Rider wrote:
Undoubtedly the wrong place to mention this, off topic angle but here goes... We have a video camera (with a shirt load of extras) to sell. Not just a video camera but something special in the Mini DV stakes. We are looking at putting it on the bay but neither of us have really any experience with it - certainly never sold on there. Q1. As a 1st time seller, is this going to be a difficult experience based on what I read above? Q2. Is anyone interested in a Canon XL1s with every conceivable trimming before we go the the bay? I'd rather if someone was keen to go through here than sell it to a faceless person. Mods - if inappropriate, feel free... Chris
Chris, eBay is a great place to buy or sell unique, rare or unusual items for a good price. If you have something that is different to the norm, then it could be the right place, but please be aware the whole concept of eBay relies on gut-wrenching insane low starting prices and then creating buyer competition. Selling commodity items, or being one of many sellers of an item means you are subjected to the dynamics of supply and demand. Unfortunately, that is a race to the bottom. If you have something that is desirable and you can generate enough buyer demand, then eBay may yield you a decent result when you get a few people trying to outbid each other (just like a house auction in Melbourne !). It's great for getting rid of stuff quickly when you don't really want a reasonable return for your sold asset. More often than not many thousands of items never sell on the first attempt, buyers sit back and watch, wait and then attempt to prey on desperate sellers by making a low-ball offer after a sale period ends with no bids. This is particularly evident when buyers use eBay's free re-listing policy for items that don't sell first attempt as a "watched" item is flagged as relisted by the seller and thus opening up the opportunity for an interested buyer to come back and take another look - or to think you are desperate and insult you with a really low price. The other thing about eBay is there has been a transition over the last 2 years to more fixed-price selling rather than auctions. We made that move long before eBay started changing the fee structures. eBay ultimately wants to end up being a place with lots of buyers and sellers trading so they take quite high valuation fees on sales as there can be some real issues with dummy bidders on auction listings. Chris, the most difficult part about selling on eBay is deciding whether to use a Fixed Price or an Auction listing and then determining your start and minimum acceptance prices. Keep in mind that eBay gives preference to insanely low starting prices, such as $0.99 I would encourage you to at least jump onto eBay and see comparable products - what prices and terms, etc. and then try selling something small and low value first before putting up a high $$ item. Good Luck.
