posted on May 10, 2002 05:02:13 PM
Hi Everyone ...
I am what you might call a "hobby seller." I list only a few items, the most being fifteen in a week. Well, I have just discovered that I will be selling my house and moving next year. I have a lifetime's collection of items - jewelry, antiques, collectables, advertising, sports stuff, and on and on. I would like to dispose of this via eBay, if possible. The local auctioneers charge a very large fee for their services.
My concern is that I have only until next spring to accomplish this. I also have a full time job. Oh, yeah - I'm also 64 years old, so I'm not as energetic as I used to be!
The summer seems to be a rather slow time for eBay. Should I start listing this vast pile of junk ... er, lovely items ... now? Or should I wait until Fall? I can only handle at the most twenty auctions per week. I have a three story Victorian house full to move!
Any suggestions from you more experienced sellers would be greatly appreciated!
posted on May 10, 2002 05:40:18 PM
Summer may be considered slow in some categories, but scarcer collectibles seem to just go on pulling in bidders, but perhaps fewer. I think the folks buying collectibles and antiques don't take the Summer breaks that others might. Just my opinion, but if I were you, I'd start listing.
Perhaps the better antiques and collectables first, then start with the lesser items in the fall. I just needed a little affirmation. Your thoughts are appreciated!
posted on May 10, 2002 06:06:49 PM
The smartest route to take, in my never-humble opinion, would be to take a booth in an antique mall. Fill it with a selection of your collectibles and go back once a month to restock and rearrange your display. Run your eBay auctions simultaneously.
When there's a time constraint, one selling outlet isn't enough.
posted on May 10, 2002 07:12:09 PM
I would always keep some items listed. If they are not listed, they won't sell. On the other hand, if you don't sell anything, the fees will eat you up. I would suggest listing items on the smaller sites as well. Just to keep them listed some where. Also continue to write auctions and save them on your computer so you will have them ready at a moment notice. Ebay's Summer free listing day comes up in a little over a month, so if you have all your items ready to go, that maybe a good time to list them all.
posted on May 12, 2002 11:38:54 AM
You also might want to read your local classifieds for people willing to purchase entire estates.
You know, those auctioneer fees may seem high, but when you factor in your time, eBay fees, shipping, gas, etc., they are not so large (not to mention you won't be stuck with some stuff that just won't seem to sell on eBay, since virtually all live auction sell-through rates are right at 100%)
posted on edit
I would use AW to start making the listings. Make them 10 day listings, but do not start the auctions. Just make as many as you have time for. We should have a free list day in June, and it is usually on a Thursday. When that happens, list everything! As 10 day auctions, they will end on a sunday (usually my best day to end). You can then wait a week or more after the auctions end and relist all those items that did not sell the first time through. I usually do 10 or 20 items a week. I bought a collection of 150 items, created the listings and did free list on all of them ($15.00 for all of the 10 day auctions). I sold about 75% the first time through, and sold the rest on the relist 2 weeks later. It was quite busy packing up the 150 items, but take your time, hire some help (a high school kid), and relax...
