Getting Value from eBay for Second-Hand Sales

[Deactivated] on 24/10/2014 - 10:23

Hi,

I have been using Ebay recently for buying and clearing out second-hand household items and it seems to have MySpaced itself into a total wasteland*

I have picked up some bargain items because there just is just so little activity on Ebay and every auction is a sniper farce.

However as a seller Ebay+PayPal+AustPost fees make selling lots of items uneconomical and the reach seems to be abysmal. Is there a loophole that makes selling on Ebay worthwhile?

*Excluding one billion toner listings and pointless spammy listings from big retailers. Bargain's like Chromecast's for 20% more or Supercheapauto items for 20% more than instore, etc…..

General Discussion

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Comments

  • Alan Fartridge on 24/10/2014 - 11:13
    +1

    I think the increased fees have made it a total no-go for private sellers now. I tend to use Facebook selling pages or Gumtree for most sales these days.

    Personally, I think eBay is only worthwhile if you really don't care what price you get for something & it just needs to be sold quickly.

  • Fizzgig on 24/10/2014 - 11:42

    Gumtree is great these days!

    • derpdeder on 24/10/2014 - 13:47
      +6

      The buyers you will deal with on Gumtree:

      1.
      "Hi, will you accept $4 for this item" - the $100 item you listed

      2.
      "Hi, is this item still available???" - 2 minutes after you posted the item
      "Yes, still available"
      — No response

      3.
      "Hello, I am on an oilrig and cannot pick the item up. Can you ship it using some convoluted method aimed at ripping you off?"

      4.
      The buyer who gives you every last detail on what they are going to use the item for.

      5.
      "I have suffered some irreconcilable tragedy in my life and want this item you have listed cheap so I can resell it"

      6.
      "Ok, great, I'll come and get this item"
      — Still waiting for them to show up

      Whinging aside, once you sift through the waffle it is a great, cheap method to sell your stuff. You just have to deal with some painful buyers (and sellers).

      • morpheu on 06/11/2014 - 20:16
        +3

        haha! how true!
        but the opposite of #1 happened to me a while back, a buyer gave me a tip of $20 for an item! just shows you how unpredictable Gumtree can be.
        oh maybe i can add a couple more;

        7 "The Budget Low-baller"
        No matter what value you list for a new item this funny-man will give you the same low ball offer for one after another of your items, they say 'Persistence pays off' but this guy likes pushing the envelope…maaaannnn!

        8 "I'm the decision-maker…NOT!"
        You talk and text for ages with this person until you are blue in the face/fingers and then you see it coming….."I'll need to talk to my gf/bf/friend/sister/next door neighbour/family budgie etc and i'll ring you back" of course they never do

      • FirstNameLastName on 06/11/2014 - 22:01
        +2

        I have been a gumtree lowballer, but ONLY when the seller is absolutely DREEEEEAMIN'
        Recently: Item was selling $200 new, guy wanted $320 used.. err ok.
        (yes, it actually happened, and happens often, that they ask retail+.. forgive them OzB for they often know not how much they got ripped off originally)
        i figure $120 is fair but now must lowball to get that.
        I offer $60 along with a link showing where I can get it for $200.
        He refuses and also wouldn't counter-offer.. he later reduces price on advert to $250. ?!

        Actually, I love nothing more than telling someone they are dreeeemin' on gumtree.. especially if they happen to be selling jousting sticks or ergonomic chairs lol.

        9 Mr/Mrs Nice Guy.
        They are overly mega nice and accommodating to you because they know they are getting an absolute bargain, and were just lucky enough to be the first in the door.. I usually sell cheap to move crap quickly. That's probably why I got tipped $5 the other day.. and why others may get tips?

        • tonka on 07/11/2014 - 21:28

          Damn, I've been selling stuff on Ebay if I get a ridiculous lowball offer like your $60 I just permanently block them.

  • [Deactivated] on 24/10/2014 - 13:07

    Goodbye Ebay. I'll give Gumtree a go.

    • RedHab on 24/10/2014 - 16:05
      +3

      Ebay owns Gumtree.

  • rxjb on 24/10/2014 - 13:22

    I have seen for expensive items - people list one part of that item for say $1. They ask you to call and you can buy the item from them directly bypassing ebay and its fees. I am sure this is against the T&C but have seen it for car parts.

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