posted on February 3, 2004 03:38:30 AM new
Can anyone give me any insight on selling on ebay for friends. What are the pit falls, how much would you charge. Is there anything special to look out for.
Thanks in advance
posted on February 3, 2004 04:10:48 AM new
Number one pitfall is mixing friends and money.
There was (and probably will be) lots of discussion about these arrangements on this board. If you must go this route, my advice is figure out how you would handle this if you were providing the service to strangers, then do the same with your friends.
posted on February 3, 2004 04:39:42 AM new
I just closed 10 auctions for friends of a friend. Not a single sale. Most of the items had high reserves, against my advice. These folks now have to cover my Ebay fees, which is a pretty big chunk. They'll get their stuff back when I'm paid. This can be an easy thing to do depending on what you're listing. Make sure you:
carefully explain ebay fees and your commission
carefully explain the likelihood of sales
have possession of the auction items
aren't worried about making your friends mad
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Mi abuelita me dijo "en boca cerrada no entran moscas".
posted on February 3, 2004 05:36:30 AM new
whatever the traffic will bear I'd say...I usually charge 10% of sale price plus my Ebay fees, but I try to stay in categories that I know well with items that are likely to bring high numbers. I figure it takes me maybe 30 minutes total to take the pics, write the description and post the auction. If an item makes 200 dollars, I collect 20 plus fees. The auctions I mentioned above were done as a favor to a friend, and up front I let the owners of the items know that their items were unlikely to sell at the reserves they needed to get. I'm out for my time on them right now. Some people put a handling charge on top of fees, so they can collect a bit even if the the auction doesn't make reserve. It's up to you. I've seen commissions as high as 25%, but I don't know how in the world anyone can charge that much and be successful. I don't see this as a big money maker. I wouldn't do it for someone I didn't know and for items I was unfamiliar with.
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Mi abuelita me dijo "en boca cerrada no entran moscas".
posted on February 3, 2004 05:42:41 AM new
profe51, thanks that's just what I needed. This is just for some friends that don't have the time to do ebay, so hopefully they will have some decent stuff.
posted on February 3, 2004 07:50:22 AM new
First, the thread fromDamariscott says it simply-realistically..i kinda expanded...
..let me tell you how to guarantee yourself a negative...have your friend change his mind, or worse, sell it outside the the auction.. REMEMBER THIS;; that is your name, YOUR REPUTATION linked to that auction - not your friends' ...now, take following as a reality check-this is a real pitfall.. sell a friend's item, take paypal, ship the item, give funds to your friend, customer wants his money back, your friend done spent it...GET MY DRIFT? it doesnt take a CPA to calculate how much you can make on $20 items - for 10%commission...you will spend more than an hour selling the item - from taking possession to shipping the item...you gotta write auction - take image-download-upload-do the paper-wrap it -ship it...i think that amounts to $2.00 an hour, and at 20% commsn., that is a WHOPPING $4.00/HOUR!!! and as one thread mentions, ten auctions closed with no sale...gotta spend time relisting, gotta spend time keeping books on how much cost of insertion, i.e., how much you owe ebay...
your friends are asking you to do it because they dont have the time? more like your friends are asking you to do them a favor, because you may work cheaper than they do.
good luck, myoldtoy
ps. i am by far no expert...just experienced!
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posted on February 3, 2004 07:52:26 AM new
I've sold items for friends for a number of years. At first, I only charged 10% but realized how far behind I got with that. Now I charge 25% but that includes fees and of course, I do the packing, etc. The main problem I have is that the friends usually think their stuff is worth lots more than it is. I gently advise what I think it may go for and so far I haven't lost a friend yet! I have sometimes "broken even" but after all, they are friends.
posted on February 3, 2004 08:22:48 AM new
okay, now let me describe a good operation. [1] PUT IT IN WRITING FIRST. i dont mean a formal notarized contract, but when i sit down with friend or prospect;; i have my proposal outlined and review it indepth...
[2] In addition to my business, I sell for certain dealers, and certain types of retail operations..it is great money with no time spent searching for mdse., AND no cost of inventory...always TRY to sell high ticket, highly collectible items...this is the kind of base you need...and the following is how i do it...
...with either friend or business, the auction must carry a buy it now, or be a fixed price auction.. you cannot restrict a shopkeeper from selling his merchandise;; but you must protect yourself - so, do it with these two tools..and precisely state how you are marketing this item in your TOS... I do so in the body of my auction, and in the TOS - such as:::: "this item is ALSO for sale in my[a] retail shop. the buy it now price represents my price, either on ebay or in the shop... should it sell in my shop; i will immediately cancel my auction. the BIN price is on my auction for only one reason..."BUY IT NOW, BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE DOES."
..a large part of my f/back, has come from selling for other people.. as far as "scarey" is concerned..you right..it is scarey anytime you given the opportunity to deal with the belongings-the money of someone else...
again, I 'AINT' NO EXPERT, just experienced...good luck, myoldtoy
posted on February 3, 2004 09:04:08 AM new
it goes both ways.
does any of you remember a dealer sold a buddly L truck for an elderly lady,the final bid was like 80k and he told the lady it was sold for 1k.
lady friend logged on to ebay and wow,found out not so.
then the high bidder decided he does not want it anymore and neg the dealer.
the media folks got hold of the story and the dealer reputation goes down the tube.
-sig file -------the lobster in the boiling pot of water who tries to prevent the others from climbing out.
posted on February 3, 2004 09:37:29 AM new
Someone said, here, a while back, that in addition to a taking percentage of sale price and the friend paying all fees, he also charges $5 to list each item. That eliminates the low-end things that truly are not worth your time. If I had lots of requests from friends, instead of the small number I get now, I'd start doing that.
The biggest problem I have is people thinking their treasures are worth 'way more than they really are. "But it's really old." (So am I, duhhhh.) I chat with them about the balancing act between starting too low and starting too high and encouraging bidding, and I make sure they'll accept the starting bid I put on the item, if the item ends at that starting bid.
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"I have resolved to allow my friends their peculiarities." -- Samuel Johnson
posted on February 3, 2004 09:52:45 AM new
If the stuff is semi-low value stuff I think 50% plus fees is about right as the time to run this auctions can add up fast ( 50 auctions that make $500 is only $10 each )
-------------- sig file ----------- *There is no conclusive evidence that life is serious*
posted on February 3, 2004 11:05:58 AM new
note to stopwhining...you got that right, it goes both ways...i charge 20-25% commisn,incurring all selling costs-which approxmate 6-8%...i provide for one listing, and one relisting...after that dealer has choice on what he wants to do...and i dont let friend/customer tell me how much it is worth...this is the only part of my proposal that is ironclad...i, like you, have friends who want the sky, because "it belonged to my grandma." i had a flea market dealer tell me all just a couple days ago about "a collection of unmarked mioj." and, how much i could make off it if i put on ebay for him; sure you had same propaganda thrown at you...it is NOT that i know "the business" that well, i just not gonna lose control of my business...think you might agree with me..maybe not..have a nice 1...myoldtoy
posted on February 3, 2004 12:02:47 PM new
I've been selling for two people and it makes a little profit. The guy pays me 20% and on the next batch with the woman I am going up to 20%. Unless it is big dollar, say over $150 or more anything less than 20% is a waste of time.
The hardest thing is like everyone else has said about the person thinking its worth so much and what the book price it. Ebay has shot books out of the water and aren't worth the paper they are written on. Actually I think ebay IS the book now because whatever an item is selling for is what its worth.
I think the most important thing is get it settled how much the item will bring and what the person can live with getting. It may sell for more but you never know anymore. Also something that has been said here many times "the item must be in your possession" while it is listed. If they decide to sell it or whatever you are in trouble.
posted on February 3, 2004 12:34:28 PM new
I haven't sold for friends, but I have sold or put on auction many items. My minimum is 25% up to $100.00, 20% up to $250.00 15% up to $500.00 & a flat rate over that i.e a 1978 Mercedes coupe with a reserve of $5000.00, $100.00 plus the $80.00 for ebay. I always have a contract & I give the owner a copy of the insertion fees asap so they know what it will cost if the item doesn't sell. On small items, I keep them in my possession until paid for.
