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Selling a large tent - is ebay suitable for this?

1.  I have a large tent that I want to sell.  It will be collection only, cost over a thousand pounds and I'm sure that any buyer will want to view it before buying.  As I understand it ebay makes it difficult for a buyer to contact a seller.  Is there any way to use ebay for selling this?
2.  I also have a small bell to be sold.  Can I include a sound file in an ebay listing?

Comments

  • Dark_Star
    Dark_Star Posts: 624 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Photogenic
    You can include a short video so you could show the bell ringing with sound.
    Might work for the tent too? 24 photos plus video. 
    What do similar tents actually sell for?  
    Lurking in a galaxy far far away...
  • savergrant
    savergrant Posts: 1,593 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    As regards the tent ebay blocks exchange of contact details prior to purchase. Once paid the buyer will have a collection code to give to the seller. So the buyer can pay but then view the tent before giving you the collection code. If they aren't happy they don't give you the code and you refund.
  • dinosaur66
    dinosaur66 Posts: 272 Forumite
    100 Posts
    i sell on ebay since 2001 and have a shop

    but all large items like this i sell on my local facebook marketplace and not via ebay

    last year i sold my van / 3 twenty foot gazebos /a 25 by 25 foot old style market frame
    i had the market stalls set up on my front lawn for when buyers came round so they could see them

    as long as priced ok just takes no more than a week to sell and be collected


  • martindow
    martindow Posts: 10,551 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Thanks all.  I can't imagine that as a buyer I would contemplate paying a large sum in advance of viewing.  And as a seller if someone did this and then decided not to continue with the sale, would I not then lose out on fees which would not be refunded?
    Maybe Facebook marketplace is the way to go as dinosaur suggested.  Is that normally done with cash payments?
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 73,952 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    martindow said:
    Thanks all.  I can't imagine that as a buyer I would contemplate paying a large sum in advance of viewing.  And as a seller if someone did this and then decided not to continue with the sale, would I not then lose out on fees which would not be refunded?
    Maybe Facebook marketplace is the way to go as dinosaur suggested.  Is that normally done with cash payments?
    There would be no seller fees if this was sold as a private sale, so seller would just refund and lose nothing but time and effort. 

    On FB marketplace sellers can ask for whatever payment type they like , and cash on collection would be a fairly normal way of doing things , and personally I think I would prefer that rather than messing around with managed payments etc for an expensive collection only item.

    OP, perhaps try local selling first and if you get no real interest then opt to try eBay. 
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  • savergrant
    savergrant Posts: 1,593 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    soolin said:
    martindow said:
    Thanks all.  I can't imagine that as a buyer I would contemplate paying a large sum in advance of viewing.  And as a seller if someone did this and then decided not to continue with the sale, would I not then lose out on fees which would not be refunded?
    Maybe Facebook marketplace is the way to go as dinosaur suggested.  Is that normally done with cash payments?
    There would be no seller fees if this was sold as a private sale, so seller would just refund and lose nothing but time and effort. 

    On FB marketplace sellers can ask for whatever payment type they like , and cash on collection would be a fairly normal way of doing things , and personally I think I would prefer that rather than messing around with managed payments etc for an expensive collection only item.

    OP, perhaps try local selling first and if you get no real interest then opt to try eBay. 
    Tbh i'd be pretty uncomfortable with carrying a large amount of cash to a stranger's house, and there are a few bank transfer scams so I don't mind ebay holding the money. Obviously it's not 100% as there is a risk of the "buyer" grabbing the item and running off or the "seller" accepting the code then not handing over the item. Probably less of a risk with a huge tent than with, say, a diamond ring...
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