i am going to venture into the unknown and try and sell some stuff on ebay. I tried reading their guidelines but didn`t understand a word. just wanted to know about all the charges that ebay charge. what happens if you don`t sell you item etc etc.

 

anything i should watch out for?

Basically, even if u dont saell your item, you get to sell it again free of charge. DOnt know how many times u get to do this, but if it doesnt sell after 2-3 times, look elsewhere for the sale.

 

U get charged heavily if u put a buy it now or a reserve price on it depending on the cost of the item. Ie, just tried to put me mums conservatory on there for a reserve of £2500, but they charge 2% of the reserve price so that £50. My mum said 'f*** that!'

 

SO thats it really. Oh, always make sure you complete the transaction through Ebay, dont let the buyer say he'll knock £20 off if u dont complete Ebay and sort the transaction via E-Mail, as then he/she/they can rip u off and Ebay cant do fook all about it. Ebay will cover your arse if u get screwed...

 

HTH.

I found with ebay that I kept getting bills even after I had paid the previous. No answer to any emails etc. Dont trust them myself.

Avoid PayPal - No protection for UK sellers, you can be burnt easily. Cheques are best.

 

On eBay you pay a listing fee that you agree too before submitting - as has been noted if you add reserves or buy it nows this can be a lot (big lot) higher. Not worth it I reckon start at 0.99p and pull the listing if it looks like not making the money. You also pay a sale fee based upon the final value... In the end if you think of it as one large garage sale / local paper you won't go far wrong.

 

Try it - it's more fun to sell than it is to bid/snipe!

 

IMHO

Success story for Ebay. My dad sold a sextant which he bought on Ebay a few months ago for about £300. He was hoping for £500 and with 2 days to go it was about £400. With 3 hours left it was at £800 and was really surprised that it got that high. We went to do some Xmas shopping came back to find it went for £1400, and that the money was already in his Pay Pall :D

 

Also check out what you are bidding on. I have seen a few things where ebay cost was actually more expensive than the cost of it brand new. It doesnt happen often but is does happen.

 

Stuart

Yeah, I sold a Cobalt Qube 2 and some geezer paid £270 for it - he must've needed one really badly - right NOW !!!

dont put areserve on it put a high starting bid thats cheaper

and start the auction when you fill the pages in thats free

do it on a weekend for 7 days

 

steve

Avoid PayPal - No protection for UK sellers, you can be burnt easily. Cheques are best.

 

On eBay you pay a listing fee that you agree too before submitting - as has been noted if you add reserves or buy it nows this can be a lot (big lot) higher. Not worth it I reckon start at 0.99p and pull the listing if it looks like not making the money. You also pay a sale fee based upon the final value... In the end if you think of it as one large garage sale / local paper you won't go far wrong.

 

Try it - it's more fun to sell than it is to bid/snipe!

 

IMHO

 

Barry,

Not sure I understand when you say "no protection for UK sellers" - when you sell an item using Paypal, you get an e-mail saying that they have deposited the money in your account, you then can transfere it to your bank, where is the risk?

 

Thanks

 

John

Hi John - 20 or so days after I sold something and accepted Paypal the paypal account user said that her brother had used her account without permission and recovered the money back. It went into dispute but the end result I was out the item and the money. I closed my PayPal account that day and now only accept cheques, cash or POs. The same bidder did this to about 30 users on eBay - had a field day.

I've only bought off ebeay and only pay via cheques thru the post - I WON'T use Paypal/Nochex etc. - just another way for money ppl to screw u !

I always start at 0.01p, and always chose the gallery option (15p). The picture helps your listing to be picked out easier in a crowded category, and the 0.01p helps increase the total number of bidders, and keeps them a bit more interested. Leave it going till the last minute - if it looks as though you areent going to get what you wanted, cancel the auction. You only lose your 30p listing fee.

 

Dont use bold, and dont use higlighting - it just doesnt have an effect on views/bids.

 

I sell dozens of items every day on ebay, I do very well.

 

RE: paypal - I rely heavily on paypal. If I didnt accept it, my bids would be more than halved (tried and tested), and the hassle of cheque/cash/postal orders combined with the postal system ... more of a mare ;)

PayPal is owned by Ebay. I have heard lots of stories where people have had accounts suspened because some one. A lot of the time you cant get you money out when it is suspended.

 

Another tip is try to make it so your sale ends at 7 or 8 in the evening on a Sunday.

ive heard lots of stories too about paypal, but none recently, and all pre-ebay.

 

I never leave more than 250 in there just incase ;)