What sells on the BAY?

[Michigan Badger]

For the last two or three months or so, I've been selling off some of my common date silver coins, US and foreign.

I've gotten a tiny percentage over melt, and counting the fees, shipping etc., I think I've made a small profit.
I loath the fees and restrictions associated with ebay and Paypal, but what's the alternative for a worldwide market?

Best,
Scott

True.

Recently I tried to sell my collection of dug Barber and Merc dimes on ebay. Many of the Barbers and Mercs are nearly perfect in detail (all early 1900's). I set the auction at about $2 per coin and never got a bid in 7 days. I finally decided to keep them.

 

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[Michigan Badger]

One of the biggest mistakes by new or inexperienced sellers is not charging enough for shipping. I usually offer free shipping on anything first class (13 oz. 0r less), as long as i'm not trying to sell a $5 item that is. The key to making money on Ebay is buying for pennies on the dollar. You have to go to a lot of garage sales, thrift stores (not so much lately), estate sales (family run) to accomplish this. Bundling or buying in bulk also helps, I use this method alot in estate sales. You have to have an idea of what your looking at too though. Reading and researching is paramount.

Yes, so true. I've lost hundreds on postage over the years.

One of my biggest mistakes has always been buying what I personally like and forgetting the actual market.

I'm a sucker for old maps, books, and prints. The stuff that on Antiques Roadshow is appraised at mega bucks. The trouble is, in the real world you can't give most of that stuff away unless you own a specialty art shop in some major city.

 

[AU24K]

Ebay will charge the seller a fee on the final selling price on each item AND a fee for final shipping cost.

So if you are selling let's say 10 items. One person buys 5 of your items. I will combine shipping on items. Ebay will still charge full amount of EACH item shipping. Say that each item has a $1 shipping price. You combine the 5 items and only charge $2 for shipping. You are still paying fees on the other $3 that you have discounted.

I want to know if that's legal? Ethical?
A possible class action suit involving the FTC?

Anyone know if this policy is a violation of federal trade laws?
Anyone know a lawyer who would be interested in looking into this?

I really don't like ebay's over zealous fee structure and policies and have ended up LOSING money on some items.

Best,

Scott

 

[diggummup]

Ebay will charge the seller a fee on the final selling price on each item AND a fee for final shipping cost.

So if you are selling let's say 10 items. One person buys 5 of your items. I will combine shipping on items. Ebay will still charge full amount of EACH item shipping. Say that each item has a $1 shipping price. You combine the 5 items and only charge $2 for shipping. You are still paying fees on the other $3 that you have discounted.

I want to know if that's legal? Ethical?
A possible class action suit involving the FTC?

Anyone know if this policy is a violation of federal trade laws?
Anyone know a lawyer who would be interested in looking into this?

I really don't like ebay's over zealous fee structure and policies and have ended up LOSING money on some items.

Best,

Scott

This has happened to you? If so, it shouldn't. You may have to go into your profile and change your seller preferences in regards to combined shipping in order for this to take effect, I don't know. But here's how they explain it-

If combined shipping is used, the Final Value Fees will still be calculated on the total amount of the sale, so the discounts will be taken into account. The Final Value Fees on shipping costs will be prorated and distributed based on the first non One-day domestic shipping service offered from each listing. If One-day shipping service or International service is the only service on a listing, then Final Value Fees on shipping costs will be prorated and distributed on One-day or International service for those listings.

Example: You offer combined shipping when your buyer purchases multiple items. The total shipping costs for all 3 items is $15 but discounted to $9 by offering combined shipping (40% discount).
•Item A has a first domestic shipping cost of $4.00
•Item B has a first domestic shipping cost of $5.00
•Item C has a first domestic shipping cost of $6.00
The $9.00 shipping cost will be used to calculate Final Value Fees but will be prorated and distributed the following way (applying the 40% discount to each shipping amount):
•Item A will have a $2.40 shipping cost charged
•Item B will have a $3.00 shipping cost charged
•Item C will have a $3.60 shipping cost charged

 

[poorhunter78]

I went to the post office a couple weeks ago, Mailed out a Reloading die set to a friend. I sent them Priority mail in a padded 8 1/2 x 11 envelope.. Shipping was $5.65.. I sold a set on ebay, The postage through ebay says the same thing will cost $9.62. Guess I am going to the post office, Oh! I charged $5.50 for shipping..

I don't understand the $4.00 offset in shipping cost.. When I used to sell on ebay before, Priority was $4.75.. I know the rates have gone up but a $4 difference in price..

Could this be Figured by the Zip code?

Poorhunter78

P.S. I sold on ebay before but it has been over a year since, I know they changed alot of rules and made things more complicated.. I just want to keep things as simple as possible..

 

[Michigan Badger]

What gets me is the small number of views I get now on ebay. Back a few years ago most anything got 50 views. The more collectable stuff would pull from 200 to 400+ views.

Today my very best items pull 30 views max. People aren't even looking.

Most sold items get only 1 bid.

 

[diggummup]

I went to the post office a couple weeks ago, Mailed out a Reloading die set to a friend. I sent them Priority mail in a padded 8 1/2 x 11 envelope.. Shipping was $5.65.. I sold a set on ebay, The postage through ebay says the same thing will cost $9.62. Guess I am going to the post office, Oh! I charged $5.50 for shipping..

I don't understand the $4.00 offset in shipping cost.. When I used to sell on ebay before, Priority was $4.75.. I know the rates have gone up but a $4 difference in price..

Could this be Figured by the Zip code?

Poorhunter78

P.S. I sold on ebay before but it has been over a year since, I know they changed alot of rules and made things more complicated.. I just want to keep things as simple as possible..

Your doing something wrong. It's always cheaper to ship using online services versus the PO.
https://www.usps.com/ship/priority-mail-flat.htm
https://www.usps.com/send/priority-mail.htm

Also... priority flat rate envelopes and box rates are not figured by the zip code, standard priority is.

 

[rockhound]

Since most items are made in China now, the best bids come on vintage items made in the USA. As more and more companies moved overseas, their quality went down. The higher prices on USA made items are warranted because of their higher quality. As an example, you could once buy a used Zebco fishing reel cheap. You still can, but they are made in China, the ones made in the USA are not cheap anymore. I saw some older used Zebco 33's bringing more than what they cost new. If they are in mint condition, they will bring a nice price. Same as rods and lures. Some rare items are bringing premium prices. The higher quality fishing equipment brands are in high demand. When quality drops, so does demand for higher quality vintage equipment. Good Luck. rockhound

 

[poorhunter78]

I went to the post office a couple weeks ago, Mailed out a Reloading die set to a friend. I sent them Priority mail in a padded 8 1/2 x 11 envelope.. Shipping was $5.65.. I sold a set on ebay, The postage through ebay says the same thing will cost $9.62. Guess I am going to the post office, Oh! I charged $5.50 for shipping..

I don't understand the $4.00 offset in shipping cost.. When I used to sell on ebay before, Priority was $4.75.. I know the rates have gone up but a $4 difference in price..

Could this be Figured by the Zip code?

Poorhunter78

P.S. I sold on ebay before but it has been over a year since, I know they changed alot of rules and made things more complicated.. I just want to keep things as simple as possible..

Your doing something wrong. It's always cheaper to ship using online services versus the PO.
https://www.usps.com/ship/priority-mail-flat.htm
https://www.usps.com/send/priority-mail.htm

Also... priority flat rate envelopes and box rates are not figured by the zip code, standard priority is.

Shipping at the PO was $5.30.. They gave me a flat rate envelope to put mine in..

Thanks for the info..

Poor

 

[rockhound]

They recently sold a Pflueger 2800 reel on Ebay for $1,225. One of the few I don't have. I always wanted one for my collection but couldn't justify the price. The pflueger 2600 is almost as rare. These were made in the 70-80's, made in the USA. Good Luck. rockhound

 

[George (MN)]

I don't see many detectors on eBay that don't sell for 80%-100% of what they're worth. Of course a few try to get more.

I have bought recently on eBay but not sold for years. I'm mad at the people who can't buy something without pictures when I provide several paragraphs detailing cosmetic & working condition & have 100% feedback since 1999.

I can't take good pics as never learned cameras digital or older. I shake, 20/275 vision left eye, 20/60 at best close-up right eye. Pics for me not a minute, maybe a day. 200+ page book for $100 camera! Would take long time to read, forever to memorize. So they assume crook & pay more from someone who can show the dust particles but has no idea if an electronic item works.

One tip for eBay sellers. If you have minimum bid set at what it is worth, maybe no bids. If you have no reserve, they can steal it if only 1 bid. So best to use a secret reserve, or sell at fixed price, which can be lowered until it sells. Last I looked, auction final value fees were 9% but the fixed price buy it now final value fees are 5%. Best wishes, George (MN)

 

[thrillathahunt]

I hate ebay! Their rules and policies have mutated over the years. Paypal only accepted as payment. No giving negative feedback to deadbeat bidders. Fees charged on shipping charges as well as final value and listing fees.

Does anyone know of a good alternative internet auction site?

 

[diggummup]

I hate ebay! Their rules and policies have mutated over the years. Paypal only accepted as payment. No giving negative feedback to deadbeat bidders. Fees charged on shipping charges as well as final value and listing fees.

Does anyone know of a good alternative internet auction site?

I agree. If there was i'd be there. Unfortunately, there isn't another internet auction site that generates the exposure that they do. So if your gonna sell, you better be buying your goods for pennies on the dollar in order to make a good profit and be worthwhile.

 

[Michigan Badger]

I hate ebay! Their rules and policies have mutated over the years. Paypal only accepted as payment. No giving negative feedback to deadbeat bidders. Fees charged on shipping charges as well as final value and listing fees.

Does anyone know of a good alternative internet auction site?

I agree. If there was i'd be there. Unfortunately, there isn't another internet auction site that generates the exposure that they do. So if your gonna sell, you better be buying your goods for pennies on the dollar in order to make a good profit and be worthwhile.

Yes, this is true. If one wants exposure to a wide range of potential buyers, ebay is the only choice. I have tried several other outlets and for most items I come back to ebay. Ebay holds a monopoly when it comes to online auctions.

But as stated, buy very cheaply or you'll lose your shirt on ebay. I have been selling off odds and ends because my wife is on a big "de-cluttered" kick. Anything we're no longer enjoying or using must go. I'm done now for the most part and I lost money on almost everything I sold. But everything got into the hands of those who could use that stuff so that's cool. But if I were running a business I'd be hurting.

With ebay it's mostly strict well established collector lines and very practical stuff now (with some exceptions). And one has to buy dirt cheap in order to make any real profit.

A while back I sold 3 "Copper Culture" artifacts for about $30 less than I paid the finder 5 years ago (ebay auction). It took me 7 or 8 re-listings to sell them. Today it's very rare for me to sell something the first time listed. Selling is almost like pulling teeth. And just 5 years ago I was an ebay Superseller. It's a good thing ebay runs those free listing deals.

 

[Iron Patch]

Very tough. I do well on ebay but I have been on a long time and have been able to constantly adapt. To be successful you either need the knowledge and experience of the type of item you plan to deal in, or a very crafty idea basically just taking a product from point A, and selling it to point B. In most cases I think you also need a good amount of cash, because it really does take money to make money. When I started my buying was behind my ability to sell so I always had enough cash on hand, where is now I can buy much faster than I can sell, so burn through money extremely last. Years ago it was like the picky person agonizing over buying the right one, and now I'm like a kid in a candy store grabbing it by the handful.

Even though I can't even keep up with what I'm doing now, I do understand how hard it is to get started at a random idea, because I often try to think of other things I can do, and have no success.... at least not enough to bother and take time out of my current gig.

 

[Michigan Badger]

Very tough. I do well on ebay but I have been on a long time and have been able to constantly adapt. To be successful you either need the knowledge and experience of the type of item you plan to deal in, or a very crafty idea basically just taking a product from point A, and selling it to point B. In most cases I think you also need a good amount of cash, because it really does take money to make money. When I started my buying was behind my ability to sell so I always had enough cash on hand, where is now I can buy much faster than I can sell, so burn through money extremely last. Years ago it was like the picky person agonizing over buying the right one, and now I'm like a kid in a candy store grabbing it by the handful.

Even though I can't even keep up with what I'm doing now, I do understand how hard it is to get started at a random idea, because I often try to think of other things I can do, and have no success.... at least not enough to bother and take time out of my current gig.

Yes, good post. I see this is true.

One has to know what to buy and this takes knowledge and money. There's money to be made on the bay but the offering has to be right. And like you say, one does need to change with the times. The ebay of 1998 (my first account) is not the ebay of today.

 

[Iron Patch]

Very tough. I do well on ebay but I have been on a long time and have been able to constantly adapt. To be successful you either need the knowledge and experience of the type of item you plan to deal in, or a very crafty idea basically just taking a product from point A, and selling it to point B. In most cases I think you also need a good amount of cash, because it really does take money to make money. When I started my buying was behind my ability to sell so I always had enough cash on hand, where is now I can buy much faster than I can sell, so burn through money extremely last. Years ago it was like the picky person agonizing over buying the right one, and now I'm like a kid in a candy store grabbing it by the handful.

Even though I can't even keep up with what I'm doing now, I do understand how hard it is to get started at a random idea, because I often try to think of other things I can do, and have no success.... at least not enough to bother and take time out of my current gig.

The ebay of 1998 (my first account) is not the ebay of today.

That's exactly right, at least for me. What I used to do 10 years ago would not work anywhere near as well today. Then I relied on being very crafty with a little knowledge, and now it's mostly knowledge and being a little crafty. There's many reasons it has changed but the big one I see is the competition. I buy many types of items and there's not a 1,000 people going after the same stuff, but there always seems to be 2 or 3, and of course it only takes one to kill it for you. Unfortunately ebay got much better at making items seen, and the buyers got a whole lot better at finding them. I still sneak something great now and again but most times the price sky rockets at the snipe and it doesn't much matter who wins then because most of the profit is lost.

There's really only one thing you have to know about buying and selling, and that is .... What's the most someone would pay for a specific item. It sounds easy to read it, but probably takes years and years of experience to know it, and know it for many items. I have a pretty good list I search for, but continue to be amazed by people in the antique business that can buy almost anything that walks in. I'm guessing most just lowball or need references whether it be books, or google... but there's got to be some that just genuinely know a hell of a lot. Considering what I've learned in 10 years I can see how that can be possible once you have 40-50 in, because that's a very long time to absorb information.

 

[Michigan Badger]

Almost every time I guess at something I end of losing. This wasn't so 10 years ago. I used to brag back then that I could sell a bag of dirt for a good price.

I mean I would go to garage sales and buy almost anything and sell it for about 10 times what I paid for it. It seemed everything was in big demand.

I used to buy all sorts of dinnerware and almost everything sold well. There were lots of people looking to replace broken plates or whatever.

Back in 2005 a guy gave me a giant box of old water damaged books. They weren't rare or anything. I made close to $400 on the lot. Today I can't get $10 for a rare book listed at $100. Books, old maps, 19th century hand colored prints, 17th century Japanese prints, etc., are dead. I can't even get $5 for a print made in the 1500's. Years ago I'd make a killing.

I laugh every time I watch Antiques Roadshow.

 

[poorhunter78]

Almost every time I guess at something I end of losing. This wasn't so 10 years ago. I used to brag back then that I could sell a bag of dirt for a good price.

I mean I would go to garage sales and buy almost anything and sell it for about 10 times what I paid for it. It seemed everything was in big demand.

I used to buy all sorts of dinnerware and almost everything sold well. There were lots of people looking to replace broken plates or whatever.

Back in 2005 a guy gave me a giant box of old water damaged books. They weren't rare or anything. I made close to $400 on the lot. Today I can't get $10 for a rare book listed at $100. Books, old maps, 19th century hand colored prints, 17th century Japanese prints, etc., are dead. I can't even get $5 for a print made in the 1500's. Years ago I'd make a killing.

I laugh every time I watch Antiques Roadshow.

Well despite battling through these Computer Issues I have been having.. I have sold 7 items in the last couple weeks on Ebay, I made out better then I expected.. I have 30-35 books to unload soon.. I hate to hear about the market being so low on books.. But most are on guns, and shooting so I expect they will do OK..

Only Issue I have had is the new Rules about being paid. It is rediculous.. Then some bid on things and take a week to pay, Then Paypal makes us wait even longer for our money.. If I buy something I pay immediately, Instead of waiting..

 

[Iron Patch]

Almost every time I guess at something I end of losing. This wasn't so 10 years ago. I used to brag back then that I could sell a bag of dirt for a good price.

I mean I would go to garage sales and buy almost anything and sell it for about 10 times what I paid for it. It seemed everything was in big demand.

I used to buy all sorts of dinnerware and almost everything sold well. There were lots of people looking to replace broken plates or whatever.

Back in 2005 a guy gave me a giant box of old water damaged books. They weren't rare or anything. I made close to $400 on the lot. Today I can't get $10 for a rare book listed at $100. Books, old maps, 19th century hand colored prints, 17th century Japanese prints, etc., are dead. I can't even get $5 for a print made in the 1500's. Years ago I'd make a killing.

I laugh every time I watch Antiques Roadshow.

Only Issue I have had is the new Rules about being paid. It is rediculous..

That was a great change. It really cleaned up the place and probably sent most of the fraudsters to Craig's List and other places. I am more than happy to see you have to wait for money than me get ripped off and lose it, and that's what the bottom line is here.