e-bay tips

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by What's_nitro?

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!

[What's_nitro?]

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

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

[lincpimp]

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

You need help, and not from me.

[Hickoryhead]

Talk about a thread jacking!!!!

[What's_nitro?]

He started it....

[_paralyzed_]

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

[rschoi_75]

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.

[_paralyzed_]

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??

[rschoi_75]

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. 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.

[kulangflow]

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.

[suicideneil]

I dont think 'terms of sale' has been mentioned yet. Terms of sale are important for many obvious reasons, yet alot of people dont bother with them and then wonder why buyers end up jerking them about and making silly demands. Here are my terms of sale for example:

Originally Posted by Neil, overlord of the traxxas forum noobs

Please read the terms of sale before bidding:

1. If you have any questions, please ask them before placing bids.

2. When bidding closes, the winner will be notified and payment requested.

3. Payment must be received within 7 days of the auction finishing, but preferably within 24 hours, or you will be reported to Ebay as a non-paying bidder, and will receive an unpaid item strike.

4. Once payment is received, I will check the item and then post it and notify you.

5. When the item is received, if there is something missing, or it has magically turned into a cabbage, please notify me IMMEDIATELY, and I will try my hardest to get it sorted. Never leave negative feedback.

6. I accept no responsibility for items lost or damaged in the post, and cannot guarantee delivery times. I obtain proof of postage for all items I post and always package items carefully.

7. No refunds can be given if you change your mind after sending payment, so make certain you really want this item before bidding. No returns will be entertained either if you decide the item is not what you wanted.

8. All postage, packaging and handling fees are final. If you do not agree with the stated charge, do not bid on the item.

9. After the item(s) arrives and you are happy with it, make certain you leave positive feedback, and I will do the same for you.

10. All bidders must pay using PAYPAL, no exceptions.

11. Do not go on holiday after bidding for this item. If you win the auction, payment must still be made within 7 days of auction close so please be certain you can still pay from your current location.

12. Please make sure your delivery address is correct. If you have a different address registered to your PAYPAL account to that of your EBAY account, I will only post to the PAYPAL registered address unless instructed otherwise.

However, as I discovered the other day, they arent worth shit-all in the eyes of paypal. Basically, I sold a single speed coupler to someone, who then decided they didnt want it (because they are thick and dont understand how a tranny works), but I made them pay anyway, as per my ToS. They then claimed the item never arrived, and because I only used normal 1st class postage (no tracking), I couldnt prove I had posted the item, so paypal refunded him £17.5 (~$30) after he raised a complaint via paypal.

Moral of the story, use trackable shipping for ALL transactions, even if you have to charge more for shipping.

[skellyo]

I pretty much agree with rschoi for just about everything he stated.

I will expand on the listing time though. I list items so that they end either on Sunday or Monday evenings. I have found that both work quite well as end days. Around 8-9PM EST is about the prime time to end an auction from what I've seen with my past auctions. However, anytime between about 6-12PM EST works ok, but in the middle is a hot spot since you can get bidders from both coasts easier.

Also, the form of your ad makes a big difference too. It should be easy to read and clearly show a picture of the item up for bid. Here's an example ( a current auction of mine ):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=200214260638

If you want, I'll be glad to give you the bits of HTML I use to format my auction ads.

Also, if you want to know what it will cost to list an item on eBay and what your final value fees will be given that it sell for a specific amount, go pick up my spreadsheet here:

http://skellyo.com/ebay/eBay_Fees.xls

If you have any questions about the spreadsheet, just PM me, I'll be glad to help anyone out with it. It has helped me an awful lot to realize just how much you actually make from selling something on eBay after fees. Also note that the Paypal fee calculator function is based on being a Premier member with a domestic sale. You should be able to look at the formula and adjust it if necessary for your situation.

Hope this info helps.

[skellyo]

Originally Posted by suicideneil

Moral of the story, use trackable shipping for ALL transactions, even if you have to charge more for shipping.

Definitely. Delivery confirmation is cheap enough it should be used on any package sent through USPS. If the shipping label is paid for and printed out through Paypal, it's only $0.18 for delivery confirmation on First Class Mail and it's free for Priority Mail.

[Hickoryhead]

The sad thing no matter what anyone says Ebay and Paypal are always for the buyer not the seller. There are many horror stories. I sold and item. The buyer was not happy with it. I gave them a partial refund then they complained to paypal and recieved a full refund. I lost more than the whole price of the item. Paypal stated there was nothing I could do. Then they fully stated that refunds are based more on the complainer. If you complain first you have a better chance at winning a claim. Sad but true. I could not believe it when a paypal rep stated it to me. I had a confirmed address I shipped to and the claim stating they recieved the item. The one thing no body states is for every bad auction there are easily 100 or more good auctions. Good luck.

Rschoi_75-- 3) Title: 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.

This is against Ebay rules. Don't add words not related to your auctions. If you do Ebay ends your auction early for misrepresenting the item in your auction. After so many violations in this manner you will be stopped from selling.

[suicideneil]

Key word spamming is a wonderful thing, if you choose your key words wisely...