I am an auctioneer, certified appraiser and Ebay powerseller - Ask me anything!

[Vinnie From Indy]

As an auctioneer, my phone has been jumping off the hook lately from people that are desperate need. I thought I would offer to answer any questions my DU homies might have about auctions, ebay or appraisals. Cheers!

[rcrush]

1. Has Ebay destroyed your soul for being a seller?

Ebay hates babies and sellers.

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. Ebay has become very small seller unfriendly

I don't understand it and I don't like it, but it does still seem to be one of the best places to sell certain things.

[rcrush]

7. I can manage to sell something if I really really want to.

But all the hurdles and things I have to do to avoid scammers really makes it not worth it. If I happen to be selling something valuable I'll get 2 or 3 fake people ending my auction all the damn time. Plus all I spam I get from other scammers trying to trick me into clicking on fake paypal links.

[Maraya1969]

44. It seems like most of the people are fairly small sellers. I just

put up my 14th item and I have not sold anything yet. It is tempting to try Ebay again but I think I'll just sell vintage things and other things I come by on Ebay.

I do feel the economy in my little bits of online selling. If was definitely easier and you got better prices several years back.

Vinny you can just create a shop and not put anything in it and in the meantime read around the site for now. There is so much to learn.

[Le Taz Hot]

3. Do you know where The Lounge is?

n/t

[Vinnie From Indy]

10. Just couldn't resist huh?

I blame it on the booze personally!

[Le Taz Hot]

23. Actualy, my drug of choice is the ganja.

Mellows me out. :evilgrin:

[grasswire]

4. do you know we have an eBay, antiques and collectibles topic area?

We need an infusion of your energy there!

[KoKo]

5. I hear that prices for "Collectibles" are way down in price.

No one wants your Waterford Crystal or Sterling Silver Flatware pieces inherited from Aunt Hattie, either. Or, even Uncle Jim's Baseball Card Collection from the 1930's on.

Please tell me I'm wrong about this. :-(

If it doesn't come from new China (Crate & Barrell)...no one wants your "old stuff." No value.

[Vinnie From Indy]

14. I think Waterford is actually experiencing an uptick in value

I have heard they went out of business. Older Waterford is always more valuable than the new stuff.

In regard to value, Ebay has re-written values for the entire collectible universe. It was only after Ebay went online that millions of folks realized their Hummels weren't so valuable or rare. The flipside of that is that Ebay redefined what is and what is not actually "rare". The concept of rarity in determining value, in general, is always the starting point followed by issues like condition etc. The reason I used the word "general" is because the quill used by Thomas Jefferson to pen the Declaration of Independence obviously has more value than the rare, one of a kind, paper mache clown figurine made by the kid that sat next to you in kindergarten.

The point is that there are still very, very valuable items that many people have or come across all the time. Of course the key is knowledge and experience, but the value is there nonetheless. It is almost a fundamental rule of nature taht when I do an appraisal for a client, they show me a great deal of stuff that has marginal value while somewhere in the same room is usually something of great value that they totally overlook.

[Paper Roses]

46. I think you are right about Granny's old stuff. For some time,

I have been accumulating things to sell on e-bay but have been watching the prices of similar items. At least for now, I'll keep the stuff in a big box in the attic.

Not worth jumping through hoops for stuff that will bring under $50.00 or so.

[TheMickster]

6. Where would be the best place to look

to find out the value of a wedding dress made in 1959?

[Maraya1969]

37. I see no one answered your question so I'll try. I first go to EBAY and

see what similar items are selling for. It is has a tag or you know who made it check with their website if they are still in business. Or put in antique wedding gowns value, (something like that) into GOOGLE and see what is going on.


My problem with stuff like that, and I have a lot of it is I spend so much time researching that by the time I sell the thing I feel like I did not get much money for my time. But then again I get a kick out of researching these things and I don't expect to make money off of EBAY, (unless I learn something in this thread)

[bosbdd2009]

8. Okay

If you sign up to let ebay automatically take money out of your paypal account to pay for the seller fees, how much is that fee every month.

And what if you do not have enough in that paypal account in a month you try to start a new auction to pay the fee.

[Vinnie From Indy]

9. Here ya go!

Ebay only charges if you list and/or sell something. There is no joining or membership fee. The cost list an item depends if you list with reserve or no reserve. Ebay also charegs a Final Value Fee that you can find easily by Googling the words "Ebay Final Value Fees" or going to their site and searching the same phrase.

[napi21]

12. When you sign up to sell on Ebay you enter a credit card #. There are no monthly fees unless

you sign up for a store or one of their paid listing services. If you schedule your fees to be deducted from your PP account and there's not enough $$ to pay them, they simply charge the credit card you listed.

I'm not the OP here, but I sold a lot on Ebay, never had a store, and used their turbo lister which is free. I have no problem with Evay. Sure I wish their fees were lower, but that's something we'd all like for every service we use.

The best advice I would have for anyone who wants to sell on Ebay would be to concentrate on the weight of what you're selling because shipping costs can easi;y kill ant sale. I also stay away from breakables. I swear the shippers, no matter who they are, play football with your packages just to keep themselves amused.

[Vinnie From Indy]

15. all true!

You can also have Paypal take from a checking account if you don't have enough money in your Paypal account or if you don't want to use a credit card.

[madrchsod]

11. is your fee/ percentage on auctions

around here it`s about 20 %

[Vinnie From Indy]

16. My auction house charges...

drop off...25% = $1.00 per lot

pick up...
$2,000-$2999. 45%
$3000-$4999. 40%
$5000 & up 35%

based on total sales.

[Kittycat]

13. Why do sellers on ebay try to hose you for shipping?

It doesn't cost $7.50 to send a single child's shirt standard mail. It doesn't cost that for priority mail. I haven't bought anything on Ebay for over a year, because it's such a joke anymore. Go Craigslist!

[Vinnie From Indy]

17. We use and love Craigslist quite a bit.

Some sellers are just out to get ya. We always charge actual cost on our shipping. I do charge to fill out customs forms though.

[TheCowsCameHome]

21. International shipping - favorable rates to Mexico?

I got some rates today for a less than one pound parcel I'm selling and the rates are BRUTAL. Whew!

No more international shipping for me. The buyers think you're ripping them off.

[sandnsea]

25. I'm usually the one getting hosed

I put clothing into an envelope and ship it that way, but once you get into a box it gets a lot harder. I don't know why, but my buyers always seem to be in New Jersey or Lousiana. What does that say about my taste? Yikes, lol. I'm on the Oregon coast so shipping is almost always $8.00. Plus, people are bidding 99 cents for just about anything these days, so if I make a dollar on shipping, I don't feel so bad about it. Plus, the local shipping company charges me more than the online UPS does, even though they aren't supposed to. But if I use the online UPS it inevitably screws up my Paypal account. It's hard on both sides.

[angstlessk]

43. when I bought all four fuses the vendor was selling they gave me credit for exact shipping

I was surprised, though I knew it would be cheaper to ship all four to one address I did not expect a credit.....but they only charged what it cost and gave me a credit...

[TheCowsCameHome]

18. What's your user ID?

And password. And bank routing number. And PayPal password?

Just kidding.


(I'd be happy with your user ID, though)

[yacantblink]

32. LOL!!!!! Inquiring minds want to know, eh?

Me too!;-)

[Wiley50]

19. The Ultimate Question: "What's It All Worth Anyway, Vinnie?" n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

20. When will the economy begin to improve?

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

22. do you notice a difference in the type of stuff that is selling

(as opposed to just being listed) during this downturn in the economy?

Thanks!

[TBF]

24. I'm doing ok on my kid's clothes auctions this spring - but I just sell

for fun as opposed to running a business. I'm offering free shipping this spring, which means eBay gets a little bigger cut, but I'm also getting more bids (I like free shipping when I buy things so I figured others would too).

I don't know how small sellers do it as a business though, between paypal and eBay fees it really adds up.

[Joanne98]

26. What do I do to sell more of these........

Lids for Longaberger baskets.......Made by my sister and I......

















http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=160330074562

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=160330075574

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=160330071986

We're getting better pictures. My son suggested advertising today.

[sandnsea]

28. Do you have an ETSY site?

Those are too cute.

If you put a site up, let me know and we can do a link exchange.

[DrDan]

27. are you an associate of Amy - my favorite auctioneer

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0120sr-auction20amyZ8.html

[yy4me]

29. Please make your presence known in the ebay, antiques, and

collectibles group. Its fun and you can give advice to folks like me who keep pestering for guidance. I am a new ebay seller, just sold my first item. Getting ready to list a bunch of stuff after my family ends an upcoming 10 day visit. They are going to help me get the photo's and descriptions done. Guess where they are coming from, Vinnie From Indy?

PS, Midland is one of my favorite places to go when I visit them. My daughter has taken me to other spots but this is one of the few names I remember.

[jojokinkaid]

30. Free new Ebay, PayPal, Ebay suspensions, PayPal limited, business and law forums

I don't want to repeat myself too much, but this is where all your answers to EBAY will be answered
http://www.modeeworld.com/forums

[ravishing ruby]

31. Pay Pal...what is it and how safe is it? Do you have to give any info regarding checking account #?

[Maraya1969]

38. I love Paypal. You can use it in a lot of stores around the net. And yes

you give them your checking account number but you can always close your checking account and get another one easily enough.

I have never had any of those problems though. When I run out of money in Paypal, (usually because I've sold something and the money stays there) and I buy something they transfer the money over. All your transactions are there for you to see.

[whathehell]

33. I have a crazy quilt from the period between 1880 and 1920..It was appraised

about three years ago as being worth about $800.

I have two questions: Have antiques -- or quilts in general -- depreciated in this recession?...In a normal economy, do antiques "appreciate" in value?

Thanks.

[rucky]

36. Nobody appreciates antiques anymore.

[Trocadero]

34. Where do the items you sell on ebay come from?

[noiretextatique]

48. i buy broken cell phones on ebay and resell them

if i can find them cheap enough, i make a good profit. it's fairly easy (and cheap) to replace broken screens and/or screen covers, keyboards, etc. i do this with laptops too.

[upi402]

35. Paypal double charged me, caused overdrafts, and I couldn't stop it!

I bought expensive items on ebay. The seller had segmented payments set up via paypal. Paypal started to double charge me after a few months. I paid a lot of overdraft fees. I finally had to close my account to stop paypal. I could NOT get an email response or get a human on the phone at paypal.

Now ebay doesn't let you take personal checks or cashier's checks. I smell a rat when I get slammed on their forums trying to let folks know what happened.

I want a new ebay just like the old ebay. I trust personal checks more than paypal and ebay now.

Here's the ebay group on DU:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=403

[drm604]

39. What's a good thing to sell on eBay? n/t

[Maraya1969]

41. There are tutorials all over Ebay and one I just read said that you can buy

lots of things, (like 50 of one item) and re-sell them one at a time! I think people do this because I hate when a whole page is the same damn product is listed oh about 50 times!

They also have a place that tells you what's hot to sell. Unfortunately I've never had any of those hot things.

I can tell you certain types of designer handbags and shoes always sell and sell for a lot of money. I've gotten a hold of a few of these things at thrift stores, (one I got at Goodwill!)

[Maraya1969]

40. In general for people are power sellers what % of things you put up get bought?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

42. I have lots of old stuff nobody wants to buy.

Solid Mahogany furniture, GOOD silverplate flatware, etc.

I ended up selling a lot of it for peanuts at an auction house, and gave lots of it to thrift stores just to get rid of it.

[Digilister]

45. Digital products

I was selling digital products thru auctions on eBay for some time, but then eBay decided to shut down the auction part for people selling digital delivered products. Now I have to use the classifieds section and it's not worth a penny. I sold hundreds of items every day thru auctions, but today I can only sell 10 or less thru the classifieds. Do you have any suggestions? Is there any other place to sell digitally delivered products which is as good as ebay was before or do I have to shut down my business?

[scubadude]

47. I've got a fairly large collection of Lionel Trains I need to sell.

I was considering ebay, and actually was just leaving to start a new bank account for it.

Do you have any suggestions on how to proceed? Am I heading in the right direction with the new account? I don't want ebay connected with my regular checking account.

You probably have a list of sights that show how to get set up for selling on ebay. Could you please elaborate on them?

Thanks,

Scuba