GardenFork – Eclectic DIY

Tag: ebay

Selling On Ebay, Its Not Always Worth What You Think
Selling on Ebay is a great way to get rid of stuff. We talk about this in a how to sell post here, and on the GardenFork Radio Podcast. But I learned recently that what you are selling it is not always worth what you think it is.

Take this antique gumball machine for instance. It has been in the basement for years, with me thinking it was worth lots of money.

Looking on Ebay, I was sure this would sell for a couple of hundred dollars. There were several similar items listed wiht nice prices. But they weren’t auctions, there were the Buy It Now or Make Offer listings. The sellers had a set price in mind. Which might not be based on the real market value of the item.

Selling on Ebay, A Reality Check

Here’s the thing. You probably think the gizmo you have is worth more than it really is. Ebay is very good at determining a realistic selling price for your stuff. It can be a kick in the head.

But I wanted to get this thing out of the basement, where it had been for years, so waiting around for someone to match my price wasn’t an option. Decluttering was the priority. So here’s how I get rid of stuff by selling on ebay.

I set the starting bid at $1.00 .

This gets the interest of a LOT of people, and some will bid it up a few dollars. They are now invested in the auction. And there will be a bunch more people ‘watching’ the auction, and may bid at the last minute. Ebay will send those who click the “Watch” button an email when the end of the auction is happening soon.

AND your item will sell for about what that kind of thing is selling for these days. Probably less than you want. BUT its out of your basement. Your mind will be free-er, if that’s a word.

The flip side of this is stuff I think will sell for nothing sells for something. I also had a generator transfer panel that was missing some parts (easily bought new). I listed it at $1, thinking it wouldn’t sell for much at all. Then I watched the bid price rise.

Not bad for something out of your garage!

A Few Key Things For Selling On Ebay
- Be Honest
- Start bid at $1.00
- Answer any questions
- Ship via US Postal Service, not UPS
- Sell As-Is
- Add in a packing fee if need be
An honest description is key to your integrity on Ebay and in real life. Karma is boomerang here and now. If the buyer is not happy, they can make their displeasure known on Ebay, and you lose your credibility to sell other stuff. I check a seller’s rating before I bid on items. You should too.

The bid at $1.00 gets eyeballs, the price will rise to close to what its really worth, so relax.

Answer any questions submitted through Ebay and allow those questions/answers to be posted to the auction page, it shows you are open and honest.

UPS has an awful website for trying to print out a shipping label, its incredibly clunky. USPS is integrated into the sales process of Ebay. Use them.

You are selling a used item as-is, with no warranty or returns. Reiterate that several times in the description. Describe all the scratches and dents. Disclose everything.

For the gumball machine, I had to buy bubble wrap to safely ship it, so I added a $15 packing fee. Save your shipping boxes and packing stuff for your own shipping.

What are your tips for selling on Ebay? Let me know below.

Buy A Tiny House Kit On Amazon?
February 5, 2018
How To Sell On eBay

Want to sell on ebay to make money or declutter? Selling on eBay is easy, if I can do it, you can do it. One of my friends makes a living on buying antiques and collectibles at yard sales and selling on eBay, and I’ve learned how to use eBay from them. We’ve talked about selling on ebay on this GF Radio episode, and the realities of what your stuff is worth here.

I use eBay to get rid of stuff I don’t need. I’m big into decluttering now, and have instituted the One Year Rule: If I haven’t used the item in the last year, out it goes.

I either sell on eBay, or use our block association email list to give things away, or I just put it on the sidewalk outside our house. Stuff disappears! And the declutter process makes you feel great.

We just moved into a row house, and in the basement we found a metal and porcelain chandelier. Someone at one time really liked this style of lamp, but it wasn’t something we were going to use. But I was thinking it must be a style that some people like.

I went to eBay.com and typed into the search “metal hanging chandelier” and scrolling through the search results, I found several lamps that looked like ours. They all used several key words to describe the lamp style:

Tole, Italian, Shabby Chic, Vintage

How To Sell on eBay

Here’s my steps to selling on ebay.

1. Take good photos. Your cell phone takes good photos, you can use a fancy camera too. I’ve found the best photos are with daylight coming through a window, and the sale item on a white background. We have a white tile table that I photograph items on. Cluttered backgrounds make for bad photos and are a turn-off for buyers – clean white background = good sales.

Take good close-up photos

2. Write a good description and BE HONEST. If the item has scratches on it, you have to state this in the description. Take a photo of the scratches – you can load 8-12 photos per listing for free on eBay. Use the keywords you found in similar listings in your title and description.

3. Don’t use exclamation points and bold type and ALL CAPS. Shouting doesn’t work when trying to sell on ebay. It makes you look like a 9 year old.

4. Be personal. In the description of the lamp we posted for sale, I wrote about how we found it in the basement of our new home, and how it would look nice in a shabby chic decor home.

5. Research what similar items are selling for. Have an idea of its worth, but pay attention to what’s not selling as well.

6. Start the bid at .99 . This might seem counter-intuitive, but it works most of the time. You will get a lot more interested buyers, and the market will prevail on pricing. There will be those buyers that want the item and are ready to pay a market price for it. Your auction price will rise close to what the market is paying right now.

7. Be explicit in payment requirements and shipping. I always use PayPal for payment, unless the person wants to come pick it up in person, and then they can pay in cash.

8. State your return policy. If you are selling a camera or computer, you might offer a refund if the item is DOA ( dead on arrival ) because of a shipping problem. For items like antiques I don’t offer a returns, I sell them as-is.

9. Ship the item promptly. State in your auction how many days it will take to package the item and ship after the end of the ebay auction. Contact the buyer through ebay and send them a tracking number.

10. After the buyer receives the item, ask them to leave positive feedback, and do so as well for the buyer. Remember, Karma is Boomerang.

The auction for the ceiling light ended and we were stunned to see it sell for over $200! I messaged the buyer and they explained a bit about Tole lamps. They lived in California and it fit their house decor well. Good for them.

What are your how to sell on ebay techniques? Let us know below:

February 4, 2017
When Decluttering Your Home Think ebay

I’m on a quest to get rid of stuff I don’t use, so I have this suggestion when you are decluttering your home:

Sell stuff on ebay.

I’ve had 4 fishing reels in a box at the bottom of the basement stairs for how knows how long, thinking they are worth something. Today I put them out on the sidewalk. Then I went out and took them back in. Then I went on ebay.

One of the fishing reels I need to let go of.

A quick search on ebay shows that some fishing reels are worth money, some are not. I don’t think the ones I have are worth much, but if you add it up, sell a few reels, sell some of that other stuff in your basement, and you might have a few bucks in your paypal account. nice. Its surprising how fast a few dollars can add up, and you could buy something you can really use on ebay then. I need some more video lights.

We sold what I thought was a real ugly lamp for a couple of hundred bucks. Read about it here.

The declutter is also a mental thing for me, its like I have this virtual mental list of stuff to do, and a lot of it jams up your brain. So part of letting go of stuff also helps your head, I think. Plus one less box to remind you of at the bottom of the stairs.

So just another nudge to you all that want to declutter your home, that stuff in that box can go to someone who can use it, and you might make some nice coin.

Full Disclosure here, we’ve made a video with ebay here, and have their affiliate ads on the site, but I do really sell stuff on their site when I want to get rid of stuff. Some of it sells, some does not.

October 17, 2014