When to eBay?
 

How much money would you have to make off an item before you'd put it on eBay?

I have a duplicate gift that was not bought at my registries. If I sell the extra on eBay I'd probably make about $13 net. I'd have to get off my butt to get the thing shipped. Just seems like a a pain to me and not really worth it. I keep telling myself that money is money and I should get what I can, but I'm not convincing myself. Maybe if I'd get a solid $20 it would be motivation enough...

eBay changed their seller rules that makes it a PITA for the average seller now.

Cliff Notes:

Sellers can no longer leave negative feedback. You have no way of knowing if the buyer is a flake.

Money is not released until the buyer leaves positive feedback. This means you don't get your money until the buyer decides they are happy.

What kind of item is it? I sell a lot of stuff on Amazon these days. The fees are slightly higher but their "shipping credit" evens it out and the hassle is a lot less.

That's only if you have a history of receiving negative feedback as a seller.

CP can't you return the duplicate for store credit? No fees and you get full price for the gift towards something you still need?

It's an item that isn't generally sold in stores.

Well, if it's one item you are selling, not a big deal and you can do the postage online and have your mail carrier take it from your doorstep, or drop it at the PO without having to stand in line with the postage on it.

I need to start ebaying again, too much stuff and not amazon.com-able. Craigslist, too.

Oh, and to answer your original question, if I break even on an item, I'm good. Profit is better, these days, breaking even is okay.

If it's something that might wear out/break I'd keep the second as a back up. Otherwise if it's not hard to store you can keep and re-gift. Ebay seems like a lot of hassle for not much reward in this case.

You got two fiddle-playing cat statues?

Really? I must have misread their updated guidelines.

Or you have a history of receiving negative feedback as a seller.

:D

No, I have 100%. I haven't listed anything since the change because of that guideline change. I don't want to be dependent on someone else's feedback time line to get my money.

I sell on eBay quite often, in fact I sold a Starbucks Gift card yesterday (I don't go there at all
:rolleyes: ). My money is in my PayPal account instantly, and feedback is not recieved until after the item is recieved by the buyer. The new rules have not affected me at all (but I also have a 100% FB).

If I can make $5 clear profit, it's worth it for me. I can sell 5-10 items at $5-$10 each weekend (usually items that cost me nothing), so I can make $25- $100 each weekend, or an extra $200 month average. This can take me 4-6 hours each week including shipping. It's not making me rich, but it helps with the cash flow, and with my PayPal card I have instant access to my money at the store.

CP, as an active eBayer, I would say post the auction if you have an open eBay and payPal account. You can post the first 5 items each month free of insertion fees, and you can print the shipping documents and postage from home and have it picked up from your doorstep as well, all in a couple of easy steps. This is also something you can do while you are down taking care of that little one once he/she (I'm betting on a he ;) ) arrives.

BTD- give it a try, I think you'll find the new rules aren't that bad.

If you guys have questions, please feel free to email me.

~Bob

Thirteen dollars (even 20) does not seem worth the hassle of selling on eBay. If it is something usable, I would donate it to a home that takes care of unwed mothers in need.

Mailman doesn't come to my door since we have little mailboxes in a central location. I also need a box for it, as I think it would get crushed if I just wrapped it in brown paper.

One of you guys need to have a baby so I can regift it. I'm considering keeping it in case the first one gets lost (it's supposed to last forever). Our storage situation is at critical, so even this small box irks me.

Heehee. I just donated that one. I'm sure it'll make someone happy...

Thanks for the advice. I have a paypal account...what fees do they take out when you're selling?

I can't remember the last time I sold something on eBay. I think I've usually left it to GD to deal with.

I'm guessing you would have told us what this mystery item is if you wanted us to know. But I'm bored and my curiosity is high. Share with the class?

I use Priority Mail for the most part, and have the boxes delivered to me free of charge (not an option for you to get, and store, a bundle of 25 boxes). If you don't have the postman at your door, that is a problem. Could you have GD send things from his work if it has postage on it? At my office, we have a USPS box that we can dump our out going mail to get picked up. Also, if it less than (I think) 16oz., it can be mailed from a blue sidewalk mailbox.

The fees from eBay are about 8%, and from PayPal about 3%. But with shipping a hasstle for you, a donation may be easier.

Good luck, and if I can help, let me know.

Since I'm not going to regift her here...

Meet Sophie.

The basics are this - Sophie the Giraffe has been a staple of French childhood since the 60's. Kids treat her the way they treat a baby blanket, taking her everywhere. She's made of natural rubber and the paint is food based, entirely safe to nom. The giraffe horns are great for soothing gums. She's the perfect size to hold in a small hand, the rubber is nicely tactile and has a sweet smell, and the soft squeak she makes isn't obnoxious.

At the library, I recently saw a baby with Sophie in her little hand. She knew just how to squeeze it to elicit the squeak and get Sophie's horns within munching reach. I asked the mom about it and she said Sophie was her daughter's favorite, indispensable toy.

Due to import fees and high quality manufacture Sophie costs $25 in the US. When you compare to other teethers it really is a lot of money. You can't get her at big stores - Amazon is the exception. She took off in popularity this year (celebs got in on the action), so two of my more baby-trend-savvy friends picked her up for me.


Thanks for all the help, RStar. :)

I knew I was in foreign territory reading that article when I got to this sentence:

I have no idea what that means. Quite literally no idea.

That's really neat!

Amazon has a "sell yours here" with some items. If this item has it, and you don't already sell on Amazon I'd be happy to sell it for you. Their listings are 6 months at a time and no fees until it sells. They take out all fees before the money hits the bank so I can just write you a check after it sells.

I wished I owned a fiddle so that when people mess with it I could say, "Stop fiddling with my fiddle."*





*I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. I'm loony today.
:D

I've studied it carefully. I believe this is the translation:

"I thought it was something cute and affordable that I liked. Turns out it's trendy and costs more than you think it should, and anyone who's anyone has one. And I liked it."

That's the best I could come up with after googling Marc Jacobs and compensating for my apparently incorrect views on what "desirable fashion" is.

Sounds good. Maybe Google Translate could add a new translation option.

Here's let me:

Little did I know that falling in love with this rubber giraffe was the equivalent of falling in love with that cute dress you hoped your friend had bought at Forever 21 but that turned out to be from Marc Jacobs.

Means:

Little did I know that falling in love with this rubber giraffe was the equivalent of falling in love with that cute dress you hoped your friend had bought at a cheap store at any old mall but that turned out to be from a very well known and expensive haute couture designer.

Translation:

"Here, let me give it a try:"

Sorry, NA. I couldn't resist. :evil:

So, in other words, "falling in love with that cute dress you hoped your friend had bought at a cheap store at any old mall but that turned out to be from a very well known and expensive haute couture designer." means you hoped to be able to buy one for yourself but it would be way out of your budget, or that you are depressed about the fact that she has more money than you?

I'm a 50 year old heterosexual male. I'm clueless on these things.....