Selling on e-bay - is it worth it???

[Minitoots]

I'm having a big clear-out and have taken a van-load of stuff to local charity shops but I've also got lots of nearly new clothes/vintage clothing/ books/kids toys/paintings etc etc that I'd like to get a bit of money for. I've never used e-bay because I always thought it would be too much effort for the rewards but would be interested to know if anyone has had much success and if so, any advice/ tips?

[sophiesofa]

I use ebay ocassionally when I have a clear out and it's a hassle but some things go for way more than you'd expect and others that you think will do well sell for 99p. Also always post it in some form of recorded delivery otherwise the buyer (happenmed to me for a ?60 item!) can just pretend it didn't turn up and get the money back and keep the item. Good photos are important too.

[chesterpuss81]

I agree with Sophiesofa, I had a load of decent handbags that I thought would sell well but they didn't so ended up giving them all to charity, whereas a mug that I thought would just go for 99p ended up going for ?50 because it turned out to be something of a collectable item! Definitely have a look at similar items already on there, it should give you some idea as to whether you think yours will go and what price etc.

[Jeremy]

I'd definitely recommend it for selling hi-fi and electrical appliances, furniture, musical instruments, and CDs/vinyl. Can't imagine you'd have much success with clothes.

[sophiesofa]

Clothes, particularly vintage ones do well. I don't think bog standerd say a worn plain top from new look would do well, so probably not worth it but anything with a label or vintage usually does well. Good luck.

[Mick Mac]

my wife sells some of her better quality dresses on ebay for about 5 pound. It might not seem worth it for that money but she seems to have fun playing on ebay. Someone gets to have the dress for a fraction of the original price. Some might say thats a different form of charity.

[ed_pete]

My advice is to check out the charges. Ebay nows takes a whopping 10% of the final value of the item and a fee to list the item in the first place, though this is usually quite small. If you have a lot of stuff to sell then you'll probably need a Paypal account too as this makes it easier and quicker to receive the payment, however, Paypal (owned by ebay) also takes a turn so if your expecting to be paid ?10 for something you might end up with ?9.70. Lastly once you've got the money in your Paypal account, unless you're going to spending buy more stuff on ebay (or the handful of other retailers that take paypal) you'll be wanting to transfer into your bank account. Again if its less than ?50 PP take another charge...

Having said all that, I've successfully bought and sold lots of stuff on ebay without any real problems. It takes a bit of getting used to and might seem a bit time consuming at first. Spend time on good photos and accurate descriptions and send the stuff as quickly as possible and you'll do just fine.

[Moos]

I'd advise you to buy before you sell, always pay immediately and always ask for feedback. Most regular buyers would hesitate to buy from a complete novice with no feedback, as you could be totally unreliable. If you buy a few cheap items and have 100% good feedback as a reliable person, then you look better as a seller.

[HAL9000]

This is my experience with eBay - for what it's worth.

Two years ago I set up a fund raising scheme for a particular charity based on selling various low priced items on eBay. They managed to rack up sales of around ?7,000 over six months (including the Oct-Dec Christmas period). They had to recruit volunteers to help with packing and postage. It was a lot of hard work but at the end of the trial run the net profit was only ?700 despite selling at a 100% to 150% mark-up.

In those days eBay's and PayPal's fee structures were rapacious and had eaten up most of the profit margin. They never got a single negative feedback but were constantly embroiled in disputes with stroppy buyers.

The bottom line: it was easier and cheaper to raise funds by other means than to go through so much hassle on eBay.

In the process, I met a lot of small business sellers. Most of them have since abandoned eBay because sales have all but dried up and large-scale wholesalers have undercut their margins. Some lost money in the ?50-100,000 range before giving up.

A few made money - loads of it - but now mainly use eBay to draw customers to their own websites.

It seems to me that EBay actively encourages na?ve business sellers to undertake high-risk ventures with misleading information that fosters unrealistic expectations. Things may have changed since my experience with them.

[Minitoots]

thanks all for the very useful advice so far!

[cdonline]

Ebay is a complete waste of time and is total con.

Paypal that is so obsessed with their own security. I'nm suprised they don't ask for a blood sample or a stool to keep on file. Scavangers trying to make a buck with vastly inflated postal charges. And then every counterfeiter in the entire world trying to sell 'designer' goods in XXXL sizes.

Never again.

[Moos]

My goodness. I've never had any problems with it, and have been quite pleased with purchases and with (a few) sales.

[giggirl]

Ebay and Paypal (owned by Ebay) are greedy bloodsucking leeches that would shoot their own grandmother in the head if it meant another dollar in the bank. They are registered in Luxembourg and that says it all really.

Most of the scammers on ebay used to be sellers selling fakes or selling things they had no intention of ever sending out, but these days many of the scammers are buyers waiting to pounce on an inexperienced seller. For example, an inexperienced seller does not realise that (s)he needs to be able to proove that the buyer has received the item they have paid for. Proof of dispatch counts for nothing. Unless you can proove receipt, your buyer is automatically entitled to a refund. There are scammers out there looking for inexperienced sellers who don't realise this. So in order to protect yourself you need to dispatch by recorded/secure mail, but this costs money so you put the postage up to claw it back, and then your buyers give you bad marks for "overcharging" on postage.

One thing I know an awful lot about is shoes and handbags. Yes I am very shallow aren't I. In a million years I wouldn't buy anything from ebay. Fake city. Punch in the name of any designer on ebay and a list of fakes will come up. Have a look at this....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110439158802

it's a nasty horrible fake and look at what the price is on it already. I've just reported it to ebay for non compliance with ebay terms (refusing to accept Paypal). Ebay wont' care that the bag is a fake and someone is getting ripped off but they WILL care that the seller is refusing to accept Paypal so for that alone they'll remove it.

Really Ebay is a mugs game these days. Ebay treats sellers so badly that most of the best ones have moved on. I recommend you sell your stuff at a car boot sale instead.

[Mick Mac]

Ebay has been ok for me.

What I have won and lost on is sometimes paying over the odds for tickets but I have always received the goods.

Sorry you have had such a bad experience GG.

[womanofdulwich]

we have has success with bikes, boats, and other specialist items. i have sold other things on gumtree- it is free. but it all takes time and effort- taking photos etc that i think if you can sell it via a shop window etc it must be easier- or an upmarket car boot? still some people seem to love it and if you enjoy it then give it a whizz, but as others have suggested try and get your rating up first.

[Pam50]

I've never sold on ebay,but sold lots of books on Amazon Marketplace in the summer. It's very easy to do, just set up an account and list the books you want to sell. Not all books are worth the effort (and you can check what others have listed any book for), but I managed to sell lots, especially academic books, quite successfully and would recommend!

[AlfieNoakes]

Never had a problem with ebay myself and have found a good few bargains. However, I mostly use it as the original concept was intended, as an online market place between individuals.

I have bought a few things like camera filters from ebay stores but mostly it's been fairly niche stuff like spares for motorbikes, fancy dress stuff or old table lighters which the girlfriend collects. Similarly it's been a really easy way to sell on stuff that was cluttering up the house and get some cash back in. I'd only bother selling larger items though, too much hassle packaging and selling off your old DVD collection for ?2 a time like some people do.

There are no doubt loads of scammers on there and you should watch out for them. That example giggirl posted really shouldn't catch anyone out except for those fools who would be easily parted from their money anyway.

Aside from the issue of spending over a grand on a handbag in the first place, surely if you're in the market for something like that you'd be wanting the whole 'luxury experience'. Why would you sit hunched over a PC on a Sunday night ready to strike as that auction ends? Surely, you'd take a stroll down New Bond Street to pick one up before dinner at Claridges.

Actually the Sunday night thing is a good tip - Set your auction to end at at that time. People are relaxed, usually at home before work on Monday and usually in a good mood with a glass of wine in their hand. Perfect for keeping an eye on an auction and getting caught up in a last minute buidding frenzy. ;o)

Ebay's good for individuals selling things of small to medium value in my opinion. As mentioned, probably not great for small businesses or selling really high value items. That said, Ebay motors has really taken off, much to the surprise of the founders. They thought it would just be an online bric-a-brac stall for things of $100 or less, although most cars for sale now are listed as classified adverts, not actual auctions and I doubt many buy unseen.

[HAL9000]

As a buyer - I've done very well out of eBay. I've bought thousands of pounds worth of stuff (software, cameras, electronic gadgets, computers, tools, optics, technical & scientific equipment, etc) for unbelievably low prices - usually at or close to the minimum bid. And a car that was a genuine bargain - although it's since been nicked.

So far, I've only encountered one scammer who didn't deliver - but PayPal issued a refund.

During the boom years a lot of sellers were duped into following eBay's recommended (but totally useless) strategy of building a branded shop that listed Buy-It-Now items and then running auctions starting at 99p supposedly to 'draw customers to the shop'. Many of those auctions, often for expensive items, ended with just one 99p bid! Needless to say, hardly anyone bothered to pay full price in the shops, which were a cash-cow for eBay.

The poor suckers were being robbed blind while eBay boasted about fantastic bargains in its adverts.

Don't get me wrong - I like the idea of online auctions. It's just that eBay is very much a dog-eat-dog environment where small business sellers are concerned: it has bankrupted an awful lot of them.

[thexwinglessxbird]

With the added fees & postage/packaging costs, you may aswell give this forum a try. This way all you'd have to do is advertise & have the buyer collect the item!

[Sue]

I use eBay quite a bit as a buyer, and the only minor problem I've ever had was with fairy lights which came with the wrong adaptor which was unsafe to use in this country. The seller disputed it but I got my money back.

Everything else I've bought I've felt was good value, particularly new shoes (genuine) which I've got for a lot less than I'd have got them in a high street shop.

However I must admit I have a few things which have been kicking about for years because I've not got round to putting them on eBay - anyone want a Tibetan/Nepalese tangka?!

[RosieH]

Ebay is a bit hit and miss on clothes. I've sold brand new designer stuff for which I've got over 90% of the retail price, and then some designer stuff that's only been worn once or twice and been disappointed at the sale (a pair of Patrick Cox shoes that cost over ?200 and worn only once went for ?14). If you have box / labels and the like, the price will go up as I guess it infers genuine status.

For non-designer, if it's something quality, my advice is take a decent photo and you should do ok - trousers and dresses upwards of ?10, which I've never made at a boot sale. But if it's random tops and the like, boot sales are good.

And then there are dress agencies, if you have something vintage, you might be better off there - they take a ludicrous cut (50%) but they sell stuff at proper prices, so you'd still probably make much more than on ebay. Or check out etsy too to sell the vintage pieces.

[sophiesofa]

Sorry slightly off topic but ebay can be incredibly entertaining like this ad I just saw when I was perusing for mirrors

ebay mirrow pants man

It's not as good as the naked man reflected in a tiny mirror that went round on emails a couple of years ago though!

I suggest give ebay a go just to see how you get on - I like it!

[monica]

I have sold lots of stuff through Ebay and Amazon Marketplace, use Amazon for dvds, books and videos, you get more on there.