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Quite frankly though, if you're getting a number of eBay sales with local pickup, you're "doing it wrong".
(Well, unless you're selling huge quantities of things on there.)
For local sales where people want to pick my things up in person, I still have no cost options to advertise them like Craigslist, Facebook, or even those iPhone based apps like "Quikr" or "letgo". It's a shame to give eBay that much of your sale price on those.
I like eBay for all the things I can't sell in a reasonable time-frame by only advertising to an audience who lives near me.
That is why most of this stuff went on eBay. I already tried selling it through Facebook yard sale groups and craigslist.
I live in a small metro area that skews older and poorer than average. It has always been a chore to find people here interested in building computers and other hobbyist tech, which is a lot of the stuff I'm trying to get rid of. I tried some hobbyist sites too, but a lot of this stuff is old and I'm just trying to get what I can out of it. If I can cover my costs and net $15 or so per item, I'm fine with that.
As a casual eBay seller since it almost first started (1995), I can say that there have been so many changes over the years that I can hardly keep up. In my opinion, it has gone from initially favoring sellers (heck, you used to even be able to bid on your own items on someone elses behalf way back when..... but this was abused of course) to it's now to the place where buyers are hugely favored. The part that irks me the most these days is the unspoken guarantees a buyer gets when buying a clearly stated "used- as is" item. Even with this in the description, a buyer can STILL get their money back via a Paypal case well over a month after the sale.... and they don't even have to return the item to the seller! This is one example of how much they've changed over the years. As a buyer, you're pretty much guaranteed of whatever you receive even if sold as-is and the item doesn't work!!
During eBay's initial start up and up until about the year 2000, I did very well as a casual seller, so well in fact that I was considering leaving my job and doing it full time like so many others did. Then, all of a sudden with the economy going sour along with the US housing market plus eBay's ever changing agreements and fee structures, sales dropped off sharply and have really never recovered. There have been other things that haven't helped either and that's mainly shipping! Shipping costs have increased dramatically over the years. I still find USPS offering the best rates, but in all honesty there quality control has decreased much over the years so it either takes an item longer to reach its destination than it used to, or I am ending up with more items destroyed though the shipping process. For insurance, I --carefully-- find that eBay's Shipcover seems to be quite good as long as you are careful. They usually reimburse for a broken item within a week. The downsides are that they won't cover shipping costs and they will cut the option if a seller has used them too many times. As long as the item I'm sending didn't cost more than 25% of item's value, I haven't had buyers complain but I don't get feedback either. Some sellers will refund the shipping costs out of pocket and if I sold more I think I would too.
Since about 2010 or so, I've added other online advertising which has made a difference to me, the casual seller. I use Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for general items, and a couple of special websites for specific items. There additional sites have helped somewhat over just selling on eBay, but they are still a far cry from how eBay once was. I find I usually get the least value of an item on Craigslist and Marketplace about the same, plus Craigslist has a LOT of fraudulent buyers. They'll offer to pay by the infamous "cashiers check" even if your ad states no. Buyers aren't feeling as secure because they have to meet publicly and they don't get the luxury of Paypal's money back guarantee, so you end up not getting as much for your item.
The bottom line is that online selling has become a lot tougher than it used to be, but it has never been a better time for an online buyer.
To me - Ebay is not a business or a way of making money. Its a way of recouping partial losses. Basically stuff you have that for whatever reason, you don't or can't use anymore.
To get rid of the clutter - the old days - everything went to Goodwill or some such non-profit or a landfill.
But when the non-profits started selling donations online - I thought - the hell with that. I don't mind if my donations go to a local thrift shop where low income people can get good deals - but now that's its going to the highest bidder to pay pensions and benefits for the non profit workers?
I said forget it. I can sell it online myself. I price it reasonable but its still a fraction of what I paid for it or what it would cost to rebuy. But I look at it as - its better than nothing which is what I'd get if I donated it. To buy stuff to sell online in that marketplace - nah. Too many landmines.
I have since sold a few more things on eBay. I didn't take any losses, but didn't make any good money either. Unfortunately, being in a small metro, selling things locally can take forever and is limited.
I have since sold a few more things on eBay. I didn't take any losses, but didn't make any good money either. Unfortunately, being in a small metro, selling things locally can take forever and is limited.
I think he more meant eBay is often selling used items. I bought an XBox for $300 2 years ago, I dont play it, I'll sell it for $150 today and get a couple bucks back. Sure some people do retail arbitrage or hit resale stores looking for finds but ebay is more a hustle where as Amazon is more a scalable business
Ebay has become a place for Buyers and the casual Seller is being pinched out. Ebay is not what it used to be, some call it Evilbay for their fees but it is still the best place to reach a whole lot of buyers.
I've also heard "FeeBay". May want to add that as well
I sold on eBay full-time for 10 years. I can tell you categorically that quite a few people on eBay don't make any money. They lose money, because they confuse cash flow with profit and fail to account for all of their expenses.
Every now and then I check back in the Jewelry category to see if people are still selling pieces at cost. They always are.
Often wondered if that was you. I've been on ebay since around 1999. How've you been?
A net of $70k would likely be into the lower-mid $100k range around here. That's a corporate director/possibly VP salary at local wages. It's a damn fine living by local standards.
I'm mostly liquidating household junk. I love going to yard sales, flea markets, junk stores, etc., and if I felt I could reasonably make a profit, I would do so. When I lived in a wealthy suburb of Indianapolis, you could often get really nice stuff at yard sales, Goodwill, and Salvation Army. I found an industrial HP Laserjet printer that was around $1,300 at retail back in 2005 (when it came out) for $10 out. I fixed a few parts in it, kept it a year or two, the power cord's insulation started smoking, and I fixed that too. Thing is still going strong after several change outs of ~$10 parts. I could probably get $100 out of it, but it's worth more to me for my own personal use. Ten years ago, I'd be more willing to buy stuff to try and turn a profit, but that door seems mostly closed now.
I live in a poor community now. The odds of finding anything useful or valuable locally are probably slim to none. The market seems to have changed.
I was at the PO today and looked for media mail. No longer exists on their signage. I'll ask. I think they still have a parcel post option.
It most certainly exists. I ship nearly all my books that way.
You need to learn how to print the labels from ebay seller page. It's cheaper and there's e-dc involved.
Often wondered if that was you. I've been on ebay since around 1999. How've you been?
You've gutted it out longer than me, that's for sure. But I wasn't "fluffythewondercat" on eBay.
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