posted on June 11, 2001 09:54:43 PM
Since my victorious win of my $.99 widget that usually sells for $20-30 on eBay, I started thinking about when I get an item I know little or nothing about and I usually come home and research it before I list it. Does anyone else do this or do you list blindly?
posted on June 11, 2001 10:28:31 PM
I will usually resurch something before I buy it. I ALWAYS Research it before I list it.I can't help but thing the more you know about an item you are selling, the more peple will find you to be honest and a good seller. Someone who pays attention to detail, and someone who is more likely to tell the WHOLE truth about an item.
I get a kick out of those half scentence descriptions... LOL
posted on June 11, 2001 10:41:03 PM
If you are into buying used stuff for re-sale you quite often don't have time to do much research before you put down your money (good deals don't last long), but research before you sell can net you a great deal more $ sometimes.
posted on June 11, 2001 11:08:44 PM
The first research I do is to search eBay. That way, I know if it's even worth putting in the time to do an ad. Many items that used to be unusual are now ho-hum because of the supply-side of the equation being laden down with eBay offerings.
That being said, yep, research can help -- especially getting in the right key words, and dating if possible. On the other hand, I try not to present myself as an expert when I'm not!
Just closed a clock that I thought might bring $30 or so, and it closed at over $180. Key words, good pics and FB with what is (unbeknownst to me!) very collectible brought a good price
posted on June 12, 2001 06:59:59 AM
I research every item before posting, starting with the current ebay auctions to check the competition. Then I check the closed ebay auctions to see what kind of prices the item gets and what key words and categories appear most effective. It's very helpful to check closed auctions with wide variations in closing prices to figure out why one sold for a good price while the other didn't. If it's a book, I'll check the book selling databases for current prices, as well as Amazon to determine if it's in print. I'll also check Amazon and CDNow to see if a CD I'm selling is still available. If it's an item that I'm lacking basic background information, I'll do a websearch on Google to learn more about it (the more you know, the more and better keywords you can use).
Comparing my closed auctions to others of the same item, I'd say the research pays off. It's also very useful to add to my own personal "knowledge base" in my head, so I know what to pick and what to avoid when I'm out buying. On top of all that, I find the "researching phase" to be one of the most interesting and fun parts of the whole ebay process.
posted on June 12, 2001 07:32:19 AM
As those above have said, yes, research pays off, as does keywords in the title and description.
Another helpful money maker is the category. Getting items in the right category or listing in two categories also pays off.
As an example, a couple weeks ago I picked up a Little Golden Book (1961) called Brownie Scouts. It told, in story form, what little girls can expect when joining Brownie's. Under completed auctions, I discovered those that sold with higher closing bids where listed under both the Golden Book category and the Girl Scout memorabilia category.
I listed my book under both and it sold at $28. Another book just like mine that sold two hours after my book only sold for $7.50, because the seller listed only under the Golden Book category.
