posted on October 23, 2004 07:35:52 AM new
I charge 25% of final bid price (for items that sell up to $100) and 15% of bid price for items that sell over $100 PLUS all eBay fees. Have fun...and good luck! One more thing although you didn't ask...be sure to have the item in your possession! I don't sell anything unless I can have it in hand.
[ edited by blueyes29 on Oct 23, 2004 07:38 AM ]
posted on October 23, 2004 08:25:05 AM new
I agree with blueeyes. Take your 25% (or 30%?) off the top of the final sale price, then all the fees. Wait until PayPal payments come in, and deduct those fees, too.
It's still a hassle, though. I've been selling a huge collection of pipes now for what seems like years - but is about 8 months.
There's one, a peace pipe, currently up for sale. The owner, a realtor who acquired these pipes when an heir threw them away, is certain that peace pipe is worth huge bucks. After much wrangling (he wanted me to start it at $200), we settled on $49 to start, $200 reserve--still too much, I believe. He says he'll keep it if it doesn't sell for that much. He was shocked to learn that he pays the listing fees even if the pipe doesn't sell!
And the provenance of it (which tribe) is a mystery, to boot. I sent the description to him before I listed and gave him a chance to change his mind on the $$. No dice. If it sells, I'll eat my hat.
I guess my point here is that in many if not most cases, we sellers have a better idea than the owner has about what will sell and for how much.
Somebody here said he charges $5 to list anything, and he won't sell something for others which he thinks won't make a certain amount. I'm thinking I might go with that plan next time I'm approached. I'll be very glad when these pipes have run their course (just a few more auctions to go, I believe). I returned to the owner all the opium pipes in the collection, and he's going to take them to L.A. to a dealer there. (I suggested he cover them well enroute, in case the police stop him for something, LOL.)
posted on October 23, 2004 09:29:46 AM new
I sell for a guy on a constant basis who finds things that sell for $200 and up so I will list smaller items for him also. Plus he writes most of the descriptions so it is minimum time involved. But when it comes to someone wanting me to sell items that will sell for under $25 is just isn't worth it for 20%. By the time you photograph, upload, write the description, email eoa, package and get it to the post office you make about $2 an hour. Would the owner of the item do it for that amount? They just don't understand the time involved in selling on ebay. Not to mention the invoice you have to type out for them so they will understand all the fees involved.
One of the biggest problems I have run into is people want "book" price for something. They just don't understand that ebay IS the book now. I doesn't matter what the book price is or what some expert says it should sell for. Whatever they are selling for on ebay is what the owner can expect to get for it. If they want book price they will have to find a buyer who has never heard of ebay. eBay has changed the world of collectibles and antiques whether they can except that or not. I have even looked up completed auctions for the same or similar item and emailed the link to them so they can see for themselves. I can't help that they paid $200 dollars for it 25 years ago and it should be worth $400. Now that item is so plentiful on ebay you can't give it away. VERY few things are rare or hard to find now. Settle on a lowest selling price with the owner before you list it. And have them sign a contract. MSWord has contacts that you can modify.
Blueyes is right, have it in your possession during the listing.
posted on October 23, 2004 11:55:05 AM new
I have been doing Trader Asst. for over 2 yrs.
with varying success. I charge 20% of the first $100.00 15$ on the next $400.00& And anything over $500.00 is negotiable. I also charge for insertion fees, eBay commission & P/P fees. I write up a contract & make 2 copies. We both sign each copy & each keeps one. I got burnt once & never again.
Life Is Too Short To Drink Bad Wine
[ edited by sanmar on Oct 23, 2004 11:55 AM ]
posted on October 23, 2004 01:04:21 PM new
I've yet to find a consignment model that works, and I've tried it before ebay, and after. It ends up being too much work for too little money. I've not gone out of my way to acquire consignments, and I am not a trading assistant. People know I sell on ebay, so they approach me. I reject most things I see. It falls into two categories
1) The value of the item is so low that it won't be worth the time to do it. For some people, selling something for $20 sounds great, $20 bucks they didn't have. After fees, a few dollars gets taken off that, and then there is a consignment fee. It isn't worth my time to do a single lot that I can't get at least $5 for, and people can't understand why I would charge so much for a lot. They obviously have no idea the amount of work it takes, so instead of trying to explain the process for a small sale, I just say I am too busy
2) The idea of what the current value is unrealistic. My wife's aunt is a Disney nut, and everytime I see her, we talk about ebay. I won't list her items, because she bought these at retail from the Disney store, and wants to make a profit. It isn't possible, the secondary market of these so called collectibles is harsh - My advice to her is to sell and just take the loss, but she won't - And I won't sell something I know won't sell, so we have the same conversation every 6 months.
Friends don't let Friends say stupid things like Friends don't let friends vote Republican!
posted on October 23, 2004 08:46:24 PM new
I have been doing consignments for a while now and there are a few rules you should follow.
1) Set your price before you even begin writing the auction. Make your commission at a level you are comfortable with. Also make sure they know all ebay fees are your clients resonsibility.
2) Never accept PayPal on any consignment items. You should never accept any risks when doing consignments. PayPal is way to risky to accept in your own account. If your client has PayPal, then do it through that. Otherwise, cash, check, money order ect... directly to your client.
3) Have all payments go to your client. Have your client pay you. This is for legal reasons. You need to have your client pay you even if they do not get paid. If you accept the payments with the agreement you take you cut and send them the rest, and you don't get paid, it is pretty hard to go after them for payment.
4) You client is to be resonsible to ship the item. That way, all the expenses in doing so is out of their pocket and not yours.
5) Insist that you are informed when your client has been paid and ships the item. Two reasons. One, you want to make sure the item actually ships. Two, it they do not get paid, you can file NPB and FVF as needed.
posted on October 24, 2004 06:07:57 AM new
stonecold said-
Never accept PayPal on any consignment items. You should never accept any risks when doing consignments. PayPal is way to risky to accept in your own account. If your client has PayPal, then do it through that. Otherwise, cash, check, money order ect... directly to your client////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
First if your client has a paypal account,you may want to know why he cant sell it himself??
of course,you may just be the next best thing since sliced bread and he wants you to sell it for him!!
Second,if there is fraud involved ,the paypal payment your client received and passed on to you would be recalled by Paypal.
If you have used that sum and passed on to another paypal user,it would be yanked from him.so on and so forth.
-sig file -------Life is one big happy 'All You Can Eat' buffet .
posted on October 24, 2004 07:38:38 AM new
some folks here suggested 'always have the item on hand when you list and sell on ebay'.
If you agree with this policy,then you should ship the item yourself instead of letting the owner ship it.
If the bidder did not receive the item,or it was badly packaged or it was not the item he bidded on,whom does he blame??YOU.
-sig file -------Life is one big happy 'All You Can Eat' buffet .
posted on October 24, 2004 08:22:49 AM new
Morning to All!
I sell for a few friends, one on a regular basis, the other seasonal.
They both give me 50% on certain things, then 50% on other items up to $100.00, then it drops to 30%. I am responsible for the Ebay fees, listing & packing, follow ups.
I do not accept Paypal any longer since Ebay purchased them and created the Buyer Protection plan. I have seen a few friends who sell bigger ticket items get burned and I am not going to learn the hardway.
I have been doing this for 5 years almost 6.
I also list for myself but try to list my friends products more because they buy out estates and I go through the boxes to find higher end items.
I have never experienced any problems with my friends but I do occasionally hear a winner whine about me not accepting Paypal which I just ignore.
I haven't the need to write anything down though as some. I have turned down a few friends or acquaintances as I know that dealing with them and money might not be the way to go if the there would be a problem.
posted on October 24, 2004 09:55:51 AM new
We work strictly on consignment (i.e., commission). For friends, we give them a break, but our general commissions are:
35% of the first $500 OF AN ITEM
25% of the next $500
20% of the amount over $1000
Negotiated commissions on items that we expect will sell over $3000 (something like a flat 20%).
We absorb all fees other then FVF.
We don't accept items that we think will sell for less than $50 (and try to discourage those that won't sell for at least $75).
Anything other than a $1 starting bid has to prepay against the commission: $20 for first $100 starting bid, additional $1 per subsequent $100. If the item sells (they get two listings), prepayment is applied against our commission. If it doesn't sell, prepayment is forfeited.
posted on October 24, 2004 02:56:55 PM newFirst if your client has a paypal account,you may want to know why he cant sell it himself??
This is so simple that even a 10 year old can figure this out. But since Stop isn't that bright, I will spell it out for you.
It only takes just a moment to accept a PayPal payment so the client isn't using there time.
As far as auctions, it can take up to an hour to take photos, write the auction, list it, process the transaction and so on. Most of my clients fall into this catagory. Non accept PayPal, but all do accept credit cards directly. Non have the time to do the auction, but all find time to collect the money and send the item.
.
. http://www.rense.com/general51/dump.htm
posted on October 24, 2004 03:31:31 PM new
??????????????
backdoor to the MENSA SOCIETY??????
-sig file -------Life is one big happy 'All You Can Eat' buffet .
posted on October 25, 2004 08:06:39 PM new
That's one of my biggest problems, too, "Paws"...A friend of mine wanted me to re-sell some items she'd bought off eBay...she wanted me to START at what she paid for the items PLUS what she paid for postage! I tried to explain that, since she was the high bidder, the likelihood that she'd get that plus postage was practically nil. She never did quite get the picture so I declined to list the items! My favorite "consignees" are those who tell me to get whatever I can...they're just happy to get the things out of their homes! The thing I do LOVE about selling consignment items is how much I've learned about all sorts of different items/categories. It's still a lot of fun. I have a "love/hate" relationship with old glass and, again, will offer my THANKS to folks who post here and who have been so willing to share their expertise...it's invaluable!
