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

[SpooPoker]

I am seriously about to pull my hair out dealing with this ^&%$#@* Garage Sale. "User friendly" ******. Admittedly, I am only mildly proficient at computer usage. But, this **** is driving me nucking futs. Why can't the damn program be Windows-based?!?!?! Sorry for the rant... Carry on.

I forgot to give you that heads up. I went through the same thing - but trust me - it gets easier and more intuitive. What are you getting stuck on?

 

[Sartoriamo]

need someone's help here. so i have about 90 positive feedbacks on eBay with no negative ones yet they are restricting me from selling designer goods because of buyer protection on counterfeit goods, while I see where they are coming from; I still need to sell! eBay only told me to start selling unbranded goods to establish a reputation before they let me start selling branded ones. anyone has advices or experiences? much appreciated!

You just need to call eBay and get an explanation, along with the specific numbers you need to reach to get approved (they most likely won't tell you exactly, but you should still try to get a sense of it). Are most of your feedbacks as a seller? Or a buyer? If mostly as a buyer, you'll have an issue. About 15+ years ago, I had a good balance of FB for both buying and selling, but not in the clothing category. After I got into the clothing side, I remember one day, out of the blue, being blocked from listing several NWT Burberry items, as they were being heavily counterfeited at the time. It's too long ago to remember what the exact details were, but I seem to recall it was a matter of proportion: since counterfeit items tend to be listed in large quantities simultaneously, I was asked to limit how many I offered at once, and so I just slowly moved them out, one or two a week, until they were gone. Hasn't been an issue since.

Bottom line: just ask them what you need to do, then do it. There's lots of cool, high-priced inventory that doesn't trigger that type of warning: you'll get it only on brands that are at high risk for counterfeiting: Burberry, Hermes, Vuitton, Versace, Gucci and so on. Avoid too many of those until you've got, say, 100 positives as a seller in that category, and you'll likely be able to have that restriction removed. You can sell pre-owned Kiton, Brioni, Isaia, Tom Ford and the like all day long without an issue, as those are rarely cloned. eBay won't reveal their exact algorithm, but in the old days, counterfeiters typically accrued feedback buying $1 items from their friends, then suddenly switching to selling 100 NWT fake Burberry shirts once they reached a feedback goal. So by avoiding that kind of pattern (and most NWT), you'll be fine building your reputation. Good luck and happy selling!

 

[drlivingston]

I forgot to give you that heads up. I went through the same thing - but trust me - it gets easier and more intuitive. What are you getting stuck on?

Just the whole interface is confusing. However, I am piecing little bits of information together.
This is one of my old-style auctions:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/272727382783?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
This is my first effort with Garage Sale:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/311901645429?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

 

[SpooPoker]

Very much improved! I know it takes some time to get used to new commands/buttons etc. but keep practicing and I promise it gets easier. LMK if you need any help.

 

[drlivingston]

Very much improved! I know it takes some time to get used to new commands/buttons etc. but keep practicing and I promise it gets easier. LMK if you need any help.

Thanks, bro. (The bow tie is from Century 21)

 

[My Main Man]

Very much improved! I know it takes some time to get used to new commands/buttons etc. but keep practicing and I promise it gets easier. LMK if you need any help.

Agreed. Getting your first few templates set up and forgetting to change weight or item specifics or whatever is super frustrating. Once you have it set and are just replacing info, it's great. So much faster and streamlined.

 

[Sartoriamo]

Gentlehommes:

I violated my number 1 rule and bought some wimenz things by Costume National. two pair of shoes. Two long tops. retail on the shoes are usually in the 600 to 800 range and the tops over $1500 retail.

Was in a hurry and didn't have time to check comps.

Now that I have, its seriously disappointing with shoes going recently for $15-$60 and the tops maybe $25 to $50.

Any tips on maximizing price on women's things?

This is a rule I have violated a number of times, and have always regretted it. In my experience, the only wimminz items that flip well are handbags and scarves, preferably Hermes etc. The clothing side is absolutely brutal. In Phoenix, I discussed this often with a couple pro-seller gals that I'd often run into scooping up the women's side of estate sales, while I was pillaging the menswear. Issues that thwart menswear sales (wide lapels, ventless jackets, pleated pants etc), are magnified a hundredfold in the women's, such that you need to know EXACTLY what they want at that time, and be wiling to take small margins. With few exceptions (Burberry raincoats etc), there largely isn't "classic womenswear" in the manner of classic menswear. It's much more segmented and volatile. I've thrifted women's stuff I thought was KILLER, and taken it to high-end consignment stores to unload, only to have them sniffily turn up their noses at it, always for a reason that appears fickle to me. Plus, the resale prices are way lower than menswear. I have sold dozens of LP Horsey jackets, and the women's get 50% of the men's. So, unless you really know that side of it, like we do with much of the men's stuff, it's always a lottery, with similar results (aka rarely a win). Just my 2¢ . . . and I'd love to hear if anyone has a different story.

 

[leisurewear]

This is a rule I have violated a number of times, and have always regretted it. In my experience, the only wimminz items that flip well are handbags and scarves, preferably Hermes etc. The clothing side is absolutely brutal. In Phoenix, I discussed this often with a couple pro-seller gals that I'd often run into scooping up the women's side of estate sales, while I was pillaging the menswear. Issues that thwart menswear sales (wide lapels, ventless jackets, pleated pants etc), are magnified a hundredfold in the women's, such that you need to know EXACTLY what they want at that time, and be wiling to take small margins. With few exceptions (Burberry raincoats etc), there largely isn't "classic womenswear" in the manner of classic menswear. It's much more segmented and volatile. I've thrifted women's stuff I thought was KILLER, and taken it to high-end consignment stores to unload, only to have them sniffily turn up their noses at it, always for a reason that appears fickle to me. Plus, the resale prices are way lower than menswear. I have sold dozens of LP Horsey jackets, and the women's get 50% of the men's. So, unless you really know that side of it, like we do with much of the men's stuff, it's always a lottery, with similar results (aka rarely a win). Just my 2¢ . . . and I'd love to hear if anyone has a different story.

I've had a couple winners

Spoiler

paid $7

a handful of others too that i didn't snap pics of

I agree with you that it's more volatile than the men's but I think it's just a learning curve, similar to everything else we thrift. The lady flippers I've spoken with view the men's section with as much confusion as i do for their sections. I'll always try to flip through the women's stuff that comes out on the new racks and also the outerwear section but just don't have the time to go through everything on the floor. As a part-timmer I'd rather just cover more ground and hit more stores than spend more time at one store. Also where I am, there's a lot more people looking at the women's items to flip so I think the return on investment is lower compared to just going to the next stop. There's definitely money to be made though. I think the key is not so much learning the labels that sell but learning what's "hot" right now and being able to flip cheap, bad quality stuff that has the right look, making it up in volume.

 

[Sartoriamo]

Just the whole interface is confusing. However, I am piecing little bits of information together.
This is one of my old-style auctions:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/272727382783?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
This is my first effort with Garage Sale:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/311901645429?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

The new listing looks great! I'm impressed that you have tackled two giant steps at once: a new OS and new software. I switched to Apple in the 1980s, back when they were the underdog, because I like stuff that "just works". And you will come to love that, especially if you're not a "computer guy". However, while the Apple interface is famous for its ease of use, that's not necessarily the case for all of the software that inhabits it. I did notice when I tried to implement GS, that it was not nearly as intuitive as I would like. [Typical Apple fanboi comment: "if I have to read ANY instructions, it's not intuitive"]. I haven't been able to implement it in my current setting (unusably slow upload via boondocks DSL), but look forward to doing so once I have better internet.

The said looks like you're well on the way! Congrats!

 

[double00]

I am seriously about to pull my hair out dealing with this ^&%$#@* Garage Sale. "User friendly" ******. Admittedly, I am only mildly proficient at computer usage. But, this **** is driving me nucking futs. Why can't the damn program be Windows-based?!?!?! Sorry for the rant... Carry on.

i take a mordant satisfaction that this comes from somebody who trades as 'mensaman' lol. looking good!

 

[drlivingston]

i take a mordant satisfaction that this comes from somebody who trades as 'mensaman' lol. looking good!

Trust me, if you ever attend a Mensa RG (regional gathering), you will find yourself surrounded by a bunch of inebriated people who, collectively, couldn't figure out the simplest of tasks.

 

[jebarne]

I am seriously about to pull my hair out dealing with this ^&%$#@* Garage Sale. "User friendly" ******. Admittedly, I am only mildly proficient at computer usage. But, this **** is driving me nucking futs. Why can't the damn program be Windows-based?!?!?! Sorry for the rant... Carry on.

I never want anything to be windoze based, but that's me.

I have probably worked through most of the issues that anyone has plus I read their online forum every week.

feel free to ask. I paraphrase Churchill by saying that GarageSale is the worst eBay listing tool there is except for every other one.

 

[jebarne]

Just the whole interface is confusing. However, I am piecing little bits of information together.
This is one of my old-style auctions:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/272727382783?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
This is my first effort with Garage Sale:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/311901645429?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Not this week, but if you would want, I will set up a collab session and take you through a soup to nuts set up.

 

[Tyrone MacStiophain]

"if I have to read ANY instructions, it's not intuitive"

Web and interface designers need this tattooed on both forearms.

 

[txwoodworker]

aww