Ebay sellers thread (other platforms too)

[QuarterMillionMan]

I can see where Pirate Ship could be beneficial to me especially when shipping things not affiliated with eBay. When shipping items to family & friends for instance, I would not need to go in-person to my local USPS in order to pay for shipping. I could print my label at the convenience at home. My local USPS is always very busy with about 10 to 20 people in line. When I ship eBay printed USPS labels at home and I get to my local USPS with 20 people in line I just walk up to the drop box and deposit my item and no need to wait in the long line. Pirate Ship will work exactly the same when I ship items to my family & friends.

[disneysteve]

I can see where Pirate Ship could be beneficial to me especially when shipping things not affiliated with eBay. When shipping items to family & friends for instance, I would not need to go in-person to my local USPS in order to pay for shipping. I could print my label at the convenience at home. My local USPS is always very busy with about 10 to 20 people in line. When I ship eBay printed USPS labels at home and I get to my local USPS with 20 people in line I just walk up to the drop box and deposit my item and no need to wait in the long line. Pirate Ship will work exactly the same when I ship items to my family & friends.

Yes, you can use Pirate Ship to buy postage for anything you are shipping, not just online sales. That way you get the greatly discounted rates rather than paying full retail at the counter at USPS or UPS.

When shipping ebay orders, don't use those drop boxes though. You don't get an acceptance scan or receipt so you have no proof you mailed the item. If it doesn't get scanned properly (and promptly) you could get dinged for late shipping and there's no way to prove you mailed it on time. The same goes for home pickup and self-serve kiosks. The only thing that actually counts is when you hand it to the counter clerk, they scan it, and you get a receipt. People post to the ebay groups daily about issues arising because their package wasn't scanned and now they're stuck refunding the buyer.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Excellent point about items not being scanned. I use the drop boxes almost exclusively and avoid the counter and so many times I don't get the acceptance scans but later when in transit the scan will show up in eBay. I need to make it a point to get the acceptance scan at the counter.

[disneysteve]

Excellent point about items not being scanned. I use the drop boxes almost exclusively and avoid the counter and so many times I don't get the acceptance scans but later when in transit the scan will show up in eBay. I need to make it a point to get the acceptance scan at the counter.

Many sellers think it doesn’t matter - until the one time that they get screwed. I’m lucky that my nearest post office rarely has more than 2 or 3 people in line and mostly none so I don’t waste a lot of time there.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I won 2 auctions on eBay getting Mexican pesos coins. Both were automatic bids where the $88 bid I had set at my max bid to $95 which I didn't think I would win since it was valued at $107. So I placed another winning bid at $165 which my max bid was $175 which I also didn't think I'd win because that lot of 3000 Mexican pesos is worth $176 but I won that bid as well. Long story short I had to buy both winning lots which is 4825 Mexican pesos worth $284.31 USD. Oniy wanted 1 lot and preferably the big lot but once committed have to follow through (would I have been able to retract a bid when it was early in the bidding process and long before the bidding had ended, not at the last minute?). In Mexico often they don't give change so it's good to have exact amounts. These coins will easily fill up a coffee can.

[disneysteve]

I won 2 auctions on eBay getting Mexican pesos coins. Both were automatic bids where the $88 bid I had set at my max bid to $95 which I didn't think I would win since it was valued at $107. So I placed another winning bid at $165 which my max bid was $175 which I also didn't think I'd win because that lot of 3000 Mexican pesos is worth $176 but I won that bid as well. Long story short I had to buy both winning lots which is 4825 Mexican pesos worth $284.31 USD. Oniy wanted 1 lot and preferably the big lot but once committed have to follow through (would I have been able to retract a bid when it was early in the bidding process and long before the bidding had ended, not at the last minute?).

You should never bid on an auction if you aren't fully committed to buying it. A bid is a binding agreement. You did the right thing and paid for both items as you should but if you really didn't want one of the lots, you should have bid on one, waited for it to end, and if you didn't get it, then bid on the other if there was still time to do so.

You can only retract a bid if the seller significantly changes the description after you bid or if you accidentally bid the wrong amount (entered $200 instead of $20) and then you need to immediately enter your correct bid. The only other option is reaching out to the seller to request they cancel your bid.

[disneysteve]

December 2023 and year-end wrap up

December Totals

Ebay:
$1,175.90 gross
$796.79 net
51 sales

Marketplace:
$150.00 gross
$140.00 net
3 sales

Total:
$1,325.90 gross
$936.79 net

That made it my third highest grossing month of 2023 and my third highest monthly net.

2023 Totals

$13,325.29 gross
$9,455.82 net

$1,608.44 Cost of goods sold for the year

My average monthly profit was $787.99 with my lowest month being $610 and my best month being $1,033.

For 2024, my goal is a monthly profit of at least $600 and to get my average daily sales up to 2 items. My 90-day running total right now is 142 so about 1.58 items/day.

[disneysteve]

My ebay year is off to a good start. I made one of my 10 best sales ever today. A set of 5 books that I bought on 11/18/23 for $5.00 sold today for $350.00!

[LivingAlmostLarge]

My ebay year is off to a good start. I made one of my 10 best sales ever today. A set of 5 books that I bought on 11/18/23 for $5.00 sold today for $350.00!

what book set is that?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

December 2023 and year-end wrap up

December Totals

Ebay:
$1,175.90 gross
$796.79 net
51 sales

Marketplace:
$150.00 gross
$140.00 net
3 sales

Total:
$1,325.90 gross
$936.79 net

That made it my third highest grossing month of 2023 and my third highest monthly net.

2023 Totals

$13,325.29 gross
$9,455.82 net

$1,608.44 Cost of goods sold for the year

My average monthly profit was $787.99 with my lowest month being $610 and my best month being $1,033.

For 2024, my goal is a monthly profit of at least $600 and to get my average daily sales up to 2 items. My 90-day running total right now is 142 so about 1.58 items/day.

So extra $6k a year minus expenses which were how much?

[disneysteve]

what book set is that?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115981770031

[disneysteve]

So extra $6k a year minus expenses which were how much?

I actually don't know yet. I won't sit down and tally it all up until I start working on our taxes, though now that it's January I suppose I can do that.

[disneysteve]

So extra $6k a year minus expenses which were how much?

No, not 6K. Almost 9.5K net before taxes and expenses like packing supplies and mileage and stuff.

[QuarterMillionMan]

How not to ship packages.

[disneysteve]

How not to ship packages.

It amazes me how many people and companies can't manage to pack their items properly. It isn't just individual sellers on sites like ebay. We've gotten numerous broken items from Amazon over the years because they don't pack securely. Within the past month, my wife and daughter have bought 3 pairs of shoes online. All 3 arrived with the boxes damaged because they were just put in poly mailers which provide zero protection. A few months ago we ordered a picture frame from Michael's that came in a poly mailer. No bubble wrap or cushioning of any kind. Of course the glass was broken when we got it. Who thought sticking a sheet of glass in a poly mailer was a good idea.

It's not surprising that almost all of my nearly 1,500 positive feedback comments on ebay mention how well packaged the items were.