What sells on the BAY?

[AU24K]

As much as I disagree with the crap one must endure as a seller of the bay, I've had different auctions running continuously for the last coupla a months or three.
I've had limited response on "Craig's List" and can get a fair price on the bay, but when fees are tabulated, I hope that I don't lose money.
Dad burn da fees!

Gotta keep up on the fees, Son! Wanna lose money? Easy to do using the bay.
My primary monthly income has been dependant on my ebay sales. I'm now only a month and a half behind on my rent! {perhaps I should feint the Dom Perrier...}
I've been doin' this for over 10 years. ALOT has changed!

Ya want stories of ten years ago?

Best,
Scott

 

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[Iron Patch]

As much as I disagree with the crap one must endure as a seller of the bay, I've had different auctions running continuously for the last coupla a months or three.
I've had limited response on "Craig's List" and can get a fair price on the bay, but when fees are tabulated, I hope that I don't lose money.
Dad burn da fees!

Gotta keep up on the fees, Son! Wanna lose money? Easy to do using the bay.
My primary monthly income has been dependant on my ebay sales. I'm now only a month and a half behind on my rent! {perhaps I should feint the Dom Perrier...}
I've been doin' this for over 10 years. ALOT has changed!

Ya want stories of ten years ago?

Best,
Scott

I pay more to ebay and Paypal per month than what my old job used to pay me! But I make more than I did at that job so can't really complain about it.

 

[AU24K]

I pay more to ebay and Paypal per month than what my old job used to pay me! But I make more than I did at that job so can't really complain about it.

And, you are a seller, my Friend?
Ah, and just what your wares might be, Matey? {Argh!}

I'm sure that shipping fees are included in your final price...
What's your secrets? C'mon, share, Bro!

Best,
Scott

 

[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.

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..

You might do well with the type of books you have. I was dealing mostly in religious books due to them being so available in my area. They were super hot 5 years ago on ebay but since about 2010 I can't give them away. Today I won't take them for free.

I also used to sell old tube radios but suddenly that market went dead for everything except certain rare models and styles. I had a basement full of radios from the 30's to mid 50's and I set them out front of the house with a big FREE sign. Only a few were taken and the rest went to the landfill because nobody wanted them. I ran them many times on Craigslist and ebay. I couldn't even get anyone to pay the shipping if sent free. Some were models I got up to $200 for back in about 05.

I used to sell 16th to 20th century Spanish cobs & coinage and that market is really dry now due to the scarcity of genuine pieces of eight for a decent price. Back in 04 to 05 I had connections for pieces of 8 (some dated) for $25 to $35 each! They came with solid COAs from a well-known specialist. I'll never see that again! I can still make a small profit on coins but it's not worth the trouble to me.

 

[Iron Patch]

I pay more to ebay and Paypal per month than what my old job used to pay me! But I make more than I did at that job so can't really complain about it.

And, you are a seller, my Friend?
Ah, and just what your wares might be, Matey? {Argh!}

I'm sure that shipping fees are included in your final price...
What's your secrets? C'mon, share, Bro!

Best,
Scott

Whether you're shipping fees are included or not, it's not a huge difference because the buyers are going to calculate it into their bids. I don't really have any secret, it's just buying and selling a lot.

 

[Michigan Badger]

Two good TV shows to watch in regard to knowing what to buy and what to pay are Pawn Stars and Cash In The Attic (British show). Of the two, the British show is more truthful.

Pawn Stars is a blast and supper funny but about 40 to 70% B.S. (it varies). The thing that is useful to guys like us who work in the real world is the guidance as to what to buy and not buy for resale. Some things may look hot but their extremely difficult to sell. People like to look but not buy. This is one major reason I watch this show. It's staged and scripted, etc., and some sellers are plants, but still first class entertainment.

Cash in the Attic is about 95% to 100% fact. While the Brit market is a bit different the general flow of things is very similar to America.

I've been doing crappy selling lately because I've been trying to sell a lot of bad purchases from the past. Once I unload the junk I'll try to buy what people want instead of what I think I want.

 

[Iron Patch]

Two good TV shows to watch in regard to knowing what to buy and what to pay are Pawn Stars and Cash In The Attic (British show). Of the two, the British show is more truthful.

Pawn Stars is a blast and supper funny but about 40 to 70% B.S. (it varies). The thing that is useful to guys like us who work in the real world is the guidance as to what to buy and not buy for resale. Some things may look hot but their extremely difficult to sell. People like to look but not buy. This is one major reason I watch this show. It's staged and scripted, etc., and some sellers are plants, but still first class entertainment.

Cash in the Attic is about 95% to 100% fact. While the Brit market is a bit different the general flow of things is very similar to America.

I've been doing crappy selling lately because I've been trying to sell a lot of bad purchases from the past. Once I unload the junk I'll try to buy what people want instead of what I think I want.

If you really want to make a go of it, it sounds like you need a store. It's how you deal with the stuff that isn't in super demand, because you only need one buyer who is willing to pay. In today's ebay with the competition so stiff in some areas it's fairly easy to break even or even lose. Of course it depends on what you have into the item, but a store is a safety net from a near sure break even or possible loss.

 

[Michigan Badger]

If you really want to make a go of it, it sounds like you need a store. It's how you deal with the stuff that isn't in super demand, because you only need one buyer who is willing to pay. In today's ebay with the competition so stiff in some areas it's fairly easy to break even or even lose. Of course it depends on what you have into the item, but a store is a safety net from a near sure break even or possible loss.

I can see this would be true except the overhead cost of running a shop. And too, once one has a shop there's the headaches of book keeping and all that crap. My daughter started a photography studio about 5 years ago and finally gave up due to all the governmental red tape. While she was 100% legitimate she was forced to compete against dozens of people doing the same thing more cheaply and illegally.

I'm just a small time hobbyist like probably most people who do this. I don't really need the money it's a game to me. Since I was very young I loved all forms of treasure hunting and this is one of them. To me the thrill isn't the financial gain itself but the hunt and find (finding objects that people really want). I'm happy to just break even.

If I had the time I'd travel the world and especially hit those little-known secret little antiques shops tucked away where few people ever visit. To make a great find this way is my version of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha .

 

[Arizona Bob]

I sold coins on eBay for nearly 10 years, but quit when all the rules began to change (my costs went up). I have a friend who is still selling on eBay. He used to sell only one item, and he was an expert with the item. Now he sells several hundred items- whatever he can buy cheap and sell with a mark-up. One item he buys is small plastic wall clocks ($3.50 each) from WalMart. He found a way to remove the plastic backing while the clock was still in the box. He could then remove the paper dial (with numbers printed on it) and insert a new paper dial with any letters/image he wanted (printed from his computer). He would then sell the clock on eBay for $19.95. He sold a TON of these. (Example- "Chevy Runs Deep" Clock) Then eBay started cracking down on copyright issues. We went to the Vegas China Expo and he bought a crapload of pocket knives from a Chinese vendor for a couple of hundred bucks. Some of the knives had a cheesy-reproduction of an American Indian Chief style coin in the handle on both sides. He found a way to remove the cheesy looking coin and replaced it with several things. One was a couple of actual Indian Head Cents. Another one was 22 millimeter turquoise semi-rounds. He sold a lot of these knives at $19.95 each. I guess my point is, that you probably can sell on eBay today. You need to keep an open mind. You might have to combine several things to produce a "sellable" item. Personally, I'm boycotting PayPal.

 

[Michigan Badger]

I sold coins on eBay for nearly 10 years, but quit when all the rules began to change (my costs went up). I have a friend who is still selling on eBay. He used to sell only one item, and he was an expert with the item. Now he sells several hundred items- whatever he can buy cheap and sell with a mark-up. One item he buys is small plastic wall clocks ($3.50 each) from WalMart. He found a way to remove the plastic backing while the clock was still in the box. He could then remove the paper dial (with numbers printed on it) and insert a new paper dial with any letters/image he wanted (printed from his computer). He would then sell the clock on eBay for $19.95. He sold a TON of these. (Example- "Chevy Runs Deep" Clock) Then eBay started cracking down on copyright issues. We went to the Vegas China Expo and he bought a crapload of pocket knives from a Chinese vendor for a couple of hundred bucks. Some of the knives had a cheesy-reproduction of an American Indian Chief style coin in the handle on both sides. He found a way to remove the cheesy looking coin and replaced it with several things. One was a couple of actual Indian Head Cents. Another one was 22 millimeter turquoise semi-rounds. He sold a lot of these knives at $19.95 each. I guess my point is, that you probably can sell on eBay today. You need to keep an open mind. You might have to combine several things to produce a "sellable" item. Personally, I'm boycotting PayPal.

Excellent post, thanks!

Yes, the ebay rules are getting tighter by the year. I used to clean and polish Spanish copper cobs for people who wanted them for jewelry applications. I made lots of money to throw away on bad purchases. But I can't do this anymore because all cleaned copper cobs are considered fakes by experts because the aged patina is the cobs only proof of age. Ebay has a rule now NO COUNTERFEIT coins of any type.

Your stories about the clock and knives reminds me of a fellow way back before ebay. This guy lived in southern California (as I recall) and his thing was faking Spanish pieces of 8. Back then he found a source for fake 8s made of genuine silver very close to the real thing. Since they all had COPY on them he'd grid that off, re-work the spot, and sell them to tourists as genuine old Spanish pieces of 8. The job he did to age them, etc., would blow most people away. He fooled everyone. He did this for about the last 20 years of his life and was never caught. Only a few people ever knew the man's name and his little business operation. What's interesting is I've never seen a single one of his fakes ever show up online as fake pieces. What we see today mostly come out of China. So, I could conclude his cobs are still out there and fully considered genuine. This is one reason I will only buy cobs from hunters whom I can trust. I avoid all middlemen.

If you search online eventually you'll read a story about a famous art forger who was caught years ago but only after he had polluted the art world with fakes that fooled even the greatest experts. I won't name him but if you visit the major art websites your eventually find his story. He's straight now but in the ca. 70's he was da man in fraud. It is estimated that many millions of dollars worth of fakes are considered genuine by both private owners and museums due to this man's work. He was so good no one can distinguish his work from that of the most famous artists of all time. And guess what, he's not talking

Sorry to ramble so but your stories reminded me of these.