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Old 01-06-2019, 08:08 PM   #41
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Originally Posted by bigadventure View Post
One other issue, that hasn’t been mentioned, is the Chinese sellers crowding out good US sellers. You cannot list the same item multiple times. But, it seems the Chinese sellers can. You can list multiple items but only in one listing.
This is incorrect.
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EBAY: Buying Selling
Old 01-06-2019, 08:12 PM   #42
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EBAY: Buying Selling

As an eBayer since 1998 with a feedback of over 2000, I feel it is correct.
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Old 01-06-2019, 08:20 PM   #43
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As an eBayer since 1998 with a feedback of over 2000, I feel it is correct.
As a US based Powerseller...you are mistaken.

I have made multiple listings of the same product numerous times. As long as you have items that equal the listings you made, they are legit.
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EBAY: Buying Selling
Old 01-06-2019, 08:20 PM   #44
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EBAY: Buying Selling

One other thing about eBay, I sell anything if I can make money on it. I agree with everything posted here.
About shipping, I specialize in shipping large items that other won’t handle. Smaller item go via USPS, larger items over 2 pounds usually ship via FedEx. Walgreens accepts Fedex packages now, making it very convenient. eBay allows you to print discounted shipping labels. I use all carriers, whereever I can get the best rate. Even some unusual carriers, Grayhound bus lines as an example.
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Old 01-06-2019, 08:22 PM   #45
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As a US based Powerseller...you are mistaken.



I have made multiple listings of the same product numerous times. As long as you have items that equal the listings you made, they are legit.


Ok you got me. I am mistaken.
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Old 01-06-2019, 09:19 PM   #46
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Can anyone give advice on how to appropriately price collectible items for sale? I’ve got some Murano glass sculptures that I inherited from a great aunt. I have no idea what they are worth and since they are hand crafted, I have not found anything comparable on eBay. I guess start high and reduce the price if it doesn’t sell? Is there a listing fee even if your item doesn’t sell?
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Old 01-06-2019, 11:54 PM   #47
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Originally Posted by ocean view View Post
Can anyone give advice on how to appropriately price collectible items for sale? I’ve got some Murano glass sculptures that I inherited from a great aunt. I have no idea what they are worth and since they are hand crafted, I have not found anything comparable on eBay. I guess start high and reduce the price if it doesn’t sell? Is there a listing fee even if your item doesn’t sell?
Could you not get an idea from this site and others like it?

https://www.yourmurano.com/us/murano-glass-sculptures/
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Old 01-07-2019, 02:21 AM   #48
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is tracking a must on the items you sell? I have purchased lots of items on ebay and sold some. buying is pretty much a guaranteed return if not satisfied. selling seemed expensive and kind of a hassle. where do you find items that you can mark up 400 to 800 percent?
Go to garage sales. As an example: I bought a lot of Harley Davidson pins from a couple who "retired" their bikes. Over 100 official pins. I paid $110. The pins sold in small lots of 2-3 for $20 or so. I have found vintage railroad schedules, sheet music, Disney collectibles, gently used blue jeans and other items for a dollar or less, then sold them for $15-$20. Takes a little work, but you begin to build a system and it takes less.

You can't just take a couple of hours "saleing" and make any real money. BUT, it you enjoy going to GS's, say, a couple of times each week, it is easy to find deals.

The beauty of it is that ebay is available as a app for your phone. Don't know if the beanie baby has any value? (Of course it doesn't...), look it up before you buy it.

People have garage sales to get rid of stuff. Making money is secondary to most. Make offers or buy "lots". One friend buys vintage metal toy train sets at auctions and sells them a piece at a time. Another bought out a "rock hound" shop, and sells rocks (true!). A popular blogger couple has over 7k items in their "store" and makes $10k a month on average.

If you are FIRE, and sitting on tons of cash, this most likely sounds like too much work for a modest return. But if you want to have some fun, and need to make some extra cash-it is a very nice PT hobby business.
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Old 01-07-2019, 02:32 AM   #49
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A couple comments on cameras. I'd go better than a cell phone camera. Even a cheap point-and-shoot camera on a cheap tripod will yield better results, and do just fine for that purpose. (Both can be found, of course, on eBay.) Since you'll have a tripod, and clothing (at least on a mannequin) will not move, you can take longer exposures and use cheap reflectors instead of expensive strobes to get better lighting. "Cheap reflectors" can be and often are just white foam board from Walmart, Target, or an art store. No one will know or care if the exposure was 1/800 second or 8 seconds. But the long exposure with a small aperture (lens opening) will give you great depth of field.

Search on "light box" "light tent" "product photography" and the like and you can spend days reading about it. But the photos make a difference, that's why advertisements in magazines and the like look so good. Marketers know it makes a difference and they're willing to spend big bucks on it. You don't have to spend a lot but you do have to spend some time thinking about the final product photo.
Well stated, but...
I have used an Iphone (2 years old, BTW) to list thousands of items. I have a corner of my house for photos, use a couple of white sheets, and three work type lights (tin pie pan type reflectors) with daylight type bulbs. Could I get better results if I spend some money and take another 10 min to photo and photoshop each photo? Sure. But for me to make the time and money commitment to make an extra $ or two per sale is not worth it. I use all dozen photos allowed per item, take shots from each side, photo any defects and it works. The iphone has crisp and clear photos, even for jewelry.

But you are correct, if I enjoyed the photo process, and spend a couple of hundred bucks, I would have better results/profits. I only point out my results to help those who do not want to spend extra/take extra time.
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Old 01-07-2019, 02:37 AM   #50
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Completely agree. When I tell people how much we’ve sold on eBay, they don’t believe it, then I show them our seller page and they are shocked. A hundred grand more in anyone’s life, makes a difference. That’s a lot of vacations.
I am not sure if it’s been mentioned, but if you reach power seller status, $3000 in sales and at least 100 transactions, plus a few other things, they discount your sales costs and you show up higher in searches.
I agree.
I finally gave up on keeping the Powerseller discounts. ebay continues to ratchet up the requirements, demanding free returns, etc., etc. Not my business model. I offer returns, but want the buyer to have some "skin" in the game (having to pay return shipping). I spend alot of time taking photos and measurements and disclosing any defects. Too many buyers push "buy" before reading the details then want a free return. Darn near my only ebay complaint, BTW.
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Old 01-07-2019, 02:40 AM   #51
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One other issue, that hasn’t been mentioned, is the Chinese sellers crowding out good US sellers. You cannot list the same item multiple times. But, it seems the Chinese sellers can. You can list multiple items but only in one listing.
Don't know about that, but I do know that the Chinese don't have access to American garage sales..........our vintage stuff sells quite well.
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Old 01-07-2019, 03:46 AM   #52
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is tracking a must on the items you sell? I have purchased lots of items on ebay and sold some. buying is pretty much a guaranteed return if not satisfied. selling seemed expensive and kind of a hassle. where do you find items that you can mark up 400 to 800 percent?
Tracking is free and is a must. I also do signature confirmation for items over $100 or so dollars. That's at my expense but it's simple insurance.
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Old 01-07-2019, 03:51 AM   #53
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Originally Posted by ocean view View Post
Can anyone give advice on how to appropriately price collectible items for sale? I’ve got some Murano glass sculptures that I inherited from a great aunt. I have no idea what they are worth and since they are hand crafted, I have not found anything comparable on eBay. I guess start high and reduce the price if it doesn’t sell? Is there a listing fee even if your item doesn’t sell?
I always look at closed auctions on Ebay. See what items sold for and what items went without a bid. Make sure to check if they included free postage, expensive postage, etc.... Also, check if items are brand new in box, have defects, etc.... Basically do your best to honestly and objectively, to the extent possible, determine where your item falls. Then price it. Most items have enough sales that you can easily determine what to list for. When I am unsure I run it as an auction first and see what happens. Have had a few pleasant surprises over the years including a rare Pez dispenser that sold for a few hundred bucks through an Ebay auction.
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Old 01-07-2019, 07:18 AM   #54
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Originally Posted by ocean view View Post
Can anyone give advice on how to appropriately price collectible items for sale? I’ve got some Murano glass sculptures that I inherited from a great aunt. I have no idea what they are worth and since they are hand crafted, I have not found anything comparable on eBay. I guess start high and reduce the price if it doesn’t sell? Is there a listing fee even if your item doesn’t sell?
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Originally Posted by Sunset View Post
Could you not get an idea from this site and others like it?

https://www.yourmurano.com/us/murano-glass-sculptures/
We just sold over a dozen Murano glass pieces. We got $50-$200 for most items, about 25%-50% of retail (based on link above) on eBay. We ended up doing better going to an antique shop that sells newer items, not strictly antiques. Good luck.
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Old 01-07-2019, 09:54 AM   #55
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The best piece of advise I can give to a prospective eBay seller is to become an expert in something and have a good idea of what things sell for. My wife knows camera equipment. I know bike parts. Then when you are out and about, keep an eye open. I have even bought items at retail, on closeout, that I know I can flip. Its eBay arbitrage. Just because I can buy something at that low price, doesn't mean the rest of the world can buy it for that same price.
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Old 01-07-2019, 03:27 PM   #56
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thanks, I'll check that out. My great aunt passed 30 years ago, but DM just found the pieces in her cupboard and gave them to me over the holidays. I haven't had time yet to really look into their values, so I appreciate the link.
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Old 01-11-2019, 03:48 PM   #57
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I just looked up my history. I’ve bought 87 items from eBay dating back at least 20 years. I’ve never had a bad experience. I only buy from sellers with positive reviews though.

One time a seller sent me the wrong size fork. She was quick to fix it and very nice. I gave her a great review. Actually I have only given great reviews. Many sellers are just people like ourselves trying to do their best.

I rarely shop there anymore since it is now more like a flea-market than a yard sale like it used to be. Also I am now in the getting rid of stuff stage of my life after cleaning out my parents hoard... My sister still shops there a lot though.

I’ve never sold on eBay.
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Old 01-11-2019, 03:56 PM   #58
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I just looked up my history. I’ve bought 87 items from eBay dating back at least 20 years. I’ve never had a bad experience. I only buy from sellers with positive reviews though.

One time a seller sent me the wrong size fork. She was quick to fix it and very nice. I gave her a great review. Actually I have only given great reviews. Many sellers are just people like ourselves trying to do their best.

I rarely shop there anymore since it is now more like a flea-market than a yard sale like it used to be. Also I am now in the getting rid of stuff stage of my life after cleaning out my parents hoard... My sister still shops there a lot though.

I’ve never sold on eBay.
Buyers will always have a good experience in the end, they get what they want or a refund - shady buyers sometimes get both.

Sellers can’t give negative reviews.

As a seller I’ve had 96-97% good experiences, with 100% positive feedback, and many happy customers.

Sellers are the ones who will have a few bad experiences, from shady buyers. Sellers have almost no recourse, and you’re going to provide a full refund in the end, so it’s pointless to resist.

Like I said earlier, I’ve run into about 3-4% suspect buyers and only one was a significant $ transaction. Sellers will run into it occasionally, no getting around it.
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Old 01-11-2019, 04:52 PM   #59
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In the 10 years I've used EBay, I've only had one issue. Outside of that, as a buyer, I've been very satisfied. Of course, I use PayPal to pay for purchases as that method does come with some protections for the consumer.
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Old 01-11-2019, 05:41 PM   #60
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Your experiences with EBay... Buying, selling? Good,bad? Mailing, shipping?, Returns? Payments? Problems? Commercial sources, individuals?

In short, anything about EBay that might help a beginner.
For the most part I don't touch eBay. Over 50% of the time it's been a bad experience.
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