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+--- Thread: About to sell my first eBay item - questions (/showthread.php?tid=39819)
About to sell my first eBay item - questions - will2000 - 09-14-2007
Actually, it is my son's paintball gun. He hardly ever used it, and now he wants to get some of his money back. We also want to get some (good) experience selling on eBay.
I have bought a few things on eBay and have a feedback of 24. My PayPal account is ready; I will probably use it as the only payment option.
He has a description and pictures ready, and wants to get $150 for it.
Should I go with Buy it Now?
What is a good starting amount?
Should I go with a reserve amount?
Paintball Tippmann 98 Custom Package with helmet/mask
Re: About to sell my first eBay item - questions - mikebw - 09-14-2007
To accept payment through PayPal you may need to upgrade to their business level account. If I remember correctly this is free, but you will end up paying them a higher percentage of the final transaction amount if the winning bidder pays with a credit card. To avoid these charges you could try to specify a bank-to-bank only transaction, but I don't think that will be good for your auction.
You probably already understand more about this than you realize. Here are some basic tips though-
In terms of the auction setup this all depends on how much money you want to get for your item, and how much similar items are selling for. Do a search and see what else is out there in similar condition. If other items are selling for over $150 all the time then you can pretty much assume that you will get that much, even without a reserve price. No reason to set the starting bid high if you can reasonably expect the item to sell for a certain amount based on other transactions.
If the market for this item is thin I would definitely set a reserve price. This will protect you from losing a bunch of money if you only get one bidder.
If you want it to go fast set a Buy it Now price below what other auctions are ending for. This will pretty much guarantee that you get your asking price, and you will probably also be able to end the auction fairly quickly.
Not sure if paintball season is coming or going, but usually people come looking for deals in the off season so don't expect to get as much at those times.
Re: About to sell my first eBay item - questions - The Grim Ninja - 09-14-2007
My Ebay -> My Account (Left Side) -> Preferences -> Selling Preferences -> Buyer Requirements-> Show -> Edit
I would recommend the following:
Are registered in countries to which I don't ship
Have a feedback score of -1 or lower
Are currently winning or have bought 1 of my items in the last 10 days and have a feedback score of 3 or lower
Have received 2 Unpaid Item strikes in the last 30 days
You'll also want to go to:
Paypal -> Log In -> Profile ->Selling Preferences -> Payment Receiving Preferences:
Block payments from U.S. users who do not provide a Confirmed Address (yes)
Block payments from users who: (Have non-U.S. PayPal accounts)
These settings will save you from a whole lot of potential headaches and wasted time. Yes, they may cut down on some legitimate buyers, but for your first few sales, do you really want to go through extra crap?
When you list the item, be sure you select that you'll ship to the US only while listing. (I forget where it's at, I think it's in the shipping section now?). If you get more confident with ebay later, you can lax up on some requirements.
As for the price, what's it going for currently?
Re: About to sell my first eBay item - questions - TL - 09-14-2007
[quote mikebw]To accept payment through PayPal you may need to upgrade to their business level account. If I remember correctly this is free, but you will end up paying them a higher percentage of the final transaction amount if the winning bidder pays with a credit card. To avoid these charges you could try to specify a bank-to-bank only transaction, but I don't think that will be good for your auction. You cannot specify bank-transfers only via PayPal. Doing so will get the auction taken down. You must use a premier or business paypal account, or be willing to upgrade should the buyer choose to pay with a CC.
You will want to follow the Seller Protection Policy to reduce your exposure to risk. Some of these criteria are using a verified premier or business account; shipping only to a confirmed address, obtaining online-viewable proof of delivery (and get a sig if paid $250 or more), etc. Read the full policy at PayPal, or I can direct you to a couple of good plain-English translations of the policy. Grim Ninja's tips are very good ones.
Paintball guns and accessories are somewhat restricted on ebay. Be sure to read the full policy and comply with it, or the auction will be taken down: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/firearms-weapons-knives.html (Click on "Some Examples" for more info).
Re: About to sell my first eBay item - questions - bhaveshp - 09-14-2007
Great tips on the selling preferences Grim.. Thanks!
Re: About to sell my first eBay item - questions - bryanus - 09-14-2007
WAIT!
Check your PMs for my email. EBay has a refer-a-friend promo until tomorrow, where you get up o 3 free listings, and I get $5! ;-)