Home › Forums › Buying and Selling › Selling (or Buying) on Facebook › Help me decide what to do with wiring?
- This topic has 9 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 5 months ago by Steves Stuff.
-
AuthorPosts
-
-
08/07/2019 at 10:15 am #65997
I picked up a lot of partially used cable from someone who is moving. My gut tells me to sell it as a lot locally, since it is expensive in quantity and I would love to avoid shipping this.
It hasn’t had any attention on Facebook or Craigslist. Each reel is labeled, and theoretically I could sell individually, Facebook/CL and ebay. But they are all partially used, and it seems like it’s going to be a hassle to determine what percentage is left and how to price them.
I had in mind to sell them for copper recycling, but I suspect I wouldn’t get so much. Can anyone offer advice on what I should do?
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/bfs/d/bloomfield-lot-9-partially-used-av/6948980853.html
-
08/07/2019 at 10:28 am #65999
I think your listing is spot on. $200. Take $100.
A new box of coaxial cable is about $60:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UKH7EG/ref=dp_prsubs_1It’s all too heavy to ship and are incomplete rolls. Not enough copper to sell for scrap, especially since its covered in plastic and insulation.
Hopefully you can find some local guy who does home AV theater installs.
-
08/07/2019 at 10:35 am #66000
Jay, that’s exactly my thinking. Facebook usually markets my listings like this just to those people; not sure why I haven’t seen any hits.
-
08/07/2019 at 10:39 am #66001
Its a pretty niche item. Lots of AV guys just work for companies that supply all the wire.
Plus, $200 is pretty pricey. Make it $20 and you’ll get hits.
-
-
08/07/2019 at 10:48 am #66002
Facebook is special. It’s not like Craigslist and eBay, where you will only find something when searching through the right keywords. Facebook recommends Marketplace things to you based on your search history, and it’s remarkably helpful. I find wholesale lots of things for resale that way all the time, without having to consciously look for it. Stuff like this should be marketed to people with search histories related to commercial AV. I’m sure it will happen eventually; just usually happens sooner.
-
08/07/2019 at 10:57 am #66003
Thats cool. Let us know when it sells. Id be interested in the price and time it took.
-
-
08/07/2019 at 11:07 am #66004
You might have luck posting it to one of the local Facebook buying/selling groups. There are many of them and usually targeted to specific product types and geographic area. I subscribe to 2 groups for tools, which probably would work for this but you might want to check with the admin of that group first.
As with any face to face sale or purchase, use reasonable caution.
-
08/07/2019 at 12:24 pm #66010
I’ve successfully sold “partial” items but putting in an estimated percentage. Such as “looks to be about 40%” or “approximately 70%” as size. I usually UNDER-guesstimate on purpose, so that the person looking at it goes “40%? That looks more like 50% to me!” and thinks they’re getting a bargain. Then I price according to my percentage.
If a new roll of coaxial goes for $60, as Jay quoted above, I’d price it at 40% of $60, or $24, plus shipping – and with best offer with an auto decline feature. I usually auto decline at about 75% of my list price. Put shipping in at lowest possible cost, e.g. Ground with a disclaimer that you reserve the right to change shipping methods. I have a blurb for this, copied below for you.
And I’d list the rolls as variations, or each individually, depending on how I want to ship. I’ve learned that calculated shipping for variables is a huge PIA, so I will list them separately. In each listing, I would mention that I have other cables available and invite them to check out my store and opt for combined shipping. I have a blurb for combined shipping to help those who don’t know how to use it; copied below for your convenience, feel free to use/amend as you like.
Blurbs:
Note: We reserve the right to choose between shipping providers, provided shipping times and costs are the same or better than those offered in the listing. Shipping is usually sent Ground or Home Delivery. Please provide a street address.Pssst! We offer combined shipping! Use “Add to Cart” instead of “Buy Now” and request an invoice at checkout to get your new shipping rate.
-
08/07/2019 at 12:46 pm #66013
The contractors who install such cable need to know how much is left in a reel and so those markings are generally stamped on the cable jacket. The reel itself often has a sticker that says “400 ft” or whatever. If you look on the jacket and it says “392”, you know how much has been used.
Sometimes the jacket is stamped with a more random looking say 5 digit number. This is because a production run might generate miles of cable and they don’t want to stop and renumber all the time. In that case, look at both ends of the cable. The loose end, and the end tied into the axis of the reel.
Worst case scenario, just look at the cable near the reel centre and use that number to subtract. You’ll underestimate your reel a little but no biggie.
I sell this stuff and do OK on it. Just price it competitively cause it’s annoying to store.
-
11/04/2019 at 10:27 pm #70056
Not all spooled wire/cable has length markings, but some definitely does (the link goes to a removed listing so I can’t see what kind you have). On a similar note, a couple weeks ago I scored 51′ of brand new 13 hose syrup soda beverage bundled line left over from a new restaurant install. I was about to try to measure it when I noticed the markings. One end says “000 FEET”; near the other says “050” FEET, which was very convenient. (It’s usually sold rolls of 100′ and up.) I just need to find a buyer.
-
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.