StillMa

Curt has taken time away from his postage stamp collection to list items on Ebay.  I'm not certain what got him motivated in that direction but he's been busy for nearly a week. 

The first items listed were specialized mechanics tools that he's had for over 20 years and will most likely never use again.  He carefully took digital photos, boxed and weighed the items to calculate shipping costs and wrote detailed descriptions of sizes, brands, and important details.   He waited a day or two and when he saw that people were watching his listings and bidding, he was inspired to list more items.  He currently has 107 items listed.

We've both sold on Ebay in the past and found out some important facts.  It is very time consuming, so select items with a potential selling price that will compensate (at least) for time spent.  It is best to sell items that you either don't care about or that you didn't pay much for.  Sentimental value does not sell high on ebay.  Good pictures are very important. Good descriptions are even more important.  The title you choose for a listing affects how many potential buyers see it, as does the listing category you choose.

Pre-packing the items to determine actual shipping weight is a good idea ONLY if you're certain you've answered any possible questions in your listing description.  A question from a potential buyer can make you unpackage and repackage several times if you are not careful.  An unanswered question, on the other hand can lead to lower bids or an unhappy buyer.

Although in our wholesale business we do not add a handling fee, for Ebay listings we do.  Behind the scenes expenses add up quickly and if you don't pay attention to this fact you may end up losing money by selling on ebay.  Packing materials cost money. You can get free priority mail boxes, tape and labels from the post office, and use recycled materials for padding and protection.  For larger or heavier items (over 4 pounds) we ship UPS because the rates are lower. We buy ALL of the packing materials used. Ka-ching ka-ching!  Then, of course, there are Ebay fees to consider (listing fees,  selling fees, storefront fees) and Paypal fees on top of that.  We usually add  a handling fee per listing of $2 to $5 depending on the size and weight of the package.  By adding the amount into the shipping calculator in each listing, customers can know what the shipping & handling fees are before they bid.   A small handling fee is understood and accepted by educated ebay shoppers, just  don't try to make a profit from shipping costs. You know what I mean. There are some sellers that think the way to sell on Ebay is to price all items at 99¢ and then require a shipping cost of $27.50, $35.00, $86.00.   Most savvy shoppers will slide right by those listings leaving Ebay new-comers to be duped by the scam.   This high shipping practice is against Ebay policy (they lose money on listing fees) but apparently it is difficult to enforce. 

Curt's auction listings will "begin to end" this evening. It will be interesting to see if all of his time and effort paid off.