Is ebay worth listing on?

noodles86

I have loads of brand new things to sell but was wondering if ebay was worth it any more or to try to sell elsewhere? Any suggestions are welcome!

lizzie2579_2

I personally think it is worth it. It completely depends on what you are selling as if you are selling something a lot of other people are, it can be hard to get good prices due to people undercutting each other so take a look at whether anyone else is selling what you have.

I would say be careful with the costs, for example, you have 1 free photo and then the rest are 12p per photo, so tell people to message you for more photos or link to a site like photo bucket so its free. Also, if you don't mind what you get for something if you start an auction at 99p its free so thats worth considering.

But in my personal experience I would say it is worth it. I have made a lot on ebay in the last few months and people are prepared to pay decent money for decent things.

If you're still unsure just do some comparisons, take a look at amazon costs or look at sites like ebid to compare.

I hope that helps!

hermum

Quite a few categories now have 12 free pictures, if you're selling in one that still only has 1 free, then upload through photobucket or http://jpegbay.com/ rather than asking potential buyers to email you for more pictures.
You can check out completed listings for similar items to yours & see whether they're making enough to make it worthwhile.
Are you selling your own unwanted stuff or brand new items to sell on? If you're buying to sell, then you're a business & need to open an ebay account & register with HMRC.

stardak

Have you tried Amazon? They are like a billion x's better than ebay.

bluebird

noodles86 wrote: »

I have loads of brand new things to sell but was wondering if ebay was worth it any more or to try to sell elsewhere? Any suggestions are welcome!

Hi, I think ebay selling is OK but you take your chances,
perhaps list your DVDs as such:
Top selling DVD insert title................ Free to any thieving git who claims not to have recieved it even though it was posted and i know you got it:mad: .

My thoughts are based on what has happened to us in the past,sold loads of £1 and £2 DVDs posted as usual no problems sell ONE higher priced dvd lets say £9.00 and guess which one does not arrive.I lose money and DVD.Fed up with it.

Now we do a car boot sale once a year and make loads a money.

jimsmillions

bluebird wrote: »

Hi, I think ebay selling is OK but you take your chances,
perhaps list your DVDs as such:
Top selling DVD insert title................ Free to any thieving git who claims not to have recieved it even though it was posted and i know you got it:mad: .

My thoughts are based on what has happened to us in the past,sold loads of £1 and £2 DVDs posted as usual no problems sell ONE higher priced dvd lets say £9.00 and guess which one does not arrive.I lose money and DVD.Fed up with it.

Now we do a car boot sale once a year and make loads a money.

I would send a 9 pound DVD by Signed for delivery. Paypal accept this as proof of delivery now. So you should be covered either way. NO delivery or no signature, claim from Royal mail. Signature received then the buyer has no case.

simplydevine05

jimsmillions wrote: »

I would send a 9 pound DVD by Signed for delivery. Paypal accept this as proof of delivery now. So you should be covered either way. NO delivery or no signature, claim from Royal mail. Signature received then the buyer has no case.

Even that is a false claim. As a seller I sent an item that did not arrive. I confirmed the address with the buyer and sent it recorded delivery. The item was signed for by the buyer at the address I confirmed. Despite all this the buyer claimed not received and Paypal/Ebay allowed it! The buyer had changed their Paypal address to a different one and Paypal said I wasn't covered for seller protection because I hadn't used the registered address! The buyer got £50 of free clothing and I was out of pocket.

On the plus side, that is only one of around four item not received claims I've ever had in six years. I think the items I now sell are not ones that buyers are likely to claim not received as they attract a particular kind of buyer!

I sell lot on Ebay, but I am phasing it out while transferring to my own website. It';s a great place to start off and if you have desirable goods then you can get things sold pretty quickly. The fees are getting higher and higher though. Like another poster said, do your market research, and register as a business seller on Ebay and HMRC if you are not selling items you have previously bought with no intention of selling.

jimsmillions

simplydevine05 wrote: »

Even that is a false claim. As a seller I sent an item that did not arrive. I confirmed the address with the buyer and sent it recorded delivery. The item was signed for by the buyer at the address I confirmed. Despite all this the buyer claimed not received and Paypal/Ebay allowed it! The buyer had changed their Paypal address to a different one and Paypal said I wasn't covered for seller protection because I hadn't used the registered address! The buyer got £50 of free clothing and I was out of pocket.

On the plus side, that is only one of around four item not received claims I've ever had in six years. I think the items I now sell are not ones that buyers are likely to claim not received as they attract a particular kind of buyer!

I sell lot on Ebay, but I am phasing it out while transferring to my own website. It';s a great place to start off and if you have desirable goods then you can get things sold pretty quickly. The fees are getting higher and higher though. Like another poster said, do your market research, and register as a business seller on Ebay and HMRC if you are not selling items you have previously bought with no intention of selling.

Never post anything valuable to anywhere other than the address specified by Paypal. Myself I wouldn't post anything at all to any address other than the one given at Paypal. As soon as anyone asks me to post any where else where I instantly smell a rat.

I have actually lost out to this on the other foot. As a buyer I had an item that did not arrive so I put in a claim. Seller provided the recorded delivery item number and a signature. Signature that looked nothing like mine, actually looked like a child had drawn mountains. My claim was denied.

techspec

I now treat Ebay as like giving something away - but then being pleasantly surprised if you end up with some money

jimsmillions

techspec wrote: »

I now treat Ebay as like giving something away - but then being pleasantly surprised if you end up with some money

Very inciteful. From someone here who has done over 2000 sales and only lost 4 or 5 items I dont share negative view point.

dancecrazylegs

i have bought and sold on ebay now for over 8 years, 99.9 % of the time things have gone well, i have had one or two buyers that have tried to pull a fast one, which is why i send most items via recorded delivery, you certainly learn by your mistakes, but on the whole most people i have dealt with on ebay have been great