First time seller needs advice please

Rikki

I too have just started selling on ebay. (Following all the advice offered by yourselves)

Just a quick question.

Two Items I am selling have bids on from zero feedback buyers.
Should I be concerned?
Send them an e-mail (if this is possible) saying I'm happy for them to bid providing if they are successful they can pay up?
The items are not valuble but I don't want to be messed about, not for my first sales anyway.

Any advice please.

forumfan_2

I've never had any problems with new bidders, in fact they are usually eager to get it right so try that bit harder. Make sure you send an invoice at the end of the auction because some people will wait for it before paying (even the not so new eBayers).

forumfan_2

wageslave wrote: »

I have some new electrical goods I'd like to sell. The goods are the kind of stuff I would hope are easy to sell. An ipod, a games console etc.

OP - I forgot to say that if you are going to sell items like this then it may be worth stating on your auctions that they have been discreetly marked with a UV marker for identification purposes. This will hopefully stop anyone trying to return a faulty item to you pretending it is the one you sent out.

wageslave

Thanks forum fan, I hadnt even considered returns.
Is it better to send things recorded delivery or the special next day thingy?
Should I make any mention at all of how I acquired the goods to establish their provenance or wont people care?

forumfan_2

If it is a high value item then I tend to use Special Delivery Next Day which is guaranteed by 1pm with up to £500 insurance. Recorded Delivery does not give you enough insurance cover (only £34) and only offers a delivery 'aim' of 1 day. Don't make insurance optional as it is for your protection not theirs.

On lower value items I am not so bothered however you need to bear in mind that for PayPal protection you need to send by a trackable method so you need to weigh this up against being competitively priced against other sellers.

I sometimes give various options with second class standard being the first so that it looks good from the search page - the only trouble is that most people go with this so don't do it for anything costly.

The Royal Mail website is great for making these decisions because all you have to do is put the weight in and it will give you all the options.

I wouldn't mention where you got them, people will ask if they want to know. If they are NOT grey goods/seconds it might be worth mentioning this.

Also, please bear in mind that most people are very honest, I have over 400 transactions (buying & selling) and have never been scammed and have only had one item go missing. Provided you check they have a confirmed address on the a PayPal payment and there doesn't appear to be anything dodgy in their feedback you should be OK. I would probably block overseas bidders for the time being.

Another thing, when you have over £50 in your PayPal account then transfer it to your bank account as if you use it for buying other items on eBay you wont have the same level of protection that you get from a credit card

Also don't forget to check the listing price breaks - it is 5p cheaper to list at 99p than £1.00, 15p cheaper to list at £4.99 than £5.00, 40p cheaper to list at £14.99 than £15.00 and so on

I hope this all makes sense but if not please drop me a line and I'll try to clarify!

smileitconfusespeople_2

wageslave wrote: »

Thanks forum fan, I hadnt even considered returns.
Is it better to send things recorded delivery or the special next day thingy?
Should I make any mention at all of how I acquired the goods to establish their provenance or wont people care?

:cool: hi ya goodluck its both dounting and fun t:eek: he first couple of sales but you'll get the hang of it ive been doing it for 4 years now and love it , You dont need to say how you acquired the goods but try to give a good detailed description with coulour, size, make may be what it was brought for and any measurements ,and if there are any flaws do put them out :eek: .if in doubt about charges pop along to your post office and get the items weighed to give you an idea to what to charge give a detailed title eg Mens new Next leather shoes size 10 ..and not Mens shoes size 8......good luck :A :rotfl: :T

wageslave

Everyone has been extremely helpful. Can I ask a slightly more delicate question or to be more accurate two more. What would you consider a decent return for your goods percentage wise and how much of your profits do you reinvest in stock?

Napoleon was right, we have become a nation of shopkeepers:)

frivolous_fay

Profit? :rotfl:

soolin

like fay says...I thought we were all only doing this to keep ebay and paypal in choccie biscuits...

(i'll get me coat now and give myself a good talking to on the way out)

wageslave

Noooooooo. Someone somewhere must be making something? Though I must admit looking at some of the prices, it cant be a huge amount.