| Author | Message | ||
     Dsergison |
I'm new to selling on ebay, I don't know what the most effective way to list stuff is. Curious about all your opinions. Thanks, Dan | ||
| Mikej |
#1. auctions with good pictures do much better than ones without. #2. clear accurate concise wording, or great humor, helps a lot too. #3. be very precise in your shipping and payment detail, and in where you will or will not ship to. #4. if it's a vehicle be very clear that you will not do third party scam-type money-changer entrapments, and make public note that you will work with international law enforcement in pursueing those with criminal intent. #5. watch other auctions with similar items to what you are looking to sell to learn what works and what doesn't. #6. watch your own auction daily and click on bidder's feedback to get a feel for who is bidding on your stuff. You can also do searches on the bidders to see what else they are currently bidding on to get a better feel if they're a realistic bidder or if they're something else. #7. stay on top of your correspondence with inquiries, and keep track of what was said. #8. do not ship an item until the payment has both been received and has cleared your bank. #9. get the book Ebay for Dummies. Lots more advice and suggestions in it than any of us could ever post here. #10. provide feedback to the winning bidder and try to be fair and hope they are fair as well. #11. have fun. | ||
| Josh_ |
#1 and #7 are the main keys (IMO) to doing it right. In regards to #7, remember that your auction will end 7 days to the minute after you start it* so make sure you will be available to check email constantly during the last hours of the auction. *for an extra fee you can change the length and start time of the auction. | ||
| Midknyte |
Hang around ebay and make some purchases if you haven't - to build a reponse history (even if it is just for buying). Myself, I never bid on anything from a brand new seller with a zero feedback history. If you don't want to do that, perhaps you know someone who has an ebay account and a history and could sell it on your behalf. | ||
| Shotgun |
I also feel that setting a low starting price is good and just make sure your reserve price is the lowest you can live with. Many first time sellers use their reserve price as their starting price and never see a bid. Also, I don't disclose my reserve price to all the clowns that email me for it. I just tell them to bid or watch to find out. #8 is what it is all about. Get the money, honey. | ||
| Midknyte |
I am leery (SP?) of #8. Banks will "clear" a check or cashiers check and post the funds to your account but it can be contested and or found to be fraudulent weeks after and the funds will be yanked back. Do not assume that because the funds have been placed into your account constitutes a good check - it does not. I ask for PayPal bidders only. Not a failsafe and some can surely find ways to argue against it too. But somehow I still feel more secure using it... | ||
| Mikej |
Funny that, I don't use PayPal anymore since they started wanting access to my checking account. Now I specifically state U.S.P.S. Money Orders or cash, and personal checks only with prior approval noting the item will not ship until everything is settled with the money. With the new check-flow processes in place now you can sometimes clear a check with non-retractable funds in the same day if you have a cooperative bank. International funds transfers are a whole different level of ballgame. | ||
| Tom_b |
State whether or not item is being offered with a return policy or bought as is. if being offered with a guarantee or return policy state upfront how buyer is expected to pay for returning. Also don't elaborate on condition, describe as best as possible. I would under NO circumstances take a personal check. US Postal money order only or paypal.Having both sold and bought thru ebay, never really had problems.Just follow everybodys suggestions and you should be O.K. (Message edited by Tom_B on November 11, 2004) | ||
| Swampy |
On the buying side: Postal Money orders take forever(30) days to make the request just to find out if one is cashed, and you can't do the request, only the Postmaster can! Western Union can give you the info over the phone at any time. I don't know about how safe they are but the post office is impossible to work with. I only use WU now because of it. How are they forthe sellers? | ||
| S2pengy |
I have had no problems with Western Union Money orders... Yet??? Color scanners and color printers can copy/dup anything.... | ||
| Lake_bueller |
On another ebay note..... How to avoid the scams?!?!?!?! I'm attempting to sell a 1982 Honda (placing wife's bike with a Blast). Within the first 2 hours, I had a handful of "scam" emails. You know the type: "I'll send you a cashier check for $X over the Buy It Now price. You send me the extra." Then someone with ZERO feedback from Singapore purchases with the Buy It Now (grrrrr!) How do I avoid these idiots?!?!?! How soon can I re-post (after I figure out how to avoid the scams)? Okay...rant off. Back to finding a way to scam the scammers! | ||
| Reepicheep |
Another sophisticated ebay scam... post an auction telling people to email for more info. When buyers ask a question, they respond with "more information" enclozed in a zip file. When the zip is extracted, it uses a windows flaw to manipulate a local configuration file (likely the DNS local lookup table) with a subltle redirection. Your computer will continue to operate normally... *until* you try and go to the "escrow service" the seller wants to use to protect both parties during the transaction. You then are not actually talking to the escrow service, but rather a spoofed site that impersonates it long enough to take your money. The bastards. A very sophisticated attack. | ||
| Mikej  |
Dennis, I sold the kit car on ebay and didn't have one single scam attempt. I put in a huge disclaimer in the text that I would only sell after an in-person inspection of the vehicle by the buyer, and also included a bunch of stuff "To scammers" stating that I would work with local and international law enforcement and would forward any fraud attempts to the proper authorities. Tell the b'tards up front that you will pursue them and they seem to stay away. And don't use a buy it now option. And never use "their" escrow service. Cash first, product ships after, period. How much for the Honda? |
