eBay auction do's and dont's

[Mo2vation]

Until I thought about it... I'll never use that stuff, and I know that stuff with boxes and manuals gets more money than stuff without boxes and manuals.

Its a great country when you can get gold from straw.

K

actualy, its still laughable...

 

[Mo2vation]

Definately be polite - and make the guy an offer. Tell the seller you'll give him $107 if he'll pull the auction right now.

he can end it early (no penalty for that on eBay) and you can PayPal him $107. He's not sitting around for 6 or 7 days waiting for the bid process, he gets his money NOW (very motivating to most sellers.)

Always check his other auctions - make an offer on the package. Especially Dive gear...they're usually selling other stuff and list it separately. Make an offer on the package.

Downside of the off-line offer - no Feedback. if you NEED feedback, simply bid it up and have the seller use the feature "close auction sell to current high bidder". You get your price AND feedback. Danger in that - someone may be using the sniper programs (they are several of them) and be suto-bidding the price up.

OffLine - that's where the real eBay action is, and where all the best deals reside.

K

 

[djhall]

I know this should be obvious, but if you are a seller you need to think of every question someone might want to ask and do your best to answer it in the item description. I can't tell you how many times I have seen a description like this, "O'Neil Drysuit, fits 5'10" 180lbs, good condition". What model, what size, did it fit right/tight/loose, what size boots, any patches/repairs, how old is it, are the seals in good shape, what color, etc? I have seen these close for a fraction of their potential value becase you have no clear idea of what you are bidding on.

 

[djhall]

Bob3 once bubbled...
Sniping software pays for itself very quickly.
I use http://www.isnipeit.com/ There's a 20 day free trial, my first use of it was to pay for the software in the final 5 seconds of its auction. (they sell it on ebay too)

I love it! The irony in this is priceless .

 

[Ian Wigg]

Scubaroo once bubbled...
Why wouldn't sniping work on eBay in the UK (I realise there are different eBay sites for each country) - do they have different policies?

Works fine when I do it!

Ian

 

[stiebs]

Especially if you're not in the States (like me). By default, Ebay.com will only show you items available to the US. Likewise, ebay.com.au only shows items available to Australia.

Do an advanced search to show auctions available to any country. I have found without fail that even auctioneers that say they will only ship to the US will ship internationally, if the buyer is willing to pay for shipping.

On the other hand, if you're selling, elect to ship internationally - you instantly increase your audience.

 

[leadweight]

I have yet to use Ebay, and what I have read above confirms a lot of what I was afraid of. OTOH, I have a bunch of stuff around here that I would like to move out of the house. Hmmmmm...

 

[Lead_carrier]

Mo2vation once bubbled...
Definately be polite - and make the guy an offer. Tell the seller you'll give him $107 if he'll pull the auction right now.


OffLine - that's where the real eBay action is, and where all the best deals reside.

K

What a twist. trying to out internet sell the internet.
:boom:

 

[Scubaroo]

leadweight once bubbled...
I have yet to use Ebay, and what I have read above confirms a lot of what I was afraid of. OTOH, I have a bunch of stuff around here that I would like to move out of the house. Hmmmmm...

I bought a Nikonos 20mm lens and viewfinder new in the box, it sat on the shelf in the bedroom for 12 months unused, and I then resold it on eBay and made $160 more than what I paid for it. Just follow the suggestions everyone is giving in this thread, take some good pictures, beef up the description, and you'll be surprised at what you can move. Even if you've got something you think is trash, put it up for $5 or something - people will buy it!

 

[leadweight]

The FTC reported that the largest class of consumer complaints in 2002 involved identity theft. The second largest was internet auctions. Something to think about.