxes include $100 of free insurance if I'm not mistaken (not sure if what you are selling will fit in a priority box or not).
If these are bulky or fragile items, I second the Craigslist suggestion. It doesn't require shipping and there are no fees. It all comes down to what you're selling and how big of an audience there is for the item.
Hope this helps.

 

[magicpapa]

I think its 50$ Ins included on the USPS Priority boxes

 

[Austin]

I think its 50$ Ins included on the USPS Priority boxes

That is correct.

 

[magicpapa]

For Once I am Not the Weakest Link???

 

[swish54_99]

What I've started doing when I sell cards on Ebay is list it with free shipping, then just bump up my starting price by $2-$3 to cover the shipping. A lot of people factor in shipping cost into their bid. Plus it just looks better and more attractive to have free shipping. I don't care if I sell something for $.99+$3 shipping or $3.99+free shipping.

 

[smapdi]

Free shipping prevents people from dinging you on shipping on DSRs.

 

[Musial Collector]

If you use the shipping calculator, it takes all of the guessing out of what to charge someone to ship something.
As long as you have the correct weight set, the calculator does the rest, for anything that requires to ship via priority mail, it takes your mailing zip code and their delivery zip code, the weight and calcs the cost to the buyer. The nice part is, if you use paypal shipping (why one wouldnt use it IDK), you typically save 20-30% on the USPS cost, thats money in your pocket. Example, I sold a Sonos speaker, eBay calculated $18 for shipping (it weighs 5ish lbs) from my house to buyers house, however shipping only cost me $12.11 (a 33% savings via eBay/Paypal shipping), so an extra $5.89, which I in turn could purchase insurance on the item or pocket the full amount, I purchased insurance to cover me. A win win either way IMO.

Yes eBay takes its 10% cut (its a for profit company) and Paypal takes their cut (~2%, another for profit company), but there is no where else you will get the kind of returns, or the amount of customers as you get on eBay.

 

[mrmopar]

Thanks for the feedback. I decided with the sale fast approaching, I will attempt to sell the items locally first and just hold firm or close to it on what ebay prices seem to be and if they don't sell, I can always ebay them later.

So, with the calculator, you don't need to set the price initially and each buyer may see a different rate, based on where they live. That sounds great. that way, as long as you enter the dimensions and weight correctly, you won't get stuck underquoting the cost. I would have no issue with free shipping for smaller items if it helps sales/returns, but one item is fairly large, but not too heavy and the box would be a good 20x20x10 or so.