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Post by englishinvader on Mar 31, 2012 23:03:27 GMT
I recently registered as an eBay seller and despite listing good items, pictures and accurate descriptions, no one gives me the time of day. All I get are people who want my items for marginally more than the cost of shipping. It makes me feel like taking all the stuff I no longer want down to the dump instead of giving away things I paid good money for.
Has anyone else had any problems breaking the ice on eBay?
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Post by playgeneration on Mar 31, 2012 23:20:39 GMT
Personally I don't think its even worth selling common stuff on ebay any more, although I'm thankful other people do so I can buy them. The fees are just stupid, its not worth all the effort of selling something for a quid or two then losing a third of it on ebay taxes. I would only consider selling something on ebay if it was rare, and would fetch more money on there than anywhere else. I prefer to sell stuff on forums, or even give stuff away, I gave a bunch of really common games to a charity shop a while back which is certainly better than throwing it in the trash.
If you do want to use ebay, personally I'd stick to doing buyitnow auctions and check recently completed auctions to base your prices on. Starting at 99p can lead to silly bidding wars and a high ending price, but mostly that just doesn't happen and you'll only sell things for the starting price or thereabouts.
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Post by brian on Apr 1, 2012 0:39:08 GMT
You're telling me. Couldn't have said it better.
The story of me and my Nintendo crap I'm trying to unload...
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Aypok
Sonic the Hedgehog
Posts: 2,372
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Post by Aypok on Apr 1, 2012 9:05:19 GMT
PlayGeneration hit the nail on the head. I tried selling a load of common PS2 games on eBay a year or two ago and it was a huge waste of time. Sure, I got rid of some games, but the amount of effort I had to put in was not even close to worth it after I saw how much I made from it (practically nothing, thanks to the fees).
However, it helps to look at it from the perspective of a buyer. Say there's a common game you want and it's for sale at 99p. Great! Postage is £2 on top of that. That's £3 for a cheap, common game you could probably find in a bundle at a fraction of that... Are you going to buy it? No, chances are that you won't - you'll wait.
Of course you may not be selling cheap stuff, so this won't apply...
Anyway. If selling on forums gets you nowhere (it eliminates fees, but it still suffers from the problem mentioned in the above paragraph), try selling them in "lots" - small (or large, if you want) piles of games in one bundle. The definitely helped me off-load a pile of common/crappy games.
What really helped me was spending a Sunday morning at a car boot sale - as a seller. Selling games for £1 there is very easy to do; there's no postage and customers can see exactly what they're buying. I shifted about half a car full of games when I did it - but then, loads of game-buyers frequent my local car boot (the swine!).
That may not be ideal for you, but it's certainly an option.
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Post by barney on Apr 1, 2012 9:38:02 GMT
I've all but given up selling on eBay - a few months ago I sold some low-value items and ended up with a few idiot buyers. I got fed up of messages like: "Hi there...its faulty, doesnt work...dont want to ask for a return as you would be liable for postage both ways...any suggestions?... its such a low value item i dont want to quibble...". I never used to have any trouble with eBay but lately it's just become more trouble than it's worth.
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Post by englishinvader on Apr 1, 2012 10:37:39 GMT
However, it helps to look at it from the perspective of a buyer. Say there's a common game you want and it's for sale at 99p. Great! Postage is £2 on top of that. That's £3 for a cheap, common game you could probably find in a bundle at a fraction of that... Are you going to buy it? No, chances are that you won't - you'll wait.. I've never really thought that way as a buyer. I've always been a believer in the old maxim: "You get what you pay for". Trusted sellers are almost always my first port of call when I'm looking for a game. I don't mind paying a bit more if I automatically know three things: 1) The item is in good condition 2) The item will be packaged properly 3) The item will be promptly delivered Sadly, the last buyer I dealt with didn't see things that way. He wanted some of the less common GG games and I offered them to him at £3 each plus shipping (which I felt was very reasonable in comparison to the BINs), but he said thanks but no thanks and wanted them for 99p. Some people have more teeth than brain cells. |
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Aypok
Sonic the Hedgehog
Posts: 2,372
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Post by Aypok on Apr 1, 2012 11:00:48 GMT
I've never really thought that way as a buyer. I've always been a believer in the old maxim: "You get what you pay for". Agreed, but if you shop around you can sometimes get the same thing for cheaper. :) Just because it costs a lot doesn't necessarily mean it's of high-quality. Sadly, the last buyer I dealt with didn't see things that way. He wanted some of the less common GG games and I offered them to him at £3 each plus shipping (which I felt was very reasonable in comparison to the BINs), but he said thanks but no thanks and wanted them for 99p. Some people have more teeth than brain cells. And that's why I really dislike dealing with eBay - the users... It's a horrible place to sell. |
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konaboy1978
Alis
My neighbour ate my zombies
Posts: 321
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Post by konaboy1978 on Apr 1, 2012 18:58:39 GMT
Trusted sellers are almost always my first port of call when I'm looking for a game. I don't mind paying a bit more if I automatically know three things: 1) The item is in good condition I had real bad luck recently with items ive won on ebay described as in good condition. When complaining to a seller i always get the same old thing " the item is in good condition.........................for its age" No, you describe an item's condition as what condition it is in, it could not be easier!!!! |
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Post by meu2 on Apr 2, 2012 7:11:08 GMT
Trusted sellers are almost always my first port of call when I'm looking for a game. I don't mind paying a bit more if I automatically know three things: 1) The item is in good condition I had real bad luck recently with items ive won on ebay described as in good condition. When complaining to a seller i always get the same old thing " the item is in good condition.........................for its age" No, you describe an item's condition as what condition it is in, it could not be easier!!!! I hate that line. There are guidelines for describing something as being in good condition on eBay and age doesn’t factor into it. Ebay is really a crapshoot for buyers and sellers these days. |
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