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Do you sell things on EBay?

(32 Posts)
mrsmopp Thu 16-May-13 17:30:07

I would love to de-clutter and have lots to sell. Can someone who knows all about eBay give me a few tips?
What happens if you send something and the buyer says it never arrived? Or what if the buyer doesn't like it?
Would like to hear any opinions or impressions that would help. As a raw beginner would I be at a disadvantage as customers prefer sellers with good feedback? Thanks for any replies.

Deedaa Sun 19-May-13 21:27:31

My daughter bought a massive box of Thomas the Tank Engine trains for £10 which was very popular and I bought a very nice little genuine Prada bag one Xmas Eve because no one was bidding.
I did a Buy it Now for a lady who was desperate to buy a blouse I was selling to wear at a Wedding and she was delighted.

soop Sun 19-May-13 11:49:45

glamma...that's how I felt when I opened a parcel to discover the most beautiful, pure wool, as new, Tartan cape...I was the sole bidder. "Won" it for £14.99 plus postage. The seller wrapped it for me in tissue, gift wrap and it was posted recorded delivery. grin

glammanana Sat 18-May-13 17:03:47

soop how lovely to hear that and so kind of the lady to write to you,I have had some lovely comments about things I have sold,the latest from a lady who bought a pair of Bowden sandals which I had worn once you would have thought I had sold her the Crown jewels she was so excited.

soop Sat 18-May-13 15:56:20

MargaretX Yes...I sold a Diane Fres dress to a lady who wrote to say that receiving it had made her day. smile

MargaretX Sat 18-May-13 15:50:46

Among my MIL's things after she died was a white pearl embroidered evening bag with a compact inside and an operetta ticket. I had the idea to sell it as a clutch bag for a bride. There was lots of interest and the girls were keen that it had to be the correct shade of white and I was able to oblige because it was snow white. In the end it went and the bride later sent me a photo of her wedding. They were a handsome couple in their mid thirties. They both looked stunning.
I enjoyed being involved it was worth more than the money.

Elegran Sat 18-May-13 13:07:05

We rented a holiday house for two weeks in a remote part of Skye (it had once beloged to Donovan)

There were rows of china ducks on the dresser shelves, all matching, and brass and copper things all over the place, plus several matched sets of china and a lot of other stuff. The owner confessed that she loved collecting things and put them all in this cottage. By the time we left I never eanted to see another china duck.

soop Sat 18-May-13 12:48:35

It's true, jings you can type in almost anything your heart desires in the for sale section of eBay and lo and behold someone, somewhere, has that item for sale. With the possible exception of a real knight in shining armour. wink

j08 Sat 18-May-13 12:35:33

soop those knights looked so dashing. And so gallant. [sigh]

soop Sat 18-May-13 11:14:59

jings...I understand. I purchased a beautiful, beaded evening purse as a gift for a member of the family. When it arrived, I liked it so much I decided to keep it blush and went online to find a substitute wink

j08 Sat 18-May-13 10:42:30

Yes, it's lovely stuff.At one point I had eight knights on horses galloping across my kitchen dresser, and I (almost) didn' t want to part with them!)

baubles Sat 18-May-13 10:37:39

Agree it is a fabulous source of recycled goods. I've purchased almost everything I needed for GC to stay, cot, high chair, toys, playpen, to name but a few.

j08 my own children loved Playmobile and I still have some of their collection including the pirate ship. I must see what I can add to it.

j08 Sat 18-May-13 10:30:37

I bought the grandsons a fantastic collection of Playmobile knights, horses, archers, etc through eBay from various sellers. So much better value than buying new.

Sel. grin

Ana Fri 17-May-13 23:15:53

grin Sel!

Sel Fri 17-May-13 22:59:35

I once bid for and won a beautiful, brand new, white dressing gown, soft and fluffy from Harrods, size 18 (thinking I could wrap it around me, obviously grin) When the package arrived it was size 18 months.shock

annodomini Fri 17-May-13 22:51:14

I bought a tankini swimsuit in TK Max but it didn't look right on me, so advertised it on Ebay and got more for it than I'd paid for it. A John Lewis food mixer which didn't perform as well as I'd hoped went for only a little less than I'd paid for it in the JL sale. The laptop I'm using now is a refurbished Sony Vaio bought on Ebay almost four years ago.

Deedaa Fri 17-May-13 22:38:49

The thing I love about ebay is that you can type in the most unlikely things and somebody, somewhere, will have it for sale.

MargaretX Fri 17-May-13 17:43:04

I've sold a lot of things on e-bay. Best things are those with a 'name'. Like Italian handbags or Gabor shoes or boots
A good daylight photo is an advantage and nobody can say they didn't know what it looked like.
You do well to choose a time of day for the final bidding. If its stuff for babies and small children then set the end of the bidding for after bed time.

I bid unsuccessfully for an orthopaedic chair( for my back ) for several weeks. They have high second hand price and I was successful when the bidding took place during the Football WM and Germany were playing in the semi final. I was alone on e-bay. The seller had made a mistake, or just didn't think about football or that Germany would reach the semi final.

I have bought Apple computers on e-bay. I know that they have long life and my last was a lap top, 4 years old, which I bought last November. It was nice to be able to talk to the seller about it and he was a big help.

soop Fri 17-May-13 17:29:13

That's such good news, glamma...I've a Frank Usher jacket [purchased on eBay for a song] waiting to be worn whenever it is that one of the adult grandchildren gets married. It takes thought and time in order to advertise and present an item to it's best advantage. Once you've mastered the knack, it is fun and, you're right, it can put a little bonus in your pocket. I always put any earnings into the Wee Man travel fund box. It's looking healthy at the mo'. I shall go to London just as soon as I recover from surgery. smile

glammanana Fri 17-May-13 15:30:00

soop I took your advice about e-bay and found myself a fab Frank Usher suit since then I have sold a few bits and bobs and am amazed how many people are interested in my stuff,I agree the the discription is paramount and good pic's, always tell if there are any marks etc,I am with pay-pal and find it very easy and trustworthy,and I use Hermes for the postage and tracking as they are more reasonable with their prices than RMail prices.This last month I have sold quite a few things which have been gathering dust in the loft so the term "another man's treasure" is certainly correct for me and my bank account.

soop Fri 17-May-13 13:53:18

Mr soop sold his Dinky toy collection on eBay. He collected in excess of £600!

Deedaa Thu 16-May-13 23:15:19

I've never had anything I've sold on ebay go astray. I've had a few things I've bought take a long time to arrive, but this has generally been down mistakes in the address (Do write clearly!) One lady wanted to return a blouse as it was the wrong colour - I had described it minutely, but there! I decided it was better to let her send it back and keep my good feedback. Naturally when I relisted it it went for less money.

numberplease Thu 16-May-13 21:11:43

I`m not a member on ebay, so if I want anything my daughter gets it for me. We`ve only sold once on there, again via my daughter, we sold our old caravan. Didn`t know what to ask for it, as it was 17 years old, but in good nick for it`s age, so we put a reserve of £500 on it, and also buy now for £500. We put about 6 photos on, showing up defects as well, and 45 minutes later, when my husband came in, we went on ebay to show him the ad, and it was sold! We did it pay on collection, and when the man, who was Polish, came to pick it up, he found another tiny flaw that we hadn`t noticed, and wanted £50 knocking off the price, but we thought he was getting a bargain anyway, and said no, that he`d agreed to pay that amount, so he paid up and took the caravan, apparently they were taking it to Poland the following day.

NannaB Thu 16-May-13 19:13:02

Yes, it started when we down-sized thought we would give it a go before taking stuff to charity shop or tip. Sold loads of items. I am quite surprised at what people will buy. It is very straight forward, but don't forget to add the correct postage, as you can lose out if you get that wrong. Good luck!

Ana Thu 16-May-13 18:30:40

I agree with Marelli's point about communication with the buyer. I've never sold on eBay but I have bought lots of stuff, and to receive an email from the seller saying they're giving you a discount on postage for multiple purchases is very much appreciated (some don't do this!).

I would add that if you are going to send an item recorded delivery, or registered post, do let the buyer know, because I've been caught out when the seller didn't state this would be the case and have had to go and collect the item myself from the PO as I was at work when the post came...

soop Thu 16-May-13 18:25:21

MarelliTwinkleToes...communication is indeed essential. smile