Items not selling well...what listing format please?

soolin

Martin_Knott-Lewis wrote: »

Yes CQ, it says "Collection in person from (postcode). Cash on collection please."

Soolin, I will add a phrase as you suggest.

Just a tip, you cannot say cash on colelction as you must accept paypal if offered.

Martin_Knott-Lewis wrote: »

Back to post #34 above,

the buyer is now stating I should post this bulky item to her at my expense bec I made a mistake and the listing is free postage. She has confused Postage: None with Postage: Free P&P

and that she's entitled bec she has "one":o the item.

OK, can I suggest you go and double check your listing maybe even pm one of us regulars on here the item number (don't post it openly). I just want you to make sure you actually ticked all the correct bixes and it shows as collection only and not free postage. It is not uncommon for listings to show as free postage instead of collection only as the seller hasn't realised how many boxes need to be ticked. The wya you worded your post suggests you may have actually accidentally set this up as free postage.

Martin_Knott-Lewis

Thanks Soolin. I have checked my listing and it's definately No Postage.

The buyer now emailed:

"Either you agree to collection by our courier (you can leave it
outside) or you will have to cancel the transaction."

Martin_Knott-Lewis

Thanks for all the advice from everyone who has posted.

I thought you might like an update....Well I've managed to sell quite a few items and the buyers are happy and I've raised some cash and cleared some clutter.

I'm finding it hard to sell furniture though. I'm trying to sell a bookcase and a dining suite in traditional style mahogany. Lovely quality, clean, smoke free and a fraction of the new price. Nice photos and all measurements too. I've relisted several times and I've dropped the prices.

hollydays

Martin_Knott-Lewis wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice from everyone who has posted.

I thought you might like an update....Well I've managed to sell quite a few items and the buyers are happy and I've raised some cash and cleared some clutter.

I'm finding it hard to sell furniture though. I'm trying to sell a bookcase and a dining suite in traditional style mahogany. Lovely quality, clean, smoke free and a fraction of the new price. Nice photos and all measurements too. I've relisted several times and I've dropped the prices.

If this is reproduction rather than antique,i just dont think it fetches a great deal.You could try to sell the chairs seperately as sets of chairs on their own sell well at normal auctions.

soolin

I attend several bricks and mortar auctions and they are always moaning that they can't even give brown furniture away. Most now refuse to take it in for sale, and the only way they can sell a table is to sell it with the chairs and just insist the buyer takes it all.

I've seen a beautiful solid wood table that would easily seat 8, in lovely condition go for £5, and even that was a forced sale. The chairs though should have a value, not a lot, but still a few pounds.

Martin_Knott-Lewis

Interesting that you mention that, Soolin because I've just recently looked into selling at a local auction house. They would charge to collect it and charge storage fees if it doesn't sell and isn't promptly collected. Clearly, from what you say, I'd be wasting my time and money.

One of my Ebay items sold to a trader who wanted to see what else I had when he came to collect. He said the table and chairs were in lovely condition and offered me £50 which I thought was laughable because I paid £225 for each chair and about £850 for the table, totalling £2200. He said that he could sell it on for about £150 and that traditional furniture was not in demand.

I have it on Ebay for £299 Buy it now or best offers and I'm hoping for 10% of my original purchase price. Looking at completed listings, they tend to go for £150-250 with many not selling at all. I only have 2 watchers on it.

Is gumtree worth a try?

soolin

A good auction house will tell you if it is likely to sell or not before you incur charges, my smaller local one actually warns people that brown furniture is likely to incur them in a loss after fees and won't take it. They tell people that until Ikea sell brown furniture there will never be a market for it as younger couples looking to furnish a home tend to have smaller rooms anyway and don't formally dine anymore, so they buy small pale wood tables or eat of their lap.

Gumtree is worth a try, I ha dmy first sale there only last week but I actually think your offer was a good one especially if dealer was going to pay cash as you'd have had no issues about paypal fees/collection scam.

I last replaced a dining set around 10 years ago, gave up an oval solid wood table and 6 chairs but had to dump the chairs (local tip) and still have the table in an out building where I use it to pile things on. I assume my current one, should i ever replace it will also be dumped.

Crowqueen

Unfortunately you're not going to realise your original payment for anything much. I know nothing about furniture but I do know that a lot of items simply don't hold value once you leave the shop or showroom. Added to that is that the dealers won't pay full retail value as they want to mark them up themselves. Expecting to get your intended price is pretty much guaranteed not to sell. If not much is selling at the moment, try waiting a while or lowering your prices to undercut what the going price is. It depends how desperately you need to sell it.

I agree with Soo, my family recently outfitted a second home and got pine/pine-coloured furniture (at a hefty discount due to a special offer). Our proper dining table at home is dark wood but that is because my parents both entertain a lot and needed something like that. When not using it we use a smaller, lighter table in the sitting room.

Martin_Knott-Lewis

No No Crowqueen, I'm not expecting to get my original payment, just 10 per cent of it maybe....

I have put it on Gumtree as well just now.

Crowqueen

Martin_Knott-Lewis wrote: »

No No Crowqueen, I'm not expecting to get my original payment, just 10 per cent of it maybe....

I have put it on Gumtree as well just now.

Good luck.

The market is pretty flat at the moment anyway, I'm waiting another month to put anything on.