Ebay sellers thread (other platforms too)

[QuarterMillionMan]

What about items (question for anyone here) that have sentimental value? Such as heirloom jewelry, mementos, memorabilia, hand-me-downs, inherited gifts from a deceased loved one, etc. I have no attachments to anything that I own and would sell anything of value that I own. Unless the person said to me before they died please don't sell this or that and make sure it stays in the family then and only then would I keep that promise and not sell it and pass it along. People like Dave may have over-valued that 87 dead Honda moped but I can be certain if he had died himself that his descendants would trash that mope or sell for pennies on the dollar.

I always remind myself of this bible verse, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.

[disneysteve]

When selling items I have the mindset to be willing to negotiate and to get rid of the item over getting the amount that I want. Keeping the item is like excess baggage or clutter.

When selling personal items, definitely. When doing it as a business, the process is different as there's a profit motive, overhead, taxes, cost of goods, ROI, etc. to factor in. Even as a reseller, though, sometimes I'm looking for top dollar and sometimes I'm going for the "fast nickel" instead of the "slow dime". It all depends on the situation, what I paid for the item, how my month has been going, how long the item has been listed, and more.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Nice score ds. When selling items I have the mindset to be willing to negotiate and to get rid of the item over getting the amount that I want. Keeping the item is like excess baggage or clutter. In Hawaii in 1990's when I worked as a plumber rerouting a customers house from galvanized pipe to copper, I noticed a dead 87 Honda dio motor moped. I offered Dave the customer $500 for the dead moped. He wanted something like $700 and wouldn't budge. I was a gearhead backyard mechanic and wanted to hot rod the moped. Dave was not a gearhead. Later Dave called me saying he would take the $500, but by then I had bought a supped up $1000 Honda moped which could hit 50 - 60 mph. That moped could fly and was too dangerous and thieves would steal those mopeds left and right so in the end I sold it for the same $1000 to a guy who said he was FBI but not sure if he was FBI or just bs'ing. But morale of the story is as a seller sometimes it's not worth sticking to your guns to try and get the highest possible price for an item.

Edit to add, just ask Dave who probably still has that dead 87 Honda moped with weeds overgrown on that moped and Dave regretting not accepting $500 from QMM.

[disneysteve]

A few weeks ago I saw a curb alert on one of my local FB groups. One thing I saw in the photos was a tote full of china. I went right over and got it. It turned out to be 2 sets - one Lenox and one Favolina. Replacements isn't buying the Lenox set so I'm listing it on ebay. They are buying the Favolina set so I packed it up and shipped it off. I got the purchase receipt yesterday for $250. Shipping cost me $43 so my profit on the deal is $207. Not bad at all for something I literally took out of someone's trash less than 3 weeks ago.

[disneysteve]

Good job, QMM. Glad that went smoothly.

[QuarterMillionMan]

For last night's transaction 3 Hispanic guys around 25 - 30 yrs old showed up. Initially they were waiting outside the gate, I had them come inside the gate to test ride the ebike so as not to ride off and away. They were strategic coming in a group of 3 in case something bad happened. For instance, I heard stories where a buyer showed up with the cash and got robbed. Or the seller got robbed. One guy had tats on his face and neck but they all had good vibes and jovial and I never had my senses feel afraid but if it had turned out bad no item is worth my life.

[QuarterMillionMan]

A picture is worth a 1000 words. Not to take down all of my listings. Craigslist was the last place I thought it would sell.

[QuarterMillionMan]

The buyer sounds motivated but like the opera saying goes it's not over until the fat lady sings.

[disneysteve]

A Craigslist buyer texted $250. I countered &310. He said $250 is all he got. So I said ok but he has to come tonight. He agreed to come but then said he only has $240 now. I said ok. We shall see if he come tonight and he may go lower when or if he arrives. I may accept a lower amount if he comes just to get rid of the e-bike.

I love when they pull the "it's all I've got". Well maybe if $240 is all you've got you shouldn't be out shopping for a $350 luxury purchase.

[QuarterMillionMan]

A Craigslist buyer texted $250. I countered &310. He said $250 is all he got. So I said ok but he has to come tonight. He agreed to come but then said he only has $240 now. I said ok. We shall see if he come tonight and he may go lower when or if he arrives. I may accept a lower amount if he comes just to get rid of the e-bike.

[disneysteve]

If you got the refund it’s yours. No need to return it. If seller wanted it back they would have sent a return label as they are responsible for return shipping.

I would not leave positive feedback as it certainly isn’t deserved. Item was not described accurately. I’d leave a neutral at best saying item was not as described but you got a full refund.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Normally if a seller wants it returned the seller would issue a prepaid shipping label or would provide a QR code to take to your USPS where they'd scan the code and print out the shipping label and it would get shipped back to the seller. In this case it appears that the seller doesn't want it back and you'd keep the SCBA mask and keep the refund. You win and forget about leaving any review like nothing even happened.

[ua_guy]

Question for eBay sellers. I bought an item the other day, it is a vintage SCBA mask popular with fire departments at the time. It was advertised as new/unused open box, with original packaging and the photos showed the same. I wanted it for a small collection of fire memorabilia I keep. Anyway, it arrived, and it was clearly not new and was all scratched up and had none of the original packaging, and was missing an important piece which was shown in the picture. The seller had a lot of 10 of these "new in box" items, and there were still more available when I bought mine. I messaged the seller and he said it should be new, oh well, did I want a discount? Usually these items are non-returnable, but this one actually was, so I initiated a return via eBay. No response from the seller, and then a day later, I was issued a full refund. It was a total of $60 and change including shipping, not a high dollar purchase, but I was still surprised.

There are no instructions to return the item. Should I reach out to ask? Should I leave positive feedback as a way to say thanks? I'm kind of dumbfounded...I've never had a seller on eBay just appear to write off a transaction like that and be done with it.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I live in a 40-unit gated apartment complex where even if he gets inside won't know which unit number.

[disneysteve]

I got a nibble on FBMP, but no cigar. After Jonathan wrote "I'm in Carson." Below that I messaged him my direct address

I don't give out my actual address until they are on their way to my house. I tell them approximately where I am, sometimes giving the address of the swim club in our development if they want something to plug into GPS to see where they're going.