[Hidden-tech] Need some help with EBay

[Mike]

Hi Tish,

    I think I'm the person you're searching for. I do a pretty brisk 
business on ebay. Haven't done much of late, but I pretty much know my 
way around. I'm the guy who goes to a Live auction, buys a bunch of 
stuff, and then sells it for a tidy profit on The Bay!

Normally I'd offer to help you out in person, but I'm in the midst of
1) Moving
2) the last 2 weeks of preparing for a wedding!

But I'm MORE than happy to help you with any Questions you might have.

Here's some things to think about:

How soon do you need to move the items? Keep in mind it takes about 2 
weeks to do an auction right... 7 days for a good auction, then you 
often have to wait for payment. You can make auctions shorter, but the 
longer they're on there, the more people will see them.
If you have multiples of the same item, you want to avoid listing them 
simultaneously, unless they are "High Demand" items. To get the highest 
"auction" value, I never list more than one at a time (unless we're near 
the holidays, then all bets are off)

You're other option on eBay is to sell using "BUY IT NOW" (or BIN) You 
set a price, and they either take it or leave it. If you BIN items, you 
can list as many as you want, just remember that you won't make MORE 
than the price you attach to the auctions.

What sort of items are you trying to sell?
Do you KNOW what they are worth? You might be dissapointed at the price 
that certain things will fetch on ebay. Keep in mind that an items "true 
value" is what someone is willing to pay for an item, not the list value 
in some book!
Take some time to search for similar items on ebay, and look at what 
recent auctions have gone for using the "Completed Auctions" checkbox in 
the search.

Do you have a good digital camera and the ability to photograph your items?
Can you use a word processor to write a detailed description of your 
item? Details count, both in the Write Up and in the pictures.

How are you going to Ship these items?
Are they big and bulky or light?
Do you have access to appropriately sized boxes?
What will it cost to ship across the country? You want to weigh your 
items before you auction them off to get an idea what the shipping cost 
will be. ALWAYS provide a shipping cost in your auctions... Nothing 
worse than answering a hundred emails "What does it cost to ship to Zip 
Code XXXXX?" Ebay provides a shipping calculator if you want to provide 
accurate shipping costs, or you can do what I do. I calculate the 
shipping cost to 90210 (beverly Hills) and just say that is the cost to 
ship anywhere in the lower 48. If somebody in CT buys one of my items, I 
make a couple extra $$s on the shipping.

I personally will sell internationally, but some folks don't think it's 
worth the hassle. There are extra forms to fill out at the PO, and often 
communication barriers. On the other hand, International bidder tend to 
go very high on certain items that they can't get locally, so it's a 
judgment call.

The ebay selling tutorial is here:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/basics.html

Or, you can go Option B:
There are ebay "Trade Assistants"... folks who will auction your items 
for you. Just keep in mind, (as a general rule) they take a large chunk 
of the auction (between 15 and 30% of the final price, in addition to 
the ebay fees.) Of course, they do all the hard work for you, so it's 
only fair!
Here's the search page to find a local TA
http://tradingassistant.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?TradingAssistant&page=main

My suggestion, if you're going to go the TA route, find one who KNOWS 
the items you're selling. If you're selling Victorian era porcelain 
dolls, don't bring them to a guy who specializes in consumer 
electronics. He won't do the "write up" justice. The more the auctioneer 
knows about the subject, the better the auction will be. My 
specialities, for instance, are antique Toys, figurines, and Motorcycle 
related items... I dabble in a lot of areas, but those are the things I 
know pretty well. I also work with Antique firearms, but ebay won't 
allow those. Beacuse I Knw those subjects, I have all the reference 
materials to differentiate a rare item from a common one, and put 
together a write up that will sell the item without having to answer a 
hundred buyer emails.

Anyway, ask yourself the above questions, and if you need specific help, 
drop me an email!

Have a great day,
Michael J Duquette




Tish Grier wrote:

>   ** Be a Good Dobee and help the group, you must be counted to post .
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>
>Hi Everyone,
>
>I'm in the process of moving, and I'm dying to unload
>a whole bunch of stuff that really can't be unloaded
>at a regualar garage sale or through donation.  I know
>that eBay's probably the best place to do it--however,
>I just don't have the time to spend trying to unravel
>eBay.
>
>Does anyone know of anyone who is familiar with eBay
>and could possibly help me de-tangle its mysteries--or
>if there's an eBay "agent" in the area? (it's a new
>field, but I thought, at one time, I'd seen an
>ad/announcement for one.)
>
>thanks so much,
>Tish Grier
>
>
>
>
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