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I'm no stranger to ebay buying but I've never sold anything and every now & then things pop up in threads about how sellers "could have ..." to improve their chances or earnings or security. I've no idea what good practice might be - had a quick google but variable results and not much agreement
I have loads of shit to shift - mainly car wheels but also bike bits (unused, used and also some pretty old). Prob some other crap too. At least some of that will be a pain to post so may need collection only (is there some sort of QR code system still ?) but I don't mind sending out smaller bits (do I add a postage cost or just suck it up into the sale price?). Is "no returns" a thing?
Any other settings/pitfalls etc I need to be aware of?
Or is ebay done and I should look elsewhere? (I will put the bike stuff here too)
TiA
I've sold odds and sods on eBay for years. 100s of items, mostly small stuff, but I did sell a vintage motorbike on there once. I've never had an issue. Things I've learned.
Take lots of good quality photos. If there is any damage or cosmetic issues, include it in the photos. However, make sure the most flattering or eye catching photo is the main one on the listing.
Describe accurately and if anything, undersell it rather than bigging it up. Makes it far less likely to disappoint and prompt returns, poor feedback etc.
Include postage as a separate fee. I use Royal Mail, not Evri and such which eBay recommend. With a ruler and a set of scales it's easy to accurately gauge the cost and price accordingly. Unless it's a very cheap item, I always opt for signed for delivery. Reduces the possibility of chancers falsely claiming non delivery.
For big items I offer collection too.
I personally prefer an auction rather than buy it now and I'm not keen on accepting offers. I get a small kick from watching last minute bids. More often than not I make more than I expect, but very occasionally I'm disappointed.
If it's a niche item, look at similar listings and make sure your pictures and description are better. Have a lower starting bid too. I don't bother with a reserve unless it's a very expensive item, it bumps your fees up, puts some buyers off and still doesn't guarantee a sale. You'll still have to pay eBay's reserve fee, even if it doesn't sell.
I don't sell to overseas buyers, way too much hassle if there's any disputes.
You will get scammers and chancers messaging you with insulting offers or use my courier scams. Ignore, don't even bother replying.
If you are savvy, it can be fairly hassle free. Good luck.
ebay has made postage a little more complicated recently, and ironically called it "simple delivery" but even so it's still worth posting as much as you can. Even big items can be posted relatively easily. Most of the bigger carriers do collection as well so if anything its easier than getting a random stranger to collect it.
Apart from that just the usual. Good photos, honest detailed description (don't use the AI description) and also double check the details boxes as sometimes ebay puts nonsense in. Avoid general descriptors like "good condition" or "as new" as they mean very different things to different people.
Be prepared for one or two sales to go wrong and don't take it personally just look for a pragmatic solution.
more complicated recently, and ironically called it "simple delivery"
I've found it nice and simple. Just make sure you select the right item size and your good to go. The really nice bit is that when a package goes missing as long as they can see that it was dispatched (i.e. when you drop it off) eBay deal with everything. In the case the buyer is refunded eBay cover it etc.
Ebay is a very simple platform to sell on and is initially and normally best accessed via the eBay App. It does around 90-95% of what you need and provides easy access to photos via the camera, etc. The only exceptions are when you want to opt out of default (eBay simply) delivery options for large or international items, or when you have a large description to type. Everything else is straightforward. Make sure you set your eBay simply delivery preferences, return preferences, etc, before you start listing. I've sold over £16k of goods this year and over £100k in the past 4 years with 99.999% no problems at all. I'm a private seller.
Think the collection qr code is still a thing, haven't used it for a while. Posting is easier I think, but I have had a couple of small problems.
The buyer protection fee screws up your price now though so if you put something up for £20 remember it will actually say something like £23.78 or something stupid.
I have offered free postage sometimes to make it look better than others, but usually just add the normal fees.
The buyer protection fee screws up your price now though so if you put something up for £20 remember it will actually say something like £23.78 or something stupid.
Again a recent mobile update has alter this so you can enter either a price to which buyer protection is added or you can alter the price the buyer sees (inc protection) and it back calculates the other.
I didn't know that... [ updates app ]
The really nice bit is that when a package goes missing as long as they can see that it was dispatched (i.e. when you drop it off) eBay deal with everything. In the case the buyer is refunded eBay cover it etc.
Oh I wish!
Used ebays simple post system to send a Fox fork. Their courier (Yodel) lost it. After going round the houses and speaking to several very helpful but not actually helpful Americans they agreed it was lost but I shouldn't worry as I was fully insured (I paid extra for the full insurance).
So I refund the buyer and start a claim.
They wanted proof of purchase of the forks along with a receipt. Not easy when they came on a second hand bike.
After 4 weeks going backwards and forwards they agreed that I have given them all the information they need.
Eight further weeks on the case is still under review and I get a helpful email from them telling me that each week but with no way to communicate with them.
So 15 after selling and posting the forks I still have no forks and no money.
Won't be using them again for anything worth more than £50.
Thanks everyone (inc @boriselbrus - that's not what I was hoping to hear! Surely ebay ought to accept that it's worth whatever the buyer offered for it (until/unless they complain), regardless of how you came to own it - otherwise they're dissing their own process/platform)
I'll start with the low value items I guess but, regadless, prepare for tales of woe in the coming weeks 😬
So I refund the buyer and start a claim.
But that's not the process. If you sent it simple delivery, eBay do that and pay for it.
Did you actually use simple delivery?
Did you actually use simple delivery?
Yes. But because I paid additional insurance for the parcel, it goes through the insurance company. Ebay refunded my postage costs, but the money for the forks is with the insurers. Not Ebay, not Yodel, the insurers.
As above with simple delivery you are not supposed to do anything. When my buyer opened a not received case for an item evri lost I got a very clear email saying that because I used simple delivery that they would handle it from there. This was the email;
We want to let you know that your buyer opened a request because they haven’t received their item.
But good news - we’ve confirmed that the item is on its way to the buyer. Since you chose Simple Delivery, we've got everything covered from here. There’s nothing you need to do. We’ll take care of delivery, resolve any further issues, and inform you when the request is closed.
But because I paid additional insurance for the parcel
Again that does not sound like simple delivery. Simple delivery items are covered up to £750 with no need to buy extra insurance. If the item is over £750 you can't use simple delivery.
Going back to the original question and something that I don’t think has been suggested so far; search eBay for the item you want to sell to get an idea of how much competition there is.
Then go to advanced search and change to look for sold items in the UK only (Assuming you are in the UK). This will give you a good idea of what the item actually sells for.
Then find an advert for a recently sold item at a good price and open the original listing. Copy the text from the description and click “Sell one like this”. It will then create a listing for you in the right categories with most of the relevant stuff filled in. Paste the words from the original advert in to the description as they will not have been automatically copied across, then read and adjust them as necessary.
Add photos, decide on a price based on your earlier searches and you are then ready to submit your listing.
it might be worth choosing cheaper items to sell first so that you can learn from any mistakes without gambling too much.
Some items get good price from doing an auction with a low start price. Others will sell better if people can click ‘buy it now’ so that they get the item quicker…. The previous ads you looked through might give an indication of which path you should choose.
Finally, if you expect to do a lot of shipping, bulk buy bubble wrap as it will be significantly cheaper and start hoarding cardboard…
All good tips there for bentandbroken.
For bike parts and other rarer items (e.g. limited run replacement gear shifter for a lotus) I've had good success with a fixed price and offers enabled. I tend to start them optimistically priced. Sometimes you get lucky and they sell at that price. Other times you end up with an offer that is a at a price you are happy with and others you have to drop them a bit. Most of my stuff either sells in the first few days or it sits around for a month or two then goes. The BIN listing just sit there and don't require any further management unless I want to change the price.
I have been selling stuff since 2003 and sold over £50k of stuff since then. I just go for an easy life so I always sell as Buy It Now with Immediate Payment required and no offers. If someone wants it they buy it and I get my money.
I am probably over critical of the condition when describing (certainly more so than some of the stuff I have purchased that is apparently 'like new') but I have never had any come back in well over 1,000 items sold.
Auctions waste too much time with so many buyers just never paying and then having to relist and wait again.
I haven't sold much for a while but have sold quite a few things in the past.
The app is very straightforward. Pictures are your friend and drive punters to your auctions. Some excellent advice above.
I have used 99p starting price 10 day auctions for practically everything. Finish them at a busy time. Sunday evening is good.
I've always used Herpes / Evri as they were very simple to get to via the app, although I think the other options now look as easy to use.
Caveats, I've never sold much expensive stuff. The few expensive things I have sold have been niche collectables and that means the buyers are not the usual mug punters.
I'd not touch stuff like mobile phones.
Ignore any wallopers trying to end the auctions early or anyone who shows even the slightest hint of messing you about. A good buyer contacts you in precisely two ways, one to pay for the thing they just won and two to say "cheers, got it yesterday, all good".
I personally prefer an auction rather than buy it now and I'm not keen on accepting offers.
If it's a niche item, look at similar listings and make sure your pictures and description are better. Have a lower starting bid too. I don't bother with a reserve unless it's a very expensive item,
I have a slightly different policy on this.
If it's an item that's 'commodity' and identical ones sell regularly - let's say an iPhone or a set of Hope brakes - then it goes on an auction with £1 start. This stuff sells every day, you'll get what it's worth at that moment - sometimes less than the average stuff goes for, sometimes more but at the end of 7 days you're putting it in the post. Never accept buy it now or offers.
If it's unusual - they don't sell often, it's in some way unique - then I put it up at a fixed price and allow offers. I had a Pinion Gearbox frame that was on eBay for well over a year, but then went for what I wanted to a buyer in Germany. I'd probably have been lucky to get 10% of that value if I'd just stuck it on auction. Likewise I've got a listing for Rohloff service oil (I'd got bulk and no rohloffs right now, I'm decanting into 100ml bottles). It's been up ages - months go by and then I'll get a £40 sale.
The other is when you've got something that's new, boxed and unused - maybe an XT mech - I tend to stick those up at fixed price, free postage, just below the cheapest online shop price. Someone will buy eventually.
As always, good photos and descriptions.
Just re: the bubble wrap, I bought some eco paper expandy stuff which works reasonably well. Comes in a dense roll, and you pull it apart to expand the cuts in it. At least there's a chance of someone recycling it...