Buying and Selling on eBay: Tips, Tricks, Problems & Questions - Page 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by concealed 

I agree with this.  I get 50 free listings each month, so my strategy is to put a starting price of what I am willing to take, since many of the less popular items are only going to get one bid, and anything else is gravy.  For thrift store stuff this usually means 17-20$ starting bid, so I make a net profit of 5$.  Also, I always throw a buy it now option on there (with the free listings) with a price that I would be very pleased to get. 

 

I have had several situations in which bidders bid up from the starting price and the final price is higher than the original buy it now, that always makes me giggle.

 

For higher ticket items like shoes, in not the most common (9-12d) sizes, where you really need to find a specific buyer, I think BINOBO is far superior. 

+1 I always try to start my auctions at the lowest price that I would feel comfortable selling the item. I have purchased a lot of great items from sellers listing low and believing that the market will set the correct price. 

As an example; http://www.ebay.com/itm/120929964375?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_13161wt_1413

As an aside, never bundle items when you can make more by selling separately. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by VLSI 

First one by a long shot.
Question: I sold something. Dude told me he would pay on X day (4 days after auction ends). I wait three days past when he tells me and file a non-payment case. Immediately after filing the case he sends me an upset message about how he is going to pay. On the fourth day right before I can close out the case, he pays. I shipped the item. That was two weeks ago. Tracking now shows "notice left" and I'm afraid he plans on not picking up the pants. What happens if the dude never picks them up and USPS sends them back to me (and of course I will no longer be at this address... so that's a bonus)? Do I get forced to return price+shipping?

It depends on what the buyer does. If he does nothing, you may eventually get the item back without being forced to issue a refund.  It can take the USPS up to a month to return the package to you. If he files a did not receive case through eBay or PayPal, you will probably loose and will have to refund total cost plus shipping. You should not refund the money until you receive the item. Have a forwarding notice with the USPS if you move. By the way, the tracking information via eBay/USPS will not show when you actually receive an item via return mail. It will simply say that the item is being returned.

I have my non-payment assistant set at four days. It will automatically open a nonpayment case after four days for items that have not been paid. The buyer has four days to pay before the case is closed. Inform your buyer when they indicate that they will pay with in that eight day period that they may see a an non-payment case opened due to the automatic case setting. If they keep their word and pay that should have no issue.  You can turn off the automatic assistant if you wish or if you agree to wait past the 8 day period. 

A question for heavier volume ebayers.  How do you keep records for tax purposes?  Do you use any software?  I currently have a pretty sophisticated excel spreadsheet that I built with tons of code and some low-level macros.  I enter in a description and cost for every item I buy, so that I can track cost of goods sold.  After a year of doing this though, my spreadsheet has over 1000 rows and 10 tabs, and it is getting very slow.  I'm thinking about getting quickbooks or something like that.

Anyone have any advice on strategies for listing Holland & Holland? I don't want my listing to get buried under a pile of Holland sports merch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HansderHund 


That's good advice and I've considered it in the past. I'm always worried about adding the maker, even if I'm 100% sure who it was, because someone might feel misled if it doesn't specifically say "Corneliani" or whatever
Do you add an explanation that it was made for whomever but doesn't specifically state that on the tag?

Yes, I would say it's made by Corneliani for PRL

For those of you who sell stuff you thrift, what do you do when buyers ask where you got them? I've told people a few times, but really I want to say "none of your damned business"

Quote:

Originally Posted by VLSI 

I would never tell. It can lead to no good, but it surely can create ill will. You could just say you were consigning the item or simply ignore them. Haven't been faced with that yet.

+1 consigned to yourself. This is what I say if people really care where it came from.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evil Abed 

Here's an interesting non-clothing ebay question...

 

Bought a polaroid camera I've been looking for for a long time. Seller stated that it works great, and even included the rest of the film in the camera, along with a little shitty tripod that I'll be donating. I even messaged him first to make sure it worked well. (also the bottom of the camera has a sticker stating that it had been reconditioned to new operating standards/carried full warranty back when it was repaired). Link to auction

 

So I got it yesterday, fired it up, and the shutter fired/flash popped, but the picture didn't spit out at all. I try this a couple times. Open the door to the film area, and it looks sort of jammed. So I put the film back in its place and kept trying. Eventually I figured it was a battery issue. For those that don't know, the battery pack is in the film cartridge. So I had an empty film cart, went in a dark room and by hand swapped each unexposed shot into the other cartridge. I installed it and shot some pics... It works better (the pictures spit out the front) but it's still really sluggish and not dependable very dependable at all. Takes probably 3x as long as usual for the picture to spit out.

 

Now, I have stockpiled polaroid film, so I could install a fresh pack that should have 0 issues and a great battery, but the film is scarce and expensive these days (the real stuff, not impossible project). Do I use another pack to verify that the previous issues were just anomalies, at the expense of using up some of my resources? Or do you think I should punt and ask for a return (seller states no returns, but it's backed by ebay etc).

Have any of the leftover film left? If so, swap them back into the cartridge the seller sent, place the cartridge into another camera you have that uses that film (whether sx-70 or 600). Then see if it works well from there.

Are the rollers clean? Maybe they are a little gummed up causing some resistance - this would be my guess. Any corrosion way in the back of the film compartment?

BTW, that Minolta for that price is insane, nice find. IMHO well worth paying to have CLA'd