posted on March 13, 2001 03:22:58 PM
I know this has probably been brought up before but am too lazy to look and see
On Sunday I had an auction won by a local bidder. We met today to handle the transaction which went smoothly. She asked me how long I have been selling and if I would be interested in selling for her. She said that she and her husband frequent auctions looking for items for themselves and she has an attic full of extras that she would love to sell but she has no time to do so. I told her that it is something I would have to consider and seek advice on how doing. Hence, coming here!
I basically sell on eBay as a hobby selling extra books and items I have had around over the years. Three weeks ago I returned to working part-time and drastically cut back my eBay activity. I have never sold for someone else so wouldn't know where to start. How much do you charge as a commission? How do you get started? What kind of rules/plans do you set up with the person you are selling for? She told me that she knew I had returned to work (mentioned so in my e-mail to her) and that I didn't have to do anything now but down the road if I wanted too. I would REALLY love some advice and suggestions before I consider what to do! Mind, I am working now so my time is not as free as it once was but I do have 3 days a week (includes Sundays) that I can prepare listings and ship items.
posted on March 13, 2001 03:43:51 PM
Actually, I like reddeer's advice better.
It is just a painful exercise to get involved in and there is a myriad of occasions available to piss you or the other person off and someone will always feel that they are getting the short end of the deal.
posted on March 13, 2001 03:44:06 PM
Sure, If you like added stress,working for someone else.Most of the time these deals never work out. My best advice is run as fast as you can. You will feel much better.
posted on March 13, 2001 03:46:00 PM
I am not lazy, just don't want to browse through pages of threads until my eyes get crossed.
Maybe I am hoping you all will say don't do it and looks like that is the way it is heading. Just don't want to get back into doing eBay and definitely not working for someone else. With eBay it can be so fickle. I would hate to see someone get upset if something they think is worth more than the closing bid is and deal with the stress.
Think I will continue with my working outside the house and doing my own eBay work on my own time. In other words, am running in the other direction as fast as I can...
posted on March 13, 2001 04:21:49 PM
This could be a great thread--if only some constructive advice were offered! As of the first of May I'm leaving my part-time-real-life-minimum-wage job and replacing it with more hours on e-bay. I too have been asked to sell for others, and have done it a few times for friends. However, if I'm looking to make extra money in this venue, it seems like it would be a good proposition if some basic rules (i.e. contract?) could be followed. I was considering telling people that I charge a minimum of $20 to list it, (I take the pix and do the leg work) and they pay the e-bay fees. I thought the basic fee of $20 would be better than a commission, as I don't want every little old lady with a cracked piece of china convinced I should sell it for them. I haven't quite decided about the packing and shipping aspect, as I'd like it to be done right (as in doing it myself) but on the other hand, it would sure be easier if they did it themselves. I'd also want the option of refusing to do it (as in--"I looked up your item on past sales and it ain't worth diddly"--said in a nice way)Is there anyone out there with any constructive advice?
posted on March 13, 2001 04:48:30 PM
I'm not sure I would want to sell for someone that I didn't know very well, but a couple months ago, I sold quite a bit of stuff for one of my friends. It worked out just great for me (in fact, he is collecting more stuff for me to sell soon), because the winter is a bit slower for me as far as finding my own stuff to sell, and he had some higher ticket items. We kept it really simple:
1. I had physical possession of all the items from start of auction to finish.
2. I had him write down the bare minimum he needed for each auction.
3. My charge is 30% (apparently, that is a little less than others might charge)
4. He is responsible for eBay & Paypal fees.
5. I handled everything from start to finish (as soon as he dropped the merchandise off, we were done until I gave him his share of the money)
It worked out just fine, and I made a pretty good chunk of money without any financial investment on my part!
There are some things you will want to address like what happens if the item is damaged in your care, what happens if the check bounces, etc...
For the nay-sayers, I'd like to know a little bit more why you think it is a bad idea. I can see some problems might come up, have you had any bad experiences with it? Thanks!
Martiniswiller (not my name on eBay)
edited for more clarification & fixing my bad spelling!
[ edited by martiniswiller on Mar 13, 2001 04:51 PM ]
posted on March 13, 2001 04:49:26 PM
Hi, joycel - I agree with reddeer; the advice WAS constructive!
One thing I would be concerned about, especially in selling for various people who you might not know extremely well, would be the possibility of some of them thinking it would be smart to bid themselves, and jack the price up.
Also - about not staying totally in control (of shipping, etc.) - if something is done poorly, it is YOUR feedback that will suffer.
posted on March 13, 2001 04:52:37 PM
Reddeer is right. Don't do it.
I did this for a few friends of my Mother and they drove me nuts. I also had to contend with their grown children being furious that their Mother's were selling their "inheritance".
The only thing worse is selling for a family member.
posted on March 13, 2001 05:02:48 PM
I say if you can come up with a good plan, DO IT - it can be well worth it. I recently sold some items on consignment and made pretty decent money. On one auction alone I made almost $900 - and that was only at 35% commission.
Have your customers sign a contract saying they agree to pay you a certain percentage of the selling price, and make up a price list of how much you want for listing fees.
If it's all planned out right you can do really well.
posted on March 13, 2001 05:06:35 PM
Regarding constructive advice--whether the advice is to do it or not, what I'd like to hear are some reasons why.
If the experience went bad--where were the mistakes made? If it was good--why?
I live in a rural area, and right now we still have snow up to our kneepits. The nearest auction I've been to in the past 5 months was 85 miles away. This weekend's auction is 200 miles from home. Garage sales will not begin until June, and the thrift stores have been picked clean.
It seems like it would be a way to get inventory (like martiniswiller) without having to put anything out, and--it would fill in those dead times when there's not much left in the bottom of the boxes to sell. It seems if some type of contract were drawn up, so the individual knew this was a business deal and not just "well, we'll give it a try and see how it goes" the transaction would go smoother.
posted on March 13, 2001 05:14:31 PM
Executivegirl--and those others who charge a percentage of the sale. Doesn't this cause a problem when their item only sells for $5-$10 and you've put all the time into listing it? Have you ever thought of a flat fee (I thought $20 sounded OK as it would take less than an hour total to get the pix and list it, therefore $20 an hour for me!)I also thought it might weed out those with junk or broken items. The percentage would be nice if it were a high ticket item, but it's going to take me just as long to sell a $5 vase as it will a $100 vase.
posted on March 13, 2001 05:18:25 PM
E.G. Sign a contract? see what that is worth in court. This may work for some people, but for most no way. They all start great, and then the slide to hell and back. Reddeer is right. Do hope you have a strong heart, you will need it.
posted on March 13, 2001 05:24:37 PMjoyce: The lowest dollar amount that I've sold on consignment was an item for $300. I charge a flat rate fee for listing (depending on starting bid) and I get a 35% commission.
I have considered charging a flat rate fee to list (like $20, and then they get whatever it sells for) but I have not yet tried that.. I'm still in the thinking process on some of this..
But you have to consider your time you have to put into this.
You have to take lots of pics and describe the item in great detail.
Would they come to you or would you go to them to get the item?
Would you store it in your home?
What would you do if the item broke during the auction while it was in your home? Do you need insurance on these items?
What about all the time it takes to package the item? And all your packaging supplies?
And you have to mail it - bring it to the PO...
To me, having to worry about all that can not possibly be worth only $20.. which is why I have not yet decided on the flat rate...
I'd be interested to see how others do this...
[ edited by ExecutiveGirl on Mar 13, 2001 05:25 PM ]
posted on March 13, 2001 05:27:45 PMgs4: Yes, a contract. And yes, it's quite legal and would hold up just fine in court.
You can make one up yourself as long as you can cover all the bases, or you can buy one of those Legal Software packages that has a Consignment contract in it and use that.
I have not yet had a consignment deal go bad.
[ edited by ExecutiveGirl on Mar 13, 2001 05:28 PM ]
posted on March 13, 2001 05:28:02 PM
Really, DO NOT do it...it causes all kinds of problems you haven't even thought of!! I've done it a few times for friends & family and will NEVER do that again. It is just not worth it. You won't be working for yourself - it will be for the person who owns the stuff you sell! All that work for a percentage? And if it doesn't sell? And who gives the refunds if the item is sent back?...Oh, the can of worms this opens....
posted on March 13, 2001 07:20:07 PM
Okay, guys--here's my recent experience.
A friend, having a hard life, has thousands of autographs of famous people. Wanting to help her, I posted a question here and got lots of good advice, much of which I did not take.
The TIME it took to write up her auctions, even after she gave me the basic information on each one! I was the one to come up with the titles (which are very important, as you know). I took the pictures, I launched, I sweated even the small stuff. We sold a couple out of twenty. She wanted to relist, and I had to talk her into asking for less. Her auctions took so much of my time that I didn't get to sell as much of my stuff. The second time around, one more out of 7 left actually sold.
By the time I'd done the math on my 30% of net profits (after listing fees and fvf, etc., and after ebay's 5%), it definitely was not worth it. Then I had to teach her how to mail safely and properly. And, because she lives down the street, we had more drop-in and telephone visits than I'd counted on (now I'm one of her best friends!!!). She'd call to see how the auctions were going. Folks, she doesn't even own a computer. And then I had the job of notifying winning bidders, shepherding their payment or non-payment, answering their e-mails.
The other day, as I delivered one of the last checks to her, I told her the market is depressed for autographs right now (true) and that it isn't worth her time or mine (still true) right now--maybe later this year.
I've suggested we go to the public library so I can show her how to do the research on how to price her autographs and how certain famous names are doing at this time. But she has sole care of an invalid elderly mother and really can't get away.
For sure, if I do it again, I'll have to get 40% of the net, at least, and I'm not sure even then that it'll be worth my time. So much for being nice?!
I lost sleep over worrying about the various details of her auctions vs. mine. I fretted that hers weren't doing well and beat myself up thinking I hadn't done a good enough job of photos, writing descriptions, writing that all-important title, and pricing.
I feel a weight off my shoulders, having told her I can't do it for a while, at least.
My advice: Think very hard about the possibility that you will either acquire a new "friend" who wants to hang around, or will lose a good friend because things don't go so well.
I'm telling friends now that I'll help them sell a high-end thing for no charge, the first time. After that, they either need to learn how to do it themselves or pay me a hefty fee--which can then alter our relationship for the worse.
I do have one very good friend who is very computer savvy and would like to try having me (!) sell a high-end item for her. I've told her how to research and suggested she print out all auctions she finds that are relevant and takes a good stab at writing the description. Even then, I'm concerned that I'll spend more time than I want to on it.
It may be a no-win situation, but I'll bet there are isolated instances where it works well.
[ edited by roadsmith on Mar 13, 2001 07:21 PM ]
posted on March 13, 2001 07:34:07 PM
I've had people call me up and ask me to sell items for them that I just had to turn down. I will not sell anything that cannot be easily packaged and shipped or anything that is too heavy (too hard to carry to the Post Office). I recently had an elderly lady who wanted me to sell her entire Hummel figurine collection and her Hummel plate collection. She wanted $10,000 for the figurine collection alone - (basically book price) and when I searched them on ebay, she'd be lucky to get $3,000 for the entire collection. And, going through all that - the pics, listing, looking up the book prices and special markings that each one had and specifying what markings they were, emails, packaging them up, shipping them out - it would not have been worth it for either of us.
If you are going to get into selling things for other people, you just have to learn what will be worth your time & effort and you have to know how much work you're willing to put into it for the amount you're getting.
I learned the hard way - I spent 2 1/2 hours at this lady's house, then did research at home on every single figurine - and I didn't make a dime.
posted on March 13, 2001 08:03:39 PM
kiki2, "ExecutiveGirl" is right..planning is the key. Put together a business plan just like any other brick and mortar business and you can do it. I started doing this quite some time ago and it has work out very well for me. We are now selling under 3 ID's and the business has evolved from selling for others to showing people how to sell, or consulting for a better word. This has also led to the opportunity to conduct "Ebay seminars" at a local computer learning center...You will also be surprised how many avenues that can open up which will incease your own selling too...people will approach you to buy their items because they need the money now, rather than later through an auction format...people will give you information and tips where good merchandise to sell can be found...I have practically been given things for pennies on the dollar just so they could get rid of it...this is how I recently found boxes and boxes of old Toshiba laptop manuals that were thought to be worthless...I paid pennies for a couple of hundred of these manuals and have found myself selling them for $5-$30 each...
For every business anyone has started I'm sure you will find some failures, but you can also find success...planning is the KEY...for those who say "don't do it", its just an opinion...of course it does take work to develop, just like any business. I do believe though, that some people could not do consignments profitably for 50% commission...I can do it for 15% because of the system I have in place(which I will not share..sorry). Feel free to check out my site and email me if you have any questions or need suggestions.
posted on March 13, 2001 08:45:37 PM
Hey Billy, more power to ya!
But .... I noticed you used the word "we", and here it's just "me".
And "me" has travelled down this road a few times, and decided that all I did was spend time explaining to sweet little ol ladies that their china was only worth a fraction of that there "book" they owned.
Also, most of those little ol ladies didn't like the idea of "me" taking possession of their items the minute they decided I should attempt to sell them online.
I've spent close to 4 years building my online reputation and I don't need the hassle or neg feedback when one of these ol ladies decides the item didn't sell for as much as they wanted.
As far as getting anyone to sign a contract, well, that didn't go over to well either.
Once I laid out the ground rules & the expected fees involved for my services, that was pretty much the end of the discussion.
Like I said, more power to ya if you have the manpower & patience to sell other peoples items, I don't.
posted on March 13, 2001 09:27:37 PM
kiki2, If it were me I would offer to buy her "extras" if you think they are items you can sell and make a profit on. I have sold a few things for friends and its basically not worth it. I usually tell people that I would much rather buy outright then sell on consignment, (if its something I can make a profit on)I would much rather put the money out and sell at my own pace than be indentured to anyone
posted on March 13, 2001 09:38:27 PM
If you have the time, a plan and the desire to do it and you don't mind the risks involved selling someone else's property then you could give it a try. I no longer sell for anyone other than myself and I strongly caution against it.
posted on March 13, 2001 10:59:45 PM
I agree with reddeer...Don't do it!!!!
its really not worth it unless you plan on taking the time on setting VERY FIRM PROFESSIONAL GROUNDRULES..like the person said above who does this for a living. I think it was Bill..
Very time consuming & can open up a can of worms.
If you ever do it, don't do it for less than 50% of the commision. Explain to them the tiime it akes to list, research, mail etc.
The best thing to do is to offer to just buy it as raglady suggested. You'll be better off...
posted on March 13, 2001 11:30:10 PM
The major thing here to me is the time involved, and as you know...."Time is Money!"
I sold some items for one of my wife's bosses, who was very new to the ebay game. She was great to work with, didn't give me a lot of grief over it, and kept check of the progress of the auctions from her own computer...not in my living room every night. As these situations go, I would say she was an ideal consigner.
In the end, all went fairly well. The items all sold for prices that she was reasonably happy with. (she really didn't know what to expect, and besides...the items she wanted me to sell were gifts from an ex-husband who had dumped her and she just wanted to get rid of them, regardless of the ending prices!) I received a 25% commission of the sales, which we agreed upon ahead of time.
(probably a little low, but I had never done this before...and she IS my wife's boss! )
But like was stated in a previous post in this thread...I worked myself silly and encountered much stress due to her auctions. I tried extra hard to be perfect with the pictures, descriptions, etc. I always go the extra mile in customer service with my auctions, so that meant lots of time spent emailing bidders, packing and shipping, and you name it.
The bottom line for me was this...even though I enjoy ebay mainly as a hobby and a great way to supplement my income...I spent incredible amounts of time, effort, trouble, and worrying about the performance of her auctions. (and believe me...there is more pressure on you when it is not your stuff and someone else is counting on you to do it well and do it now!) I can't imagine doing this for a stranger who has false expectations of the values of their items based on "book" values, etc.
For the time I spent compared with the money I made, I could have gotten a part time job somewhere and had less headaches and much more profit. That would certainly be my advice if you are considering doing this on a regular basis for income...get another job! You'll work fewer hours and probably make more money. And you may also keep your sanity!
By the way...I still have her darned wedding dress hanging in my closet, taking up my storage space, and in jeopardy of being damaged if my house catches fire. It just ain't worth the hassle!
posted on March 13, 2001 11:44:37 PM
My advice is don't do it. If you can afford it and you know the items will bring you a profit, buy them outright.
Then you can list them at your leisure, store them, use them, do whatever you wish without the pressure hanging over your head.
It very much depends on the personality and expectations of the person that you would be selling for. But sometimes even the nicest person can go berserk when there is money involved.
I do not take consignments in my shop and I would never sell items for someone else, especially on an auction.
posted on March 13, 2001 11:47:17 PM
You really want to know how to deal with people who want you to sell for them ??
I will tell you exactly what I would do if a lady told me she had an attic full of stuff she wanted me to sell on ebay.
I would tell her I want to see all of the items.
Figure out what everything is worth and exactly how much she would be happy getting.
I would then research the items and figure out how much could be made on the items if I were to sell them on ebay.
If the items will sell and make a good profit, I would give her what she wanted for all the items and take them myself !!!
Screw selling for anyone !!!! I don't want 50% commision. I want the whole pie.
Everytime I get a request to sell an item/items for someone, I ask what it is and how much they want-PERIOD.
If worth it, I give them what they want and sell the item myself. This way it is all on me.
My item, My time, and My Profit.
If someone asks you to sell something for them, IT MEANS THEY WANT TO GET RID OF IT.
Help them out if the price is right and take it off their hands.
So stop thinking about whether or not you want to sell for someone and start thinking about seeing the items, researching the items, and getting the person to sell you all of the items for one price.
posted on March 14, 2001 05:36:44 AM
I have a little experience doing this and reddeer has a very valid point and it was good advice.
The first time I sold, I did it for a friend and it was great. I took possession of everything, and did all the work for 50% of the net. I made a good bit of money and it was fun. (It was my first sales experience on ebay and lasted for months.) I learned a lot.
A couple of weeks ago I sold some silver for a clueless neighbor. She is dumber than a box of rocks and still thinks I cheated her, I think. I gave her every piece of paper showing every transaction and receipt. I am sure it is more than she can ever decypher.
Never again! Reddeer is right. Even though I made good money, I won't so it again. I have a "regular" 40 hour a week job and life is too short.
If you decide not to listen to the advice, then do not take less than 50% of the net.
posted on March 14, 2001 05:51:59 AM
It is more trouble than it's worth.
Has anyone thought of the tax implications?
If you pay taxes, you are liable for the income from the sale unless you have made out and filed a 1099 for each consignor. Each time I have mentioned this to someone who wants me to sell something for them, they seem to change the subject. So unless they are willing to give you their social security number don't do it.
