OT: My first time selling on ebay - advice?

[AR]

Not really to promote it, really just wondering if it looks right. First time I've sold on there. Going to eventually work up to downsizing my guitar collection, but I'm starting with something much smaller as a trial run. Just some old Hank Aaron baseball cards. I refused to ship internationally. Love how ebay nickles and dimes you for larger sized pictures, and other things.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hank-Aaron-5-Card-L ... dZViewItem

Any advice would be appreciated.

[FormerJrnyFan]

Might want to add "baseball" to the title... did you set a reserve price?

[AR]

Might want to add "baseball" to the title... did you set a reserve price?

No reserve. Sports cards aren't bringing in what they once did. I'll pull the auction if I don't get at least a decent amount for them.

[larryfromnextdoor]

Might want to add "baseball" to the title... did you set a reserve price?

No reserve. Sports cards aren't bringing in what they once did. I'll pull the auction if I don't get at least a decent amount for them.

dude!! you have to have a reserve i think ! it protects you from having to sell it for a low amount..you may not be able to pull the auction..buy it now is the bomb..

[RedWingFan]

Might want to add "baseball" to the title... did you set a reserve price?

No reserve. Sports cards aren't bringing in what they once did. I'll pull the auction if I don't get at least a decent amount for them.

Yeah definitly add baseball, drop the 1950's 1960's from the title... Love the "I don't care" in the description though. Drdelaware?

[AR]

No need to add baseball. Card people are searching for players, they know what sport. It's in the category of sports cards. You can end auctions early.

[SteveForever]

No need to add baseball. Card people are searching for players, they know what sport. It's in the category of sports cards. You can end auctions early.

ahem, you asked these good people for advice....

[T-Bone]

Check your PM's

[T-Bone]

No need to add baseball. Card people are searching for players, they know what sport. It's in the category of sports cards. You can end auctions early.

On the flip side, some people search from the home page and type in the words they want such as "Baseball Card". It's not the best way for a search, but alot of newbie ebayers will do it that way because they have no clue where some catagories are.

Add to my PM I sent: Be careful of newbies to ebay. They seem to think that ebay is a playground and they can back out whenever they wish. I ask for an e-mail from anyone under 5 feedbacks to make sure they understand what they're doing. If they don't respond, then I cancel their bids. It' sad to do it that way, but I've learned the hard way and don't trust alot of people on evilbay.

When shipping: INSURE AND TRACK!!!! They are your friend


Buy It Now's are sometimes a great thing for the impatient buyers, but can also cost you. I got lucky on one of my last guitars I sold. I had a Buy It Now of $499 and had 6-7 people watching the auction. A bidding war ensued in the last 5 minutes and the Buy It Now disappeared and guitar sold for $750+ If you're going to add a Buy It Now, up the price a little and offer FREE SHIPPING!!! Those words alone attract people. Also make sure you research for combined shipping if you sell multiple items to the same buyer.


Anything else, PM me

[NealIsGod]

Great advice, T-Bone. I have bought and sold a little on eBay, and also read a couple of books on it. I think putting as much info in your title is the most important thing to get people to see it.

[xflajrnylvr]

Ed all advice is good here. be carefulof the newbies and people that have changed their id last 30 days some of them change due to the terrible feedback they get and that is the only way they can get back on

[T-Bone]

Great advice, T-Bone. I have bought and sold a little on eBay, and also read a couple of books on it. I think putting as much info in your title is the most important thing to get people to see it.

Attractive Key words are the best way to go about that. Example: When listing a computer, I add only the best attractive info

Dell Dimension 4700 200gb 2gb ram dvd-rw XP


Instead of

Dell Dimension 2 years old, like new Windows XP


People generally don't care about the "Like New" because it's subjective. They want the cold hard facts to click on.


Also, make sure to speel everything correctly in your title, or it will not show up in a search when potential buyers type it in the right way. (speel was on purpose )


Take GOOD pics!!!!! I take approx 5-7 pics of every side of an item I'm selling and then pic the best ones for display to show gloss or imperfections etc... What you may consider a small ding will be huge to the next guy. When in doubt, pit something to reference the imperfection such as a coin so they have size reference.




For everyone else, this was the PM I sent to AR. Since others here may find the info useful:

ebay is a VERY fickle place so make sure you have all your facts and specs on everything you sell. Be honest as possible. Do your research. Just because you may have paid $100 for something, doesn't mean that's what you'll get when you sell it. Look up the exact item and make note of the highest and lowest prices. Also check conditions of those items and compare them to yours to price accordingly.

Make sure you have a good disclaimer about returns and where you will and will NOT ship to. Some countries have no way of tracking and PayPal can't help you if you get screwed over, so be careful. To play it safe, go 50 States only for your first time selling and eventually consider Canada. Always insure your item for cost and make sure you get tracking of some kind. Fed-Ex sucks ass... Go through USPS or UPS for larger items such as your guitars. Double box them and make sure you use plenty of bubble wrap, even IN the guitar case. Wrap the neck and make sure to put extra at the tip of the headstock and at the bottom of the body.


I sold this a while back. Make note of my disclaimer. If you like it, make a revised version of it. I know I sound a little like a jackass, but I have to be stern with these assclowns as they'll try to run you over at every corner.

Please Note: I only Accept PayPal and only ship to Confirmed Addressess

Up for grabs I have a BC Rich Gunslinger in VERY nice shape. The body has one small ding on the lower area where you'd rest it on your leg, and then a few small clearcoat dents here and there, that are hard to photograph. The fretboard is very nice birdseye maple and very clean. The headstock is also in great shape and not chipped at the tip like most of these are these days.

The guitar has been restrung with a new set of D'Addario 9's. The licensed Floyd copy works great and the bar is included. I just replaced the DiMarzio pickup that was in it with a Duncan Designed HB102B, which is basically a Japanese Duncan JB Model. The first pickup was not F-Spaced and had no model number on it, and the new one is and sounds better in my opinion. I'll put the original in the case for the buyer if they want it.

Please note: The shiny spots you see in the pics on the edges aren't chips, just glare from the flash of the camera. If you need different pics from other angles, please ask and I'll get to them as soon as possible

This guitar comes with the original BC Rich hard shell case as well. The case is in very good shape with the usual vinyl nicks here and there. All latches and handle work fine.



***Now For The Business End***

Please Read the following Simple Rules Prior To Bidding.

1) I only accept PAYPAL as Payment. Please do not win and then ask for other options.

2) I ship to Confirmed PayPal addressess only. If you don’t have a Confirmed Address, or you’re not sure, please don’t bid! Call PayPal and find out why your address isn’t confirmed and work it out with them. This is for my safety as well as the buyers. Many sellers WILL NOT ship to Unconfirmed Addressess, so it’s probably in your best interest for future purchases to get it taken care of.

3) I ship my items ASAP. When you receive your item and you’re happy with the transaction, please take a moment to leave feedback. I will return the feedback when I see you have done so and are satisfied with your purchase. Sorry, but I have to insist Feedback be done this way because of past problems. By doing it this way, the buyer is more likely to contact me if there’s a problem, rather then leave a negative for something that can easily be fixed or taken care of, or worse yet, just a dumb reason.

4) Upon using the Buy It Now option, Please use the PayPal for payment immediately. If you're there to hit the Buy It Now button, you may as well use the Pay Now button as well. (Funny Story: I actually had a guy use the Buy It Now one time in my auction, and then have the nerve to e-mail me 6 days later saying he was out of town on vacation and wasn't home for the end of the auction. When I asked him "How did you use the Buy It Now button then?", I got no response )

5) Upon a regularly completed auction, Payment must be made via PayPal within 3 days. Do not e-mail me and say that you'll pay next week when you get paid. If you don't have the funds to pay within the 72 hours after auction, DO NOT BID!

6) Your Bid is a contract. If you do not have the funds, or do not intend to complete this auction, DO NOT BID! It's a waste of my time as well as yours.

7) If you have less than 5 Positive Feedbacks, please contact be BEFORE bidding or your bid will be cancelled. I have nothing against new eBayers, but I want to make sure they understand the rules of eBay. If you have Excessive Negatives, Do Not Bid!

Please e-mail me with ANY questions you may have regarding this item Prior to bidding. I try to respond ASAP. For those people who use AOhell... I mean AOL, make sure you have your e-mail set up to accept responses from eBay as well as Sellers. I've had many problems in the past with my responses being rejected by AOL


This item is sold AS-IS with no warranty Given or Implied. I do my best to describe my items... Check my feedback. I pack my items well and ship them ASAP. I either use USPS or UPS, but NEVER FedEx due to past problems with them.

Please Remember, Items are shipped to CONFIRMED PayPal addressess ONLY!

On larger purchases and items, I will provide Tracking and Delivery Confirmation and possibly Signature Confirmation



This auction is for Canada & USA Only including Alaska and Hawaii



USA Shipping: $45

Canada Shipping: $53

As you can see, I ONLY accept PayPal and ONLY will ship to a Confirmed Address. This is for my protection. You can set your ebay preferences to only accept bids from people with PayPal, and then on your Paypal webpage, you can go to profile and only accept payment from people with a Confirmed Address.

By ALL means, DO NOT ship to a 3rd party for someone. You don't know who's recieving the item. Any numbskull can sign or forge for it The name of the ebay game is protect your ass.


Be prepared for stupid questions as well. I often get people who'll ask what shipping is, even though it's in HUGE RED LETTERS IN MY AUCTION


I'll also say 50 States ONLY and I'll still get the chump asking for shipping to China or somewhere.


Which brings me to this... when Listing your item, make sure you have where you'll ship to checked accordingly. That way, if you choose only the 50 states, your auctions won't be shown on ebay.ca, ebay.eu, ect... Only on Ebay.com which is USA.

Any questions, just ask

The reason I accept PayPal only is so I have the cash in my account quickly. I can't stand it when my auction ends and the winnign bidder doesn't contact me for a week and then takes another 2 weeks to get me the payment via Money Order or cashiers check. Many times, the winning bidder is a bid snipe and although they're there for the end of the auction, they don't feel the need to pay until they feel like it or get paid next week. When I ebay, I have the cash to pay IN HAND or I don't bid, and that's what I expect from my buyers. Sorry again if I sound like a jackass, but I had to learn from experience. I have made exceptions from time to time if a potential buyer with good feedback messages me before the auction is done and asks for a few extra days to pay. I honor that since they didn't win it and THEN ask me after the fact.


If you choose to accept Money Orders or Cashiers Checks, give the buyer a set time you expect to recieve payment by. 7-10 days should be sufficient. If using PayPal, 3 days should be sufficient.



It's a live and learn thing on ebay. Took me about a year to really get the hang of selling.

[StevePerryHair]

The reason I accept PayPal only is so I have the cash in my account quickly. I can't stand it when my auction ends and the winnign bidder doesn't contact me for a week and then takes another 2 weeks to get me the payment via Money Order or cashiers check. Many times, the winning bidder is a bid snipe and although they're there for the end of the auction, they don't feel the need to pay until they feel like it or get paid next week. When I ebay, I have the cash to pay IN HAND or I don't bid, and that's what I expect from my buyers. Sorry again if I sound like a jackass, but I had to learn from experience. I have made exceptions from time to time if a potential buyer with good feedback messages me before the auction is done and asks for a few extra days to pay. I honor that since they didn't win it and THEN ask me after the fact.


If you choose to accept Money Orders or Cashiers Checks, give the buyer a set time you expect to recieve payment by. 7-10 days should be sufficient. If using PayPal, 3 days should be sufficient.



It's a live and learn thing on ebay. Took me about a year to really get the hang of selling.

You narrow down your list of buyers slightly though when you only accept one form of payment. We accept checks or money orders, but we deposit their personal checks and wait 10 business days before we ship the item to be sure the check won't bounce. In 8 years we've really only had 3 bounce though. Not bad. Most people do pay with paypal nowadays though. We sell enough quantity that if one person backs out we don't get too upset. The majority of our buyers are honest. Only rarely do we get the jackass.

[Trailblazer]

I do a lot of selling on eBay - vintage music magazines, signed albums, etc. I am a big believer in Delivery Confirmation. Check out this website - https://sss-web.usps.com/cns/landing.do - if you're using USPS Priority Mail, you can print your shipping labels with free Delivery Confirmation. You can buy full sheet labels - half of the printed item will be the shipping label and the other half is an online label record. I limit my shipping to U.S. locations only. In the time I've been doing this, I have only had one non-paying bidder. Don't be tempted to leave negative feedback because most likely the NP bidder will do the same to you. It's just not worth the aggravation. Full disclosure in your descriptions is a must. Good luck with your selling, AR - it really is a lot of fun and you do connect with some pretty interesting people.

[lights1961]

Not really to promote it, really just wondering if it looks right. First time I've sold on there. Going to eventually work up to downsizing my guitar collection, but I'm starting with something much smaller as a trial run. Just some old Hank Aaron baseball cards. I refused to ship internationally. Love how ebay nickles and dimes you for larger sized pictures, and other things.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hank-Aaron-5-Card-L ... dZViewItem

Any advice would be appreciated.

my baseball cards as a kid the 1960s got thrown out in our move from LaCrosse WI to Des Moines back in 1969.. We had some awesome cards too!! What a shame!! You are correct though that the baseball boom in collecting seems to be on a decline, as the last strike in my opinion turned the majority of us to the sidelines!

The cards I had at one time, Rod Carew rookie, Boog Powels 1969-70, Brooks Robinsons about that same time, and some others---Man it ticks me off when I think about it!!

BEST advise I can give you watch out for the scammers!!!



Rick