Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I like to occassionally buy things on Ebay. However, I am surprised at how greedy some of them get.
Don't they know that we are in a recession now? Prices are falling almost everywhere. Numerous website and forum groups are set up to show you how to maximize your value and/or discount on anything ranging from vacations to movie tickets to DVD players to even old vinyl records. That the order of the day....if they wish to make a sale is DISCOUNT DISCOUNT DISCOUNT.
I almost NEVER "bid" on anything nor do I ever try to use the "Buy It Now" option. Not unless the posted price is at least 50% off the next lowest price comparable that I can find.
Typically what I look for is the "Best Offer" option. If I want it and am willing to pay for it, I will submit an offer of about 25% of whatever the asking price is. I think that's fair. Remember what I said about us being in a severe deflationary economy. In light of that, I feel that 25% of whatever the asking price is, is fair.
Likewise I should NEVER have to pay for shipping. That should be a little courtesy that the seller should pick up in order to get my business. That can also be a sign to other prospective customers that we're dealing with a reputable seller.
There are supposedly a lot of hungry people out there who have turned to Ebay as their primary (if not solitary) means of income. So it stands to reason that they should be more than willing to fulfil my needs as a willing, paying customer. You know....they should do whatever it takes to make the sale.
I guess I was wrong and there aren't that many hungry people out there. Because in probably 99 out of a hundred times, when I make my offer, it gets declined, ignored, or worse....is declined with a terse 'get lost' message.
I guess they don't need my dollar that bad. But persistence pays. SOMEONE out there will happily sell me something for $25-which is instant cash-while the chisler can sit there with the same thing for $100 and not only never sell it, but incur listing fees over and over and over while they are stuck in a serial relisting pattern.
It sounds like you've discovered the secret to making money on eBay. Maybe you should try it. You could be the first to sell everything at 25% of its value. I'll bet you'd sell a ton. *eye roll*
If you don't show enough profit with that discount, try 10% of value. I'll bet you'd sell even more!
Thers the rub, pass the sellers you do not wish to purchase from.
I sell once in a while, I get the odd buyer who wants me to ship before they pay??
As far as including shipping for free, most items are sold at cost - why lose money to pamper a buyer who will never buy from me again. Shipping is expensive now. I had to ship a mandolin to PA,. cost $60 to ship.
You have a right to make a offer, but really silly offers will incur some odd comments. A kind offer would be 15% to 20% below asking price. If you are offering half you will usually be declined.
You could be the first to sell everything at 25% of its value.
Value is only what someone is willing to pay. You can sit there and say things like "But this is worth $100" until the Big Crunch comes. But I have news for you: If no one is willing to pay that amount, it isn't worth that. Period. Case closed. There IS no counterargument.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ferretkona
Thers the rub, pass the sellers you do not wish to purchase from.
Which I do. Sometimes I'll 'watch' something get re-listed over and over and over and go unsold for several months. Then I'll come back to the seller and remind them of the offer I made. Yet they STILL refuse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ferretkona
I get the odd buyer who wants me to ship before they pay??
Well I can see shipping before payment as unreasonable. You just never know when the "buyer" might be a deadbeat. But when I make an offer, I have the money in hand (or in PayPal) and am ready to make the payment. Right there on the spot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ferretkona
As far as including shipping for free, most items are sold at cost - why lose money to pamper a buyer who will never buy from me again. Shipping is expensive now. I had to ship a mandolin to PA,. cost $60 to ship.
Well that's the sellers problem to resolve. Lower their costs, buy from a cheaper supplier, pad the price of other items, whatever. Think of it as an investment "loss leader": sell at or below cost to me today so that someone else later will be willing to possibly pay more when they see your reputation.
I sell a few things on ebay and craigslist every once in a while as I part out cars. If someone were to submit a bid/email well below asking price not only would I reject it I would ignore them from then on. I would rather wait a month to sell at a profit than sell at a 75% loss now. You are crazy to think that a 50%-75% loss is better than a profit later on...
As for new stuff ebay itself is a great competition multiplier. If its listed on ebay for a price that is probably about the cheapest you are able to get it without buying in wholesale and then selling the shipment piece by piece.
I'm detecting a sense of entitlement here, and it's not on the part of the sellers (though there may be some sellers that have that, that does not appear to be the case here).
You think that people SHOULD sell you what you want for 25% of price, and that if they don't, it's their problem.
It's not.
It's your problem if you want the item for less than it's worth, because you are going to have to find someone who's willing to lose money in order to sell it to you for the price you want to pay.
Those sellers who consistently do not sell because of overpricing will go out of business because no one will buy from them.
Those sellers who consistently indulge your need for them to sell at a loss, and pay for the privilege by paying for your shipping, will go out of business.
Those who sell at a price that the market (and that's not necessarily you, if you don't want to pay what everyone else is paying) will bear will stay in business even if you never buy one thing from them.
Darn it! Does this mean you won't stock up on new Canon pro cameras and sell me one for half the normal "cheapest" price? Cuz you've got a customer right here if you'd do that. And I could send some friends your way too. There are sales just waiting for you. All you've got to do is be the seller you expect others to be.
I sell stuff on ebay but I'm not hungry...I just want money for stuff I'm not using anymore. I price my things pretty cheap to begin with, way lower than retail. It's up to me to set my prices, not YOU. And I always charge shipping unless I'm charging MORE for the item make up the difference. You seem to think everyone is desperate, that's just not the case.
I sell on Amazon, and for some items you do not get enough shipping. You have to include it in the price of the item. Prices are down on the things I sell, but I am not going to sell at a loss on the internet. I will wait until prices go up at Christmas. On Amazon you do not have to pay to list until item sells.The problem with Amazon is they do not have the variety of itemds to sell like collectibles..Of course there are other expenses involved besides postage. You have your supplies, internet fees, taxes, the commission fees.After all of that what is your profit margin?
What I can't sell on line for a fair profit, I sell at the fleamarket and I basically lose on that, but I need to get rid of it.
If someone wants something cheap they should go to garage sales, and spend their time and gas to get it that way. That also adds up, and can be frustrating when you go to garage sale after garage sale, and only see baby clothes..
I'm a casual Ebay seller; I only sell old used small junk I'm through with via auction. Usually I set the initial at 1 cent, max out the shipping cost (usually $4 since most stuff fits in an envelope or small box) and let bidders drive it up, or not. I was quite surprised at how much money I got for a lot of stuff I didn't think was worth even the shipping cost.
So I guess I'm one of those sellers you can find who will undercut the going rate. But I list maybe 3 items per year, so you gotta be pretty patient before someone like me lists some specific thing you want. Oh, and shipping is on you. Maybe it costs me 2 bucks to ship it, but the other 2 bucks are for the 10 minutes I have to go out of my way to get to the post office.
Long ago, I found a outlet store selling items which were consistently very popular on Ebay. I found I could easily sell the items at 150% of the price I paid at the outlet, they cost a flat USD 100, so it was 50 bucks of profit per unit, minus maybe USD 10 for shipping and other costs. I thought about making a side business out of it, but decided I didn't want to get stuck with a thousand dollars of merchandise if the market cooled off.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
