General Advice on eBay -- any feedback welcome

[redgar-red]

I have been selling on eBay for the last couple of months and I would like to get some help from more veteran collectors / dealers.

 

1. I set my auctions with no reserve and a low starting bid. Good or bad?

I don't like the compression at the end of the auction when people are scrambling to get the last bid in play. Seems like I have been underwhelmed in the bidders ability to make up the bid in the lost time.

** really wish eBay would allow bidding until there was some allotted time when there was no bidding activity.

 

2. Buy-It-Now / Make-me-an-Offer -- I am starting to use this format more. I just don't like hanging around and wondering if it will ever move.

 

** truly clueless as to why eBay does not offer Auction + BIN. I was shocked when the BIN went away after an initial bid of $0.99.

 

3. Setting the minimal bid -- .99 always gets some action....but sometimes its the only thing that happens. Is there any pearls of wisdom here?

 

4. Is there ever a chance when there are too many pictures?

 

5. I steer clear of numeric grades on stuff that has not been graded. Usually falls into the VF+/NM bucket, VG-/VG, of the FN range.

 

I have a bunch of books that I use to collect when I was a kid....some of them are pretty nice. I also came across a nice wholesale load. I am putting my oldest through college and I thought I would use this to bring in a little more cash.

 

I know in order to sell here I really need to have my stuff graded -- I really haven't had the courage.

 

You can look at what I have going on in eBay now and give me some honest critical feedback -- my ebay id is redgar-atx.

 

Any help is truly appreciated. I am happy for a post of PM.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

redgar-red

[kav]

99c starting bid is good if its an in demand item if its something kinda more specialized BIN best offer works better. If you dont like the last minute sniping you can list the item at like 2AM there will still be people with sniping programs but most bidders will just have to place their top offer.

[wombat]

 

I know in order to sell here I really need to have my stuff graded -- I really haven't had the courage.

 

 

That is not true.

[redgar-red]

99c starting bid is good if its an in demand item if its something kinda more specialized BIN best offer works better. If you dont like the last minute sniping you can list the item at like 2AM there will still be people with sniping programs but most bidders will just have to place their top offer.

 

That is a really good idea. Thanks! I will try it.

[redgar-red]

 

I know in order to sell here I really need to have my stuff graded -- I really haven't had the courage.

 

 

That is not true.

 

That might not be true....feels true. Just have to get more confidence.

[01TheDude]

you don't want an auction to end at 2 am imo

 

some buyers log in on specific days and look at what is ending soonest for a title they like or perhaps a broader category like silver or bronze age Marvels as an example.

 

If you have the item ending at 2 am on some non-high traffic night-- you might lose out on a lot of bidders testing the waters (and also bumping your price higher).

 

If you are worried about an item ending at 99 cents-- change your starting bid to the bare minimum you will take for the book.

 

 

last point-- Plenty of people sell raw books on this site-- you don't need them graded to sell in that forum.

[Red84]

 

I know in order to sell here I really need to have my stuff graded -- I really haven't had the courage.

 

 

That is not true.

 

That might not be true....feels true. Just have to get more confidence.

 

As long as you have quality front and back scans and describe all the hidden defects you don't need to give a grade. With all information disclosed and proper scans buyers here will make their own grade determination.

[kav]

Plenty of people like raw hoping to find a diamond in the rough.

[Jaylam]

 

I know in order to sell here I really need to have my stuff graded -- I really haven't had the courage.

 

 

That is not true.

 

That might not be true....feels true. Just have to get more confidence.

 

As long as you have quality front and back scans and describe all the hidden defects you don't need to give a grade. With all information disclosed and proper scans buyers here will make their own grade determination.

 

I agree with this, except maybe try to give your estimation of grade. Reference the Overstreet grading guide or many of the other sources you can find online to try and at least give some idea of a books grade in the listing. I'm sure some buyers search for certain keywords like VF or Very Fine when looking for a particular book in a certain grade to weed out the clutter. Also look at various graded books online to try and get a feel of what's what to hone in how your book(s) compare.

How books are packed for shipment is a big deal to buyers too. No one wants to get their books all banged up by flimsy packaging. Just assume the postal service is going to abuse your package to the tune of it going through an F-5 tornado.... several times over. There are several threads on here that describe how to package books for shipment.

[1Cool]

I have been selling on eBay for the last couple of months and I would like to get some help from more veteran collectors / dealers.

 

1. I set my auctions with no reserve and a low starting bid. Good or bad?

I don't like the compression at the end of the auction when people are scrambling to get the last bid in play. Seems like I have been underwhelmed in the bidders ability to make up the bid in the lost time.

** really wish eBay would allow bidding until there was some allotted time when there was no bidding activity.

 

2. Buy-It-Now / Make-me-an-Offer -- I am starting to use this format more. I just don't like hanging around and wondering if it will ever move.

 

** truly clueless as to why eBay does not offer Auction + BIN. I was shocked when the BIN went away after an initial bid of $0.99.

 

3. Setting the minimal bid -- .99 always gets some action....but sometimes its the only thing that happens. Is there any pearls of wisdom here?

 

4. Is there ever a chance when there are too many pictures?

 

5. I steer clear of numeric grades on stuff that has not been graded. Usually falls into the VF+/NM bucket, VG-/VG, of the FN range.

 

I have a bunch of books that I use to collect when I was a kid....some of them are pretty nice. I also came across a nice wholesale load. I am putting my oldest through college and I thought I would use this to bring in a little more cash.

 

I know in order to sell here I really need to have my stuff graded -- I really haven't had the courage.

 

You can look at what I have going on in eBay now and give me some honest critical feedback -- my ebay id is redgar-atx.

 

Any help is truly appreciated. I am happy for a post of PM.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

redgar-red

 

For me, snipers killed the 99 cent auction in terms of selling. A lot of people only look at auctions so unless the book is crazy rare or ultra hot I'd stick with starting your auction at the lowest you will take. You may not sell all your books and you may not get the rare bidding war but you definitely will not sell your books for 99 cents.

[Iceman399]

Don't have your auctions end at 2am or mid day during the week or on holidays etc that is a silly idea. As mentioned people will log in and bid, if you do the above you will not hit them as they will be sleeping, working, with family etc and your result will be drastically lower than ending the auction at a reasonable time.

 

If the book isn't the new hot thing on the block, a major key or something that is very seldom to market unfortunately ebay auctions aren't the way to go. Unlikely one is going to run up that old run filer book that sells for between $10 to $20 and you will likely only get 5-7 for it especially if your feedback is low (guys like to see sellers that are long time established to ensure they are getting a quality product). Set it as a BIN and be patiently waiting.

 

Try selling on here, get scans of the raws and post those make notes of anything not noticeable in the scans when you list it and have at it. Though it may be a pain, offer returns (even selling on ebay you have to offer returns even if you don't want to all they have to do is SNAD and its coming back). By offering returns here you will show your potential buyers you will accept it back if there is an issue...missed defect inside or water damage that didn't show in the scan and only apparent when you tilt the book, or restoration (as I am sure you aren't nearly as well versed as some guys here).

[the blob]

You may not sell all your books and you may not get the rare bidding war but you definitely will not sell your books for 99 cents.

---------------

 

I disagree. I see plenty of $8-10+ books selling for the 99 cent or 1.99 opening bid for whatever reason. they look identical to some book that sold for more, similar shipping, similar seller feedback, etc. and i suspect they would have sold for $4.99. i am not talking about a hot book, but maybe a medium demand book like some non-hot BA batman joker appearance (which has a market) or a book that is still in demand, but not as hot as it was 6 months ago like GOTG 1 (1st series). if there are 40 copies of the same book up for auction you just may get unlucky and only have one bidder.

 

i just hate the thought of selling a decent book for 99 cents and going through the hassle of packing and shipping.

 

what really kills me are people who do 99 or 1.99 opening bids and offer free shipping! sure, that probably entices some bids, but is see plenty of those auctions end at the opening bid amount and the sellers are likely losing money unless someone won a bunch of auctions from them.

 

 

[ft88]

99 cent start on decent filler books is a recipe for not doing well.

 

Especially if you combine postage. So all of a sudden you get 1 guy buying all your 99 cent items and pays the $6 postage. There goes your Copper ASM collection for $1 each less ebay fees. Even with 1 bidder and 1 snipper you get $1.04 per.

 

Better to list at $3 or $4 each (or whatever) and sell half the books. Then sell the remainder as a lot and start the bidding at $1 per book. More likely you will get multiple bidding on decent but not key books.

 

Ebay has monthly promos for qualified sellers that let you list 500 or 1000 items for free.

[1Cool]

You may not sell all your books and you may not get the rare bidding war but you definitely will not sell your books for 99 cents.

---------------

 

I disagree. I see plenty of $8-10+ books selling for the 99 cent or 1.99 opening bid for whatever reason. they look identical to some book that sold for more, similar shipping, similar seller feedback, etc. and i suspect they would have sold for $4.99. i am not talking about a hot book, but maybe a medium demand book like some non-hot BA batman joker appearance (which has a market) or a book that is still in demand, but not as hot as it was 6 months ago like GOTG 1 (1st series). if there are 40 copies of the same book up for auction you just may get unlucky and only have one bidder.

 

i just hate the thought of selling a decent book for 99 cents and going through the hassle of packing and shipping.

 

what really kills me are people who do 99 or 1.99 opening bids and offer free shipping! sure, that probably entices some bids, but is see plenty of those auctions end at the opening bid amount and the sellers are likely losing money unless someone won a bunch of auctions from them.

 

 

I think you misread what I said. I recommend he start his auctions at the price he wants that way he doesn't get stuck selling his books for $0.99 a piece. I loved $0.99 auctions 10 years ago but those days are long gone.

[the blob]

There goes your Copper ASM collection for $1 each less ebay fees.

------

 

It's true, a lot of people toss those up for .99 cents and they will sell for 99 cents, but if you have a good combined shipping policy, assuming they are in nice shape, you are going to sell a lot of them with a $2.99 opening bid. and what's left over, if you really want to move them, re-list at $1.99. chip sells a ton of books at $1.99. that is too low for me to bother with a listing, but someone else may feel differently if they're doing enough volume.

[the blob]

You may not sell all your books and you may not get the rare bidding war but you definitely will not sell your books for 99 cents.

---------------

 

I disagree. I see plenty of $8-10+ books selling for the 99 cent or 1.99 opening bid for whatever reason. they look identical to some book that sold for more, similar shipping, similar seller feedback, etc. and i suspect they would have sold for $4.99. i am not talking about a hot book, but maybe a medium demand book like some non-hot BA batman joker appearance (which has a market) or a book that is still in demand, but not as hot as it was 6 months ago like GOTG 1 (1st series). if there are 40 copies of the same book up for auction you just may get unlucky and only have one bidder.

 

i just hate the thought of selling a decent book for 99 cents and going through the hassle of packing and shipping.

 

what really kills me are people who do 99 or 1.99 opening bids and offer free shipping! sure, that probably entices some bids, but is see plenty of those auctions end at the opening bid amount and the sellers are likely losing money unless someone won a bunch of auctions from them.

 

 

I think you misread what I said. I recommend he start his auctions at the price he wants that way he doesn't get stuck selling his books for $0.99 a piece. I loved $0.99 auctions 10 years ago but those days are long gone.

 

sometimes words confuse me. i am just a simple caveman lawyer.

[jcjames]

Novice seller (<1yr) advice here:

 

1. Start auction price at the rock-bottom price you'd be willing to accept (reserve without a reserve). I'd never start an auction at $0.99 unless you're willing to sell it at that price or you are 100% sure it'll get a lot of bids. However, being a new-seller with low FB #s you may not get as much action as a top-rated seller with 20K FB.

 

2. Set auctions to end on Sunday evening (factor in Eastern time folks).

 

3. If you're auctioning, add BIN and set it around the recent sales price (or slightly higher if it's higher demand).

 

4. Personal Choice: BIN with no OBO for books under $6 to avoid haggling over fifty cents to a dollar.

 

5. BIN with OBO for hot books or books over $10 and allow room for buyer to make offer. For these I assume I'm going to come down maybe 10-15% and factor that into BIN.

 

6. High-resolution scans of FRONT and BACK with a contrast background. Don't crop the edges. Additional pictures IN-FOCUS depending on the book:

a) Full spine-edge view for flatness, wear, stresses, staples.

b) Inside cover & splash-page for cover wear and PQ.

c) Centerfold for PQ and staples.

d) Close-up of any questionable area.

e) MVS if included (proof),

 

* No matter what, the MINIMUM should two pics (Front and Back scans) even for the cheapest single book.

* Sets of books >8, take front/back pics of them in smaller groups since ebay limits pics to twelve.

* Scan slabs if you have a large enough scanner, otherwise get good pics with little glare of full-front and full-back slabs, close-up of label and close-up of front cover.

 

7. Allow returns and state a clear policy on it (e.g. "14-day return policy, seller pays return shipping"). Ebay is gonna pretty much force you to anyway.

 

8. Unpopular Advice: Don't use Media Mail. Lots of folks do, but it's improper and is an invitation for apes to open and paw through your packages and/or stick your buyer with additional charges.

 

9. Grade according to common standards (OPG) and be honest about it. Put a grade or grade range on the book (Fine or VG/VG+) but number grades are for professional grading companies - no need to number-grade them.

 

10. For cheap books that you don't/can't sell individually, maybe bundle them in sets or runs.

 

11. Pay attention to the banned-Ebay-buyer list somewhere on this forum. It is updated regularly and there's usually informative stories behind each bad buyer that we could learn from.

 

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

[the blob]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Valiant-1991-MAGNUS-ROBOT-FIGHTER-1-NM-qq-/351488417171?hash=item51d6579d93

 

The seller doesn't even charge enough for shipping to squeeze a few extra cents out of the sale.

 

I understand this seems to be the only pre-unity Valiant not to have had a nice jump (and, of course, the one I won a stack of), but giving it away for 99 cents..yuck.

[fastballspecial]

 

I know in order to sell here I really need to have my stuff graded -- I really haven't had the courage.

 

 

That is not true.

 

That might not be true....feels true. Just have to get more confidence.

 

Please don't fall for the trap here that slabbing a book is the majority of comic books collectors. We are not the majority here.

 

Its actually the minority the values are just higher.

 

[fastballspecial]

Please keep running auctions. I need more inventory cheap.