ebay tips

I only ever run an auction for a week. Most potential buyers generally do not bid until the last day. There is a lot of tactics in bidding.

Have found recently that auction sales have been really slow. I started listing as Buy It Now with the "best offer" option. I had loads of offers! People generally start with a really low offer but are allowed to make 3 and you can make counter offers.
So, I've discovered that I need to set the BIN price higher than I really want. This gives scope for a series of offers & counter offers until We reach a price I'm happy with. Quite regularly, someone simply pays the BIN price without any offers which is a bonus and compensates for the ones I let go at a slightly lower price than I wanted.
I agree that many people see an item and want it ASAP, so they prefer the BIN to waiting for a 10 day auction to end.
Martins guide ( as mentioned above) is worth reading.

We use Gumtree to sell our unwanted items. It's free to use and the beauty of it is that the buyers come to collect and pay. We've met some lovely people who've bought our things.

I have sold many things on e-bay but am realistic concerning the price. In my opinion clothes on e-bay sometimes look awful, the standard of the photography is poor and a coat laid out on the floor especially in larger sizes looks terrible.
I hang my carefully ironed clothes on a some greenery in the garden and photo the details, pockets, collar etc
Objects are placed on my oak dining table, it makes a lovely flattering background to any handbag I may be wanting to sell.
I also give information. Why I am selling the uncomfortable boots( ski accident e.g.) The reason you're selling does not have to be true but the details do have to be true.

Unusual things have a good chance. DD2 asked me to get rid of some shoes bought in Italy. They were an awful snake coloured green with a an old fahioned little heel. I sold them for a once on occasion - disco or similar and wrote a long blurb about them . The bidding effect was huge. The girls were really looking for something'extra' a once on e.g
When I suggested the shoes in a disco setting it had that effect.
That's something you can do with anypiece of clothing. People have so little imagination!
If you hear of others making a lot of money then take it with pinch of salt. e-bay is a buyer's market!

I have been selling on EBay for 11 years and it is getting much more difficult to get good prices now.
Buyer expect to buy things for next to nothing.
I also sell on Amazon which is good for books,cds and Dvds and is much easier to sell on than EBay.
But for larger items like furniture local Facebook sites are by far the best , I recently sold 3 items of good quality furniture for a good price within 2 hours of listing them they were collected and I was paid in cash with no haggling.

I use local FB sales sites-so much easier, no fees and as long as you price things sensibly you usually get the amount you're looking for.

Also if it doesn't sell at first, keep relisting. I have advertised items for several weeks without takers and then on the next week I have had several people bidding for the item and achieved a really good price.

I want to get rid of an item I always start at a really low price. as even £1 is worth having rather than giving or throwing the item away.

If you are trading, which I do occasionally, then obviously you are looking for a profit, but even then I sometimes have to take a loss.

franjess Isn`t freecycle for giving things away? I sell loads of stuff on Ebay , it is a question of not overpricing things , being prompt with your posting and writing a true account of what you are selling .

I sold a number of things on EBay when we downsized last year and would say that you must be completely truthful with the condition of what you are selling. I have also found that for larger items that cannot be posted you could try Facebay for your local town. You know that everyone looking at your items is local and you can then accept cash when they collect. However make sure you take photos from all sides and closeups of anything that might be slightly wrong. Be realistic with price you want.

I sell loads on eBay, I agree check your starting price and postage. Somethings have surprised me in how much I've got, other things go for 99p but at least I've got rid.

If I were you I'd use Gumtree, freecycle or your local facebook groups to sell things. Ebay charges but these don't.

Good luck

Forget eBay. I use Preloved, Free ads, Friday ad and Gumtree. No cost on any of these to advertise and I have sold loads of stuff which people collect in person or I post to. All these sites reach a large audience and you can search for items in you local area. Agree about pricing. I had a brand new pair of ten pin bowling shoes which cost about £45. I advertised them for £15 and they were on for ages with no comers. As soon as I put them down to 10 they were sold.

I read something somewhere recently where a young woman had put her wedding dress on EBay and the bidding was up in the thousands - because she'd added a story about how her husband had cheated on her - I don't know if people felt sorry for her or what, but it worked! Good luck.

We're in a throwaway world. Things like furniture sell for very little on ebay unless they are real antiques or very upmarket. You can check typical sale prices by checking in the left-hand sidebar, search for your item type and check Sold in the sell column. Prices in green are what has actually sold, red are where it hasn't. Lots of disappointment there. Try following a few items similar to yours, click Watch Item, no obligation.

Allow for postage and a bit more for packaging. If it's collect only, and furniture will be that, it will depend where you live. If you're near a big population there will be much more chance of shifting stuff.

Take good photos, preferably in daylight. Especially for clothes, daylight will show the colours accurately. You get up to twelve pics per listing, use them.

Write an accurate description, there's no limit to word count. Add info there re any extras, eg that you have other similar items and will combine postage. Check the boxes in the initial setup in as many categories as you can. Choose your heading description carefully, that's what people search by.

Think about how long to list for. I usually go for the 7-day option. Also when does the listing end? Something where the bidding ends at 3 a.m. will put off last-minute bidders. I usually time things for Sunday afternoons. You can adjust the end time as you do a listing.

It could be that for some things it's just not worth your time. So then it's charity shops. There's also Freecycle, or Freegle, where you list stuff you want to give away. It then goes to someone who can actually use it rather than gathering dust on a Oxfam shelf. Can be frustrating if people don't turn up when they say, get phone numbers from any who want stuff so you can chase them.

Car boot?

Good luck.

I sell but rarely get as much as I would like. Our belongings are generally worth more to us than to others. Just consider you are at least getting something. Alternatively, advertise on Streetlife or Freecycle. You won't get any money but people will come and take the stuff away for you.
Do you live where you could have an American style garage sale in your front garden?

I too have recently started ebaying,
People me included expect auction items to be cheap so 99p for stuff want rid of but definately put postage at right price e.g. Small 2nd parcel I put £3.30 to get £2.85 after fees & use all second hand envelopes etc
Have you tried the fixed price/ buy it now? put on for 30 days & can always reduce prices if not selling. I recently had 6 new swimsuits to sell & got £9.50+ £3.30 p/p each using BIN but no one wanted on auction starting at £6.99! Think some people see BIN as internet shopping with no wait for auctions to end.
Warning describe every little fault & amazingly sometimes my faulty stuff sells better?!!
Try Gumtree too its free but get nice & not so nice people, bit of a gamble.
Hope slightly helpfull

Martin Lewis recently did a useful guide to selling on eBay.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/selling-on-ebay

hmmm, maybe pricing is where I'm going wrong... and that's very interesting re the commission wobbly, i had no idea. thanks for both your tips

Prices must be realistic, too high a starting price will stop anyone bidding. For items that you just want rid of, start at 99p and let te bidders decide. You will be disappointed with some items, pleased with others, swings and roundabouts.

Warning, cover yourself on postage. If you sell an item for 99p and the postage is £5. Ebay will charge your commission on £5.99p plus it will cost you to pack and take to the post office. I usually add about 20% to the postal charge to cover myself. I got caught once, sold a book for 99p, it cost me more than that in commission and petrol.

First line, It's, not is yes!?

I meant cash on collection, not delivery!

I have sold quite a few bits on EBay. Do you have a PayPal account set up? Is
Yes easier for the buyer and safer for you. Next the photos and description, for clothes the make and size, in the title helps eg: ladies blue M &S jumper 14.
Photos showing the front, back and any details, or blemishes.

Pricing: it's better to be realistic, clothing has to start at charity shop prices, unless v expensive or designer. A good quality item will usually find its own price level. For example, I'd rather sell 5 items at £1.99 than 2 at £5.00.
Sometimes, for small light items it helps to do free Post and Packaging, but in any case don't overdo the postage price.

If you are selling items to be collected then only accept cash on delivery. There is a scam where people say they didn't collect the item, but paid by PP.

Hope this helps.