posted on September 5, 2004 09:52:37 AM new
I am trying to get rid of my inventory so that I don't have to sell on eBay any more.
My question is I have about 500 scarfs. Would it be to my advantage to start them out at 99 cents then charge a $4.00 postage and handling fee, or should it be higher or lower? Is that call fee avoidenance?
Most of my scarfs are signed and should bring higher than the 99 cents but if they don't I will at least make some on the handling charge. Does this sound okay? Or if someone has any suggestions please help me?
I took care of most of my jewelry already and have just a few pieces left.
I am leaving for the day and will see your response when I return. Thanking all in advance.
I would start them at .99 with the postage you suggested. Doesn't sound bad to me. I've seend outragious shipping everywhere (including some of my suppliers). It seems to be the trend. Start out low with high shipping. Certainly, $4 doesn't seem like high shipping to me.
Cheryl
. . .if you still try to defend the infamies and horrors perpetrated by that Antichrist- I really believe he is Antichrist- I will have nothing more to do with you and you are no longer my friend.. . - War and Peace, Tolstoy
posted on September 5, 2004 10:04:11 AM new
Could end up biting you in the butt.
When I am in buyer mode on eBay--and I highly doubt I'm alone in this--I look at the shipping prices a seller is charging and compare with other sellers. If the shipping cost is too high I leave that auction behind & never look back as I go bid on someone else's auction.
And I have found, when selling, that making my shipping costs more reasonable than sellers putting up the exact same thing means that my item is the one that sells.
____________________
"Bad temper is its own scourge. Few things are more bitter than to feel bitter. A man's venom poisons himself more than his victim." --Charles Buxton
posted on September 5, 2004 10:14:18 AM new
Good points, bunni. I'm just the opposite. If the item is at a price I couldn't get it elsewhere, I'll pay a little bit more for shipping. Most of the stores I buy from online charge far more in shipping than the actual cost. I pay it because I choose to.
Cheryl
. . .if you still try to defend the infamies and horrors perpetrated by that Antichrist- I really believe he is Antichrist- I will have nothing more to do with you and you are no longer my friend.. . - War and Peace, Tolstoy
posted on September 5, 2004 10:24:30 AM new
i would make it either 3.95 or 4.95 shipping and handling.
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
posted on September 5, 2004 10:24:36 AM new
I charge a littlemore than actual cost myself--now that I accept PayPal again it helps offset their fees. But only a little more. For instance, if a book is going to cost me $1.42 to ship, I charge $2.00. $2.00 isn't unreasonable, but $3.00 or $4.00 would be.
Realistically, a scarf doesn't weigh all that much & won't cost a lot to mail. I think Libra would find herself getting a lot of complaints from buyers over this. And think of sales lost as people just walk away from her auctions without bidding. She says that her scarves will mostly likley sell for more 99 cents, so when the bidding get going, it would be her shipping costs that set her apart from her competitors.
With eBay, almost nothing is rare or hard to find anymore. People know that if they wait a week or two, a similar item will be put up, so there is no need to bid on auctions that gouge on shipping.
____________________
"Bad temper is its own scourge. Few things are more bitter than to feel bitter. A man's venom poisons himself more than his victim." --Charles Buxton
posted on September 5, 2004 10:35:05 AM new
my 2 cents:
I consider the total cost of the item and shipping cost before I bid on anything. I know some people don't read and get caught up in the "its only 99 cents" without seeing 19.95 shipping and handling charges.
I don't think $4.00 is unreasonable for first class shipping with delivery confirmation. I would be dissapointed if I received the scarf folded in a business sized envelope with a 37 cent stamp on it.
posted on September 5, 2004 11:45:19 AM new
Libra63 - I hope you aren't leaving here too. Stay and keep us company?
Are all of them the same?
Why not start them at what you think they may sell for with lower shipping (but $4.00 doesn't sound too bad for a boxed item)
You can always lower them later and raise the shipping or put them in a large lot? I'm no fan of the .99 cent sale anyway but that's what I would do.
posted on September 5, 2004 02:26:41 PM new
Libra - what are most of the sellers in your catagory charging? If the have a similar price, I would say go for it. the one issue you need to spell out very clearly is the shipping price on multiple wins. At 99 cents yoou may get people buying more than one piece so make sure you have figured out a way to deal with that situation up front.
Personally, I don't think $4.00 is at all unreasonable. Actually I would check and see if the market will bear $4.95 to absorb more of the fees.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on September 5, 2004 03:39:20 PM new
If you want to charge $4.00 for shipping, do make it $3.95! Sounds better.
You may want to offer free shipping for the second scarf--or at least spell out clearly that you combine shipping for multiple scarf purchases.
And do you have any "name" scarves--like Vera? I had 5 fairly uninteresting Vera scarves, and I listed them in one auction, together. Got between $15 and $20 for that group.
You could also group the scarves by color, 2 or 3 together, or by style - mod or traditional or 70s, etc.
posted on September 5, 2004 05:23:04 PM new
Great advice as always.
Roadsmith I have 60 Vera Scarfs. Starting with the Lady bug signature until late 70's I think. I have sheer, silk, acetate, and a mix of some materials. They are all
colors. I think they should do good. I was going to lot them in a group of 20 and each group having from the beginning of her career to the end. Maybe I will put them in groups of 15. I just have to decide. They are of all shapes and I have put equal amount of the shapes in each lot. Square small, square large, oblong, a smoke ring scarf and a really strange collar one. I also have vera towels, I want to get this all done during the peak season. I am going to have to work my butt off to do it though.
The rest of my scarfs are mostly silk and signed, 3 versace, 1 gucci NWT's and COA.
The Versace ones are older and designed by Versace himself.
What I do with my ties is ship 1-2 ties for #2.25 then add 25 cents to each additional tie.
Now I will ponder through what I have learned here and then decide. Then take pictures. Thats the hard part but the descriptions are easy.
Thanks again to all who contributated I really appreciate it.
posted on September 5, 2004 05:29:28 PM new
Hi Libra,
Here are my thoughts...
I'm not sure that's the way to go - I mean making your profit on S/H. If the scarves end up selling for $0.99 you might not even cover your eBay and PayPal fees and, if you don't combine shipping, you could very well end up with an extremely unhappy customer.
I dunno... might be okay in the scarf business but I don't do it in my auctions.
In the jewelry biz there are sellers who start everything at a penny and charge quite a bit for shipping. A very high percentage of the items end up selling for well under $1.00. Except for silver scrap.
I saw one who, a while ago, tried to drum up business by selling food and toothpaste coupons, probably cut from those newspaper things we all get. Included with the coupons was a piece of cheap sterling silver jewelry. Didn't seem to increase final sell price, as far as I could see.
What's your take on the final sale price of the scarves? $5.00? $10.00?
I think if it were me, I'd start them at maybe $2.99 or $3.50 with S/H fixed at $2.75. Not so much S/H sticker shock there. People know it doesn't cost much to send a scarf and you could end up alienating buyers.
Have you thought about a "buy three and shipping's free" option? Not, of course, with a $0.99 start price. I'm doing that on my pattern auctions and have seen very good results.
One last thought... Maybe you can sell them in lots of 8-10. Starting at $9.50? $3.25 S/H?
Edited to add: I didn't realize Libra has collectible scarves. Thought she was selling new ones. Please see my later post.
posted on September 5, 2004 06:03:29 PM new
Hi again,
I was typing at the same time as Libra!
My first take was she has 500 new scarves. Now I see what she has are collectible ones. That makes a big difference.
I had a couple of hundred a year or so ago. Listed them in lots except for the few that could stand on their own. Grouped by designer, Vera, for example. Every single lot sold and at very good prices.
I'm absolutely sure buyers will bid on a lot instead of several singles, just to save on S/H.
As far as pictures, here's an example:
One final thought... It's a whole lot easier to do one auction and pack one package than do a whole bunch of them.
posted on September 5, 2004 06:15:52 PM new
Libra: You mentioned ties; have you been selling men's ties? I have two boxes of old ties--my dad's from the 40s and 50s, some very gaudy, and my husband's from the 60s and 70s--some verrrry narrow, some very mod. Any hints for me?
posted on September 5, 2004 06:18:03 PM new
Wow! Gorgeous picture. I hope mine can look half as nice.
I like your idea. I do have some from the same designer. Echo is one of them, I have a few from talbotts. I will take a day or two to go through them and put them together by designer and see haw many I have. I could even lot my Vera's less than 20 as I see you have 10 in your lot.
I did think of the $9.95 start and I also combine shipping so this might be the way to go. If I break the lots up into 10 each gives all buyers a chance to get a few. No matter what I do I will owe eBay, Vendio and PayPal a goodly amount so I guess the more I make I will also make a profit.
Thanks again all.
Then when we were out and about we stopped at a rummage sale. No there were no scarfs but hidden under all the jewelry was this very unique Mariam Haskell necklace. Couldn't pass it up for a buck. I got another necklace, but only the bottom part was there. It had 14 plastic elephants 1/2" c 1" hanging from it and they were all red. It would have gone over great at the republican convention.
Easy picture... I clipped the scarves to the top of a sheet of white foam-core with clothespins. A little cropping and I was done. I had a WHOLE LOT OF SCARVES to list and not enough time to do them individually.
Besides which, as I mentioned before, things sell better when the buyer can save on the shipping. I'd have to charge at least a dollar or two to send one scarf. The ten you see there could be sent first class for the same amount.
posted on September 5, 2004 07:17:46 PM new
Roadsmith-here is a good website for vintage ties.
Men's ties are like women's scarfs. Very colorful and most are silk.
http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/4026/
If the ties are polyester they don't sell.
I sell some vintage 40's and you can tell them by the length which is about 42 inches in length and the narrow part of the tie spreads out at the end. They call those swing ties. Search vintage ties on eBay and see what they are. Lots of vintage tie wearers out there.
I sell mainly new used ties. Jerry Garcia, Rush Limbaugh, Tabasco, Beattles, Ralph Marlin, NFL ties, U of Wisc, gucci. Anything that looks different. I don't sell ties with common labels except for Tommy Hilfiger. I start them at $4.99 with S/H $2.25 and I combine shipping. Vintage Hermes does real good and if you have a Leonard tie it should do great. Forgot Harley Davidson shame on me since the factory isn't to far away.
Good Luck with your ties.
I always forget something in those brackets.
[ edited by Libra63 on Sep 5, 2004 07:19 PM ]
I thought our friend would have chimed in here by now. Maybe your escargo thread. . .well, you know.
Libra
Good luck with your scarves! The $3.95 idea for shipping sounds like good advice. It's only a nickle, but it sounds better!
Cheryl
. . .if you still try to defend the infamies and horrors perpetrated by that Antichrist- I really believe he is Antichrist- I will have nothing more to do with you and you are no longer my friend.. . - War and Peace, Tolstoy
posted on September 5, 2004 07:32:52 PM new
Hi Cheryl,
How was your day? Wonderful, I hope.
I'm surprised too but, OTOH, wouldn't it be nice to have a good long breather (maybe 8-10 years) here.
It's just all so silly-stooopid. The scorn, the disparaging comments, the holier-than-thou attitude. Not to mention the proclamations from on high that turn out to be utterly and hopelessly incorrect.
posted on September 5, 2004 08:36:51 PM new
Why oh WHY do you folks keep calling in such a "timid" way FEE avoidance? There is NO fee avoidance. e bay gets their cut. They have NOTHING to do with your shipping and Handling fees. I just saw a seller with a $3.95 opening (and believe me that price is NOT going to be fought over hand and fist by any bidding frenzy) price and a $39.99 shipping and HANDLING fee and this seller has 10,000 feedbacks! All of their sales have what many of you call FEE avoidance rates. Has ebay shut them down? Hell No! That ONE particular thing they are selling cost no more than $20.00 UPS rate. They MUST be gettng this thing like SUPER cheap! Yup it's a China thing, As in the The Country of orgin.
Please visit www.pomonaswapmeet.com The BIGGEST HOT ROD, Beer and Babes, Car Show swapmeet on the WEST Coast. Be there or Be Square.
posted on September 5, 2004 09:03:44 PM new
Libra...Why not grab a couple strays and do a couple test auctions? Start them out at $4.99 with free shipping. Do the same on a couple more scarves using some of the other suggestions posted in this thread. Run several test auctions with different pricing/shipping combinations. See which one gives the best results and go with that concept. By the time you get a perfect system, they'll all be gone
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on September 5, 2004 09:47:05 PM new
I think I need my head examined with 500 scarfs. Why would anyone buy that many I don't know but sometimes the price is only 10 cents and it is a great one. Can't pass up a good bargin or a beautiful scarf. No matter which way I sell them I should make a good profit. I think the highest I paid for a scarf was $12.00 and those were the Versace scarfs and they are new. The rest were in the $1.00 or below price. People that run estate sales kinda pass over scarfs as they do signed hankies. There is money in them their articles. Same with those linen towels, signed ones bring in some good money especially ones from the 60's.
Well thanks all for participating in my thread. Some of you know my user ID so go take a look in a couple of weeks. Others that don't I prefer not to say it, if you know what I mean
posted on September 5, 2004 10:54:20 PM new
Libra - if it makes you feel better, I start going thru at least 5 huge boxes of records tomorrow and Wednesday I start tackling a 15 x 15 storage unit filled to the gills with 70% being boxes.
Whenever you start feeling overwhelmed, Just picture me lost in a sea of boxes, 20 year old balled up newspaper and whatever it may be that is wraped up in them. Should make you feel better and give you a good giggle.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on September 6, 2004 12:05:17 AM new
Just imagine with each new box you undo the surprise you will get. It sounds like that is more fun than these dumb scarfs that I have had hanging around. Well good luck tomorrow and keep us posted. I will bet you will find some real treasures.
I have almost 500 of my own albums from the 60's, 70's, & 80's (minus my Beatles, which I sold to a friend when their anthology came out). Most still have songbooks, posters, etc. They just don't seem to go very well on feeBay.... Good luck on your "prospecting".
