Selling on eBay

Started by Bonaventure, March 27, 2013, 12:16:08 AM

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Bonaventure

I've never done it before. Does anyone have any tips? Ggreg?
"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

stitchmom

Make sure you send it with tracking, so paypal can confirm it and release your funds before the 21 days.

If it's a book look into amazon too. They pay quickly.

LouisIX

I worked for a few years at a store that listed and sold your stuff on ebay for you.  There's not much you need to do so long as you take a lot of good pictures, are overly descriptive, and get your item listed under as many tags as possible.  Find a starting price based on where similar items started (not so much sold) on ebay in the past 6 months.

The more information you have up about the item the more interest you'll get.  The system takes care of the rest.
IF I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

Greg

Lots of pictures, accurate description, post next day once they have paid.  Minimise fees as far as possible.  Go for no reserve 99 cents starting price and shill bid to your true reserve with a mates account.  Don't keep using the same account to shill bid though, cos they'll ban you.

What you want as the seller in an auction is for two idiots to bid against each other where "winning" becomes more important that the price of the thing they are buying.  Running it up early increases he chances of this occurring,
Contentment is knowing that you're right. Happiness is knowing that someone else is wrong.

PatrickG


Greg

It is worth what anyone is prepared to bid on it.
Contentment is knowing that you're right. Happiness is knowing that someone else is wrong.

KumbayaDominumMeum

#6
The argument that something is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it, which is true enough in certain contexts, is also a popular rationalization that's been often used to excuse a host of unsavory business practices, including price-fixing and price-gouging. Using a shill to jack up prices at auction is cheating. It's not even a questionable gray area.

Greg

Why?

If you don't want to pay that price, don't.

Wait until another item comes along without a shill bid.

A shill bid is simply a reserve price or the seller bidding a price below which they would rather keep the item.
Contentment is knowing that you're right. Happiness is knowing that someone else is wrong.

KumbayaDominumMeum

Then set a higher reserve and pay the extra fee to eBay. You are defrauding eBay out of money that they are rightfully entitled to under the terms of usage that you agreed to.

KumbayaDominumMeum

Additionally, you are getting the bidder emotionally involved and playing them (manipulating them) to get more money out of them, and you're doing it unethically as well as in violation to the agreement you made.

Greg

That's called marketing.

If you don't like it better go live in a cave.
Contentment is knowing that you're right. Happiness is knowing that someone else is wrong.

LouisIX

Pretty sure that that IS illegal, or at least against the agreement that you sign with Ebay.  At the very least, it's breaking your word.
IF I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

Greg

#12
Does ebay give you a chance to negotiate the agreement?

Let's be honest here, there are rules we all break every single day because we never specifically agreed with them. We just clicked and used the service.  I have never even read the eBay rules, nor do I intend to.

They take a very healthy cut and make a large profit for doing very little other than providing the platform and as the dominant market player they are a virtual monopoly.  I have almost no choice but to use them.

And you might be right, it may well be illegal, but I don't see it as immoral so I will keep on doing it in order to set a reserve price.  Every person with half a brain is using a sniper now anyway, so it wastes no ones time.  If they want my item they cut and paste the item number into their sniping software and my friends shill bid ensures I don't give the item away.

I've never had to purchase my own item because I am never greedy and set the reserve at the borders of given away and acceptable.

Shill bidding has existed as long as there have been auctions.
Contentment is knowing that you're right. Happiness is knowing that someone else is wrong.

Jayne

Quote from: Greg on April 12, 2013, 05:39:04 PM
Let's be honest here, there are rules we all break every single day because we never specifically agreed with them.

No we do not all do that.  I do not break rules every single day. You sound like you are trying to justify to yourself doing something immoral. 
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.

Greg

You annoy me every day.
Contentment is knowing that you're right. Happiness is knowing that someone else is wrong.