Selling my own used goods on ebay

ebay is an addiction for both shoppers and sellers. The problem for me lies in being both!

Buy and Resell

I have bought Tupperware at much reduced prices and then resold the items I did not want to keep. I don't think I made a profit this way but it helped pay for my Tupperware addiction. If you are a Tupperware dealer, do not do this as I believe it is against their contract rules.

Kaycee  I found to be an excellent and reputable dealer, from whom I bought many items. She also taught methe ways of the Mystery box. Hers I always found were excellent value. Have a look at her listings if you are interested in selling Tupperware. It is a real education. She uses language, colour and honest description very well to promote oehr goods.

A bad experience
Another person ripped me and others off big time. I knew it was a list of goods too good to be true, but profit and Tupperware lust got to me. $600 down the drain for a bulk buy of desirable resellable items which never arrived. I was able to get a partial refund at the time having paid via Paypal but ended up $200 out of pocket.

Tip: Before buying check to see if there are any methods of payment which include protection against fraud. Make sure you know what EXACTLY you are bidding on and how it will be delivered etc. Pay the extra for Postal insurance (registered post).

Overall

Think carefully about what you are selling and why.

Questions to ask yourself:
Would you buy it ?
At what price?
Would I buy it on ebay?

For example an online aquaintance was selling second hand brand name runners online, offered them at a low starting bid, and received bids of around $10 plus of coruse postage. She was disappointed having seen other similar items go for more. But ask yourself- would you buy 2nd hand shoes at all, if so at what price and why on ebay when you can see the goods at an Op shop at a low price? So she was advised to accept the price and be happy. I found this was good advice when selling on ebay. Take the offer and chalk it up to experience. Sometimes bids went wild and I was happy while at other times no bids at all or someone got a real bargain at 99c from me!

For items which you know are valuable

Is this the right market place?
Can I offer evidence that it is valuable? Eg photos of the backstamp on porcelain pieces, documents showing provenance for antiques
Can I offer it at a price which makes it a bargain relative to auction houses, antiques stores and fairs?
Am I sure I know its true market value?

For items you just want gone and will be happy to get rid of at any price

Is it worth my valuable time listing this on ebay and my sellers fees or should I just give it to chairty or freecycle?
(This is what I do with clothes as I have never had any luck selling them on line)
Is it likely to sell and hence be worth my time?
Is it going to be a pain to post and or deliver?

I have often found I was better off giving certain items away and saving my time for more profitable activities (like overtime, writing letters to Take 5 or just enjoying life). With freecycle the more you offer the more likely others are to help you out when you post a wanted.