Selling at a boot sale - first time advice needed.

johnson293

Surbybird wrote: »

I have sets of almost new bedding and curtains and a pile of 100% silk cushions which cost a fortune new and as I am currently totally skint due to a change of job, I'd like to recoup some of the expense rather than give it away.

Just reading that bit, we sold a pair of curtains at the boot sale, which were brand new, lined 90x90 size with tie backs.

We had wanted £10 for them, but ended up taking £7 later in the day, just to be rid.

Just as a guide to what people may pay at Boot Sale for them.

soolin

porto_bello wrote: »

We've been through this a number times on MSE. I am surprised a seasoned MSE user would still be under the impression that sellers have to accept a combination of Paypal AND collection.

For the record, you don't have to accept a combination of Paypal AND collection. This is how and why:

Paypal:
Paypal rules state clearly that any goods have to be despatched by trackable means, so Paypal and collection is clearly (according to Paypal's own policies) an inappropriate form of payment.

If a buyer insists on making a payment via Paypal, the seller simply refers the buyer to Paypal's policies and insists that the item is despatched via trackable delivery... and offers the alternative of cash on collection.

Collection:
Since the buyer wishes to collect from the seller, they will be able to provide payment in cash, avoiding the need to incur the additional expense of delivery.

Thus you offer Paypal and trackable delivery OR cash on collection - but NEVER Paypal AND collection!

Naturally, with large, bulky, relatively low value items, it is inefficient to pay for the additional expanse of a trackable form of delivery, so cash on collection is the only practical option.

Ok, you refund the PayPal, buyer refuses to bring cash and leaves you a neg. seller is left with fees to pay, no sold item , a neg, low stars and a non performing seller complaint.

Not ideal

If something cannot be posted or sent by courier then either risk the fact hat someone might want to use PayPal, and it isn't only scammers that pay by PayPal and collect or sell elsewhere.

Crowqueen

Naturally, with large, bulky, relatively low value items, it is inefficient to pay for the additional expanse of a trackable form of delivery, so cash on collection is the only practical option.

In general there are a lot more venues than eBay to sell collection items on. The inefficiency of eBay for collection items and taking Paypal for them means eBay is just not ideal.

There is just simply no point in listing a collection item on eBay. The risk is there, and it's up to you whether to take it or not, but you cannot have your cake and eat it without incurring serious problems. It's also very foolish to advise other sellers that they can.

JimmyTheWig

Car boot sales are great for clearing out a load of stuff. If you price things right, you can sell just about anything.
If you've got a load of stuff to go, think how long it would take to photograph, list on eBay, wait for it to sell, post all those items. With a boot sale you can do all of that in one evening loading the car and one morning at the sale.

But you don't get the same sort of prices for things at a boot sale as you would on eBay. Just depends if you want the money for the long term or the easy option of the boot sale.

If you do a boot sale I'd suggest...
Take a drink and a snack. (Though don't drink too much until you know what the deal is with the toilets!)
Wear a second pair of socks if it's an early start.
Put your table in the car last, so it can be the first thing you get out.
Take a blanket or tarpaulin to display stuff on the floor.
Take plenty of change.
Be prepared to haggle.
Think about what price you want for stuff. Think about what stuff you are happy to bring home again with you. Reduce asking prices on the stuff that you don't want to bring home.
Don't get intimidated into taking less for something than you are happy with.
Do big bulk discounts on things that have limited appeal. E.g. video cassettes - I'd say "50p each or 10 for £1". Not many people will want them these days but if you find someone who does then they may well buy the lot if the discount is right.
Smile to your customers.
Be friendly to your neighbouring sellers.
Don't come home with more stuff or less money than you started with!

MoaningMyrtle

How about taking photos and sticking them on cards and advertising on shop for sale boards? eg Tesco, Sainsbury's. Maybe try a local paper classified ad? or a curtain exchange may buy them from you.

FWIW the cushions would fetch £2.00 each round here at a boot sale.

nearlyrich

One tip from me look after your takings keep them on you not in a box or something that anyone could walk off with.

DKLS

Golden rule for car boots, when you pull up get out of car, lock it quickly and walk off for five mins until the dealers, vultures and thieves have moved on down the line. Set up in your own time, and watch your good stuff like a hawk.

johnson293

DKLS wrote: »

Golden rule for car boots, when you pull up get out of car, lock it quickly and walk off for five mins until the dealers, vultures and thieves have moved on down the line. Set up in your own time, and watch your good stuff like a hawk.

Would agree with this.

On Sunday, we didn't have people crowding the car as we drove in (as has happened before), but as soon as we started unloading, people we asking what we were selling, and if we had certain things (Vinyl LPs). Just told them we were setting up, and to come back when we had things sorted.

porto_bello

Crowqueen wrote: »

There is just simply no point in listing a collection item on eBay.

Over the years, I've sold a number of items on eBay, that due to their size/weight/delicacy were only practical or efficient to buy if collected by the buyer. Looking at the listings on eBay, many others are finding eBay a practical marketplace for collection items.

Undoubtedly, my own items all sold for many times more than I ever would have got for them at a car boot. I'll leave up to forum readers to way up your theory against the contradicting practical experiences of others.

Crowqueen wrote: »

The risk is there, and it's up to you whether to take it or not, but you cannot have your cake and eat it without incurring serious problems.

Obviously there's a risk attached to EVERY transaction on eBay - if you discount risk, you're bound to hit serious problems sooner or later.

As a seller, there will always be an added level of risk. For a start, unlike buyers, you can't choose who you deal with, unless their policy breaches automatically prevent them from bidding on your items.

You can minimise risk. When listing my (likely to be) collected items, I try to explicitly cover all the known risks in the description - most obviously offering cash & collection OR Paypal & postage but NOT Paypal & collection.

Crowqueen wrote: »

It's also very foolish to advise other sellers that they can.

It's certainly very foolish to adopt and rigidly retain a theory that 'there's simply no point listing a collection item', when the practical experience of others is routinely disproving it.

Crowqueen

Of course there are people who sell items quite confidently on eBay, but it's not my first choice and I'm free to dissuade people from doing it if I think it's not ideal.

There are plenty of other venues gathering buyer traffic out there that are more flexible as regards payment and terms when negotiating sales that actually eBay is not always the best place to sell something.

I can understand you have had some good results, but given you can't reject Paypal without problems and given that you have to go through a long, laborious process of cancelling a sale before you can offer it elsewhere, a classified ad service I would have thought gives better value for money than eBay.

I'm not prepared to buy electronic items on eBay but I still see a lot of successful sales go through. However, having had problems with that category, I would also suggest someone buying or selling an electronic item on eBay to reconsider.

Assuming eBay is the best place for everything is a little absurd when you consider some of the very real risks for both buyers and sellers. Furthermore, this is not a dedicated eBay site so I am free to say that eBay is not the only place, nor the best place, to sell collection items.