ADVICE PLEASE: Why are my auctions not working out?

[rjpb]

That ASM Annual looks to be around a 2.5, due to numerous color breaking creases all over the book. A CGC 2.5 sold for 108.49 with shipping recently on ebay and a raw G+ that looks better than your copy sold for 185.99 with shipping.

 

131.55 with shipping seems about right, actually pretty good considering the problems with the listing enumerated by Revat.

 

I'll also add that starting auctions at .99 will ultimately result in a few disappointments if you do enough of them. I've been both the glum seller and happy buyer in such situations.

[slym2none]

Dude, I have none of these listed problems and still have a hard time selling comics on eBay. I haven't sold a damn thing for 3 weeks straight now, and it's no fun, let me tell you.

 

Good luck though, man.

 

 

 

-slym

[Chip Cataldo]

You may want to "pad" your description area - talk about your shipping methods, return policy, grading info, and skip the comic synopsis.

The comic synopsis comes from eBay and their stupid "catalog" system where you have to look up what you're listing...they fill all that in automatically once you find the issue you're selling in their "catalog."

 

Also, padding the description area does nothing. I have only a few lines in my description and people don't even read those. I get asked if I combine shipping 30+ times a week and it's in EVERY AUCTION I have.

 

I just had a toy that I sold returned to me because the buyer said it was broken. The second line of the description said the toy was broken.

 

People don't read the descriptions, they only read the titles and look at the pictures.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[Loukayza]

Buy-it-now until you get to 100 Feedback or so (or forever if you're faint of heart like me). Let the buyer come to you with more specific questions to gain your trust, if you are worried about too little/too much in your listing.

 

 

[rjrjr]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261703382154?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649

 

This is pretty much what market is for these books in this grade, so I'm not seeing a problem here.

 

I'd agree on that one , but I think he got taken on the ASM Annual.

 

Considering the condition, I think that is a decent price for that ASM Annual.

[aszumilo]

Another thing is the way your title reads

 

LOT OF 34 MIXED COMICS - SPIDER-MAN SILVER AGE #1s MARVEL STACK FREE SHIPPING

Makes it seem like there are Silver Age Spider-Man #1s in that group. Punctuation (or lack of) can be misleading.

 

It might also help to list the books in the auction. What SA #1s are there? Most buyers wouldn't be able to tell from these pictures. Nothing I see in the pictures shows a SA #1.

 

I would separate the words with commas or slashes. Word placement can also be a factor in the title.

 

LOT OF 34 MIXED COMICS - SPIDER-MAN / SILVER AGE #1s / MARVEL STACK FREE SHIPPING

or

LOT OF 34 MIXED COMICS - SPIDER-MAN, SILVER AGE #1s, MARVEL STACK + FREE SHIPPING

[cujobyte]

I would have given you more for the ASM Annual 1, but rarely will even think about purchasing auctions. I mostly do BIN's. Plus 9 days before Christmas is a terrible time to sell comics. Part of the learning process tho.

[RockMyAmadeus]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261703382154?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649

 

This is pretty much what market is for these books in this grade, so I'm not seeing a problem here.

 

I'd agree on that one , but I think he got taken on the ASM Annual.

 

In that grade, you've got to look at Overstreet as a baseline. Good is $91, VG is $182, so a VG- (3.5 for you newbs) is about $160 and a G/VG is about $135. Factor in the lack of description, low feedback seller, and high shipping costs, and the $120 is probably the most he could have gotten on eBay. Also - and this is important - that book in that grade is EVERYWHERE.

 

[kav]

When I first started selling on ebay I would put like 5 silver age ASM books on the scanner and just show one pic-which you could just see part of the cover-these were books like ASM 23, 34, 45 etc. Incredibly dumb.

Luckily for me I described each book in detail but I'm sure I lost out on bidders who thought I was 'hiding something' by not showing the entire cover. I still got a fairly good price though as my descriptions were accurate and detailed.

[youmechooz]

So, I've been selling some of my old comics on eBay, and I find that the prices I'm getting for them are not what I thought I should based the prices got for the same books in similar condition by other sellers. Am I doing something wrong? Is it just luck? Time of year? Because I'm not an established seller? Too many photos? Because they are ungraded? ...

 

Here are three closed auctions:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261703382154?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261694326113?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649

 

Here's an open one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261708105727?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

 

I feel like I'm using good pictures and keywords ... am I wrong? Also, is there venue that's preferable to eBay?

All of these board members are offering great suggestions. Listen to them or just do this, it will work every time.

 

You are a low feedback seller. This doesn't matter at all because a lot of board members love low feedback sellers that sell keys on ebay. Just check past threads about bad ebay experiences. 99.9% of bad experiences discussed are from low feedback sellers and they sold those books for great prices. So before you list on ebay, advertise here in the ebay advertising section about your upcoming sale. You will get better prices. Those dudes cant help themselves. Remember to advertise it here and you will be fine.

[Speedy-D]

So, I've been selling some of my old comics on eBay, and I find that the prices I'm getting for them are not what I thought I should based the prices got for the same books in similar condition by other sellers. Am I doing something wrong? Is it just luck? Time of year? Because I'm not an established seller? Too many photos? Because they are ungraded? ...

 

Here are three closed auctions:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261703382154?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261694326113?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649

 

Here's an open one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261708105727?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

 

I feel like I'm using good pictures and keywords ... am I wrong? Also, is there venue that's preferable to eBay?

All of these board members are offering great suggestions. Listen to them or just do this, it will work every time.

 

You are a low feedback seller. This doesn't matter at all because a lot of board members love low feedback sellers that sell keys on ebay. Just check past threads about bad ebay experiences. 99.9% of bad experiences discussed are from low feedback sellers and they sold those books for great prices. So before you list on ebay, advertise here in the ebay advertising section about your upcoming sale. You will get better prices. Those dudes cant help themselves. Remember to advertise it here and you will be fine.

Ouch!!

[ChrisInBaltimore]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261703382154?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649

 

This is pretty much what market is for these books in this grade, so I'm not seeing a problem here.

 

I'd agree on that one , but I think he got taken on the ASM Annual.

 

In that grade, you've got to look at Overstreet as a baseline. Good is $91, VG is $182, so a VG- (3.5 for you newbs) is about $160 and a VG is about $135. Factor in the lack of description, low feedback seller, and high shipping costs, and the $120 is probably the most he could have gotten on eBay. Also - and this is important - that book in that grade is EVERYWHERE.

 

These are good points. I always think it is a rarer comic, but I guess it isn't.

[Kevin76]

The most important feature about any ebay listing is the title, The most important words go in front.

 

As others have said, build up your feedback, sales can double and even triple with a very high feedback rating.

 

Put the pictures in the description area, The listing looks terrible with a few pics and a little text written.

 

Lower your shipping cost. Free is great if you can swing it. Offer 1 day shipping and good packing. People are happier when they get it fast.

[Doohickamabob]

Others have gone over this but here goes:

 

(1) Selling 1.5 weeks before Christmas is very risky. Lots of potential buyers are not searching comics listings; they're with family, they're going to parties (to the extent that comic collectors get invited to parties), they're focusing on buying presents, or they're laying low on spending because of all the money they spent on presents, etc. Best to avoid the holiday season for auctions, which depend on competitive bidding. Buy-It-Now is a safe option at any time of year.

 

(2) Your auctions end on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Those are kinda slow nights for auction activity, though with highly rare and desirable items it might not matter. Weekends are often better times to start and end auctions because more people browsing the eBay listings are at home. Those listings are more likely to be seen by people who use "newest listed" and "ending soonest" to organize searches.

 

(3) I would advise against putting "Sweet!" as the first line of your title. Comic collectors will know if something is "sweet!" or not. Writing things like that can come across as hyperbole, and it wastes space you could use for search-terms or other descriptive text. Also, you wrote "Orignal!" in the title, which is a typo. Proofread as much as time allows so the buyer has confidence about your attention to detail. As another pointed out, put the name of the item first and foremost in the title. I would add that putting the item's name in ALL CAPS is a good idea, because people are often scanning through hundreds of listings, sometimes on small-display smartphones, and anything that can help your item have maximum legibility is a plus.

 

(4) For the titles of the lots, somebody else mentioned that there is potential confusion about some of your title keywords. They offered worthy suggestions such as separating the words with commas. I would add that for the ASM #361-363 lot, you put "LOT OF 3 COMICS" first and not last in the title, put "1st Carnage" at the end, and include the year of publication in the title in case people are searching by year.

 

(5) For the ASM #361-363 lot, your primary photo does not do the lot justice. Anybody browsing through eBay listings will look at your photo and the bidding price and think the auction is for just ONE comic book that has already been bid up to $24.49. If you are listing a lot of 3 comics, then make your lead photo a picture that shows all 3 comics. Then somebody immediately knows what is being sold by the picture, and can read the text for more information.

 

(6) For the Lot of 34 comics, just fanning out the comics and taking 3 photos is really inadequate. Also, your text description does not list the names and issues of each comic. That makes it a guessing game for the bidder/buyer. Unless you are banking on buyers bidding for the thrill of mystery, you should give them all the info they would need to make a buying decision. Take a group photo that shows everything, then take a few smaller-group photos that show the full front covers of each comic book in the list (you could lay them out 3x2 for 6 comics in each photo, and you'd be able to show them all in 6 photos... Or 3x3 for 9 per shot in just 4 photos... etc.). I would also suggest you write a list of each comic book (Comic Title, Issue #, Publisher, Year) and bullet point them out in the description. That way anybody doing a deep keyword search by title will get a hit on your listing. This actually shouldn't take you that long if you are pre-organized in advance of setting up your eBay listing.

 

(7) Others have pointed out that you do not provide much helpful information in your descriptions. First and foremost, after listing the Title, Issue #, Publisher, and Year, should be CONDITION. For raw comics give it your best attempt at accurate grading. Do not overgrade to pump up your sales, because that can bite you in the rear in the long run as your seller rating goes down from disappointed buyers. Just grade it what you honestly think it is, and give some helpful info to explain why: Spine splits, staples firm/loose, pages white/off-white/cream/tan etc., creases, tears, rounding, soiling, etc. Give more information for more valuable comics, and you can give more vague general information for less-valuable comics or if selling in lots. Make sure you mention that the comic is complete and has nothing missing (coupons, etc.) and make sure you are sure that this is the case. The more you seem to have this aspect covered, the more confident bidders will be in going after what you're selling.

 

(8) Others also pointed out to provide some info about your selling policies, shipping methods, etc. Even if you just cover this briefly, it makes it look more like you've put some thought into things and are a legitimate seller who will provide good service within the realm of what people expect on eBay.

 

(9) Your shipping for 1 to 3 raw comics is way too high and probably will scare away bidders. $11.55 is the cost of a Medium Priority Flat-Rate Box. You can ship these comics in a Flat-Rate Envelope for $5.90 (if memory serves, that's the current rate). With strong cardboard sandwiching the comics should be safe in transit that way, and you can offer better packaging as an option for buyers who want more. Many people who are spending $24 on an item do not want to pay an additional $12 because the total cost of their purchase just went up by 50% -- ouch.

 

(10) I don't have anything against providing story info as part of your listing, but put it at the bottom and put all the more important stuff first. I personally like it when sellers write stuff like "Middle school me thought Carnage was the scariest guy ever," because it shows you are a collector and not just some bulk seller dumping comics on eBay. I don't much like seeing somebody sloppily pasting keywords at the bottom of a listing, though, because that reminds me of all the Craigslist listings where people just spam wall-of-text keywords in their listings. If you are going to put keywords in a listing then use them in a sentence that shows why they are relevant to your listing. Otherwise don't use them -- they look cheap, and keyword spamming is against eBay policy.

 

(11) Get yourself a listing formula for everything relevant in a comic-book listing: Title, description, condition, your seller policies, etc. Format it in a way that you think will be appealing to bidders. Then save that listing as a template for all your future listings. It makes it MUCH easier, and also will help you remember what to include as you put new listings together.

 

As others pointed out, you might consider just selling with BINs for a while in order to build up your feedback rating level, and also to ensure you don't have disappointing sales. You could also sell here on the boards. Somebody mentioned that you could advertise your listings here on the boards as well, using the Forum area specially designated for promoting your off-CGC-site sales.

 

Okay so there's my advice, I hope it was helpful! I probably forgot something.

[kav]

Avoid listing grades as someone sooner or later will disagree with your grade and headaches will ensue. Just clear pics and describe every flaw. If buyer sees you are noting even tiny flaws he will trust your assessment. Exception is a very high grade book I will put 'looks like CGC 9.6' in title to draw more views. If you have good pics and say it looks like a 9.6 to me-immaculate- I have had good luck with this method. But make sure it is indeed immaculate. And I wouldn't use that for moderns because, who cares if a modern book is a 9.6?

[ChrisInBaltimore]

Avoid listing grades as someone sooner or later will disagree with your grade and headaches will ensue.

 

[Number 6]

Avoid listing grades as someone sooner or later will disagree with your grade and headaches will ensue.

 

This is incredibly bad advice.

 

It operates on the faulty premise that by omitting a grade it somehow absolves the seller of any responibility to stand behind what he sells. Kav, as often as you point out how a buyer can force a return through eBay for any reason, I would think you would recognize the falicy of this selling tactic.

 

Plus, it doesn't work.

 

There've been numerous posts by members who use the "No Grade" tactic and as a result have problems whith dissatisfied buyers.

 

OP, follow Doohickamabob's excellent advice. The way to avoid dissatisfied buyers is to provide more information, not less.

[kav]

All I can give is advice for what has worked for me. I have great success selling on ebay and 100% feedback.

The only problems I ever had was when I listed grades. Even the most strict grader will sooner or later run into a stricter grader, as evidenced by all the stories in the blocked user list. I have never had a buyer see my pics and descriptions and ask me well what grade is it?

It's not an attempt to absolve anything-just a recognition that grading is subjective to some extent. Typically my auctions end higher that others selling the same book so I don't think it's 'bad advice'

[MusterMark]

To me, perhaps the greatest issue here is your expectations.

 

I think for the books that these are, and the grades that they are in, I would actually think you did quite well !! If I had been selling these, I would not have expected prices in a different range.

 

[kav]

Also lots that are all over the map don't do very well. Spiderman collector and Popeye collector is gonna be tough. I'd split it up and sell some as singles like the blackhawk. Put all the spideys in one lot, then you can have individual pics/descriptions, likewise with the funny books etc. Focussed lots will sell hodgepodge not so much.