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Post Info TOPIC: Making a Profit on Ebay
berryahou35


Dooney & Bourke

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Making a Profit on Ebay
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That's obviously one of people's intentions, but does anyone here purposely buys things on sale to sell on ebay?  I'm thinking of doing that, but I wanna know your opinions first. 


Also, I bought a sweater for my mom (but she didn't really like it), black, short sleeved with gold beads, a blend of rayon, lamb's wool, nylon, angora and cashmere for $10.  The orig. price was $145.  How much should I start the minimum bid at? 


Thanks! 



-- Edited by berryahou35 at 19:31, 2005-05-23

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laken1


Hermes

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We do a lot of garage / estate sales and when we do I'm always on the lookout for items to resell on ebay. My FIL does this and in addition to his military pension, that's all they do & make a decent living. I just find that clothes are REALLY HARD. You have to know what things are going for before you make a purchase or you just end up in the hole. Also, as I am scouring good sales or discount stores, I always look for those great deals that people here talk about - like 7s for $20 or something at TJ Maxx - in any size for resale on ebay.

What I generally do to determine if it's worth it is search the item you are considering selling and in advanced searches you can chose "completed listings" and sort by the highest price to see the max any recent seller has gotten for it. Then I see if the highest bid is significantly different than the lowest bid - what did that seller do differently? Was it the wording of their description? The title? etc.

Like I said, my FIL said "sell what you know" - he does electronics, computer plugs / adapters, he has found model cars, etc. Stuff that he is interested in. The strangest things sell for crazy amounts - a few weeks ago he found an old trophy with an oldsmobile hood ornament on it that he bought at a garage sale for $1, he detached it from the trophy base, cleaned it up, and sold it for....$76!!!!! Isn't that insane? Yet I have put up Via Spigas that I paid $200 for, worn twice, that sold for $10. You just have to research your product & know what people will pay. I guess my point after all that is, just because it's something you think would sell, you'd be shocked that they don't sell well on ebay. To me that's the hard part.

Again, take all this in stride, this is all from my personal experience - I know ebay offers "classes" & stuff, but I just think it's more common sense than having to take a dang class. Ebay also does a monthly listing of "hot items" that they put out there that is based on supply / demand from recent auctions - I sometimes look through that to see what people are looking for....

Hope this helps.


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mikacat


Coach

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all of laken's advice is right on to me.


I have been selling ebay for 3 years or so. I do it in big spurts b/c the house is just destroyed while you are doing it....photos and packing supplies, etc.


My hubby takes the photos, i list and pack and he goes to the post office.


I will ship worldwide on smaller items so i can get more bids. Heavier items just aren't worth it....too much money to ship.


I like to make up in shipping cost that i get from the buyer for packing supplies, the paypal fees and my listing fees plus my postage.


I leave feedback after they leave it for me in most cases. Sometimes i leave it first.


Packing supplies---I get from the dollar store and Dollar General---padded envelopes (2 and 3 for a dollar) and tape. I also use shredded documents for packing, recycled packing supplies, gifts, on line purchases, tissue paper, etc. I bring used boxes and padded envelopes home from work.  I ask for boxes and packing supplies whenever I buy something. yesterday I bought two porcelain planters for the front porch and had her wrap them up good in bubble wrap---strictly to reuse for ebay. I just have a closet in the laundry room where i keep anything I could use for packing supplies for ebay b/c I don't want to spend money on that stuff.


If you ship priority --the boxes are free at the post office. Priority is good for heavy items like jeans.


I look at a lot of completed auctions for ideas for wording, shipping, pictures, etc.


I find the research does a lot of good though. Kind of a pain but worth it.


I save all kinds of bags, tissue paper, catalogues, handling instructions, etc. to ship with items. FOr instance, when i sell a coach wallet, i include a coach box, coach tissue, leather care, etc. People like that for some reason. I guess so it doesn't feel like they got it off ebay. when i sell tiffany stuff, i include the box, ribbons, sterling care card, and tiffany catalogue.



-- Edited by mikacat at 11:35, 2005-05-26

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berryahou35


Dooney & Bourke

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http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Savinganddebt/Savemoney/P116526.asp?GT1=6585


Here's an article that talks about selling online



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