So I've decided to try the whole eBay thing..
InternetJunky
Posts: 2,329 ✭
selling items that is, and eventually buying, which I have never done.. I'm not going to lie from all the horror stories I've heard I'm not that excited about it. What advice can you guys give me before I jump in feet first? For awhile I've been like that dog the kinda paces back and forth around the edge of the pool wanting to jump in but occasionally stopping to drink some of the water. I've got some stale stuff on the BST I need to unload and eBay is the only place I think I can go with it. I haven't really looked into it much from the eBay website or PP website, figured I'd get some input here first. One of the many questions I do have though is for the PayPal account can I use a debit card? Or does it have to be a credit card? Lemme here some advice you eBay gurus.
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If indeed you have "stale stuff" you may be disappointed as to prices for a newbie seller. Some stuff goes cheap, one forum member sold a clad 5-quarter proof set and got like $3 for it ($14 retail value). Sure you can set a higher starting price or a reserve, but if it is indeed stale stuff, it won't sell and cost you listing fees.
Photography is another ball of wax for the newbie seller. Lousy photos and your coins will sit or go for low prices. The level of photography tends to be high on the bay.
Some other options are to blow out the items on BST. If priced at wholesale, instead of retail, stuff will move. Another option is to consign the material to one of the forum members. That way you avoid having to learn photography, avoid having to learn how to do listings, do the shipping, and deal with unhappy customers and possible scammers. It will cost you, but how much is your time worth?
<< <i>If indeed you have "stale stuff" you may be disappointed as to prices for a newbie seller. Some stuff goes cheap, one forum member sold a clad 5-quarter proof set and got like $3 for it ($14 retail value). Sure you can set a higher starting price or a reserve, but if it is indeed stale stuff, it won't sell and cost you listing fees.
>>
I've sold mint sets for "less" than face value.
I recently sold two PCGS First Day of Issue MS67 Presidential Dollars for "less" than two dollars each.
It can be brutal at times and is in no way a walk in the park. It takes time to photograph and organize, time to plan and list, time to respond to questions, time money and materials to package and ship.
Good Luck!
The name is LEE!
IMO, ebay is the best place to buy and sell coins.
You only hear about the horror stories , but never about the millions of fantastic transactions.
<< <i>Before you sell any coin do yourself a favor and check past ebay auction listings. Especially for moderns.
>>
Spending a little bid of time in researching the "completed auctions" to determine what sold at what price, will ultimately give you a head start. Avoid having Fixed price BIN's...most just linger and rot on the vine, unless it's priced competitively.
<< <i>Buy before you sell. >>
This. It will help you understand this part of the process before you start selling to people. Buying is better than selling on eBay; buyers don't have to pay 15% in fees and you can get good deals when shopping smart.
I buy from eBay but rarely am I willing to sell on eBay. I sell at coin shows...you can get quotes from multiple dealers, you know exactly what you are getting, you avoid the eBay seller fees, you avoid the PayPal monopoly fees and you get cash immediately.
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
time zones are hours apart).
I do one week auctions and find that if I start and end on Sat night it gives me Sunday to pack and get ready to ship.
Use the print a label function at the end of the auction (cheapest and done on your printer, so no trip to the PO).
Do not panic when you see that no bids have been placed and it is down to 12 hours to go. That's normal. Most
bidding comes in the last hour or so.
Clear pics.
Good descriptions.
No grades other than UNC or EF on raw, etc. OF course if they are graded by PCGS, ICG, NGC or Anacs put the grade in the title.
IF they are not graded by one of the above do NOT put grade in title. You can always put a grade in the description.
No values allowed (price sheet is: xxxx) unless it is one of the above grading companies. Then and only then are
prices or values allowed.
Debit is allowed
Use the "start auction at" a later date/time for ease of input. I take pics and put auctions up all week but the do not start until
the following Sat evening. This is a great feature. You pick the day and time to start the auction.
Start with lower priced items and build some feedback. A dozen or so to get going is usually fine. I have one account (you are
allowed two) with only 29 feedbacks and have sold some high dollar Morgans with no problems and good bidding.
Might use This Link to see what you might expect on a sale price what with the fees.
Good Luck,
bob
Final warning: If it sounds too good to be true, IT IS!!! The only time you will find a rip is when the seller has mis-catagorized an item, has it selling at a bad time (4:00 a.m. on New Years Day?), or listed the item as a Buy-It-Now moments earlier.
<< <i>Build up your feedback first by buying and selling small stuff. Save the larger dollar amount stuff until after you have some positive feedback.
IMO, ebay is the best place to buy and sell coins.
You only hear about the horror stories , but never about the millions of fantastic transactions. >>
Currently a seller can list 50 auctions free , pay if it sells , name your own price.The catch is ebayers dont much like set prices ive found.List an item for $20 and it wont sell , list it for a 99c auction start and it'll sell for @25 , strange but true.
Why no images on your BST listing? This is a must on eBay so try doing it there for free first it's not that much different then loading images to eBay.
Why no PayPal account yet? I have used it for payment on the BST for years and it can be set up easily with a debit card. I feel it is just another type of internet banking. Primary consideration IMO is making your password hard to crack and changing it often. At least ten chertier, Upper and lower case, and a special chertier or two I find works well.
Have you checked eBay for the items you want to sell? This will do two things show and teach you to use the search function and give you knowledge of how you will have to list your items for sale in their category system.
When you are ready to take the leap think the listing threw from the thought process of the buyer.
How fast did I get the item?
How well was it packed and was it shipped as stated in the auction?
Is this what I thought I was bidding on?
Is it the item that was in the picture?
i.e.
Have packing materials on hand for the item before listing.
Under the new and improved eBay the buyer doesn't care what it cost to ship; just that they get it and it did not cost them anything (Free Shipping) is almost a must. Build the shipping into the bottom line of the auction when setting your auction up.
A clear concise deception still helps, and make sure it is listed in the proper category.
Back to those images that are clear and detailed. One of the members here likes to brag about his less than a hundred dollar image set up and he's been a power seller since long before you got here.
One last thing try starting small and build up with time. If I remember right my first sell was a raw Kennedy that sold for less than two dollars, but back then we added shipping witch then was aabout 37¢.
<< <i>Pick a good time to start and end the auctions.
Clear pics.
Good descriptions. >>
excellent advice!
im more of a buyer and 95% of the time pass on items with blurry/*&^*&(% pix and vague descriptions.
ive also missed many opportunities when the end times are 'inconvienent' and/or i forgot to increase my bid.
research the seller and/or item as well (from the buyer perspective)
ive sold maybe 20 items...
<< <i>[im more of a buyer and 95% of the time pass on items with blurry/*&^*&(% pix . >>
Some of the very best deals on ebay (as a buyer) come from from blurry photos
I find that with coins, if you have good pictures, you never have much problem. I work as a photographer, so I can get really nice images that are close up, show any flaws and the customer knows what they are going to get. People buying coins are usually collectors, and want good rep. There are of course bad eggs.
On the other hand, electronics are where you get scammed. I sold some photo printing equipment, and sent the guy some expensive stuff. He got it, (I had the tracking) then filed a claim with paypal, and PayPal sucked the money right back from me, and wouldn't budge. It was pretty bad.
That is why I tend to steer clear of selling electronics, unless I really just want to get rid of it.
A few things come to mind:
End your auctions on Sunday, between 6 and 7 pm PST.
Offer a reasonable 7 day return
Good images (at least two).
Offer an honest, clear description.
Have fun, and good luck!
Dave
P.S. Don’t put “L@@K” in your auction title!
<< <i>
<< <i>[im more of a buyer and 95% of the time pass on items with blurry/*&^*&(% pix . >>
Some of the very best deals on ebay (as a buyer) come from from blurry photos
Ive scored 3 CC seated dimes from poor photos/one photo of the obverse.Saving 15c on a reverse photo can cost a seller dearly.
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>[im more of a buyer and 95% of the time pass on items with blurry/*&^*&(% pix . >>
Some of the very best deals on ebay (as a buyer) come from from blurry photos
Ive scored 3 CC seated dimes from poor photos/one photo of the obverse.Saving 15c on a reverse photo can cost a seller dearly. >>
Alternatively, use html in your descriptions for images. I
It is the not the same as on this site:
<img src="URL LINK"/>
And make sure it is posted in the html tab.
Use a photobucket.com account to host the images like people do on this site. It will save you money. People like to see huge images like:
<< <i>
<< <i>[im more of a buyer and 95% of the time pass on items with blurry/*&^*&(% pix . >>
Some of the very best deals on ebay (as a buyer) come from from blurry photos
Okay, I'll admit I've scored a few big wins this way. But there are usually subtle indicators that suggest a rip might be at hand. On the whole, blurry photos are sign the seller is hiding something.
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>[im more of a buyer and 95% of the time pass on items with blurry/*&^*&(% pix . >>
Some of the very best deals on ebay (as a buyer) come from from blurry photos
Ive scored 3 CC seated dimes from poor photos/one photo of the obverse.Saving 15c on a reverse photo can cost a seller dearly. >>
Alternatively, use html in your descriptions for images. I
It is the not the same as on this site:
<img src="URL LINK"/>
And make sure it is posted in the html tab.
Use a photobucket.com account to host the images like people do on this site. It will save you money. People like to see huge images like:
That's something i'll look into , thanks for that