How does eBay work

cafenervosa_2

larsony wrote:

So is it the case that if you put something up for sale and it doesn't sell you can claim the ebay fee back?

Or do you only get to do that if someone bids and then doesn't pay?

You pay your listing fee and if it does not sell that money is lost.

If the item sells you are charged a Final Value Fee on top of the listing fee, if the buyer does not pay you can claim the FVF back but not the listing.

As ebay put it, if you list an ad in the paper or auto trader do you get the money that you paid to place the ad back if your item does not sell? i'll let you work it out.

frivolous_fay

larsony wrote:

So is it the case that if you put something up for sale and it doesn't sell you can claim the ebay fee back?

Or do you only get to do that if someone bids and then doesn't pay?

Yes to the second question.

soolin

There is an ebay thread running on the debt free wannabe board where people post what they make each month on ebay, and some are doing very nicely indeed.

There are certainly full time sellers on ebay that make real money, and I personally know several people that earn enough on ebay to not have to bother with part time jobs to eke out the family income.

Soo

Contains_Mild_Peril

cafenervosa wrote:

You pay your listing fee and if it does not sell that money is lost.

If the item sells you are charged a Final Value Fee on top of the listing fee, if the buyer does not pay you can claim the FVF back but not the listing.

As ebay put it, if you list an ad in the paper or auto trader do you get the money that you paid to place the ad back if your item does not sell? i'll let you work it out.

Of course, most local papers don't charge for private ads for items less than about £100!
If your item does not sell on eBay the first time and you relist it, subject to certain conditions, your basic listing fee is refunded if it sells the second time. Fees for optional features such as gallery pictures are not refunded. If you're not careful, you can end up with a substantial listing fee bill for unsold items.
Many professional sellers start auctions for expensive items (cameras, designer clothes or whatever) at 99p, confident that the item will sell for a profitable price, but you have to know what you're doing!

stolt

my main aim was to make around 400-500 a month profit to cover a over payment on my mortage and a little bit of extra money for family. I'm about half way there on usual and thats more down to me not going on there enough and listing stuff, you only need a couple of bad buyers and you quickly become downheartend with it all.

I think unless you get it your full attention big money is not possible however if you want a little extra cash each month thats easily possible.

rls1973

cafenervosa wrote:

When I started selling just over 18 months ago my dream was to make £800 a month profit on what I sell. This was more than I was ever making doing my normal job. Less than 2 years on I am making over £1,000 profit a month and growing, it can be done, its all about selling quality items that people want, also as fay said, buy low sell high, thats the secret

what sort of thing do you sell, cafenervosa, if you dont mind me asking?

tsharp

Human Organs.

kriss_boy

I made thousands out of selling guitars over a 2 year period. Trouble is prices changed and made it no longer possible to import them at decent prices. My turnover was almost a quarter of a million. Hence why the tax man contacted me haha!

Its easy to make money on ebay! I also used to sell t-shirts! And now I sell something else which is extremely profitable.

its easy... do your research.. find things you can get cheap but are sought after on ebay! You can even search completed auctions to see the prices goods go for so it couldnt be simpler.

tsharp

I have got lucky with some comics found in Oxfam, but this is far from a reliable source...

ladysparklexx

does anyone claim this with tax or is worried about the tax man finding out?