I'm back on ebay yet again

[disneysteve]

I just listed 3 items on ebay. I've been meaning to get back on ebay for months now. The items I put on today aren't great things and I won't really be surprised if they don't sell, but you never know with ebay. All 3 are things that were in my line of attack while decluttering our computer room (see my blog for decluttering updates). I'll post when the auctions end to let you know how they went.

[sweeps]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

I'm back on ebay yet again

Don't do it, Steve! Stay strong!

[gamecock43]

I was just thinking of writing a blog about how all of a sudden I feel very abandoned in ebayland. The last 2 days I have had very minimal activity of any kind (watchers, bids, messages) and dont know what is going on.

Maybe people are keeping their money in the bank...maybe people are waiting till black friday to get started buying...or maybe its because I have switched my inventory from Swarovski and limoges to Dishware and lenox. Maybe there is less of a market in dishes.

Anyways- hope things pick up for me...hope things start off well for you DS!

[simple987]

I am also getting back in eBay after a 2 yr hiatus. I noticed that bidding and overall traffic is way down on the site since they changed their fees and policies. I used to bid on lots of things, but have only bought one thing in the last 2 yrs.

I see tons of garage sales in my area recently, and I am trying to maximize the Craigslist potential for my items.

[creditcardfree]

Good luck, Steve!

I grossed over $1K this year on ebay. All stuff sitting around the house. I've had good luck with our kids clothes and husband's military items he no longer needs.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by creditcardfree

I grossed over $1K this year on ebay.

Good for you! I was selling at the beginning of the year until about March. I grossed just over $300 during that time (plus a couple of books this month on Half.com).

Back when I did ebay full force (around 2000), I was grossing up to $3,000/month. I took in over $13,000 that year. I don't ever see myself getting back to that level, but $100/month is simple to do.

My goal now is to clear stuff out and declutter even more than it is to make money.

[ScrimpAndSave]

I totally need to get on this! I have an ipod, laptop that doesn't really work, digital camera...hmm...maybe some more stuff?

[gamecock43]

Laptop I would be careful about...but camera, ipod will get you good money. look up on ebay and see what the items are going for. Broken electronics sell too...my hubbys broken xbox360 just sold for $50.00. My broken camera just sold for $41.00.

[ScrimpAndSave]

Gamecock...what is there to be careful about the laptop? Just want to make sure I am covering all my bases..

[rennigade]

Originally Posted by gamecock43

Laptop I would be careful about...but camera, ipod will get you good money. look up on ebay and see what the items are going for. Broken electronics sell too...my hubbys broken xbox360 just sold for $50.00. My broken camera just sold for $41.00.

Your hubbys broken 360 sold for $50 because it can be fixed for about $25 if it was the RROD issue. The buyer will simply resell it for a profit so everyone benefits.

[gamecock43]

With the laptop- just be careful cuz your personal information is on it. That's all. if you can clean off the hard drive and can guess whats wrong with it- sell it. Be honest and say its in good condition but the screen keeps blacking out/the keys stick in the keyboard/ the whatever...and take a picture of any flaws like cracks or chips..and state "Sold as is" so that the buyer cannot come back and try to return it because they thought the monitor was broken but its actually some expensive doohickey inside the computer and the item is worthless to them.

And about the xbox- that's great if they can fix the item. I cant fix it so it's useless to me.

And ebay is charging only 50% of its normal listing fees today and tomorrow!

[SavingGuru]

I find the posting side of ebay so annoying it's not worth listing things. These days the stuff sold on ebay are often new items so old 2nd hand things don't sell much!

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by SavingGuru

I find the posting side of ebay so annoying it's not worth listing things. These days the stuff sold on ebay are often new items so old 2nd hand things don't sell much!

I don't think that's true at all. I sell almost exclusively used items and do just fine. In fact, given the current economy, I think used items have an advantage as more people are looking for bargains.

As for the "posting side" being annoying, I'm not sure what you mean. Once you've done it a few times and get the hang of it, I think posting an item is pretty simple, especially since ebay started doing their own photo-hosting. Posting used to be much, much more involved years ago. They've streamlined the process tremendously.

[mrpaseo]

***REMOVE YOUR HARD DRIVE BEFORE YOU SELL YOUR COMPUTER***

I am in this field, I know for a fact that your information can be retrieved from your hard drive even after it if formated. We use a program to format our military hard drives that scrape the hard drive layers 10 times to ensure all information is cleared. This is a formating program, not the basic stuff that your computer comes with.

It's very easy to remove the hard drive, just open the panel in the back and lift it out.

Ray

[tripods68]

I've never sold anything on Ebay. But I do need to declutter my garage. So'll probably looking to start using Ebay next year...

[disneysteve]

tripods68, my advice to new sellers is to register and do some buying first to build up a feedback rating of at least 10. Many buyers are hesitant to deal with brand new sellers with zero feedback.

Ebay sells everything and anything from antiques and collectibles to common household items, toiletries, office supplies, clothing, etc., so there is something everyone needs on a regular basis (an often at pretty good prices). It could help you be more successful when you start selling to get that feedback up over 10 before you start selling.

[tripods68]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

tripods68, my advice to new sellers is to register and do some buying first to build up a feedback rating of at least 10. Many buyers are hesitant to deal with brand new sellers with zero feedback.

DS. Good advice. How bout i start buying your stuff and you buy my staff so I can build my feedback rating to 10.

No seriously, I mainly used Craiglist in the past where i sold my parents car few years ago. I also found my car I'm currently driving for $3K (nissan altima) runs perfect (knock on woods) for the last 3 years. I also sold car parts which really been good. So my experience in EBAY is really brand new. We'll see.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by tripods68

DS. Good advice. How bout i start buying your stuff and you buy my staff so I can build my feedback rating to 10.

Sure. What are you selling?

I think ebay is a very under-used resource, especially in tough economic times. Years ago, it was mostly little guys like me selling collectibles and such, but today, it is many, many professionals, stores selling overstock, online businesses, even government entities selling merchandise. You can get some great deals.

[KatieNK]

I have been doing great selling on Craigslist. No fees and no driving to the post office.

[KatieNK]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

I think ebay is a very under-used resource, especially in tough economic times. Years ago, it was mostly little guys like me selling collectibles and such, but today, it is many, many professionals, stores selling overstock, online businesses, even government entities selling merchandise. You can get some great deals.

True but I have gotten burned more in recent times than I used to when I first started. I have gotten damaged goods, the wrong item, or not gotten it at all. Mostly from the big business ebayers. Now I don't buy anything on ebay unless it is $10 or under.