[Denial]

Today i went a bit wild shopping and am having second thoughts. I've never sold anything on eBay but think i have a few items that will bring in some money. How do i know how to price them?

I checked eBay for like items and they were posted for 3x what i paid, but didn't sell. Any suggestions on how to go forward?

[elongreach]

Have you checked out the eBay forum? They give some great suggestions on selling there.

[Denial]

i didn't know there was such a thing. thanks.

[elongreach]

Yea, if you go to the front page of the forum, it's in the General area.

[Swanky Mama Of Three]

. . . moving to eBay Forum.

[dcgal]

Hi Denial! I'm a regular seller on eBay (but not usually bags), and the main tips I have are:

1. Always take good pictures - and preferably lots of them. When writing your listing give as much detail as possible - and certainly list any defects etc.

2. If you are creating a new account (and have zero feedback) you may want to buy a few items first so that you have some good feedback before listing - a lot of people rely on feedback when deciding who to buy from.

3. Always begin your listing at the lowest price you would be happy receiving, or higher. Once the auction has ended, and somebody has bid, this is a binding contract - so if you list for 99cents and someone buys at that, then you are obligated to send them the item. So I always list at the amount it cost me, plus a few dollars or more for fees etc (you have to pay eBay a listing price, plus a final fee, and then pay paypal as well) NB: some people use reserves to get around this - I never have, but I'm sure someone else has a tip on this!

4. Always work out your postage costs well - the USPS website is a great resource for this. I got burned a few times at the beginning listing things at below cost postage price.

Most of these things I learned along the way. Overall I think eBay is a fantastic place to sell items, but I recommend 'lurking' on this board to find out all the issues that people have had - so that you can avoid them!

Good luck!

[Miss Sooky]

I'd absolutely agree with all that dcgal said. I'd add make sure you are 100% complete and honest in your descriptions disclosing any defects. Respond to every question politely and promptly (no matter how annoying it is that it might be about something you answered in the listing itself!).

Offer all potential buyers any extra information/photos that might be helpful but you only just thought about - for example, I had a buyer who very sensibly asked about the wear on the sole of a pair of shoes. I had mentioned the wear on the soles in the listing but not thought to photograph it. I made sure everyone who wanted to/had expressed an interest in the item had a chance to see that photo when I took it.

Never make deals off eBay no matter how great the apparent 'offer'. Be super cautious about disclosing too much information about yourself or family. Check bidders feedback too - I used to only bother about seller feedback but have been burned with buyers once or twice and now am as careful about their profile as I am about a potential seller's fedback profile.

Once someone has bought the item, contact them promptly, confirm their shipping details and address, ship only when payment has been received (and cleared if you are accepting cheques) and using only a signed for/tracked service. When the item is on its way send a note and the tracking/reference number to the buyer. Finally, contact the buyer after a few days if you do not hear from them unprompted to check how things are and leave feedback in the hope you receive the same!

Phew, sure I've missed some important bits out, but that's the thing with this board, there's always someone round the corner with more and better advice!

[susan-eric]

Also, depending upon the brand of handbag, you may want to tag the bags with a tag that can't be removed and then put onto a replacement bag, in case your seller has issues with the bag and you allow returns.