Do you buy and sell on Ebay?

[Blue_Roses]

Is it hard to sell items? I have been visiting there for awhile, but just recently put items on there to sell. Is it worth it or just a waste of time?

[seemunkee]

1. I buy, never sold

Mostly flipbooks that I collect. My daughter buys clothes and my son buys records.

[gmoney]

2. depends on the item

some things you can save huge money on buying from eBay, other stuff costs close to retail. it's also good for hard to find stuff, like collector's things, vintage auto parts, recent magazines. I buy some photo equipment and framing materials there.

If you're selling, look up similar items and see what they sold for, decide if the likely income is worth the effort and fees to list, then decide.

If it's too bulky to ship UPS, you may want to try Craigslist.org ...free listings, somewhat limited to your location.

If you're selling books or DVDs or CDs, try eBay's half.com site, or Amazon.com -- both allow you to list for free, pay only if you sell, unlike eBay

[wildhorses]

3. my boyfriend sells arrowheads on there and my best friend

buys gemstones and stuff for her (our :blush:) jewelry.

They both LOVE it...

i have bought one cd on there and it was an easy transaction. used paypal.

[NewWaveChick1981]

4. My husband buys and sells on ebay a lot.

Selling totally depends on what you're trying to sell and who is watching at that particular time. It's a combination of luck and hard work. He sells action figures, original comic art, and a lot of other miscellaneous stuff. He's been doing it for about nine years, and there are times he buys as much as he sells. He's good at it, but it's really time consuming doing it to the extent he does. It's a lot of work to list the items, send out invoices, get payment, package the items to ship, and getting them in people's hands. There are "auction assistant" software packages which make things easier, but they can cost you a decent amount. Ebay charges listing and setup fees (like reserve fees, etc.) and final value fees. These can eat into your profits depending on what your item sells for. Also, if you accept payments through PayPal, there can be fees on those payments too. It's a cost of doing business, but it's something to be aware of prior to becoming a seller. You'll sell fewer items if you only accept money orders or checks, because many people want to pay by credit card and/or pay you faster so their item arrives sooner.

I've done some buying and selling myself, but I really don't have time for it. My husband considers ebay a part of his job (he's a freelance artist), so he can devote more time to it. It can be worth your while, but there are a lot of variables that can affect your sales. Remember NOT to list items when they will end on a holiday or ending at a time that few people will be awake. Also remember to list the item in a category that makes sense. I've seen good things listed that either don't sell or sell for far less than they should because somebody put an item in the wrong category. Case in point: hubby picked up an action figure for dirt cheap because somebody listed it in the World War II category instead of the Military Action Figures category. It should have sold for about ten times what it did, but because few people saw it, it went very cheaply.

Hope that helps. LMK if you have any questions. :)

[Blue_Roses]

10. thanks so much for the advice

What are the "invoices" he sends out? This is all new to me. Do you send those out when an item sells? Not sure how this process all works.

[AllegroRondo]

5. I used to sell a lot

comic books and wargames miniatures. At the time, I made some decent money on it, and once you get a reputation within a group its easier to sell. Positive feedback is very important.

Its probably easier to sell if you stick to things that arent mass-marketable, where there is some decent return possible. Check out if there are other people trying to sell the same thing at the same time, and you'll get an idea of possible prices. List auctions to end when people are awake and on their computer - I tried to aim for weekends.

No real horror stories.

[Lowell]

6. I've bought and sold

mostly sell these days. I sell coins and bullion. Sometimes they do extremely well, especially when the bidders get into a bidding war over something they really want. I've had them buy bullion for much more than spot. Coins are good sellers too, especially if they are hard to find elsewhere.

[kid a]

7. I sell three or four low mileage cars a month on ebay

i get them at auto auctions from rental companies and sell them a bit over the wholesale price I pay.
Have to deal with emails evry day with questions from stoops that won't look at pictures (or they might be on dial-up?)

[MethuenProgressive]

8. I'm selling stuff on eBay, want help?

It gets easier as you go along. If you'd like to contact me I'll send you my eBay name so you can see some of my auctions and I can coach you a bit as you start up. I've got a 100% feedback of 366 positives, so I *think* I'm doing it right! :D

[Blue_Roses]

9. just getting started with it

and I could definitely use some help. I listed my first two items yesterday and one already has two bids. I've done my homework on how this all works but to put it into action is another thing.