Selling your stuff on EBID. advice for new sellers

Frugaldom

Hi Soolin, I already offer buyers the chance to collect if local and I can see that a search facility to find this sort of thing could be a benefit. I know the very person to ask about this (I hope) as they did a search box for sellers adding to their sites. It's just a pity that there isn't a better affiliate scheme so that website owners can target specific categories on eBid for their own sites and make click through money. I did really well with my eBay affiliate links but have just recently ripped the whole lot off my website because I can't understand the new rules and new system they are introducing.

I made another 'buy it now' sale, so am hoping to be able to add a couple pounds more to my challenge target soon. Assuming the new bidder pays, of course. 7 bids in on charity items so far as well, that'll help a bit and things are picking up elsewhere. I just compiled the challenge chart results and number of sales & purchases are certainly climbing.

Good luck to all taking part and well done to those who made it into our April top 20 chart.

Frugaldom

Is anyone else taking part in the charity fundraising challenge? I've just checked my listings as the auctions finish this weekend and I have 18 bids in for 9 of my items, total so far £12.56 plus another £3.25 from another auction by way of a donation It's a bit short of what I would like to have raised by now but I simply haven't been focussing much attention on it.
Must try harder.

Marru

nykmedia wrote: »

Is anyone else taking part in the charity fundraising challenge? I've just checked my listings as the auctions finish this weekend and I have 18 bids in for 9 of my items, total so far £12.56 plus another £3.25 from another auction by way of a donation It's a bit short of what I would like to have raised by now but I simply haven't been focussing much attention on it.
Must try harder.

HI Nyk,

Would you mind giving some advice about the charity challenge? Like who, what, where, when, how? My head is spinning at the moment so some tips and hints would be most welcome. I have some ornaments that I got cheap (ok - free) that would be perfect.

Marru

Marru

Hi,

I have finally started listing my books into my eBid shop no1. Have taken pictures (which mostly are rubbish) of almost 70 books and I am not allowed to go to bed until all those books have been listed. 6 down, 60 to go.

Marru

Frugaldom

Well done Marru! I have also list a few items today and am just waiting for the final bids to come in on my charity listings. so here goes for my explaining how the challenge works. The one in my signature is my personal challenge but I'm using eBid as the basis for this and anything I buy during charity auctions and then sell at market/car boot I will add that in too.

YDC on eBid - this is a monthly event run by some of the members. It started some time ago because this weekend was YDC54, but it originally stood for Yorkies Daft Charity listings or some such thing, named after username Yorkie, who set it up. Most people now have their own meanings for the initials - Your Designated Charity, for example. Anyone can take part so long as they guarantee to donate all the proceeds to their chosen charity, plus you must keep to the rules, roughly as follow:
1. Your listing title must include YDC and whichever number it is
2. Your description must include the words 'This auction is an entry in YDC whichever number
3. You must state clearly which charity will benefit from the proceeds (excluding P&P) if the item sells.
4. The item must be expected to make no more than £20. This amount had to be increased from £10 after some silly prices were being reached on really silly items. In fact, I believe someone paid £11.61 for a 150g bar of Galaxy this weekend :eek: Current bidding is over £11 for something similar sounding but burnt??!
5. Once you have donated the money to your charity, you post your formal declaration of payment/receipt number on the appropriate forum thread and the person who makes the most money for a single item gets to nominate a charity for the following month.

It is fun - I've just sold some old rusty tin cars that a friend was going to bin - I sold them as mini restoration projects and threatened to torch them if they didn't get bids. :rotfl: I'll be sad to see the little rally car go, I had talked myself into rubbing it down and giving it a respray then bumping up the price next month.

You can only list in the YDC section of the charity auctions between 6pm Friday and midnight on the Sunday of the last full weekend of each month, so the next event starts on Friday 24th May at 6pm. All listings must be standard listings, no extras, no buy it nows, no reserves etc, and they must run for exactly 7 days. I always use free listings and because I have a full Seller+ membership I don't get charged any seller fees. :T

If only PayPal wasn't so greedy when it comes to cheap items! It's a bit of a pain when people choose to pay that way so make allowances for it .

Hope to see you at YDC55 in a few weeks. I think I'll try to get something really wacky to sell, as my fundraising is falling a bit short at the moment. Will update signature as soon as I get paid for this weekend's items.

Off to watch Grand Designs Live with their eco-house

kw03cd

I have also started listing on ebid after buying a lifetime membership a couple of months ago. I thought that I would not pay any fees at all but it seems if you want a picture in the front page that you have to pay 2% final fee. Is that correct? Sorry if this has been covered before I did search.

Frugaldom

kw03cd - basic listings are free and free from FVF if you have the lifetime membership but you will pay a small fee for using extras like thumbnails in listings, bold, extra category, top page featured, front page slots etc. I have run several experiments using various methods, including front page listings. I found no difference between listings with or without the thumbnails. If anything, I have sold more on my title descriptions than I have with any other method as people always want a closer look at something than just the thumbnail. You can include the photo free within the listing and insert extra photos (many use sites like flickr or personal webspace to host their photos) and the listing looks just as tempting. If someone wants something and you have it at the best available price then it will sell, with or without your having to incur a 2% or 3% fvf.

Good luck with your selling and don't forget to check out all the various free ways of promoting your items, such as starting your own 'plug' thread or joining promotional discussions. You could even join my eBid challenge here

kw03cd

Nykmedia

What items sell well on ebid. I have listed items that I would be able to sell on ebay and haven't had any success on ebid.

Marru

Have you had any success with your books?

Frugaldom

To all who ask the question, "What sells well on eBid?"

If I was able to print my challenger list here, then we'd all be able to see what was selling. However, I'm guessing this would be a no-no, as not all of the challengers are members of MSE and it might be perceived as advertising their goods. Instead, I'll check their links and draw up a list of categories. I know that books do sell because HS has a bookstore on there. My own books do not sell. I think they are too cheap and don't warrant the postal costs. In my honest opinion, I am convinced that postage & packaging is the main concern. If it costs more than the item being sold, then chances are it falls further down the scale of what does and doesn't sell. eBid is not a busy marketplace because few buyers have even heard of it. When you look at the small percentage of shoppers overall who have even heard of eBay, then it's easy to understand how eBid is like starting your own business from scratch. I just find it beneficial as there are no costs involved after the original lifetime membership fee which, coincidentally, I grabbed as soon as it became available on special offer.

I'll return here soon and list the categories of goods that I know for a fact are selling.

Marru

HI,

No but that is because I haven't managed to keep listing them. For me this is a long term plan. I need to set up my own website and then drive traffic from there to eBid and vice versa. Also when my shop in eBid is more substantial I will contact my buyers I have had in Amazon to let them know that I am now selling there as well. But as I said this is long process for me as I am up to my neck with stuff at the moment.

Will let you know when I make my first sale - have made my first purchase thou and the experience was fantastic. Got it this morning .

Marru