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/diy/ - Do It Yourself

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82861 No.82861 [Reply] [Original]

Do you sell stuff on eBay?

Got any advice for someone starting out?

What day is a good day and time for my auction to finish?

Got any advice on packaging items?

Doesn't just need to be just about eBay, any online selling advice to help everyone out.

>> No.82925

bump

>> No.82928

Ebay shits all over sellers. You need to embrace that fact before you do anything on that site.

>> No.82946

Not eBay, but semirelated.

>start selling on Amazon
>first sale, some dumb old white bitch claims there's a scratch on the electronics item
>I know it's bullshit because I inspected each item since they were my first sales
>Apologize, offer $20 cash back
>GIVE ME $70 CASH BACK (over 80% of the product value) OR I'LL LEAVE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
>me: lol go fuck yourself lady
>get banned, Amazon holds my remaining funds for 90 days
lold

>> No.82957

>>82946
similar troubles for me with ebay: I do etsy for shit I made and use a friend's ebay for the rest


ALL sites shit on sellers. assholes, it sucks

>> No.82973

>>82957
Truth. Gotta keep the lifeblood of the shitty company coming back, and that means allowing them to fuck over sellers.

eBay certainly has the potential to make sellers tons of money, but only with the right product. to date I have not found any good product to sell. generally it has to be unique, you have a top notch supplier, or it's some obscure shit.

etsy... I don't think anybody makes any good money on there. most sellers I see have like 20 items sold... in an entire year.

>> No.82975

It's PayPal that's the problem isn't it?

Can you ask for bank transfers only?

Or is the whole internet a scam?

>> No.82976

Better in the long run to just sell yourself through your own site.

Cut out the middleman

>> No.82979

>>82975
PayPal/eBay are the same company. so one rapes your asshole, another rapes your mouth.

But I've heard PayPal is not so friendly to sellers. I now sell digital products, so things aren't quite as bad for me. Nobody can claim their digital download was scratched or some stupid shit.

>> No.82985

OP here,

I wanted to mention just so there isn't any confusion, I'm personally only wanting to sell general second hand stuff - books, old video games & a few old cameras.

But this isn't just about things I want to sell, so please let the discussion be open to any advice or even stories of your selling adventures.

>> No.82986

>>82976
yeah it really depends, but your own site is best

HOWEVER

ebay has buyers. loads of buyers. so even though they treat sellers like shit, it's worth a shot because the buyers are there

etsy is mostly craft bitches. therefore nobody wants their shit and they sell nothing.

woodworkers, weapon makers, people who bind books or make specific, in demand arts can make a killing there. i do ok through it.

I do better at my own site via bank transfers and google checkout than I do at any paypal-using site though

it all depends what you sell. what are you gonna sell, OP?

>> No.82988

>>82985
for that stuff yeah ebay.

you need to write out real specific shop policies- I take NO RETURNS at ebay and issue NO REFUNDS

I lose some buyers from that but FUCK THEM

so...yeah.

etsy is ok for vintage, but ebay is better

making your own site is only worth it if you always have the same kind of stuff to sell at all times. too easy for people to forget you completely and never return if nothing new is up everyday, ya know

>> No.82993

Alright, listen up. I've been selling on eBay for about 3 years and I know my shit. I also work alongside several eBay salesmen who are both struggling and thriving. I recently cut back on how much I have been selling to concentrate on my other business. Here's what you need to know:
1) You will be shit on. The American consumer expects absolutely the best product for the least amount of cash and will fuck with you anyway that they can. You have to bend over backwards for some customers (never forwards, though; I have my limits). Feedback is key. You can get kicked off of eBay indefinitely if too many people give you negative feedback. ALWAYS make sure that it never gets to this stage; offer to give a partial refund if they're not happy.

2) eBay has sucked for a long time, probably ever since they got wise to people getting their cash from shipping rates and cutting eBay's profits down. This means that you have to have your books tight. Know how much something will cost to ship before you price it. Don't fuck around with international shipping if you can't get fucked to go to usps.com or fedex or ups and look up the rates. You'll need scales.

3) Presentation is everything. Take good photos or steal them for successful ads. Everything from your font to your name will give people an impression about you and your product. Load up those titles with keywords and you'll sell shit easy.

4) Price your shit at or below the completed listing rate. People will pay extra for fast shipping

>> No.83002

>>82993
5) Customers do not read the listing before they bid. I repeat, CUSTOMERS DO NOT READ THE LISTING BEFORE THEY BID. Yeah, you might have said that it will take 3 business days before it ships, but that doesn't mean shit. Just refund their money if they get pissy and relist.

6) Since you're getting charged to list and you have to pay eBay and Paypal about 9-10% (can't really remember exact figures and they change all the time), you have to have your books straight.

7) You will not make money unless you consistently sell high value items or sell by volume. Listing is a pain in the ass, but you can easily give some sap a job by telling them they get a $1 per listing. It's soul sucking work, but some people are desperate. If you don't have a source of extremely cheap consumer products, you won't make money. I get most of my stuff from Goodwill Outlets or dumpster diving.

8) Always watch your ass and be as descriptive as possible. If it's not new, you make sure you describe everything about it. Make sure you test shit if you're selling electronics. Just a simple match with a compatible AC Adapter and a quick ethernet access is enough for a router to be sold.

9) Customers expect the shit to work. To sell things to people, complete units with all the power supplies and cables will sell quicker than just some device that doesn't have the power supply. Get as close as you can to the packaged new item and you'll have few problems. New shit always sells if it is in demand

10) People buy anything. Anything from vintage post cards to AC adapters to random toys from the 80's, there's a market out there. Try something out to see if it sells. If it does, milk that shit until you run out. Sell multiple things, not just one type.

>> No.83440

How hard is it to sell gaming computers (lol) on eBay? I've had the idea for a while, honestly.

I planned on waiting until someone won or the buy me now option, then I'd order the parts then I'd build it, test it and ship it.

Is this legal/smart?

>> No.83458

Ebay is only good for drop-shipping and buying. Every item I've tried to sell on Ebay something makes it unprofitable,
A) too low of profit, get wiped out by a single chargeback
B) find another site where I can sell the same thing for more (Etsy, Buying sites, etc)
C) people are generally so bitchy that I end up thinking the money isn't even worth it.

I have no plans to ever sell on Ebay again, but because this info is generalizable, here's how to fuck an international buyer who is screwing you for more than 20$ using that time-honored "item not received" bullshit.

1. send item without tracking to keep prices low
2. buyer files not received
3. send them a goddamn postcard via registered mail (15$, hence only do it if they're screwing you for more than that)
4. put that tracking number into the Paypal resolution system with a nice note like "I'm so sorry your item was lost in the mail, I've sent a replacement!"
5. paypal decided in your favor 100% of the time.

If you do it too much, paypal will launch a full investigation into your account, so it's not really possible to use it for evil.

Now I just need ideas of what to do with the mailing addresses of bitches who pull this shit. You're still out 15$ at the end, so it's annoying.

>> No.83460

>>83440
Not unless you can do that whole process in less than 2 weeks.

>> No.83570

>>83460

Well, it usually takes 3 days for parts to get to me. I'd say two days for testing and then it could be all ready to be shipped out.

Honestly, I've tried it once and got 19 or so watchers. The price was pretty low and no one bought it. Kind of discouraged me.

>> No.83587

Ive been selling on ebay for a while.

Build up some reputation. Sell like 20 - 30 stupid things. Like old movies and video games. Stuff that wont really make you any money.

I always start in the evening. Like 6 to 8. Thats when people are getting home and browsing ebay.

Packing? I have a lot of fun packing. Ive done some really absurd stuff. Like cut up boxes and then duct tape them back together in the exact shape of what I am sending. The post office will send ANYTHING as long as its not falling apart. Ill buy a box if I need it, and Ill buy stuffing to protect it if it needs it, but besides that I take a lot of creative liberty building boxes from old cardboard.

When it comes to ebay, always give free shipping. People will pay more for items with free shipping so you cover the cost, and people in general like the simplicity of free shipping.

The customer is always right. I dont really believe that in real life, but on the internet its true. If they have a problem with what they got, give them their money back. They get the benefit of the doubt in everything. If you are on ebay, they can give you negative feed back and you DONT want that. So be very nice and be willing to lose money on an item.

>> No.83596

>>83440
You'd be better off doing your own site/service building stuff for people. That way you can offer options and set the timetable to one that makes more sense.

>> No.83667

>>83596

How would I advertise and stuff like that? I can buy a site and program it myself, but getting the word out and beating other advertising (Alienware/Origin/etc) and I'm just kind of lost.

>> No.83680

>>83667
True. If you're putting stuff on ebay though, you're already competing with those guys. I'd say you'd have to differentiate with broader offerings, lower prices, nods beyond what they can do, or more personalized advice. Anyone buying a pre-built gaming desktop is a moron, so maybe capitalize on that somehow?

>> No.83686

>>83680

Well, I've been told that when things are expensive, they're better (in marketing and selling products), so I will capitalize on that. I'll probably mark the total cost up by 30% or so. Or something. My only problem with the site and everything is that it won't get exposure, unlike eBay where people can browse and look at my stuff.

I want my company name to be Bullet Deer and the logo will be antlers attached to a scowling bullet. I don't know why. Oh god.

>> No.83702

For shipping things out, I assume it's best to get tracking for a package? Or, I assume, at least to have some sort of confirmation that it was delivered?
And what's the average price of tracking, from one US location to another? I've not shipped anything before and the rates on the usps website seem pretty high. Maybe there's a different way of shipping that I've missed?

>> No.83777

>>83686

Oh Jesus Christ I just bought the domain of bulletdeer.com. Holy fuck.

>> No.84087

>>83777
lol

>> No.84091

I'm a long-term camera seller on eBay, but I make it my point to ONLY use it for items that are so rare and specific I couldn't ever find a seller locally.

Why? Because eBay and PayPal are complete shit. You get a rating from 0 to 5 out of feedback from users / buyers. Does it fall bellow 4.7? You're going to get suspended. Since when was a 4.7 out of 5 bad? Since apparently that means you're below 90% of all eBay sellers or some weird reasoning. However, people rate you biasedly, take this case for example:

An American wants to buy a camera from me. No problem, but shipping is expensive from Europe to the US, so I charge him 25$ shipping. This is my pure cost for shipping, no handling or packaging charges. He gives me a rating of 3 out of 5 in the shipping cost department, deeming it too expensive. Due to me only selling once every two or three weeks, a single rating can fuck up my average, and I instantly get a warning from eBay that if I continue like this I will get suspended.

Then what happens is that PayPal screws you over once more. For what they claim to be 'completely random inspections', they hold your payment for 21 days, or until the buyer receives the item and leaves positive feedback. This means you'll have to ship out an item (And considering my items to be rare, they're very expensive) without any payment up front, not even for shipping.

Hence why I t ry to avoid it. The things I've learned to avoid a bad rating is to just offer free shipping for EVERYONE, otherwise I just get a bad rating. 3 out of 5 is actually still a 'positive' rating for anyone leaving feedback, i.e. if I get a 6 out of 10 for an exam I pass. For eBay a 3 out of 5 is really really bad.

Try to sell locally instead.

>> No.84603

>>84091

American's don't fucking read. He probably flipped out at the shipping because he had no idea you weren't from his country. He figured if it was in English, that it must be a United States seller. I know how American's work, I'm American.

Some will read though, and will be happy to pay the shipping amount or any price. And be nice about it. So there's still room to make money there. You may want to try to make it clearer where the product is coming from, but then again it may not make a difference. There's always some idiot that's going to bid before reading anything.

>> No.84675

Start off selling simple, cheap stuff. Treat Ebay like a garage sale at first just to get the hang of it. Many people won't buy high-price items from people with low transactions. Only start selling high-end stuff when you are really sure you have your shit together.

>> No.84697

>>84603
>>83777
this thread just made my day twice

bulletdeer dude I wish you all the best, good luck.

>> No.84707

>>84091

increase item price and make shipping free just like everyone else. guaranteed 5/5 on shipping cost.

>> No.84727

>>83702 For shipping things out, I assume it's best to get tracking for a package?

Yes. With Paypal in particular, if you don't buy USPS tracking thru their system, your fucked if a dispute arises.

>> No.85358

>>84727
Tracking does squat. Paypal will side with the buyer no matter what.

I shipped a car stereo across country and the buyer said they didn't receive it. USPS tracking even had his signature on the receipt but Paypal still sided with him and kept my money.

You'd have better luck selling stuff on Craigslist.

>> No.85436

Serious suggestion from an online seller / ebayer:

GTFO before you even start.

ebay is fucking BULLSHIT. I've gone through SO MUCH shit with them its ridiculous.

the cost between ebay/paypal fees and shipping eat about half of my profit, which is 400% of the investment for said product.

then getting past that the acutal TROUBLE ebay/paypal cause just makes it completely not worth it.

I've been dealing with ebay for years (legit non-dropshipping non-vero items) and have constantly been let down.

I'm moving onto my own website for the current venture, and plan to continue that trend with any and all products in the future.

>> No.85472

Great for buyers, very rough for sellers and it has been steadily getting rougher over the years.

Essentials:

-USE DELIVERY CONFIRMATION ON EVERYTHING. Yes there are people willing to fuck you over for a $5 item. Use click-and-ship through PayPal to save money - a DC form at the post office costs 80 cents or so, only about 20 cents through PayPal. Print it out, use _packaging tape_ to tape it on the package, and drop it in a post office box. This will not only save you money but also time - you pay for the entire shipping through PayPal and don't have to wait in line to pay at the USPS store.
-SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION ON EVERYTHING OVER $200. If you just use delivery confirmation, and it says "delivered," you aren't covered. PayPal will rule in their favor if they complain. It's retarded as shit but thankfully I've never been screwed over this way (when I first started I shipped a $500 item to Italy without SC - luckily for me he was an upstanding man!)
-Ship things securely. Do not use fucking plain white envelopes. Get bubble mailers for small stuff, cardboard boxes with newspaper (or packing peanuts if you're a highrolling sonofabitch) for bigger shit.
-Don't ship to 3rd world countries. If you don't like taking risks don't ship internationally period.

>> No.85473

Not so essential but important
-Start out with cheap ass shit. Nobody is going to pay fair value for someone with 0 feedback. A positive feedback of even 5 or 10 is good enough to start selling more expensive stuff.
-Don't count on the top-rated seller shit. The benefits are nice but one fucktard crying that his $2 anal vibrator was a day late is enough to fuck you over, and the negatives don't disappear for a year. You have to have 99.50% in all four rating categories to get top-rated seller status - good fucking luck.
-Try not to keep a whole lot of money in PayPal, never know when they will freeze your shit.
-Know the fees. The final value fees for auctions are much cheaper than Buy-it-nows for most items (exception of electronics). That extra few percent adds up. Just start your auction price close to what you want it to sell for. You get 50 free auction listings a month.
-eBay stores aren't worth it unless you're selling a shitload.
-Know when it's OK to use stock photos (new non-collectible things) and when it's OK to take your own photos (old, used & collectible things).

>> No.85590

I've never really wanted to sell anything but I've just lost my job and need some advice. Does anyone have experience with making and selling cheap jewellry on etsy? And where to buy cheap items in bulk?

>> No.85666

>>85590

Etsy is a bad idea, I've never heard of anyone doing especially well on there. Most of what is sold on there is either expensive as shit, or not handmade anyway.

>> No.85707

I have sold 16 or so high priced electronics on there. Here is my suggestions, short and simple....


1) If you are new to ebay, buy a few items to build up some rep.

Getting around 10 positive feedbacks should be enough to start selling. 20+ is even better. The lower your rep, the more people try to scam you because your new in town.

2) Always use delivery conformation, aka DC.

UPS and Fedex always give it to you by default. USPS, you have to get those green slips with DC.

3) Get signature conformation, aka SC, on items over $200.

It's part of the sellers protection policy. If you fail to get SC and an asshole scammer reports you for never getting the item even if the DC says otherwise, the scammer will get an automatic refund from paypal. Never get SC for anything under 200, it's a waste of the buyers time and your money.

4) Be very descriptive.

Self explanatory. If there is a scratch(es) say that there are scratches even if it is listed as used. If there is one dead pixel on the computer monitor, say so. Not pointing out flaws in used items can lead to unwanted negative feedback. Also if you have returns make sure you explain your return policy in great detail. Check out how other top sellers write their return policy. Never hurts to copy and paste somebody elses policy.

5) Always provide free shipping.

This will give you an automatic 5 star rating on shipping and the buyer can't change it. Just add the total shipping costs to the total. i.e. If you were planing to sell Item A for $120 and you calculate the shipping to be around $15, sell Item A for a total of $135 dollars. There you go shipping covered! If you want to auction, trust me, shipping costs will be covered. I have never been underbidded for giving out free shipping on auctioned items.

>> No.85714

>>85707


6) Only use reserved price on expensive niche items.

I sold a lot of computer components used and never got underbidded. Reserved pricing just inflates your final value fees. Only use it when you sell high priced niche items like... 24k golden butt plugs.

7) Never ship the item until the buyer has paid.

Yup.

8) If the buyer gets buyers remorse after an auction and wants a refund just cancel the auction under the option, "buyer has changed mind".

Yes you can force the buyer to pay up, I mean, NO TAKEBACKS! RIGHT?! True, but it can lead to a negative feedback and false reports of damaged goods etc. from a pissed off customer. I know it's fucked up but canceling and taking the bite on wasted time is far less of a headache. You get your final value fees back and the buyer can't rate you. Don't forget to add them to your blacklist so they can't bid on your items ever again.

9000) Never use ebay. Once you sell enough your realize it sucks. I rather die on craigslist. Your best option is to host a garage sale and advertize it on craigslist.