Selling off unused stuff is one of the fastest ways to get cash for preps. Ebay can be a great venue for selling as well as buying the things you need. We’ve been active on ebay since 1999 and overall, I think Ebay has become a better place to buy and sell. Amazon ranks a close second for buying but selling things there can be expensive and complicated. In past years, Ebay had rightfully earned itself a poor reputation but I can see that things have changed for the better.
In 2007- 2008, we made the decision to sell-off the bulk of our redundant and unused prep items. I also decided to sell off some of the specialized tools that I had accumulated during my first career. The economy was in the first stages of crisis and we felt that the big sell-off needed to happen ASAP while people were still in a buying mood. That turned out to be a good decision since I have definitely noticed a change in Ebay buying habits since then. Here’s some tips that may be of some help to you. The basics are first, so if you’re already familiar with ebay you might want to skip down further in the post.
SETTING UP YOUR ACCOUNT:
It’s been a long time since I’ve opened an account at Ebay but if I had to do it all over again from scratch I would give my Ebay identity it’s own email address, bank account and debit/credit card. Plus, I would use my email prefix as my Ebay User name.
Likewise with Paypal. I know there’s a big flap about Paypal not being friendly to the 2nd Amendment. You’ll have to decide for yourself if that’s something that you can live with or not. Paypal is still the main transaction merchant at ebay. It may not be necessary to have an actual Paypal account but your auction payment will still have to pass thru Paypal 99.9% of the time. You will definitely need to have a Paypal account if you plan to sell anything on ebay.
SEARCHING, BIDDING and BUYING on Ebay:
Once you’re setup with an account and log into Ebay, you will need to find what you’re looking for. This can be a little frustrating if there are too many sellers of the same items. Here’s what I do.
After ebay finds your items, look to the upper right side of your search results page and find the “Sort by” selection. You can toggle between lowest price, highest price, newest listings and oldest listings and have your search results rearranged. This can save alot of time and also allows you to compare prices accurately.
It’s very possible that the item you’re looking at is not even in the USA. Avoid these sellers if at all possible. You can eliminate them from your search altogether by scrolling down the page and finding the “Location” menu on the left side. Click “US Only”. Overseas items can take forever to arrive and they are more difficult to return if there’s a problem so I stay clear of them. Canadian sellers on the other hand have proven to be some of the best and shipping time isn’t too bad.
Once you find the item you’re interested in, it’s time to compare prices. Add up the entire cost and then shop around at Amazon and anywhere else that sells it. Be sure to add in the shipping cost, some sellers offer the item at a low price but add a premium to the shipping charge. I think this is the number one complaint right now on Ebay. It doesn’t matter to me if they do, as long as the overall price is fair.
Also pay close attention to which shipping service is being used. Priority Mail is most common but verify. Nothing ticks me off more than paying for Priority but having the item take weeks to arrive because the seller used Parcel Post. That is definitely cause for complaint.
Buying used items on Ebay can be tricky. I have ALWAYS been disappointed with clothing that I’ve purchased used but have NEVER been disappointed with radio gear that was used. The main thing I check for is a good description with plenty of photos and a seller with good feedback.
The Ebay Feedback system has changed dramatically over the years. Sellers now live or die by their feedback rating. All Ebay fees now hinge on feedback rating which means sellers with feedback below a certain percentage pay more to sell on ebay, sometimes alot more. I always check feedback scores and comments. It’s clear which sellers make a habit of cheating the buyer and which sellers may have had one or two crybaby customers. There are even sellers that will attack other sellers by buying an item and leaving bad feedback.
Items selling on ebay are either “Buy-It-Now” or Auction. If I see an item is being sold in an auction-type listing, I will add it to my Watch List and wait until as late as possible to place my bid. I do this so I have plenty of time to comparison shop. Once a bid is placed it can be time consuming to retract and too many retractions can penalize the buyer. I also think that if there are no bids on an item, other bidders may feel that there is some reason nobody is bidding and they will not be tempted to bid. I try to wait until literally the last 60 seconds to bid.
Once you win or “commit to buy” an item, you need to pay up. Most sellers only accept payment thru Paypal but some sellers take your credit/debit card directly or thru another approved online service. Your seller may be willing to accept a USPS Money Order but you absolutely need to ask them before you bid on or buy an item. I don’t like the added expenses associated with sending a Money Order (cost, postage and delivery confirmation) and it also adds up to a week additional waiting time to receive the item.
Paypal and Ebay both have an excellent buyer satisfaction policy. If you receive an item that has been falsely described, contact the seller first. If you get nowhere with the seller, contact Ebay or Paypal, they usually always settle in the buyer’s favor. Don’t rush into things until you rationally hash things out with the seller first. I’ve been able to come to some pretty fair settlements without even contacting Paypal. Sellers can be penalized by too many complaints or refunds so I try to work things out on my own first.
SELLING:
Alright, now that you’ve seen the buyer’s perspective, here’s some selling tips. The economy sucks right now. Most things are not selling as fast or for as much as they used to. Everybody wants a deal and the guy that gives them the best deal will get the sale.
Before you list an item, check out it’s current going rate by searching the listings on Ebay. You should also check the “Completed Listings” which can be found on the left side of the Ebay page in the “Show Only” menu. If your item is in demand you will see many successful auctions. If not, you’re going to have to offer your item at a reduced price and be very patient.
I generally list my used items with a BUY-IT-NOW listing that also allow buyers to submit their “Best Offers” and I run the listing for 30 days. There are several ways to list an item, this is what seems to work best for us. Some items may take 2 or 3 months to sell….. which is amazingly different from the old Ebay days before the crisis.
The listings need to be detailed. They need to include the facts, the item condition and if possible an external link to more facts.Links to the manufacturer’s websites are OK to include in your listing but not links to other sites that offer the item for sale.
Be as honest and detailed as possible about the item’s condition and include YOUR OWN photos, not stock photos. This will make your listing stand out from the crowd and your buyer will have more confidence in your description. Be sure to photograph any defects. Some ebay categories offer up to 12 photos free but most listings will charge 15 cents for each photo after the first. I have found that you can combine 2 photos into one if necessary using the Paint program.
CHECK YOUR SPELLING and be sure you’re listing is in the right category!! I’ve scored some great deals on misplaced and misspelled items. My brother and I now have a contest going to see who can find the best deals this way.
If you don’t have good feedback, you’re probably not going to make as much on your item because Ebay will take a bigger piece of your pie. If you’re just starting your ebay career try to sell some smaller items at low prices, charge actual postage and encourage your buyers to leave 5 star feedback. Sometimes you can list your items for free and only pay if they sell. Once you get 10 really good star ratings you can then begin selling higher priced items with the lower ebay commissions and fees. If you offer FREE SHIPPING you will automatically get a good rating for shipping charges and if you ship fast Ebay will prompt the buyer to leave good ratings for shipping time.
I try to use the Paypal shipping feature whenever possible. Paypal will generate your USPS shipping label and give you a small discount on the postage paid. The best thing about Paypal shipping is the free Delivery Confirmation and the automatic emails sent to the buyer which include the tracking number and estimated delivery date. When I have the time, I will contact the buyer with the Ebay email system to let them know their item has shipped.
I can say that we haven’t had a complaint yet from a customer by using these methods.
Hope these tips help. Ebay has a tendency to change things just when you get used their system. I hope they leave things alone for awhile.
Ben
