posted on November 20, 2000 06:52:52 PM
Lately I have more and more people sending emails wanting to purchase beads directly from me, without bidding on eBay (because they don't want to wait, they were outbid etc.). How do other sellers answer to these emails? Usually I reply to them, saying that the purchase price would be the minimum bid + $2.00 if they didn't bid on the item. If they did, the purchase price would be their latest bid (what they were willing to pay but were outbid). I don't think it would be fair to the high bidders to sell the items for the minimum bid to other eBay members. Often the final bid goes up to three times of the minimum bid. I want to be fair but I don't want to loose money selling my beads for the minimum bid to someone who was not even bidding on them. What would you do?
posted on November 20, 2000 07:11:54 PM
You're under no obligation to sell off auction to anyone. Just explain that you're auctioning them, not doing direct sales and welcome them to bid on your items.
posted on November 20, 2000 07:37:59 PM
I do a happy dance and sell to them at full price. I have lots of repeat customers. Some come back to my auctions, some come directly to me. Everyone ends up happy.
posted on November 20, 2000 07:44:47 PM
I've been asked by bidders & am glad to sell many of my items off ebay & at the minimum bid. But my starting bids already contain my lowest required profit markup.
You mentioned you charge $2 more if they haven't bid but have you considered you didn't have to pay the listing or FVF?
posted on November 20, 2000 08:17:03 PM
I have found customers through eBay that have _extremely_ specialised interests and I'm more than happy to sell to these people outside of eBay. No fees and guaranteed sales! That's right, do the happy dance!
posted on November 20, 2000 08:30:35 PM
I get people who actually order every week off auction once they start. No way would I discourage them. I give a discount - after all it is cheaper for me.
posted on November 21, 2000 10:08:20 AM
I have sold off eBay after auction closing without bids. Never have had any bad experience. Right now I am in the process of purchasing off eBay myself.
One time I developed buyers remorse after I placed a bid on an item. I watched as the bidding approached my proxy but just didn't make it over hitting my max. One more bid and I would have lost it...shucks.
Anyways shortly after the auction closed I was in the process of purchasing the item when I received an email from a person wanting to buy the item from me. What luck!
I made sure all of my ducks were in a row (ensuring this wasn't some kind of scam) only requested to be reimbursed for my out of pocket expenses such as my payment (including shipment), money orders (only acceptable form of payment) and their expenses such as shipment. I wasn't making any money. I just wanted to be reimbursed for my expenses and to get rid of the item.
Well, the buyer paid me a few bucks extra.
She appreciated me not charging her an arm and a leg. I could have taken advantage of the situation. Allegedly her husband was in the hospital and he really wanted the item but couldn't bid on it.
BTW her payment to me was under $20.00 which was very affordable to her.
posted on November 21, 2000 10:17:12 AM
I've sold off eBay a couple of times, but I'd take advantage of the current Buy It Now feature. You relist, they buy, they and you get to leave feedback and everyone's happy including eBay.
posted on November 21, 2000 11:43:58 AM
Hmm . . . sounds like there is enough interest in your items to justify putting together a small retail website. Include a link in your auctions.
posted on November 22, 2000 02:13:46 PM
I have had several bidders tell me in email, "Thanks for making this available - I'm looking for X, Y, and Z would you happen to have them?"
And if I do, I can just add them to the sale in progress, one payment, one shipping, and helping the buyer get closer to completing a set (I deal in Pokemon cards).
Sometimes I have cards I'm looking for too, and we've gone from a straight sale to a sale and trade situation, and I've had nothing but success with these!
posted on November 22, 2000 02:26:20 PM
Welcome, pepi3, to the wonderful world of BUSINESS! Take every opportunity to legitimately sell your wares. Since you are paying eBay fees when you sell at eBay, some folks hope that you'll give that same amount away as a discount when you sell direct. Servicing customers directly -- and in bulk, is the way you get going. Eventually you'll need a small website with a shopping cart service. Here's the URL to a free one:
posted on November 22, 2000 08:53:35 PM
As a seller, I never sell directly while the auction is in progress. Outside offers to sell an item before the auction has ended is a tactic that many dealers use in order to scoop items cheap and beat the competition. Keep in mind that probably half of the total bidding on your items will happen in the last day. I know its nerve wracking watching your bids sit for 6 days with no bids, but I usually find that everything is worth the wait in the end. As a buyer, I often place my bids on the last day to avoid snoopy competitors that check to see what I am bidding on. WHen I sell, however, I am more than happy to offer the items at the opening bid to anyone who asks, if the item has not sold at the end of the auction, sometimes I even throw in shipping costs...
ALso, if ebay did something about no-snipe endings, more bidders would bid earlier as there would no longer be an advantage to waiting until the last few sconds to place a bid, other than bidding privacy from competitors...
