Who is using eBay/PayPal these days?

[Skinny Shooter]

After reading recent threads about eBay, was wondering how many of you buy and/or sell on eBay?
Have you learned any "tricks" to getting your item(s) to sell?

I've thought about selling some of my ironwork there but was concerned that I wouldn't get at least what each item is worth.

Saw their info about an eBay store but am not sure how that would conflict/assist with a standard website.

Also opened a PayPal acct to simplify funds transfers. To protect ourselves, we opened a bank acct that is used specifically for eBay/PayPal transactions. It should isolate our regular account from any fraudulent mischief.

[GoodOlBoy]

Top tips I have?

#1 set a llooooooowwww starting bid. This ensures people who go in and click in order of lowest priced first (I would guess more than 50% of the users do this) see the item.

#2 if you need a minimum amount for the item, set a reserve.

#3 Always post a buy it now price of about 20% more than what your minimum is for the item. IE if you ABSOLUTELY must have $10 for the item (see #2). Set the buy it now at $12. You would be amazed at how many people just want to get it purchased and over with. Also keep in mind that once the first person bids buy it now option is GONE. There for if people want to play the nickle and dime game you may actually get more than the buy it now price (This has happened to me SEVERAL times)

#4 on small lightweight items use a set shipping amount, then offer to combine items for a smaller feet. IE $5 shipping, plus $1 for each additional item from my auctions/sales. Always be SURE you set the ammount to a fraction more than it is going to cost anyway.

#5 ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS offer insurance on an item. This has saved my bacon several times when the post office has messed up badly. On VERY expensive items don't even make it an option, MAKE them purchase insurance as part of the set shipping.

#6 payment. Get paypal. Deal with it. Don't accept forgein money orders PERIOD. The ONLY thing I accept other than paypal are postal money orders. When I get to the post office if the money order is a fake, guess what. Me no shippy shippy. Paypal is just WAY to easy to use, and way to easy to work with to accept anything else.

#7 NO MATTER WHAT! DO NOT login to ANY Ebay or Paypal web page link sent to you via email. DON'T DO IT! PERIOD. END OF DISCUSSION! If you are too lazy to type www.paypal.com or www.ebay.com just don't use the services. Pay pal won't ever ask you to verify a username or password. Neither will ebay. They are not about to close your account, and nobody hacked your account (At least not until you log in using that fake link).

Thats my advice. Some folks get alot more complicated. Some don't.

GoodOlBoy

[GoodOlBoy]

OH and another thing. Do what I did and do what skinny did. Open a seperate bank account to link paypal to. It isn't hard. It isn't expensive, and if by some miracle you ever ARE hacked guess what? No big drama, your main acocunt is still untouched.

Oh and be sure to keep that account nearly empty.

GoodOlBoy

[Gunslingergirl]

We buy on Ebay occasionally. Mostly printers and stuff my IT guys need. We also have a Paypal account.

I don't have any personal experience with Ebay, but I know people that swear by it.

GSG

[skeet]

Skinny you are doing it right. I've been selling and buying on ebay since 97. A couple other things to go along with GOB's posts.

1. Figure what you want to get for the item and then figure ebay fees and if you take paypal their fees also. Set your prices accordingly.

2. On shipping I usually say actual shipping in my description. When figuring you can add a little to the fees if you want..and in fact on the invoice page they have there is an area to add "handling" fees to the price of shipping. If I do that I add a dollar.

3. If selling outside the country even Canada do NOT use cheapest method of shipping as there is No way to track using the postal service. If you accept paypal and the person tries to say the item wasn't received..paypal will refund their money if you cannot provide tracking on the item. You can appeal it but you WILL lose. People scam this way all the time. They ask for cheapest shipping, say they never received and then paypal gives 'em their money back. You lose the item...the money the ebay fees and the paypal fees. Sucks but true.

4. I usually won't take paypal but if they ask I tell them if they pay the fees I will do so. The fees usually add up to less than what it will cost them to go to PO, get a US Postal money order and send it.. You cannot put that you will do that in the item description or on the invoice...But you can add it on the invoice as a "handling" fee....if they agree to it.

5. If you are selling the candle stands etc.. Tell me how much! Can you put a reflector on one for me?? I really like that item.

6. Good luck selling!!

[Rocky Raab]

First, download TurboLister to help you build your ads. It's great, and it's free.

Second, you don't have to auction everything. You can set a fixed price as a "Buy Me Now" item, and also list multiple identical items in the same ad.

I have an item up right now. Built the ad on TurboLister and uploaded it. It's a "Buy It Now" item, five available, PayPal required and Priority Mail shipping only.

Check out item 140084386516

You do not need to open an eBay store - but you can later if your business blooms. But do apply for their "Certified Seller" review process. People trust you MUCH more if you are a Certified Seller.

[fabsroman]

I have been using both since August of last year, and I think they both have their pluses and minuses. If you sell anything through ebay and use paypal to accept payment, figure on losing 5% to 6% in fees.

For me, shipping is made easier because I have a stamps.com account and package tracking is free if I use their package mailing form and the package is going priority mail.

One correction to GB's post is that the Buy It Now (BIN) price will not go away if you are using a reserve price and the bids have not yet met that reserve price. The BIN price goes away after the first bid if no reserve is used, or it goes away when the reserve is met.

Most of my ebay transactions have been purchases and I have gotten some pretty decent deals on stuff, but I have made a couple of sales too. Make sure you have shipping supplies handy (e.g., boxes, filler such as newspaper, foam, air bags) and this will make life much simpler. You also need to realize that you have to ship things ASAP after they are sold, so make sure you have time to go to the post office. For me, that is a no brainer because I am always going over there to drop off tons of mail and to get Certified Mail postmarked.

Give it a whirl and see if it works for you. If it doesn't, it will barely cost you anything. If you are actually making a profit on items, then keep it up.

[skeet]

Priority mail boxes are free at the post office as are shipping labels etc. And if you use paypal and have money in an account you can print out prepaid shipping labels for priority mail...paid for with your paypal account with free delivery confirm.

Fabs rather than use air bags etc in shipping if you drink water in the half liter bottles as I do, I just let the bottles dry and put the cap on. Just as good as air bags and cost nothing Stronger too for heavier items. Post office also has flat rate priority mail boxes that ship for 8.20 I think with as much weight as you can put in the boxes...up to 70 lbs. I shipped a guy a set of bullet moulds and 35 lbs of lead ingots in one box for 8.20. BTW the fees from ebay and paypal will add up to about 10%...but it is a great venue for some items... A little known "fact" about ebay.

60% of the items on ebay never sell...and about 60% of them never get a bid. In 10 yrs I have failed to sell less than 15 items...but I sell outdoor items ya know.!!

[fabsroman]

Skeet,

You should know how cheap I am. I have yet to pay for any shipping supplies other than packing tape. I bought a bike frame off of ebay and it was shipped in 40 gallons of those puffy peanuts. I have been in the process of building three new bikes, so I have been receiving a lot of packages and I have kept all of the packing supplies and boxes. That is what I have been using to ship stuff out with. I must also be cheaper than you because I don't usually buy water unless you count what I have to pay in the way of a water bill. We have a fridge with a built in water filter that costs $22 and that needs to be changed every 6 months, so we get our water from the fridge ( the reason I know the cost and the frequency is because I bought filters last week on line and they arrived today). We also have a Brita water filter/pitcher in the fridge in the basement for times when we need a lot of water. We bought a couple of Eddie Bauer reusable water bottles and we either fill those from the fridge or the Brita and we take them with us. Nope, you won't see me buying air bags or water any time soon.

Recently, I have seen stuff sell on ebay for almost list price, and in some cases, for more than list price. People must be out of their minds. I also don't think a lot of people take the time to scout around and find the best price on items. Me, I built a $8,000 bike for just over $5,100. I just bought a set of 2 year old wheels for $870 that normally retail for $1,750 new and they have very little wear on them and they are extremely true. Between shopping around on the internet and shopping around on ebay, I have run into some great deals. Of course, it took me months to build the first bike.

As far as listing goes, I made the mistake of listing a new in box (NIB) VHS movie of Pretty Woman with the shrink wrap still on it for $2.99. That has been the only item of mine that hasn't sold. However, I have only listed about 10 items so far.

[tooldummy]

My daughter and I just started selling on E-bay although I've bought quite a few things over the years. We were having pretty good luck until I got an E-mail over the weekend from a buyer that says he didn't receive an item. We had been shipping everything priority mail with a tracking number so I didn't think it would be a big deal. I tracked it last night and it doesn't show any such number existing. I am waiting for the post office to open and call and find out what the problem is. I am sending the buyer another item this morning because I'm sure of what he's telling me, especially since I tracked it and it doesn't show up for me. This problem isn't E-bays fault though. I had bought a call from a gentleman one time that never showed up and he sent me another one. I have always paid more for the tracking number after the call deal, but now I'm not sure that is money well spent. A friend of mines father works for the postal service and he says to insure it for $50. It's cheaper and you get a tracking number. I think I'll check into that next time.

[Skinny Shooter]

Turbo Lister is downloaded.
To simplify things and speed up getting my money, I had planned to take PayPal only.
As for shipping, we considered calculated shipping via priority mail.
At what dollar amount should I start adding insurance and delivery confirmation?
We've got plenty of boxes and peanuts hanging around for the larger items and would use the priority mail boxes for smaller work.

[Rocky Raab]

TD, if you buy your Priority Mail labels online (Click N Ship), you get tracking at no cost, and the tracking number is printed on both the label and your receipt. You also get an email with the tracking number, which you can simply cut and paste into the USPS tracking system.

The only expense is labels and the actual postage. I use Priority Mail almost exclusively.

You don't even have to go to the post office. They'll ship you boxes, flat rate envelopes, tape and everything you need no charge and in bulk. You do have to buy the sticky labels, but there are several sources for those. If you are really cheap, you can print the labels on regular paper and tape them on, but I consider that risky as the paper can tear off.

[Skinny Shooter]

Hey, I've always said I'm not Skinny but I'm not TD either. My legs aren't as sexy... LOL

I'm told that Paypal can print off labels also but you feel there is a better value using click n ship?
And when using Paypal and ship priority mail, doesn't PP take that cost out of your account or do I still have to pay the USPS seperately?
If I use Click n Ship, then I pay the USPS directly with a credit card I presume?

[fabsroman]

Yep, if you print postage through Paypal they will take it directly out of your account.

Stamps.com has the same deal as Click & Ship as far as free tracking is concerned. I use it a lot. However, a Stamps.com account costs something like $16 a month, but I use it mainly for my law & accounting practice so I would bear the cost regardless. Shipping ebay stuff through it is just an added benefit.

Rocky, I am so cheap that I do print those mailing labels out on standard paper and I tape them to the package. Where can I get the labels that will work in the printer so I can stop doing this. The biggest problem is that taping all four sides of that shipping label is time consuming. I'd prefer peel and stick over the taping.

I'm going to leave the entire TD/Skinny issue alone. Sooner or later, you might be calling Skinny a troll. LOL

[Skinny Shooter]

Originally posted by fabsroman
I'm going to leave the entire TD/Skinny issue alone. Sooner or later, you might be calling Skinny a troll. LOL

Clears throat...
Actually Grundsau is a troll, thank you very much.