eBay first time sellee

[woodenhead]

I am about to start selling some N gauge stock that I no longer need and I am considering my options.

 

Being a little wary of eBay I was considering selling to a dealer but I realise I am going to give up a lot of value in doing it so I am back to selling via an auction site.

 

How do I protect myself from the unscrupulous buyers when selling on eBay and having never used eBay what else should I be looking out for?

 

Thanks

[hayfield]

Many of us both buy and sell on eBay without any issues what ever

 

The first thing is to get an idea of how much your items are worth, I like listing items to end on a Sunday evening as this seems to be prime time selling. Don't sell too many lots at once (as they will need packing and posting)

 

I would sell locos singly, common items like wagons in groups of 3 or higher, take (in focus) photos showing all angles and give a clear and accurate listing title and product description(s).

 

Get your postage rates correct and offer multi purchase postage discounts, work out what size packet/box is needed to protect items then the appropriate postage rate. Most accept that they will incur a small fee for packing, but make sure it is adequate. Better to over protect the item

 

If something is worth a tenner start at £4.99, list in the correct catagory

 

I would start off with the cheaper things first just to get the hang of it, most of all enjoy what you are doing

[jjb1970]

In my experience most Ebay sellers and buyers are fundamentally straight up, it is just unfortunate their are unscrupulous sellers and dishonest buyers out there but I must say I really have found them to be a small minority. As with anything however, this small minority creates a big impression and leaves strong memories. Once or twice I've almost walked away from EBay in disgust at both being messed around and the fact that if you are a seller then EBay always sides with the buyer. My advice is to go for it. If you sell to a dealer you'll get peanuts, yes if you sell on EBay you'll pay their commission but you'll still get an awful lot more than you will from a dealer and every now and again an auction goes silly.

[fozzy280472]

Some good advice above , I always list every item at 99p start , you pay less fees and the items pretty much always go for what they are generally worth , I have never ended up selling items at 99p !

ALWAYS get proof of postage when despatching and make sure you have in your listing the time limit you want for payment and a despatch period for example despatch within 5 days of payment.

If you are worried about payments specify PayPal only but beware of PayPal fees.

Good luck , it's really not that bad or hard ,

 

Paul.

[teaky]

Sound advice above.  I would add that if you are selling higher value items (e.g. locomotives) that you use Royal Mail Signed For and for lower value items ordinary post is fine but, as fozzy280472 says, never post anything without going to a Post Office and obtaining a Proof Of Posting (no additional charge and gives you some insurance cover).

 

Unless you are in a hurry why not list a few low value items and let the whole process run through from listing to seller receipt and, hopefully, positive feedback?  This will allow you to familiarise yourself with things and also get your feedback rating up which should provide some reassurance for future potential purchasers.  I did this years ago, starting with a couple of Airfix kits sold for a few quid.  Since then I have bought and sold thousands of items and problem transactions are still in single figures.

[Kris]

From experience I have found that I sometimes get more money on a buy it now sale, particularly for more unusual items that I am willing to wait for the right buyer to come along. (I can sometimes make about 3x the amount that I would have gained on an auction. 

 

That said some items tend to go for more as an auction. Items that finish between 7pm and 9:30pm on a Sunday do go for more, significantly more than on a weekday. 

Look at events that are going on that might alter the number of potential buyers, the Olympics might slightly lower prices.

 

Don't be to optimistic with your pricing or you might find your sales on the eBay madness thread (so far I haven't seen any of my items there).  

[Kylestrome]

In the past I have had a couple of auctioned items go for 99p, which should have fetched decent prices. I now try to avoid this happening again by using a simple principle for deciding what form of selling to use.

 

If I know the value of an item, especially if it is of high value, I use "Buy It Now". I might start with a slightly optimistic price (but not wildly over-priced!) and reduce it later if there is a lack of interest. If I don't know the real value of an item I offer it for auction, starting at a low price, and let the 'market' decide the final price. 

 

You still have to do a little research to try and establish the price range that similar items are selling for. Also, make sure you have a good idea of the real cost of postage when the item is properly packed. Bear in mind that, with bubble wrap etc., the parcel will be quite a bit larger than the item within. When I first started eBaying I often underquoted for postage, which eat away some of my profits.

[Crosland]

How do I protect myself from the unscrupulous buyers 

 

I am sure they exist but, in my experience, they are few and far between in the model railway world. problems.

 

A sellee is a buyer

[Chris116]

You can also try Buy and Sell on this forum which is getting better all the time.

[woodenhead]

Cheers all, I shall reflect and plan my strategy, I have a few cheaper items I can begin with and work up to the locos.

 

There is no rush.

[WhiteRoseRambler]

Also a new seller to ebay and have sold 13 items but have just had my first wake up call and am looking for some advice.

 

Sold a Bachmann loco with DCC Sound; it worked perfectly as I tested it fully before I sent it. The Buyer contacted me this week to say that it doesn't work and that he was very disappointed. I apologized profusely and asked him to return the loco for a full refund, which he did.

 

Got the loco back yesterday and guess what; it works perfectly. Sound and running are all fine and as I described. Now i get it back in a ripped box with some of the cab glazing now knocked out. I am thinking of disputing his reasons for return but just reckon I'll get shafted anyway so reckon I should just refund him and then block him. Is it actually worth the hassle of disputing this?

 

Many thanks, Chris

[Kris]

Also a new seller to ebay and have sold 13 items but have just had my first wake up call and am looking for some advice.

 

Sold a Bachmann loco with DCC Sound; it worked perfectly as I tested it fully before I sent it. The Buyer contacted me this week to say that it doesn't work and that he was very disappointed. I apologized profusely and asked him to return the loco for a full refund, which he did.

 

Got the loco back yesterday and guess what; it works perfectly. Sound and running are all fine and as I described. Now i get it back in a ripped box with some of the cab glazing now knocked out. I am thinking of disputing his reasons for return but just reckon I'll get shafted anyway so reckon I should just refund him and then block him. Is it actually worth the hassle of disputing this?

 

Many thanks, Chris

 

It would be worth opening a dispute around the fact that the model has been returned damaged. If you want to do this speak to eBay via their live chat rather than approaching the buyer first. 

[PM47079]

Another piece of advice is that it pays to take the loco out the box and take some decent photos of it. For example there was a Heljan 47 listed that was just basically the box,the seller stated he didn't want to remove it from the box as i suppose he thought as it hadn't been used he wanted to treat it as new/unused. Another one had the loco shown in the box covered with foam wrap.

If the photos show the loco as it is people will be more likely to bid based on what they see.

[teaky]

Also a new seller to ebay and have sold 13 items but have just had my first wake up call and am looking for some advice.

 

Sold a Bachmann loco with DCC Sound; it worked perfectly as I tested it fully before I sent it. The Buyer contacted me this week to say that it doesn't work and that he was very disappointed. I apologized profusely and asked him to return the loco for a full refund, which he did.

 

Got the loco back yesterday and guess what; it works perfectly. Sound and running are all fine and as I described. Now i get it back in a ripped box with some of the cab glazing now knocked out. I am thinking of disputing his reasons for return but just reckon I'll get shafted anyway so reckon I should just refund him and then block him. Is it actually worth the hassle of disputing this?

 

Many thanks, Chris

I expect he will just claim it was all OK when he posted it.  My suggestion would be along the lines you (& Kris) mention, i.e. chalk it up to experience, block him and report it to eBay via a Dispute.  They are unlikely to do anything because they tend to favour the buyer but you never know and it might just be of use if lots of people report the same buyer.  I suggest you include some photographic evidence (and video too if you can) in your correspondence with eBay.  If you try to sell it again you could include a small footnote in your listing about re-listing due to a timewasting buyer and you could mention that you have made a video recording of the loco showing movement and sound.

 

Just a thought.  I wonder if the buyer tested it on DCC?  Any indication in his feedback profile of him buying other DCC fitted locos?  Always possible he's a numpty rather than deliberately dishonest.  You may also like to follow him via eBay to see if he puts a similar loco up for sale in an undamaged box.

[Colin_McLeod]

It's worth disputing. After all you might be able to reduce the refund to compensate for the damage and the worst case scenario is E bay refunding the lot to the buyer; and you have the loco back.

[WhiteRoseRambler]

It's worth disputing. After all you might be able to reduce the refund to compensate for the damage and the worst case scenario is E bay refunding the lot to the buyer; and you have the loco back.

Thanks Colin, my concern here is that if they find in his favour (there is absolutely no reason why they should; I have video evidence and photos) then I end up with some detrimental mark against my seller profile. Reluctantly, I think I will chalk it up to experience. Although if he doesn't respond to my message then I might just escalate.

[jukebox]

Just remember - by *not* disputing, you are condoning bad behaviour, and the buyer is getting away with it.  

 

At least if he is reported, it should go on his record as well; if it doesnt help you, it may help someone else if he pulls the same stunt again.

[hayfield]

White rose rambler

 

I think part of the problem eBay have is the distance selling regulations all have to comply with

 

However the buyer must return them in the condition they were sent and with collectables boxes can enhance the value greatly

 

Firstly I would acknowledge receipt of the item and the amount of damage that has been done

 

Secondly I would talk with eBay/PayPal explaining what has occurred and the amount of your loss

 

No problem in having a dispute, these things happen and need resolving and you never know it might save you some money

 

Good luck 

[Jinty3f]

I recently sold my entire 00 collection over a period of 4 months across 5 separate sales, and was stunned at the total I received, in excess of £3K - I wouldn't have got anything near that with a dealer or box shifter. When selling, ebay gives a suggested starting price, based on previous sales of similar items, and I found this a surprisingly good guide for starting my items. Out of over 70 items, only 2 did not sell, most achieved or exceeded EBay 's predicted price so starting at 99p for an item is not really necessary.

[hayfield]

I recently sold my entire 00 collection over a period of 4 months across 5 separate sales, and was stunned at the total I received, in excess of £3K - I wouldn't have got anything near that with a dealer or box shifter. When selling, ebay gives a suggested starting price, based on previous sales of similar items, and I found this a surprisingly good guide for starting my items. Out of over 70 items, only 2 did not sell, most achieved or exceeded EBay 's predicted price so starting at 99p for an item is not really necessary.

 

 

Jinty

 

You are spot on and providing you are not selling very high value items the model railway buyers are normally very good. The buyers of collections who resell the items must make a margin for themselves, so its a lot less money but hassle free. Personally I enjoy the process selling surplus items especially as they recoup money which can be recycled into other things which are wanted

 

Others prefer less money as they do not want to spend the time required to sell them

[woodenhead]

Woodenhead

 

I think part of the problem eBay have is the distance selling regulations all have to comply with

 

However the buyer must return them in the condition they were sent and with collectables boxes can enhance the value greatly

 

Firstly I would acknowledge receipt of the item and the amount of damage that has been done

 

Secondly I would talk with eBay/PayPal explaining what has occurred and the amount of your loss

 

No problem in having a dispute, these things happen and need resolving and you never know it might save you some money

 

Good luck

 

It was whiteroserambler with the problem not me, cos I have still not had the courage to put something on eBay.

 

I went down the px route with my older Farish Mk1s and some Gresley coaches by Dapol, after I got rid of my Gresleys I realised whilst it was less risky I was getting half the value of the stock so I stopped at that point and keep promising myself that this week I will get some stuff on eBay but then finding something else to do.

 

I've got a load of n gauge that I don't see I am going to use and through a mix of sentiment and fear of being screwed on eBay I seem stuck with it.

[hayfield]

It was whiteroserambler with the problem not me, cos I have still not had the courage to put something on eBay.

 

I went down the px route with my older Farish Mk1s and some Gresley coaches by Dapol, after I got rid of my Gresleys I realised whilst it was less risky I was getting half the value of the stock so I stopped at that point and keep promising myself that this week I will get some stuff on eBay but then finding something else to do.

 

I've got a load of n gauge that I don't see I am going to use and through a mix of sentiment and fear of being screwed on eBay I seem stuck with it.

 

Sorry

I just looked at the first poster, will alter the reply