posted on March 14, 2001 06:16:23 AM
I agree with the "don't do it" factor. I have sold a couple of things for friends and family and each time I wish that I hadn't! My father-in-law scours the countryside for tons of worthless things. He doesn't seem to "get" what I can sell and what I can't. For the sake of marital harmony I have listed things that I would never normally list. He is always disappointed when they don't sell or if they sell for very little. I'm sure he thinks I'm not trying my hardest because he can't understand why some stupid things I put up for auction can sell for so much. I try to explain that you have to know eBay. I do research!!
Also, unless you are really going for high end items, you will not make a bunch of money. Why sell a widget and take 50% when you can put your own widget up and take 100%? You only have to please yourself! So many people have heard the stories of things selling for $10,000 on ebay that they are sure they have a treasure trove.
If you do decide to do this, research the items first before you commit. You could even charge a research fee. Or have the person research for you so they can see what similar things are selling for. Set a limit of what you will take... like items worth $200.00 or more. Ask them if they be happy when that $200 value item sells for $200 and they end up with 100?
Personally, I think you would do better offering "ebay classes." Charge 50 bucks an hour and get them on the road to making their own riches.
posted on March 14, 2001 08:11:59 AM
I HAVE BEEN WORKING IN CONSIGNMENT SHOPS NOW FOR 10 YEARS, WHEN I FOUND EBAY IT WAS A DREAM COME TRUE. I CAN SELL CONSIGNED MERCHANDISE TO A WORLDWIDE MARKET NOW. THE KEY IS TO STICK TO MERCHANDISE THAT YOU KNOW. IF YOU KNOW CLOTHING LABLES, JEWLERY, ANTIQUES ETC., SELL THOSE ITEMS. THERE IS MUCH LESS RESEARCH NEEDED - YOU ALREADY SHOULD HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF WORTH. ALL BUSINESS REQUIRES A GOOD PLAN AND CONSIGNMENT SALES ESPECIALLY. A CONTRACT IS ESSENTIAL AND THE STANDARD CHARGE IN THE INDUSTRY IS 50-50 SPLIT. IN THE ITEMS THAT I ACCEPT FOR AUCTION, THE CONSIGNOR EITHER DOESN'T CARE WHAT THEY GET (MOST OF THE TIME) OR REQUIRES A SET AMOUNT OF RETURN, IF IT IS HIGHER THAN WHAT I THINK THEY CAN GET FOR THE ITEM, I WON'T CONSIGN IT, PERIOD. THE EBAY & PAYPAL FEES COME OFF THE TOP AND WE SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE. EVERY BUSINESS NEEDS TO BE LISCENSED, YES, YOU PAY TAXES ON YOUR EARNINGS AND THAT REQUIRES CAREFUL BOOKKEEPING - INCOME AND COSTS, PLUS CONSIGNORS THAT EARN OVER $600 MUST RECEIVE A 1099. I CURRENTLY SELL UNDER TWO DIFFERENT IDS BOTH PERSONALLY AND FOR THE CONSIGNMENT STORE THAT I WORK AT. YES, IT IS TIME CONSUMING, FRUSTRATING AT TIMES TOO. BUT IF YOU HAVE A SET PLAN AND THE ABILITY FOR SELF MOTIVATION, IT CAN BE A VERY ENJOYABLE & PROFITABLE ADVENTURE, AS WELL AS GIVING YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WHEN IT IS CONVENIENT FOR YOU, SET A SCHEDULE TO TAKE THE PICS, WRITE THE AD, AND SET SHIPPING DAYS. THE SECRET IS TO ENJOY WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND LEARNING NOT TO SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!!! BY THE WAY STRANGERS ARE ALWAYS MUCH EASIER TO WORK WITH THAN FRIENDS OR NEIGHBORS - JUST MAKE SURE YOU BOTH COMPREHEND EXACTLY WHAT IS EXPECTED & PUT IT IN WRITING. AS YOUR INCOME ALLOWS, IT IS GREAT TO BE ABLE TO PURCHASE OUTRIGHT THE LOTS THAT SOME PEOPLE WANT TO GET RID OF, HOWEVER FOR MOST PEOPLE THIS REQUIRES ANOTHER WAY TO EARN THE MONEY TO BE ABLE TO PURCHASE OUTRIGHT AND THE CONSIGNMENT PROCESS IS A VERY VIABLE WAY TO ACHIEVE THE CAPITOL TO DO SO.
2. But, if you need items to sell - and they have them I would charge 50% of the ending bid. I would then handle everything else AND the item must be in my posession BEFORE I list it.
3. At the first sign of problems please see step #1.
posted on March 14, 2001 11:11:54 AM
About a year ago a close dear relative begged me to sell one of her plates in my shop. A neighbor who was long gone had given it to her in the 1940's and she didn't like it and it was buried in a stack of plates in her cupboard.
I told her if I listed it on ebay I could probably get about $60 for it and she was stunned. So I listed it and it brought $85. This plate now sells on ebay for $35 to $65 as prices have dropped some. She was thrilled and because it was a relative I printed out the auction and gave her all the money and took no fees whatsoever.
Case closed, or so I thought.
A couple of months ago she phones me "You know my plate you sold on me?" (She makes it sound like I walked in her house & just took it) "Well, I just watched the Antiques Road Show and there was a plate almost like that and it is worth....." and she mentions some "up there" amount like a hundred kazillion pounds. Then she starts fretting & whining "I should have hung on to it. I should never have let you talk me into selling it."
The "plate story" has been told to every relative, neighbor, hairdresser and repairman.
No good deed goes unpunished!
Edited to change "dead to deed". Not wishing anyone dead over this one, I swear!
[ edited by shaani on Mar 14, 2001 12:34 PM ]
[ edited by shaani on Mar 14, 2001 12:35 PM ]
posted on March 14, 2001 03:08:41 PM
Make sure you don't need to be licensed! In North Carolina if you sell for others you are considered just like the auction houses and have to be licensed by the Auctioneers Board (take a test, have a background check and pay a big fee plus yearly dues). Probably would eat up all the profits you might make selling for others.
posted on March 15, 2001 07:13:43 PM
I sell for 2 people besides myself -- my mother and a non-relative/non-friend. I volunteered to help this one guy sell his pc collection, since he lives outside the US at the moment.
If I were you, I'd definitly think this through and set up a contract beforehand. It's a big responsibility to house the material, scan or take pictures of it, research on items (if needed), list all the items, customer contact and payment, packaging and shipping items, accounting, etc. Analyze the total time you spend on listing your own auctions, and try to break the time and resources down into an hourly wage if possible. Or charge a flat rate per item or group of items (but I don't see how the owner will make any profit after that unless they're big ticket items).
If you really want to do it, try selling 1 or 2 things before you agree to anything bigger.
posted on March 15, 2001 08:55:57 PM
Hi KiKi2, well, here goes... DON'T DO IT!
Martini... had good thoughts, especially #1! ALWAYS keep possion of all items, AND - NO 'VISITING' their items!
Roadsmith, your answer is so good I almost didn't post, but maybe some of my story will be useful.
About 1 1/2 yrs ago I began to sell for a sister, then another sister. We all have good relationships (and thank goodness still do, as that is more important to me than the money although I do this FULL TIME AS MY ONLY INCOME). I sell books. The arrangement was; they buy their own, clean 'em, list/scan/price 'em, books must stay here. I answer email inqueries, end-of-auction notices, friendly reminders, complaints, requests, etc. I buy packing stuff, wrap all and trot to the postoffice 4-5-6 days a week. I do all the bookkeeping, and payroll alone has grown to 3 hours once a mo. I hate that part. I charge them $1 per item plus whatever is left from s&h - usually 20 to 30 cents. The first sister to join needed a key to the house to list when I was out, good idea - I'm not using the computer when I'm not home. Then I started waking up and she was here already each morning. "Oh, you here?" "I've been here all night!" Well, she didn't wake me up, so that's ok. Even baked banana-nut bread once. Ok. Then she wanted her money weekly. No, sorry. I kept advising her her prices were WAY too low. Like a stack of 6 Nancy Drew, pb, gently used for $2 + $2 s&h. Well, I suggested more firmly. I wasn't helping her out selling 60-70 books a week for pennies, and it sure wasn't helping me. I had little time to relist, less time for emails & etc. I had no real life. Every day - without fail I would have problems finding 2 or 3 of her books. (by now she had 5 bookcases FULL of books in the livingroom!) I asked her to "please put books by subject!" She still had sports in with health, bios in with fiction, fiction in with craft. I'd straighten. I'd label shelves. She'd list a pile of books and chunk them on top of nearest shelf. I swear, each day I spent an hour or so looking for books! I am ashamed how many times I'd find out "oh, I have Cinderella (Elvis, Victoria Holt, John Grisham, etc) at my house" and I didn't bop her on the head! I never said more but she knew how I felt. One day she just said "I can't do this anymore, it's too much work." She didn't come back for about two months, packed all her books and opened her own site. The other sister reasons with me she should be able to list her books on ABE as well as my site. No.
Make up a detailed contract.
Keep all items in YOUR possession
Don't share your computer/keys/passwords/robe& slippers
Remind folks that this is your business. You NEED this for an income, you learned all the ins and outs the hard way.
I learned a lot.
posted on March 15, 2001 09:09:43 PM
Well! Here is chapter two of my saga.
A good friend, older man, recent widower, now has high-school sweetheart as his significant other. He has given HER the task (and she's chosen to accept it) of clearing out the house of all the knick-knacks he hates. She's new in this area so I told her I'd give her some advice. Guys, the house is filled with Stuff. Not just the dead wife's stuff, but HIS stuff too, and it's almost impossible to get at the corners because of the old tvs. This man is a retired m.d. but has trouble letting loose of his things, although the new gal has been given permission to do a lot.
The grown children have chosen and taken some stuff but are reluctant to make final decisions on some of the asian brass, etc.
She had a ping-pong table heaped with things, plus 5 other rooms in the house, a store room with loads, and (get this) the boxes the couple had brought with them and never looked at again when they moved to our town 30 years ago!!
I told her I'd teach her how to do major triage--piles of throw-away, thrift shop, local junk auction, local collectibles auction, and MAYBE to sell on ebay. We did a table's worth and it took 4 hours.
I held her hand while she looked for the first time at ebay and I helped her search. I told her I'm going to "teach her to fish" rather than "give her fish to eat."
But now I'm wrestling with offering to buy some of the stuff if I can sell it for a good profit, and at the same time not losing a good friend in the guy. I was totally exhausted--physically, mentally--when I got home and too tired to take photos for my own next sales on ebay.
At the same time, I'm intrigued with "peeking" at what they have in that big house--I have to admit that I'm nosy and very curious. I think I need the equivalent of the AA sponsor to keep me from my own instincts.
But, I do know that if I did buy some things, they'd always wonder if I was honest with them.
