I am doing some early Spring cleaning and listing some items on EBay. I read and know a little from experience that if you list items with a starting bid too high or with a reserve price you are apt to get very few bids or a non-reserve met winning bid. And that your best bet is to list items at .99 to create that bidding frenzy. But if the item sells for only .99, by the time Ebay gets their fee and possibly PayPal gets theirs, you end up losing money. Am I missing something? Do I need a "Store"? But then you're items aren't listed in the auction, right? Should I just be looking for the closest Goodwill location? Thanks in advance for your time.
2007-02-15 03:51:00 · 7 answers · asked by hulaguy43 3 in Business & Finance ➔ Small Business
eBay is built around the premise of either finding the best deal possible or finding the collectible that is almost impossible to find.
Those items that fall into the collectible category (and potentially sell for top $$) can be priced aggressively to insure your profit. The key is condition and collectability. If it's highly sought after and in great shape you will profit.
On the other hand, if you've got a working item that you no longer use (say an electronic item in good working condition) then you need to start the price low and let the interest in the auction drive the price up.
I've sold quite a bit of camera equipment on eBay. Almost all of it is common stuff that is up for auction often. The auctions that I start at a low price (like $.99) always do better than those that start at a higher price point.
People want to feel like they're making a good deal, and this does require some courage since most savvy bidders won't bid until the auction is close to over (often called "sniping").
If you price your close to the final price you want to get you won't get much interest. Your insertion fees will also be higher since eBay has a tiered pricing arrangement (so in theory you can save a little $ by starting lower).
Reserves on everday items tend to hurt interest in an item. If you use a reserve, use it on an item that you need to protect your investment and don't be afraid to allude to the reserve price in your auction (it's not against the rules).
Most bidders get caught up in the thrill of the bargain and if you have something priced cheaply will bid it up often in search of a good bargain.
Before you price anything take some time to look at the "Completed Listings" in eBay for similar items that you're selling. It's easy to do in the "Search" feature and will give you a good indication of what you can expect to get for your widget.
If this is your first time on eBay, start slowly with a few items that you can keep track of and make sure you weigh the item to find out how much it will cost to ship. More money is lost on under-charging because of bad weight estimating.
Good luck!
2007-02-15 04:28:49 · answer #1 · answered by TheBigSquareHead 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Its the chance you take. If you do a store, you pay about $15 mo. just to have it, and yes, the items do come up when people do a search for an item. If its old clothes, they won't sell well. But vintage items such as bric-a-brac, electronics, and toys do well. I found with my own experience that a .99 starting bid keeps some buyers away - as if they think their bidding on junk. You might also consider selling in lots, and upping your starting bid. Good luck!
2007-02-15 04:05:07 · answer #2 · answered by Angelique 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well it all depends. if you are willing to give it to Goodwill, then why not take the time and list it on ebay, at least even if you only make .99 per item, its better than nothing. And sometimes its enough to just get it out of your house! Good luck!
2007-02-15 04:03:58 · answer #3 · answered by Bunker J 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think people up the postage costs a bit to cover a potential 99p disaster - only a few pence to cover the fees (which would be low in the case of a cheap sale).
2007-02-15 03:56:39 · answer #4 · answered by Kazzy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Start the bidding at the lowest price you will take for the item.
Remember one man's trash is another's treasure.
You might think no one will bid 5.00 and find it goes for 10.00.
Good luck.
2007-02-15 04:00:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
have u seen the .01 cent open bids, now i asked the sellers,how they make a profit????? no answers, yet
I thik if u break even ,i lost my time and item
2007-02-15 08:43:09 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
a save is the main inexpensive way - yet you may desire to checklist some auctions tocontinual shoppers on your save as save indexed products do no longer arise in searches! Be warned - advertising is addictive!!
2016-10-02 04:35:10 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋