e-bay tips
 

:surprised::gasp:I just got butt raped on some e-bay sales. What are some selling tips?

Could you elaborate on the circumstances of your situation?

Yes, please give us more details. I've sold various items on eBay since 1998...I'm sure I could offer up some hints.

First para says he was butt raped, then you guys post these replies. Almost too easy, must...resist...dirty...thoughts...

Para, my best advise is to invest in some vasoline...

Yes lincpimp, I was trying to avoid the obvious responses... Knowing that if you ever read his post you would respond accordingly! :lol:

You sick perv...LOL

What What

Oh yeah, para, you reminded me about the savage motor,etc that I just sold. Paid 80 bucks for the entire truck, and just sold the motor for 65 bucks, and it will cost me about 5 bucks to ship.

20 bucks for a savage roller sounds good to me.

I find that some research on the items you are selling is good. If there are quite a few of the similar item for sale, you need to either price it lower, or make your ad look better. If you have the only one, you may want to set a reserve.

He could probably get some on eBay... :oh: :rofl:

there fees seem like they double charge for things, i listed like 5 auctions when they had advertized .99 listing fees and when i paid them they said i owed $19 in fees , i just paid it and have been trying to avoid it everysince, but its nice to get rid of somethings you got laying around, i have also noticed that more big sellers seem to have raised there shipping charges which is most likely because of these fees..............sorry to here it none the less


just make sure your friends dont put sand in the vasoline!!!!!!!

OUCH :oh:

Damn, I almost fell of the chair, very funny man:lol::lol::rofl:

So I did a search : http://cgi.ebay.com/COLLECTION-OF-VI...QQcmdZViewItem

You could buy these para, and it would look more decorative being that they are vintage, cause who wants to see a fresh bottle of lube on the kitchen table?

I've ebay'd for some larger items (motors trannys ect) and I have some personal guide lines, but I think there are a few "ebay ninja's" here who must have better wisdom.

Rule #1- decide what I am willing to pay before I even look for something.

Rule #2- read way too much feedback from the seller first (read the positives too as people will put neative sounding posts under the "positive feedback" in order to preserve their own ratings from backlash negatives).

Rule #3- look all over for the item. You can often find the item along with other goodies for the same cost in the end. I have also lucked out with auctions that had not been bid on yet that were still at the minimum when they ended. Try not to list the items by price unless you want to see what a similar item is selling for.

Rule #4- make sure you can't get the item on the open market for less. You've seen it.

Rule #5- Do not bid more than once, just wait till the last 3 seconds to bid (if you trust your internet connection). What I will do is open one window and enter all the numbers (pre determined amount) in the maximum bid window, select it, then wait to "confirm bid" till the last 3 seconds. Then I open a new window and watch the item (noting the time often, and counting down the last 30 seconds audibly), when you hit three, hit the confim button in the other window (I like to half the size of the window vertically and put the windows side by side, just remember you'll have to click on the first window once before it is the "active' window").

Rule #6- use paypal only. I've had to be protected once already and I will only deal with sellers who use paypal. If they don't use paypal they are either a shiester or too money hungry, either way not someone I want to buy from.

Rule #7- buy the insurance. Just do it.

Rule #8- pay imediatley, if you didn't have the $$$ you should not have started the process. Sellers will apreciate it and your item will arive sooner and better cared for.

Rule #9- open the package the moment you recieve it. Trust me the ups/fedex/mailman will hang for a moment while you play christmas. If you can't be there when it arives, postpone the drop-off until you can, or have someone else recieve it for you, just so long as they open and inspect it immediatley.

Rule #10- go back and re-read rules 1 through 9 before you log onto ebay.

My personal 10 rules to ebay purchasing. I havn't sold anything yet, that's a different game.
Good luck _p_

Coming from you that's worth something, lincpimp! :yipi: Do you accept PayPal????? :lol:

I just realized the whole time we've been messing around DrKnow has been typing a somewhat more relevant response! :oh:

remember I'm typing one handed, and he asked for "selling tips" :) was a bit suprised though :0

Yes, as long as you pay the fee, and buy dinner. Just leave the money on the nightstand.

Wow, dinner too? You aren't a cheap date!

I will let you check out my rc collection! And then we can play with legos! Sounds like fun, pick you up Saturday at 8? Wear something cute!

:oh: That sounds almost as bad as the opeing post...

Glad someone else took that one!

cant let you have all the easy ones.....

Is this cripple-bashing day?? :na: :whip:

Lincpimp I'm past Legos, I've moved on to K'nex. :yes:

Like taking candy from a baby. A fat pissed baby.

^ :rofl:

K'nex blows, all hail Lego (bows in submission)! So it is written, so it shall be done.

Watchout lincpimp! The winning bidder is behind you! :lol:

Winning bidder of what? The vasoline jars?

No... Think about it.... C'mon lincpimp you can do it!

No, I gotcha. I wonder if the "winning bidder" will use gaypal for payment? Looks like I will be standing alot at work tomorrow.

:oh: Gaypal, that's a good one. I'll be sure to fall back on it if they ever give me trouble!

Hmm, fall back on it? That might not be such a good idea, someone could get hurt, and daddy might find out!

Man, it's hard to put one past you! :wink:

On a different note, I can't believe this is helping my post count!!! :rules:

Man, trying to count posts and putting a hard one past me!

You need help, and not from me.

Talk about a thread jacking!!!!:whistle:

He started it....

So, aside from my dry butt raping and Dr.Know's one handed typing, anybody have any EBAY SELLING TIPS???

Here are some of my tips. In no particular order....

1) Pricing Research:
- To estimate what the open market price of your item is.
- Use the "Advanced Search" and click the "completed items only" box. Use these results to gauge pricing and what people are willing to pay for your item. I also compare these prices with other forum classifieds to see if selling on ebay is more profitable. If not, I try the forums first.

2) Know your target demographic:
- This will depend on your item. A mini-t will appeal a different set of potential buyers vs a Neu motor (with some overlap of course, but that's not important right now).
- If your item is very specialized, you should assume a potential buyer will know exactly what he/she is looking for, and thus you should cater to them. If your item is common and cheap, your description should cater to "noobs" and a little "fluffing" is ok.

3) Title:
- The title is one of the most important aspects since ebay's search is based around keywords within the title. Be short and to the point. Do not put "fluff" in your title. You want to stick in as many keywords in there as possible, and phrases such as "like new" or "awesome", just don't work. Save that for the description. If you have extra room left, stick in some related keywords. If you're selling a brushless motor, add in keywords like "mamba", "feigao", "novak". Even if your item is not from these companies you should stick them in. The purpose is to cast your net as wide as possible, and reach as many viewers as possible. The main goal of your title is to help people find your item and open the link.

4) Description:
- Once you get someone to open your page, your description is what will "sell" them.
- Be honest, to the point, and informative. Do not ramble on and on about your situation, or why you are selling the item. Most buyers don't care.
- Structure is very important. Your info should be easy to read, and laid out like a list of specs. DO NOT write a novel and expect the buyer to read through it all. There are many auctions where I've scoffed at, simply because the seller wrote a damn novel describing one set of cvd's or one motor. If you need to write that much about your item.... it tells me you are trying to "polish a turd".

5) Ship internationally:
- This is more personal preference, but I've found that my auctions close for higher prices when I am willing to ship internationally. If you know that your item is in high demand domestically, then there is no point. But if you know that your item is hard to get in other countries.... then that's where the best offers will come from.

6) Starting Price:
- This is a touchy subject for sellers. Auctions that start at $.99 get the most bids, but do not guarantee that your item will close for more money. The main goal of a $.99 auction is to get more "looks" and possibly start a bidding war between buyers.
- If you feel confident about the going price of your item, you could try pricing the auction at or a little below your target price to see if anyone bids. Research is important in this case, since the value of your item is determined by the going rate. An associated rc18t priced at $400 just won't sell.... even if you think its worth that much.

7) Parting out vs selling whole:
- Parting out your vehicles will usually bring in more money than selling whole (most of the time). If your item is in good condition, it may be better to break it up. If your item is on its last legs, keep it together.... or you may end up losing money.
- Do your homework. The only way to know for sure is to research closed auctions. Crunch the numbers and choose which ever option has the highest expected price. Don't forget to factor in the costs of additional listings and shipping.

8) Timing:
- Sometimes its all about timing. Auctions will obviously close higher if you are the only one offering that particular item at that time. If someone is selling the exact same item within a similar time frame, then your item is likely to close for less, since the buyer has multiple options.

9) Pictures:
- All pictures should be clear and crisp.
- Do not to show your "living environment"... i.e. keep your pets, clutter, kids, wife, smokes, bongs, nuddie mags, etc... out of the pic. No one wants to see how dirty you are, or how nasty your house is. Superficial...yes, but very important. What is clean to you, may be a cesspool of filth to someone else.

Example: Don't do this. That's just nasty.... No one wants to see how ugly your mug is, or how big your tattoo is. Honestly... would you want to buy this buggy after seeing how gross his living situation is?
http://cgi.ebay.com/OCM-mugen-mrbx5-...QQcmdZViewItem

- Your gallery pic is the most important. It should be the best one, and needs to grab the buyer's attention.

I'll add more if I think of anything pertinent.

rschoi_75- thank you, I saw that e-bay auction as well and wanted to punch the kid holding the buggy.

Anybody have tips on when to sell? time of day or day of week? any other tips??

good question..... I like to list my stuff on Sundays with the auctions closing between 6pm - 9pm eastern time. It gives the buyer all week to look at it, and most people will be home at that time... since they usually have to work the next day. Auctions closing on Friday or Sat night get less sniper bids since a lot of people are out doing stuff.

Also, I like to post auctions which end after the 15th and 30th of each month... when most people get paid. :yes: I have no proof that this actually increases closing costs, but I figure, people are more likely to spend money when they just got paid.

I always start the bidding at 1/10th of what I think it will sell for. This keeps the interest up and increases potential bidding wars, but it doesn't get lost amongst all the others that start at $0.99.

I once sold a used Twin-Pulse charger for about $80 because of bidding wars even though there were Buy It Now prices around $70 for new ones. Some people aren't very smart.