Before I Begin My Ebay Adventure

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[LordFa9]

so after reading the stuff here i was thinking its time to start selling my raw deal stuff stuff on ebay

but before i do so I have the following doubts, hopefully I can benefit from the wisdom shown here

1) Can I set a reserve price for my items? What if the reserve price is not met but there are bidders?

2) As a new seller, do I have to buy first in order to build up rep? Would people trust me enough to actually send cash 1st?

3) Can I shut down my auction if there are bidders? Will I be penalized?

4) Are there any ebay fees? If so, what are they?

thats all I can think of for now. Thanks in advance!

[kbjone]

so after reading the stuff here i was thinking its time to start selling my raw deal stuff stuff on ebay

but before i do so I have the following doubts, hopefully I can benefit from the wisdom shown here

1) Can I set a reserve price for my items? What if the reserve price is not met but there are bidders?

2) As a new seller, do I have to buy first in order to build up rep? Would people trust me enough to actually send cash 1st?

3) Can I shut down my auction if there are bidders? Will I be penalized?

4) Are there any ebay fees? If so, what are they?

thats all I can think of for now. Thanks in advance!

I've only sold a couple times (one small Jericho set way back, and a HUGE Star Trek CCG lot a couple years back), but looking into future sales right now. One of the more experienced sellers can always correct me.

1: Yes, and if it's not met, you're not required to sell. But you do have to pay the auction fees either way. My Star Trek lot took three shots to sell, cost me three sets of Auction fees (about $8-10 total, IIRC).

2: Not necessarily, but I'd definitely make sure the selling ad pops well. Pictures, full, clear descriptions, and PROOFREADING all help. I'll consider buying a nice looking Brock Lesnar set from even a 0 feedback seller, but a "BROCK LESNER UFC" set won't get a second glance from me, unless I'm laughing at it too much.

3: I want to say yes (For example, you trade the card before it sells, and no longer have it.) But I'd be VERY cautious in doing this, ESPECIALLY if you have bids on it.

4: Yes, there are both fixed costs (depending on the auction type/opening price/add-ons/etc...) and "closing" costs based on what it sells for or if it sells. I don't find that they're high, but I'd stick to decent sized sales ($20 up)

Other quick tips:

Be crystal clear on shipping. How long it takes to go out, how it'll be shipped, etc. Someone saying they'll just stick a card in an envelope and send it through the regular mail makes me nervous. You don't have to spend a LOT on shipping, but I'd rather spend a couple more bucks and make the buyer happy. Disputes are a PITA for both sides, but way more so for the seller.

Don't be discouraged if you get no bites in your first couple auctions. And be willing to come down a little if no one's buying. What you see as a $100 lot might only be worth $80ish to the people looking at it from the buying end. I've seen $20 cards start at $1 and go for way more than $20 by the end... and I've seen $20 cards sit on Buy It Now at $15 for months.

Do have a point at which you won't go any lower. Sometimes sitting on a card is the only good option, unless you're in a "sell at any price" mood. In that case, might as well just sell it all at once, and set a semi-lowball figure.

[Jypsy]

1) Can I set a reserve price for my items? What if the reserve price is not met but there are bidders?
Yes you can. If the reserve price is not met, the item does not sell. (There may be an option for selling to the highest bidder after the auction ends however)

2) As a new seller, do I have to buy first in order to build up rep? Would people trust me enough to actually send cash 1st?
I would suggest doing small auctions to build your reputation before huge high priced batches. Also they have to send money first, but eBay usually holds the money until they confirm they received the item (or X days have passed, whichever comes first) This is mainly to protect buyers.

3) Can I shut down my auction if there are bidders? Will I be penalized?
You can but it looks really bad if you do. Don't EVER cancel an auction unless you absolutely need to.

4) Are there any ebay fees? If so, what are they?
Yes there are, there are fees on the listing and final value fees. Check ebay out for more specific information.

[Whitescorpion]

Just sell ME your stuff. LOL 

[LordFa9]

hmm I see the mention of ebay fees being raised a lot. Thing is i have a buddy already doing some light ebaying and he told me that basically i can get a no frills listing for free, totally fee-less

guess i need to look into it more

Just sell ME your stuff. LOL 

the S&H is going to be expensive and I'll probably get less from you than from ebay

btw is the site up and running yet? Might want to pop in and do some buyin

[kbjone]

hmm I see the mention of ebay fees being raised a lot. Thing is i have a buddy already doing some light ebaying and he told me that basically i can get a no frills listing for free, totally fee-less

guess i need to look into it more

Just sell ME your stuff. LOL  

the S&H is going to be expensive and I'll probably get less from you than from ebay

btw is the site up and running yet? Might want to pop in and do some buyin

You can, if you catch the various promo rates they do during the year. But once it sells, you're paying no matter what.

[VelaCards]

hmm I see the mention of ebay fees being raised a lot. Thing is i have a buddy already doing some light ebaying and he told me that basically i can get a no frills listing for free, totally fee-less

guess i need to look into it more

Just sell ME your stuff. LOL 

the S&H is going to be expensive and I'll probably get less from you than from ebay

btw is the site up and running yet? Might want to pop in and do some buyin

There's no such thing as "free fees" from start to finish. What e-Bay does from time to time, is offer no "listing fees". You still pay the closing fees and the PayPal fees. You will need to read all of e-Bay policies and fees rates on their site.

VC

[Jypsy]

Listing fees are usually pretty small, under $3 typically for most listings.

As stated, you really need to look into ebay's fees and policies to see how much they are taking out, and adjust your prices accordingly.

[piperspitt]

A $3 listing fee for a $4 Raw Deal card would be ridiculous, it can't really be that high, can it?

[piperspitt]

It looked like a .10 cent insertion fee for a true auction. That's pretty reasonable.

[Jypsy]

A $3 listing fee for a $4 Raw Deal card would be ridiculous, it can't really be that high, can it?

Sure, depending on how you list the item, if you opt for all the bells and whistles they nickel and dime you to death. Plus there is a final value fee for your listing which is a % of the selling price.

Not to mention they take a % out when you transfer money from paypal into a bank account.

Obviously you wouldn't do all the special gallery plus things, special themes, reserve price, buy it now, bold text, highlighting etc that drives the listing fee up for that low of a card. Usually standard auctions are less than $1 in listing fees.

[thebigticket69]

if you make it a normal listing, 1 picture, and .99 starting off or less, it is 10 cents; that's the general listing idea on there and what i always used, you still get to advertise enough for the cheapest price. if it's more than .99 starting bid, up to 9.99, it's 25 cents. there's extra fees for the other add ons.

there's a 9% final value fee that ebay takes assuming the item sells, and then the standard paypal fees which are like 4% or so i believe.

[lotjx]

I am doing one right now and its costing me 45 cents for each photo since its a giant lot. The problem is the photos are not the best. I am not pleased with the 13% to 15% loss, I am going to take via ebay and paypal, but you have to pay to play. Take a look.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170828644947?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

[piperspitt]

A $3 listing fee for a $4 Raw Deal card would be ridiculous, it can't really be that high, can it?

Sure, depending on how you list the item, if you opt for all the bells and whistles they nickel and dime you to death. Plus there is a final value fee for your listing which is a % of the selling price.

Not to mention they take a % out when you transfer money from paypal into a bank account.

Obviously you wouldn't do all the special gallery plus things, special themes, reserve price, buy it now, bold text, highlighting etc that drives the listing fee up for that low of a card. Usually standard auctions are less than $1 in listing fees.

Standard auction listing fee is .10 cents as stated above. When you say less than $1 it is misleading and makes it sound like it is close to that dollar listing fee.

[LordFa9]

well afaik as long as I keep the listings below a certain number (50 per month i believe), as well as adopt a no frills listing policy I can keep the listing fees down. What I do know at the moment is that Auctions have no listing fee while fixed price sales have a listing fee of $0.50

now i just need to crack the formula for calculating the Final Value Fee and I'm set as far as fees goes

[kbjone]

there's a 9% final value fee that ebay takes assuming the item sells

I can't say it any better.

[LordFa9]

well afaik as long as I keep the listings below a certain number (50 per month i believe), as well as adopt a no frills listing policy I can keep the listing fees down. What I do know at the moment is that Auctions have no listing fee while fixed price sales have a listing fee of $0.50

now i just need to crack the formula for calculating the Final Value Fee and I'm set as far as fees goes

there's a 9% final value fee that ebay takes assuming the item sells

I can't say it any better.

there's still this "Final value fee (on shipping cost)" thingy that I saw on the fee calculator

pretty much gonna start listing soon, hopefully next weekend

the base no frills auction duration is 7 days right? If I want it to be a fortnight how much do i pay?

[Matt]

to know the cause for each feature, you can try by selecting each of the options for example having your item listed for a longer period etc and then see the cost. If your selling stuff within singapore without international shipping you can list your item for free for 7 days, if your item does not sell and you want to relist the item, ebay takes a cut if the item sells this time round. 

[LordFa9]

to know the cause for each feature, you can try by selecting each of the options for example having your item listed for a longer period etc and then see the cost. If your selling stuff within singapore without international shipping you can list your item for free for 7 days, if your item does not sell and you want to relist the item, ebay takes a cut if the item sells this time round.  

nah I'm not listing on ebay.com.sg, but the main site (ebay.com). Stuff listed on ebay.sg cant be seen on the main site (tested), so there most likely wont have enough exposure

coincidentally thats how the confusion with my friend's advice came about, he was talking about ebay.sg while I was bumbling around the main site

[LordFa9]

alright about to start listing, just one little hiccup

basically what I want to do is to offer shipping only to these countries

USA
Canada
UK
Asia (certain parts, I'd ask the buyer to contact me 1st to check)
Australia (ok i know its not ticked, but I'm lazy to take another screenie lol)

for a flat fee of USD$4

I also want people who are NOT in these specified regions to see my listing, am I doing it right?

[piperspitt]

It's a really good idea to combine shipping and note it in the description. You'll get more people bidding and that will drive the prices higher.

[LordFa9]

It's a really good idea to combine shipping and note it in the description. You'll get more people bidding and that will drive the prices higher.

noted.

so did i key it in right?

[Jypsy]

alright about to start listing, just one little hiccup

basically what I want to do is to offer shipping only to these countries

USA
Canada
UK
Asia (certain parts, I'd ask the buyer to contact me 1st to check)
Australia (ok i know its not ticked, but I'm lazy to take another screenie lol)

for a flat fee of USD$4

I also want people who are NOT in these specified regions to see my listing, am I doing it right?

Just another friendly tip: When shipping outside of the US, be VERY careful, some items can take forever to get through customs, and unless you use certain shipping services, it is near impossible to track a shipment once it leaves the states. AKA it is easy for someone to say "they never got it" and it still to be in transit. (or for people to scam)

[Antigoth]

Just another friendly tip: When shipping outside of the US, be VERY careful, some items can take forever to get through customs, and unless you use certain shipping services, it is near impossible to track a shipment once it leaves the states. AKA it is easy for someone to say "they never got it" and it still to be in transit. (or for people to scam)

Good thing he's shipping from Singapore to start!

[VelaCards]

Just another friendly tip: When shipping outside of the US, be VERY careful, some items can take forever to get through customs, and unless you use certain shipping services, it is near impossible to track a shipment once it leaves the states. AKA it is easy for someone to say "they never got it" and it still to be in transit. (or for people to scam)

The truth. 

VC

I personally think we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain. - Jane Wagner