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Post by Ascended Mermaid on May 4, 2009 12:14:22 GMT -5
Oh boy. Well let's see... I want to get started on eBay, I want to get good and... well, here's where I'm stuck. Should I just randomly pick out cheap 'lots', or should I specialize in an area? I'm very new and inexperienced with selling on eBay. I haven't even started, but that's because I have nothing to sell yet. So erm... could someone please help me out? ^ _ ^ ; Something about all of this reminds me of buying, selling and trading on MMOs, except fewer panhandlers and higher stakes.  No, I don't have any experience in this field from MMOs -- and somehow, I'm not so sure that'd help. |
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Post by Skeletore has a boner on May 4, 2009 12:44:46 GMT -5
Not to discourage you, but I wouldn't bother..the "stakes" are incredibly low, the risks very high.
Even if you have a distributor who will do drop-ship cossignment(basically you don't pay for the item yourself until you've already sold it)...I mean...that sounds like easy money right? Wrong. You're not the only one who uses the same distributor meaning you'll be competing with others for razor-thin margins, and are very likely to lose money just on ebay fees.
There's no room for middle of the way sellers on ebay, either you're a cutt-throat 10,000+ items sold a year power seller or you're a hobbyist who sells a couple items once in a while for extra spending money...there is no middle ground.
The only other option is to be a niche vendor who specalizes in something that isnt offered on ebay right now...well good luck finding that...and when you do, a power seller could move into your market at any time and crush you.
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Post by SkyeWelse on May 4, 2009 13:06:45 GMT -5
Unsavory, if you are interested in becoming an online seller, I'd recommend not just sticking with ebay, but try your luck at Amazon.com as a seller as well. I personally like selling on Amazon.com much more than on ebay for several reasons:
1. Amazon.com lists many items with pictures, reviews and descriptions. Therefore it saves you time on creating all that content yourself. Which can be a real trouble to deal with on ebay.
2. You can list your items on Amazon for an infinite amount of time without having to worry about listing fees. Ebay charges listing fees for your items even they don't sell, which I personally think is a crime since they take commission anyway, and so does paypal.
3. When someone buys something from you on Amazon, they've bought it. They've paid Amazon.com, and you're getting your money. No problem. On ebay, you often deal with people who either don't pay, or take several weeks to pay you. Also now that Ebay has changed there policies, sellers can't really do a whole lot to report bad bidders. Yet, bidders have all the power in the world to damage a seller.
Anyhow, I do sell things very often on both eBay and Amazon, so I'd be happy to help with advice if you need any. One thing I'd definitely throw out to you is that if you undercut people selling similar items by just a bit, you'll find yourself selling items quite well. With this mentality in mind, I've sold just about 60-70 percent of all of the items I've ever listed as an online seller.
Posting on forums and communities certainly helps if you have an item(s) that a particular community is looking for. That way, people can seek you out if they are looking to buy something that they've been looking for. I was just contacted this afternoon for a set of extra Genso Suikoden cards from the Suikosource community, where I used to spend my time years ago. I must have mentioned that I had tons of extra cards and someone ended up tracking me down who is willing to buy them.
Also, I'd recommend not offering shipping methods beyond that of standard shipping, simply because even if you ship it on time, if the courier service screws up or has a delay in delivering it, you're the one who is going to be blamed. Best not to take that risk in the first place. However, you should offer international shipping provided the seller covers all the costs involved with shipping it internationally.
The international shipping will give your auctions an edge that other sellers tend not to have as an available option. Most of my ebay customers for rare games and cds have been international bidders.
-Thomas
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on May 4, 2009 13:16:48 GMT -5
Thank you! This is very good advice!
I'm not so sure about Amazon just yet -- they have a monthly fee of $39.99, which is going to put me out of business very quickly if I don't know what I'm doing.
I also have a Pawn Shop just next door... with DVDs as low as $2! They also sell old xbox games for $10, which... I'm guessing isn't a fantastic deal at all.
I also noticed they have a few Spy vs. Spy items, such as a car (I think) and the xbox game.
// I bought The Mask DVD (New Line Platinum Series, cardboard-style DVD case) and the case itself shows a little wear, the DVD is untested and shows noticable scratching, smudging and wear on both sides (Standard and Widescreen). I figured $2 wasn't a bad deal, but seeing it on ebay, I noticed it occasionally goes for about $1.25, give or take -- and that's in better condition.
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Post by SkyeWelse on May 4, 2009 13:36:37 GMT -5
Well, DVDs are something I'd steer clear of since your mark-up won't be all that well worth it in my opinion. You'd be lucky if you made $2-3 max on a DVD sale. Games are a different story if you do your research and manage to find something that someone may be looking for at a cheaper price. Xbox games are dirt cheap now, but there are a few out there that would still sell, such as Dreamfall and Psychonauts. I might buy a Phantom Dust off you myself if you find it and the price is right. : ) I have a habit of buying that game in particular over and over again to give to friends. It's that good of a game.
Oh and where do you see this fee for becoming an Amazon seller? I surely don't pay $39.99 a month to be an Amazon marketplace seller. It's simply linked up with my bank account so I draft from and make deposits to it via Amazon. Every two weeks Amazon sends out a payment total after all commission fees have been subtracted. That's another great thing about Amazon is that they flat up tell you how much money you stand to make after their commission is taken out even before you list the item. They also pay for standard shipping.
-Thomas
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on May 4, 2009 13:45:18 GMT -5
Well, DVDs are something I'd steer clear of since your mark-up won't be all that well worth it in my opinion. You'd be lucky if you made $2-3 max on a DVD sale. Ah, that's what I was afraid of, haha. Oh well, Jim Carrey's awesome so I don't mind owning The Mask. I'll keep my eyes peeled for you.  I scrolled all the way to the bottom, where it says "Business Programs: Sell on Amazon" and I clicked it. There's a free way? |
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Post by SkyeWelse on May 4, 2009 14:04:06 GMT -5
Oh I don't need Dreamfall or Pyschonauts. *laughs* I already own them, I'm just saying that they tend to still sell well for older Xbox games. I would take Phantom Dust copies as long as the disc is in good condition for $5-6 a pop however. That's one of my many duties in life, spreading the Phantom Dust love around. : )
I think you may be looking at starting an Amazon Business. You can do that if you want, but you don't need to be an Amazon Business if you just want to sell things on the Amazon Marketplace.
Do this, next time you are signed into Amazon, and visiting the Amazon Marketplace go to an item that you know you own a copy of. Under the purchasing options on the far-right, you'll see something called "Have one to sell? Sell your's here!". That should get you started. From that point on you can log-in to your seller account and you'll be able to see your current listed inventory and order history.
You can also create a small banner which can be displayed next you items you have listed on the marketplace. This can be a company logo if you want.
-Thomas
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on May 4, 2009 14:12:35 GMT -5
Aha! Alright, thank you very much! I just signed up for something on Amazon via "Your Account -> Your Seller Account". Eep. Hopefully it's not going to cost me anything. It says "Pro Merchant" under my Seller Account Information. I immediately clicked downgrade because I don't want to be charged $39.99! What have I done...? |
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Post by SkyeWelse on May 4, 2009 14:16:11 GMT -5
Pro Merchant sounds like something you would pay for as part of the Amazon Pro / Prime member service. It could be that it starts you off as a Amazon Pro / Prime member as free trial.
But yeah, you should stay on top of it and make sure they don't charge you for something you didn't sign up for. Worst comes to worst, shoot an email to the customer service department and explain that you wish to only sell on the marketplace and not as a business member.
-Thomas
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on May 4, 2009 14:26:30 GMT -5
Phew. Yeah, I sent them an e-mail. Hopefully they'll understand and I won't be charged for the unwanted and unused service. I downgraded immediately, and if they can somehow track that, I think they should understand.
My current goal is to make at least a $65 profit somehow.
Haha, you can tell I'm... not exactly bright sometimes. XD
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Post by SkyeWelse on May 4, 2009 14:45:26 GMT -5
Well, you know, it's not really an issue of being bright or not, but rather learning how this stuff works. *laughs* I've been selling for years, so it's been awhile since I originally had undergo the sign-up process. I'm betting that business fee is for businesses that are constantly selling items to the point where they don't want Amazon to take as much of a commission out and would rather pay a flat monthly rate.
I'm sure they'll work it out with you since you've explained your intentions and it hasn't even been an hour or so since you signed up to use their service.
Oh and one other thing I'd throw out there. I noticed that the last time I ordered something from you, you used a priority mail box I believe. Priority mail is great, but it tends to be a tad on the expensive side when it comes to shipping things out. Moreover, it seems that the US Postal Service hates it when people (like myself) ship things out in a priority mail box when we only want to send it for a much cheaper rate such as first class or media mail. Matter of fact, that very same box that I got from you is what I used to mail something off fairly recently and USPS told me that I couldn't send it in that box unless it was going to be sent priority mail. Even after purchasing one of their 99 cent envelopes and stuffing the priority mail box into the envelope and mailing it, it ended up being 2 dollars cheaper than sending it priority mail.
One thing I like to do to save on packaging costs is to go to an office supply store or even a grocery store and purchase a pack of 9 x 12 or the like vanilla envelopes without extra padding. Usually you can get about 5-6 in a pack for around $2.50. Then you can buy a roll of bubble wrap for around $2 as well. Then simply wrap the item you're selling (if it is small enough of course) and stuff it into the cheaper vanilla envelope and you'll be able to essentially mail off 5-6 small packets at $2-3 a piece + the $5 you spent on packaging supplies. Since Amazon or eBay buyers pay for the shipping costs, you are only out $5 and not $4-to-$6-to-$8 bucks for shipping a single item priority mail. When people buy things standard shipping on Amazon, you are not required to purchase any additional insurance or tracking, so there's no reason to spend more money than absolutely needed. : )
Edit: Unsavory, I just checked and I am indeed listed as an Individual Seller and not as a Pro Seller. So Individual is what you want.
-Thomas
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Post by Skeletore has a boner on May 4, 2009 16:57:22 GMT -5
The $39.99 amazon fee is for high-end sellers, basically you get a discount on their commissions in exchange for a subscription...if you sell more than 20 items a month it's very much in your favor to do so.
It also allows you to create new listings for items that don't exist on Amazon, which you cannot do otherwise.
Personally I'm a big fan of amazon, I do all my selling there, comissions are higher but at the consumer level I'll take it any-day for the no-hassle no-worry email-me-when-it's bought, method of selling.
Far as running an Amazon business I don't know, but I tried an ebay business years ago and just found it to not be worth the effort.
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Post by SkyeWelse on May 4, 2009 19:40:40 GMT -5
Thanks for explaining that Darus. In some ways it seems well worth it to become a Pro Seller if you have a lot of items to sell and many that currently do not have listings that already exist.
And I personally don't find the commission fees to be too bad considering that they only take ONE fee rather than charging you for listing the item, charging you for accepting money through paypal, and then charging you with a final invoice. And in some cases, the commission fee isn't much at all if the final sale price is below or just around $10.
Plain and simple, Amazon rules because they have a much better and friendlier business model for sellers and buyers.
-Thomas
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Post by Skeletore has a boner on May 4, 2009 21:30:34 GMT -5
Yeah, no risk of getting scammed either, since every transaction is guarnteed by them.
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on May 4, 2009 23:09:19 GMT -5
Yeah, that does make sense. I've been thinking of things I could sell on Amazon.
Death Note does really well, doesn't it? It'd be sad for me to sell my collection off before completing it, but when I make more money I could just buy it all back (and complete it) for cheaper than what I sold it for.
Have you tried buying things on ebay for cheap and then selling them on Amazon? That almost sounds like a good idea!
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Post by Skeletore has a boner on May 4, 2009 23:16:33 GMT -5
Doesn't work..ebay and amazon typically have prices within 5% of each other, which makes short-term speculation impossible except for very rare deals..it's nothing you're gonna make even decent money at consistently, because even if the amazon price is 10% higher(and it sells), thats not even the difference in price after fees.
One thing to consider when selling on amazon is under-cutting...people will undercut you by *pennies* so theirs sells first.
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Post by SkyeWelse on May 5, 2009 9:40:56 GMT -5
Yes, that is something to defintiely watch out for on Amazon. People will undercut you in order to try and sell theirs quicker. However, if yous stay on top of it, you can undercut them back. Also, it doesn't hurt to list a better description than most. Things like "Adult-Owned", "Set is Complete" with LIST OF CONTENTS. Disc is in Perfect Condition (if it is : ) ) Things like that are what buyers are looking for when making their decision. If something is pennies less, but doesn't have a description like that, I'm going to go for the one that pretty much guarantees what I am buying.
For example, some people who are buying games will be interested in purchasing one that is the original release and not the "Greatest Hits" "Platinum Hits" series version. However, Amazon lumps all of these into one category for the game. So if you've got an original version in a sea of re-releases and you take the time to mention that your version is original, that raises the bar significantly on your listing being the more attractive one. : )
-Thomas
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on May 5, 2009 19:06:20 GMT -5
Alright, thank you very much! So here's what I've got so far: - Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 1 (original release) - Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 2 (original release) - Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 3 (original release) - Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 4 (original release) - Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 5 (original release) - Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 6 (original release) - Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 7 (original release) - Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 8 (original release) - Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 9 (viridian collection) - Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 10 (viridian collection) - Fullmetal Alchemist Season Two Part Two (box set) - Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa - Death Note Vol 1 (original & uncut release) - Death Note Vol 2 (original & uncut release) - Death Note Vol 3 (original & uncut release) - Death Note Vol 4 (original & uncut release) - Death Note Vol 5 (original & uncut release) - Death Note Vol 6 (original & uncut release) - Death Note Vol 7 (original & uncut release) - Invader Zim Complete Invasion Amazon said they couldn't find my account, so I sent them another mail.  |
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on May 6, 2009 13:58:27 GMT -5
Alright, I'm working on my first listing.
I've undercut the 2nd person by a penny. The 1st person wants $79.99 for it, but their set doesn't include the outer box.
So... is this good? XD
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Post by Ascended Mermaid on May 6, 2009 15:06:12 GMT -5
Taking another look at my Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 3, Hawkeye and Mustang look slightly pixelated. I bought it at a Pawn Shop in a set of 8 volumes, and it appears to be the only one that's pixelated. It doesn't appear to be a bootleg -- the disc is labelled correctly, as are the inserts, manual and case. The artwork just looks wonky to me, and that makes me nervous.
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No, I don't have any experience in this field from MMOs -- and somehow, I'm not so sure that'd help.
