eBay advice

Piman58

I have decided to take the drastic step and open my closet full of cards and begin selling on a small scale on eBay. I currently have four items listed that I set up using Turbo Lister 2. I know the listings are not flashy, but any opinions or advice would be welcomed.

Here is a link to the auctions.

Please do not view this as spam, I am just hoping to elicit opinions and advice from the members of this forum who list successfully on ebay.

Thanks,
Charles

WinPitcher

Looks ok to me, I'm sure you are going to hear a lot more though.


Good luck with them.

Steve

mickeymantle24

Look good to me also. Good Luck!

nightcrawler

Looks good to me... do you only ship to the USA?

storm888

Good start.

1. Your insurance box says, "NONE." That is fine as long as you understand
that if the card gets hurt/lost, PayPal will refund the buyer in full. Also, don't
forget to use Delivery Confirmation. (Your bubble-mailer must be at least
3/4 inch thick to use DC. Put a fat packing-peanut in the bottom to make the
minimum.)

2. You should state in your description box that your "combined shipping"
requires the buyer to pay 50-cents per card.

"I happily combine shipping for multiple winning bids, at only 50-cents for each additional item."

(Stating it only in the S+H area can lead to disagreements. I would also strike the
word "eligible," if it is not standard in the EBAY script. It is a weasel word that discomforts
some shoppers.)

3. I would crop the photos just a tiny bit tighter. 1/4 inch is about the maximum border, for perfect eye-appeal.

That's all I see.

Your FB is good, you should do fine.

gl

Piman58

I set them up that way because I am unfamiliar with postal regs, etc for shipping to other countries. If I can find information about customs and costs to ship to places like Canada, Europe, and possibly even the Far East I will revise the auctions accordingly.

Charles

storm888

<< <i>I set them up that way because I am unfamiliar with postal regs, etc for shipping to other countries. If I can find information about customs and costs to ship to places like Canada, Europe, and possibly even the Far East I will revise the auctions accordingly.

Charles >>




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Shipping overseas you will have little/no PayPal protection, unless you use Express Mail. ($20 to $30).

Also, your shipping-stars will be hit hard by foreign-buyers, who expect their items FAST.

BunchOBull

Yes, I'm having a hard time with an overseas buyer now. I'm also a very inexperienced seller. I shipped International Priority, insured. According to USPS it's been sitting at his local post office since the 6th of August when he failed to sign for it. He has yet to pick up a nearly $200 card. I only charged him $10 for $26 shipping, but I know he'll hit me hard, if he doesn't end up negging me for slow shipping (Shipped July 28th, arrived Aug. 6). Heck, he may be attempting to scam me even.

storm888

"..Heck, he may be attempting to scam me even. ."

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Yup.

Based on the current PayPal scheme, the ONLY way that I know of to
be fully protected is to use EXPRESS Mail. The first $100 of insurance
is "free," and the signature/tracking is acceptable to PayPal in an INR claim.

The cost is between $20 and $30, depending on where it's headed.


I stopped doing international to folks I do not already know.

cardbender

Hi Charles,
Looks fine to me. I like your large scans. Very clear and easy to judge the quality of the card you're selling. Good luck with your listings!

Rich

sfmays24

Hi Charles,

Since you are a new seller (feedback for selling 1 item total), you might want to start out with lower valued items before moving to higher end stuff... otherwise, you may end up giving stuff away and doing a lot of work for free too. Just work on getting some positive feedback for selling (prompt communication, pack well, charge fair shipping, and be polite)... and you will do well, best of luck!

Mike

Piman58

storm888-thanks for all the detailed advice, you were one of the members I was hoping would respond and you came through as usual

cardbender-I like the large scans as well but sometimes they give the appearance that the card hasissues that are not noticeable when in hand. Kind of like looking at corners through a100x microscope. Sharp corners look like Buckwheat's hair.

sfmays24-Your comments about what I should auction as I build feedback are correct. I have actually had three sales - two were Dark Knight figures back when that craze passed through, only one left feedback, and the other was a sale of an A&G Misty May-Treanor auto which was just recently completed. So this is my first foray into normal auctions where I don't ride the wave of popularity for auction's subject.

thanks to all for the best wishes

Charles

bman90278

I think you have done a very good job for your first listings and Storm gave you good advice. I think your scans and size of the photos are great and I'm happy to see you are self hosting the photos. Be sure to specify if it's your case, (Scans of card are the actual item for sale in this auction) I think that is very important because many sellers use a general scan or photo. I think you should add scans of the back of the cards since you are self hosting the photos. I feel the extra time it takes for the back scan is worth it for you. Also, be sure to specify if any of the cards have any blems or conditions.

Good luck to you,
Brian

Piman58

Another quick question, if I may. I received an inquiry about ending an auction early. I replied that my policy is not to end my auctions early and that I wished the bidder good luck if they decided to bid on the item.

My question, as I replied I noticed there was an option to post the question and reply in the listing, should I have used (or always use) that option?

Charles

storm888

"...My question, as I replied I noticed there was an option to post the question and reply in the listing, should I have used (or always use) that option?"

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If you are willing to answer questions - I rarely am - it is not wise to post the ASQs in the listing.

Shoppers who ASQ and get a nice response, become emotionally invested in the listing. This attachment
cannot be built by posting the ASQs.

If you wish to avoid redundant ASQs, you can post them. If you want to have personal contact with
the shoppers, it's better not to post them.

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It is almost always a mistake to end an auction early. You will usually get as much or more money
by letting the thing run.

If you wish to avoid ASQs on the subject, you can state at the end of the body-copy of the listing:

"I am unable to end auction listings early."