Hey OMFUG, I know you’re a very experienced seller and this is totally subjective, but it occurred to me that you have fairly low prices on some items. I know it’s tough when collectables aren’t necessarily flying off the shelves…I wonder though…Oh well, just a thought. You have a great eye.
what items are my prices low on? and if they are low why aren’t customers taking advantage of it? LOL. I research sold prices and then price by gut–I am not a museum or a hoarder, I like to keep stuff moving.
1870s Antique W. Taylor X Q Site Exquisite straight razor without handle: http://www.ebay.com/itm/191963402333
This was tossed in with a box lot of razors. Initially thought it would be worthless without a handle; didn’t recognize the maker but but recognized that it was made in Sheffield, England. Turns out this was a very small but high end maker that is long out of business. Just this blade in AS IS/NEEDING REFURBISHED condition sold for $40 best offer to a buyer in Russia, plus $53 shipping. Not bad for something I was nearly about to throw out.
25 Yale & Towne keys: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201723526719
I bought a massive keyring of random keys at a recent estate sale… probably 300+ for $20. Estate owner was a former building manager for several properties in NYC, so I separated the keys into like lots by manufacturer and type. These 25 of the 300+ sold for $30 so the rest (many more higher end, are pure profit.
Vintage Resitol Beaver hat: http://www.ebay.com/itm191951075131
In pretty much pristine, NOS condition; paid $3 for it. No action on it for a long time so I took a really low offer of $45 for it. Happy it’s no longer taking a whole cubby in my closet anymore.
Vintage Seagram’s 7 swizzle sticks: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201181372924
Not a huge seller at only $10, but I bought a bag of like 1000 swizzle sticks for $1 on the last day of an estate sale and grouped them into sets and/or like destinations and have been slowly selling them off over the past year. Pipeline!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/122167237772
Found these at a yard sale over the summer. It also came with the irons in the box as well. Paid $25 for both. I listed them together and the first buyer wanted only the irons. He paid $250 and these sold for $175 + shipping.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/122237946841
Noticed this at a Goodwill on a shelf of scarves and gloves. Noticed the label was still on it and it read 1988. Gladly paid $1.99 for it. Sold in about a week.
My more interesting sale was something that I bought in the summer for $5, and I had an offer when I got up this morning for $50. They haven’t paid yet, but hopefully it will be paid when I get up tomorrow: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=182188964364
Steve, great sale on the mis-matched boots. I have also made that same mistake and was very surprised to discover that different sized shoes and boots sell! ( And for a decent price)
I had my most expensive sale ever! Sold a McIntosh pre-amp for $700. Wish I had a quarter of Steve’s expertise in electronics. I have 4 other electronic items that I picked up at the same estate sale. Not sure how to test them. I turned the whole set on at the estate and it sounded good, but that’s the extent of my knowledge.
I spent $1000 at the estate. I’m still in shock. One successful purchase has been an Omega 8004 Juicer. It worked fine, but I decided to piece it out. Smart move, I’ve sold 6 parts from it for $165, which is more than it could have sold whole. Still have parts listed.
Question???? So what’s best to list now? My closets are brimming with toys I meant to list before Christmas. Summer, winter, men’s, women’s, kid’s clothes. Many of these I would not buy again, but they will probably sell for $5-15 each. I have 3 bins of ephemera. Bins of shoes, fabric, vintage airplane parts, vintage everything….. So any obvious logic of where to start?
In theory free shipping should help sales and visibility by a small percent.
Well, in our line of work it’s probably impossible to tell, since each item is different and sales can’t be expected to stay the same over time. Would you really notice a 5% increase in traffic? I wouldn’t because my items might just be 5% better or worse during that time period… or buyers might be 5% less interested. But maybe it’s true, since they keep repeating it.
On the other hand, if you have rare items, your listing is better than everyone else’s, or you’re willing to wait, you can charge a premium for shipping and your item will sell anyway. Some buyers are willing to pay more, and some buyers don’t pay as much attention to the shipping cost as they do to the price. Sometimes the higher price “looks right”, but you can ship cheaper.
How many buyers passed the item over due to expensive shipping? We’ll never know.
I do free shipping on some small light commodity items, where the market is highly competitive, at cost shipping for moderately desirable items where I have a slight edge due to better pictures and I make money on shipping for some desirable items that are less price sensitive.
Maybe I’m wasting my time and brain power micromanaging this stuff, but it only takes a few seconds as I have pre-set settings in my listing software. I do think that one of a kind items do better with a little taken off the price and added to the shipping, as long as it still looks reasonable.
This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Bookseller.
Amid all the flotsam and jetsam of coffee mugs and random stuff, I’ve had a few decent sales in December. Just like the old Army tag line says, “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure!”
Home › Forums › What Sells on eBay: Yamaha stereo, Man from U.N.C.L.E. costume, Turntable, mismatched boots.