E-bay

[BlackSwan]

Originally Posted by D66

... some for more than they were worth.

I hope you shouted "suckers" as the auction closed.

[argetni]

Originally Posted by SAhermit

No if youre already registered as a buyer with ebay you dont need to supply any credit card details to ebay again as a seller. You would need to supply bank account details and setup a standing order with them though, so any charges you owe for selling can be taken automatically by Ebay every month. Otherwise you can pay monthly with a cheque.

The same bank accounts details can be used with Paypal (owned by Ebay) so any money you make can be electronically transfered from your Paypal virtual account back to your real bank account. You also can transfer money into your virtual account from your bank account for making payments to other people..which would be handy if your credit card is maxed.

Ah ok - cool. Thanks SAhermit.
Now for a particularly dumb question... if I have an item up for sale, and the winning bid is well below what I reckon the item's worth, I'd still be committed to the sale, wouldn't I? No backing out for the sake of greed? Is the only way to avoid that scenario the 'Buy it Now' option?

[BlackSwan]

You can also put a reserve price on an item so if it doesn't meet the reserve you don't have to sell. I think their is some kind of cost with that though, if it doesn't meet the reserve I think you have to pay a small fee.

[noonlight]

You can start the bidding at a higher price, I wouldn't use a reserve as it puts people off, and yes you still have to pay insertion fees including the cost of adding a reserve.

eBay and PayPal take ALOT of any profit you make so it's quite hard to make a decent profit if your margins are slim, some people manage it though.

[Whatawaste]

Originally Posted by argetni

Ah ok - cool. Thanks SAhermit.
Now for a particularly dumb question... if I have an item up for sale, and the winning bid is well below what I reckon the item's worth, I'd still be committed to the sale, wouldn't I? No backing out for the sake of greed? Is the only way to avoid that scenario the 'Buy it Now' option?

I think that lowest reserve you can have on an item is £50 now as ebay like things to sell, even if its for less that what you think its worth..then they still get their cut of whatever you make!..I think its at a £1 to put an item on reserve, which you lose if it doesnt sell, along with listing fees.

I tend to start items quite high and mainly use the 'buy it now' option as people like to close the auction immediately and get the item quick, even if it means paying abit more. If the item doesnt sell and the time runs down I tend to slowly reduce the asking price so hopefully I dont get stuck with it.

Also I try and keep my postage down to the bare minimum and dont charge for packing. I use recycled jiffy bags and use thin cardboard such as from crisp boxes etc so I dont need to charge for packaging materials. I use postal scales and carefully estimate the cost on each item so I dont make a loss on postage.

[Concept]

I feel like I'm the only person on the internet who doesn't use ebay.

[Amber Fyre]

Why wouldn't you? You can buy computer games and films for next to nothing!

[Concept]

Dealing with people I don't know is the problem.

I do occasionally trade over the net but only with recognised traders over a forum format.

That, and as mentioned in this thread, visiting the post-office is uncomfortable.

[Amber Fyre]

But you don't need to if you only buy. You do everything online, and then it's delivered to your door. No hassle!

[Concept]

I thought you had to contact the seller privately to arrange payment?

I don't have the enthusiasm for it.

[Amber Fyre]

No, it's all done through e-bay. You don't have to talk to anyone. Otherwise I wouldn't use it!

[Concept]

Cheers. Perhaps I'll give it a try.