4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[chooklady]

I've just been preparing to sell something on ebay, I was really quite nervous about it all, I've only ever bought stuff before. I'm afraid of getting it wrong. I have so many things I could do with selling. I want to raise some money to build a pond in my garden, not that there is much room left with the chickens and veg etc but I have ear marked a good spot

 

Does anyone regularly sell on ebay here and it can't be that nerve racking can it?

[The Dogmother]

Ask Cinnamon - she's an expert

[Purplemaniacs]

I am afraid I am no help, like you I buy things but have never sold anything, often wonder how easy or hard it is as I too have some things that I would like to sell.

 

I hope you find the answers that you need.

 

Let us know how you get on, perhaps you will inspire others to have a go at selling

 

Chrissie

[Cinnamon]

Aw,thanks

 

Yes, I do sell a lot on eBay - just normal household stuff really & sometimes things my Hubby brings home from work (he is a builder)

 

A few basic rules when selling are.......................

 

1 - start the listing on a Thursday & let it run for 10 days.This way it runs over 2 weekends & ends on a Sunday, which maximises views.

 

2 - Start it at 2pm ish,so it ends around the same time.

 

3 - Always have a photo of the item.Its free now anyhow, & also set it to show a thumbnail.

 

4 - Accept Paypal payments.

 

5 - I generally start everything at 99p, even larger items & vehicles.

 

6 - I don't usually bother with Buy it Now.

 

7 - Get good at guesstimating postage & offer overseas postage too, if you can.

 

 

 

There you go. Its really good fun watching your auctions once things get started

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Old Speckled Hen]

A friend who sells, photographs then parcels up her items weighed and ready to go with the postage worked out from Post Office tables.

[Chickendoodle]

Be extra careful on the postage costs. We have sold a few things and had a very disgruntled man complaining that we had overcharged the postage by 30p!!!!!! Had to refund him.

 

You will need to weigh the items, including packaging and there is a postage chart on the Royal Mail website which shows the costs for various weights.

 

Also use photos and be sure to point out any flaws so that people don't complain that they have been misled.

 

We made the error the first time of putting lots of items on in quick succession. This means that they all finish at roughly the same time and you will get a barrage of emails which you have to allocate to the items. Found it better to stagger the items.

 

Good luck

[Old Speckled Hen]

Be extra careful on the postage costs. We have sold a few things and had a very disgruntled man complaining that we had overcharged the postage by 30p!!!!!! Had to refund him.

 

 

In which case you can call it postage and packing

[Cinnamon]

Be extra careful on the postage costs. We have sold a few things and had a very disgruntled man complaining that we had overcharged the postage by 30p!!!!!! Had to refund him.

 

You will need to weigh the items, including packaging and there is a postage chart on the Royal Mail website which shows the costs for various weights.

 

 

 

Hmmmmmmmmmmm, well I don't entirely agree with that actually.

 

If he agreed to the postage cost you advertised when he placed his bid, then he is in no position to ask for a 30p refund & I most certainly would have told him where to get off.

 

People look at the amount on the parcel when it arrives, but P&P means postage AND PACKAGING, so packaging costs have to be taken into account, even down to sellotape!

Also there is petrol to the Post Office & so forth........................

 

I charge most small things at £2 for UK postage (say on a small item of clothing like a T Shirt),then use the 'sellers standard price' option & send them by second class.

BUT I do package everything beautifully,wrapped in tissue,with a printed compliment slip & again packed in brown parcel paper.Never had a complaint yet!

[Snowy]

I agree with Cinnamon, good advice there!

Yes it is nerve wracking the first time, but once you get into the swing of it, it can be quite addictive!!

[Old Speckled Hen]

Oooooooh I have so much stuff I could sell to put in the Cube/Beehaus fund

[Redwing]

I have just sold a lot of items to help fund my new sheep hobby The first item was paid for by echeque which was a bit of a pain but everything else sold well and went smoothly and considering it was just a load of stuff I didnt use I was pleased to raise £160

 

I had good feedback and everyone was pleased, I pointed out the flaws as the others say and was brutally honest aboput a couple of things, I put a broken sat nav on and said how rubbish it was and still got over £20!

 

 

If you use the paypal option to pay for the postage and print the postal label at home you can request that the amount is not shown on the label and that cuts out any arguements but like the others say if the buyer bids for the item they should be aware of your postal costs.

 

be aware that some ebay categories impose maximum postal costs so bear these in mind when setting starting prices for example I sold two hardback books as one lot, they went for 99p and the maximum postage cost I could charge was £2.75 but the books cost me £4.50 to post! so if you start the bidding at 99p be aware that you may only get one bid and don't group items unless you need to!

[craftyhunnypie]

Hi - list your items at a time when you think most people will be in from work & had their tea - but not during favourite TV programmes. Don't have any items ending on a Friday or Saturday night - people go out. Best to end on a Sunday as people are a bit fed up that they have work in the morning & tend to impulse buy on ebay.

Weigh all items & work out the postage - try to stick to what the postage should be - don't add on costs for packaging materials - that's just cheeky & ebay don't like it. You can round up to the nearest 50p or £1.

Things that are flat, light weight & fit in a small jiffy bag are so easy to sell. Anything very heavy is best sent by DHL or can be collected from your house. Special delivery bags are free from your post office. Blue rubble sacks from pound shop are good packaging for a lot of items. Package neatly - it counts & gets remembered!

Don't accept money transfers into your bank account - usually scams.

 

Consider doing a few buy it nows & accept best offers too - you can always do counter offers too.

 

If I think of anything else - I'll get back to you. If you're sensible & have common sense - then ebay can be a great place. We both use it a lot!

 

Emma.x

[Guest]

 

2 - Start it at 2pm ish,so it ends around the same time.

 

7 - Get good at guesstimating postage & offer overseas postage too, if you can.

 

 

I would like to offer a different opinion on these two. DON'T start an auciton during the day - that way it will finish during the day when people are busy and not online. Best time to start is between 7pm and 10pm as this will give you the most people online. Actually often Sunday night telly is rather pedestrian too....

 

Don't guestimate post - get a good accurate pair of kitchen scales and weigh everything (just bundle it in the box with the packaging) then check out the prices on the Royal mail website and then add a little bit on to cover your fees. Remember you pay listing fees, final value fees and now the theiving so and so's insist that you have to take PayPal payments so you have to pay PayPal fees too!

[Lesley]

We have a duel fuel LPG range cooker to put on Ebay - you wouldn't start at 99p for something big like that would you?

 

I've collected quite a few things ready to Ebay but I'm a bit wary of doing it as well!

[Cinnamon]

I would actually Lesley

 

Pengy, by ending an auction at 3 ish on a Sunday you hit the 'just had me Sunday roast & a couple of pints' crowd

It works for me

 

I guess that after 4 years of selling I am now really pretty good at estimating the p&p costs.I have certainly never cost myself any money anyhow

Never had any complaints about over charging either, although when the new P&P rules came into force at the Post Office a year or so ago (where a parcel is charged by size as well as weight) there were a few sticky weeks.

[Lesley]

I would actually Lesley

 

....but as it is a niche item - odd fuel , odd colour and odd size (800mm) - wouldn't I risk it going for 99p?

[Cinnamon]

But it won't.

You are saving a lot on listing fees by starting low & also you are encouraging bidding.

You can always set a reserve too................

[Lesley]

Thank you

[Guest]

I would actually Lesley

 

Pengy, by ending an auction at 3 ish on a Sunday you hit the 'just had me Sunday roast & a couple of pints' crowd

It works for me

.

 

I'd have thought it was more the just back from the pub and eating my dinner time!

[Cinnamon]

[chooklady]

Wow, thanks for all the replies, what a lot of useful information.

 

You are all so knowledgable, much appreciated.

 

I've been taking photos of things tonight in readiness. Just got to load them now.

 

I have just listed my first item, to start with I thought I would put one item on each day to get the hang of things, just little things, books, etc.

 

You have to charge something for packaging, it's not cheap. I went to Staples today in Harlow and spent £25 on jiffy bags, brown paper, tissue paper and a few other odds and sods. I have to do things properly or I don't do it at all, I'm a terror.

 

Thankyou once again, I'm really excited. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

My first item was and orange eglu grub!!!!!!!

[Happy chickens!]

If anyone's near me and needs packaging I'm a bit of a hoarder, I mean recycler and always keep packaging to reuse. When I sell on ebay I always put that p & p includes recyled packaging and have never had any negative comments.

 

I don't think the ending time matters so much now, as so many people seem to use those sites that automatically bid for you.

 

What's the p & p on the cooker?!

[Cinnamon]

Much cheaper to buy packaging on Ebay,& not to use Jiffys unless you have to.

 

I am lucky to have a neverending bubble wrap supply!

[Geoid]

Statistically, the best time to end an auction is on a Thursday night, as thats when most people are online.

[chooklady]

My Chicken feeder sold last night for the price I was asking, dead chuffed with my very first sale item. Can't wait to do some more.

 

I have one minor hitch at the moment, our computer is refusing to 'communicate' with my camera but I have more or less sorted this out temporarily by putting my memory card in my daugther's camera, which is ok for now.