Who pays for Disney with Ebay?

[SuzyQ]

OK, so granted I am an Ebay newbie. I've searched on Ebay and even bought an item once. But, the thought of beginning to sell the items I have in my home on Ebay seems a bit overwhelming. I would really like to try it out, though, so that I can get my Disney piggybank going again (and I bet that there are a few of you out there who would like to add a few Disney Dollars to yours as well!).

Do you Ebay?

If so, how did you get started?

Any Ebay tips?


~Suzy

[Tagrel]

I've been ebaying for years. Its best to start out buying a few items to raise your 'rank' or feedback score. Typically, for each completed transaction, both parties will leave the other positive feedback which raises your rank. People are very leary of buying from those with little or no rank.

Once you start selling I've found a few things that really help:

COMPLETE item descriptions
LOTS of pictures
A paypal account makes it very easy to both pay for and have others pay you.
Auctions end at the same time of day as you start them. So don't post them at 2am, because the most bids typically come in the last few minutes. I shoot for around 10 or 11pm EST for my auctions to end, and have had good luck with that.

And paying for Disney sounds like a good idea. I have a house FULL of stuff I should sell on ebay! :winking:

Good Luck! Love to hear other tips!

[KatEnigma]

I've sold quite a few things on Ebay. I've found that having the auction end on a weekend brings in higher bids because more people are home/have free time.

As much info as possible is good, but don't be surprised if people still email you with dumb questions. :wink:

The #1 piece of advice I can give is to know what your items are worth. I usually track what similar items are SELLING for (not what some people are asking) and start my auction well below that level. People like to think they really have a chance at a bargain.

[pixi]

Where do you get your boxes to ship things???
And the packing supplies, too. Are they costly? Do you figure that into your shipping charges? How do you know what to charge- do you box up the item first then have the post office weigh it & tell you how much?
That's what I was wondering... all the little details.
Rhonda

[FLSharon]

The #1 piece of advice I can give is to know what your items are worth. I usually track what similar items are SELLING for (not what some people are asking) and start my auction well below that level. People like to think they really have a chance at a bargain.

Kat, Do you ever get stuck giving something away b/c of starting low? I'm curious, have only bought, but never sold anything.

[Sheryl]

Thank you for asking this Suzy, and to all who have replied. I've been thinking of doing this for some time, but am nervous to try it.

:mickeyWalk: Sheryl :minnie:

[FLSharon]

I intend to also, but just haven't got around to it. Just remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained! I figure it'll be just like setting up my own online lemonade stand! Go for it! :wink:

[pixie]

I want to sell on e-bay too! I figure if my job gets cut this year I'll have plenty of time.

In our area we have Craig's list. My daughter found a mirror in her boyfriend's dumpster and sold it for $25.00.

Maybe we can have a chat SuzyQ. There seems to be alot of interest.

:tink: Barbara

[FLSharon]

In our area we have Craig's list.
:tink: Barbara

Pixie, What's Craig's list?

[pixie]

Hi Sharon!!!! www.craigslist.org is like a swap meet online. I just checked it out myself and found it's for places all over the country. There is Miami and Tampa Bay for you. I never checked it out because the people come to pick things up and my husband doesn't want strangers here. My DD's boyfriend has a storage area in the basement and they just take people there.

If you have any questions PM Cosmic Amanda and she'll explain it.

:tink: Barbara

[FLSharon]

Thanks Pixie, that looks interesting. :)

[SuzyQ]

Thanks for the responses!

Good question about the boxes . . . anyone have suggestion as to how you figure shipping?

~Suzy

[Tagrel]

Thanks for the responses!

Good question about the boxes . . . anyone have suggestion as to how you figure shipping?

~Suzy

I have sent most of my sales USPS Priority Mail. The nice thing is you can get free boxes of varying sizes, labels, etc. I also have a scale that lets me 'pre-weigh' most items and compute a shipping price (easy to do, using the USPS website). Including the full shipping costs in your auction is also a help in convincing people to bid.

For items I've shipped UPS, I have always found a box I've received and reused it. But I don't sell tons of items either...

here is the link for Priorty Mail supplies: Priorty Mail Postal Store (http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/postal_store_non_ssl/home.jsp?appName=SSOL)

[FLSharon]

Including the full shipping costs in your auction is also a help in convincing people to bid.



I agree. For me, it's a must. I won't buy on ebay w/o knowing the exact costs.

[TonyaKY]

We started ebaying last August and did really well at it. We probalby paid for most of our trip from it. One tip I would give is to be on the look out for clearance items. Even if you only make a few extra dollars from the item that is a few dollars you didn't have and the buyer pays for all the shippping. I'm thinking about putting my disney tickets on there from our trip in Dec. They have one day and 4 plusses left on them. I don't know how they will sell but I'm hoping to make a enough from them to buy one childs pass.
Tonya

[KatEnigma]

The #1 piece of advice I can give is to know what your items are worth. I usually track what similar items are SELLING for (not what some people are asking) and start my auction well below that level. People like to think they really have a chance at a bargain.

Kat, Do you ever get stuck giving something away b/c of starting low? I'm curious, have only bought, but never sold anything.

Sorry, I forgot about this thread! :shock:

No, I've never given anything away because I started it low. I also NEVER start the bids lower than what I actually paid for something. If you want to start it lower, you can also start it with a "reserve price" so you don't have to sell it for less than you really want to. Also, if you have something that's not getting any bids, you can go back in and lower the starting price.

For shipping, I haul whatever down to the scales in the weight room, estimate what the packing will add to it, and then figure out what the shipping will be from here to the furthest "zone" using the UPS and USPS's websites. I then add the cost of packing materials and then usually "pad" it a dollar or two (think of it as "handling") and then post the set price of shipping on the item. I think that most people prefer knowing what the shipping cost will be up-front, so they can figure that in when deciding how much to bid.

Incidentally, Both UPS and USPS will provide you with free boxes. All you have to do for UPS is register (also makes it nice- they'll pick things up and charge your account) on their site. You don't have to do anything at the USPS site except for make the request.

I can't stress enough the importance of timing! For instance, today I got a b-day present for DH. I paid $100 less for the item than the exact same thing sold for 3 hours earlier AND 2 hours later. And it was from a dealer with over a 200 rating (and only 1 negative PERIOD) so it wasn't that no one wanted to trust the dealer, either.

[Ursulinda]

TonyKY, That's Amazing! I ebayed religiously from September to November, spending almost every night and weekend on the computer posting and answering questions. Had both my own junk, and shop leftovers from a dealer with whom I split profits on her items. Kept a spreadsheet with records. Tallied it up at the end of the time and I had cleared $200 after ebay expenses. Didn't count trips to the postoffice. I figured i made about a buck an hour. Haven't been able to muster much enthusiasm for doing it again.

[mickeefan]

We,in particular my daughter, have been E-Baying for some time now. I think Tagrel sumed it up very well. I have had the best luck with items that I had supplied several pictures. I sold an archery bow I had bought back in 1953 and was absolutely floored at the price I got for it. A lot of collectors look at E-Bay.
Unfortunatly, it seems that we buy more than we sell. My most recent purchase was a 35th "Art of Disney"anniversary sericel. I paid $100 for it and when it came it had never been taken out of the box and was in it's original wrapping. It also had the original price tag on it which read $225.00.
I have several items to place there now and will set the money aside for our next trip unless I see something that I just have to have.

[SuzyQ]

Those are some great notes about ebaying. Good point, Ursulinda about time = $$. That's definitely something I need to figure before jumping in.

Thanks for the suggestions!