A little EBAY auction setup advice requested.

[Red Hook]

Guess this is as good a place as any to ask for some advice of this nature......I'm shortly going to plunge into the sale of some of my books and I since I've been much more of a buyer than a seller on the Bay, my question is.....how do you set up an auction page with the supersizing of images?

 

Is there a template that Ebay offers when you set up your auction? I have a server that I can link nice scans and pages to...I couldn't find an Ebay tutorial that explains the exact setup though. I want to offer big scans, so prospective bidders can see exactly what they are bidding on.

 

Also, when you come across an auction, what are your favorite features when looking at comic book auctions. I have a Paypal acct that I have used to pay for things, linked to a bank acct. but haven't received funds that way.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you folks can provide.

 

[CosmicBob]

There are others who can offer advice, but I'll chime in. I like big scans, like Heritage does. I think eBay does offer a way to do it, but I just wrote an HTML template that links back to my server, so that's my solution.

 

Some other things I like about auctions are very specific shipping charges/methods. PayPal is nice too, but I also like to write checks sometime. (Especially when paying for Joanna's auctions!).

 

 

[Red Hook]

Thanks Bob!

[Rocketeer]

When you get to the titles and description page of the listing (after the title) there will be a link to the right of the description box that gives you a lot of help in HTML

 

It shows you how to change colors, font size,...even to list a pics from a web host..it's cheaper to do this than to let e-bay host your pics plus you have more control over the size and format.

 

Here is the link to that page. Its a good idea to keep it on your favorite bar to refer to it . HTML

[Red Hook]

I really appreciate the help guys! Thanks!

 

I also had this "radical idea" that for winning auctions of a certain amount, say over $150....I would offer some kind of free shipping and/or insurance...I never see enough of this and even if it eats a little into the profits, it's important to establish a good relationship with a buyer instead of trying to make it a one-time hit-and-run transaction.

 

When someone takes the time to really pack an item nicely, or ship it in a timely manner it really impresses me and I remember that person. It seems like such an easy and simple rule of thumb to follow but I'm always amazed it isn't done more. It's one of those things that falls under the heading of "intangibles".

 

That's how I try to run my own business (freelance illustration). I get hired on a per-project basis, but if I didn't have repeat customers, I would have dried up and blown away years ago. You may never deal with the person again, but you may. And I do think there is such a thing as business karma.

[minutekev@50]

Hi,

If you're going to post images post them large.

Personally, I prefer Vendio to E-Bay's image hosting service. You can upload large pics for .10 cents per pic, which is a lot cheaper then using E-bay's picture service.

For moderately expensive items, I usually state that the item will be shipped Priority Mail unless the buyer wants different. Media Mail I reserve for things like trades and RPG supplements (stuff without ads so the Postal Nazis won't confiscate it.)

Sometimes I offer free shipping or other incentives, but it usually just depends on the item.

[OldGuy]

I'm not sure if this is any help, but here is the html to have a thumbnail picture linked to a larger pic on your ISP's (or whoevers) server. This assumes that you have a thumbnail file as well as the full size pic on your ISP's server.

 

To view the raw code just hit the "quote" button in my post.

 

[Red Hook]

Thanks guys. Yeah, I am pretty handy with imaging, and can pop it up on my own server space. This is all very useful and just what I was looking for.