Archive for August, 2006
Selling off your Collection and What are NARU’s?
August 25th, 2006 | 
Author:
Dear eBay Queen;
I’m selling off my Barbie’s (boohoo). I’m not a collector; they’re just taking up too much storage space. Would I be better off selling everything in one big lot or selling things individually? I have dolls, clothes, cases, houses and the airplane. I have dolls that vary in ages – some from the 60s and some from the 70s.
I’d like to get as much for these as possible. I’m hoping to help fund a trip to Disney World. The way I see it a trip to Disney with my boys, is better than Barbie’s in Rubbermaid containers
Charleen; Ottawa
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Dear Charleen;
Since you’re not a collector of Barbies, I will congratulate you on your ability to get rid of stuff you don’t want, or need any more. It is really hard for some of us (me included) to part with stuff we don’t need.
Barbies and their “stuff” from the 1960’s and 70’s, almost always sell well individually. You can research Barbie Lots by checking out completed eBay auctions, sorting by ‘priced highest first’’. I would suggest researching the dolls individually. The clothing usually doesn’t sell as high unless you know the name of each outfit, and it is complete with shoes and accessories. Unknown clothing or accessories would sell better in a lot. Most Barbie cases are $15 to $35 in ‘played with condition’, and go up in price the better the condition.
If you choose to sell your entire collection in a lot, there will be less work involved. You’ll be able to group items together and take photos, only have one listing to write up, and the items could be pre-boxed and ready to ship out. If you choose to sell each item in the collection individually, there will be individual photos to take and auctions to write up. Each auction you start under 9.99 costs .35 cents to list. But the reward would be more money for each individual item. Whichever way you go, the end result will get you that much closer to Disney World!
Dear eBay Queen;
Today, I was so excited to see that I had sold a book on a “Buy it Now” for $650.00. I immediately sent an invoice to the buyer. Within 30 minutes, I received an email from eBay (it was in my messages folder on "My eBay") saying that my account "may" have been compromised and I should immediately change my password (I did). I went back and looked at the book auction and discovered the bidder had been NARU’d (Not A Registered User).
I REALLY needed to sell that book, and I am a bit disappointed it wasn’t a legitimate sale. Did this book buyer compromise my account? I made sure all was legitimate and sent the invoice directly from the listing. Any ideas?
Frustrated…Ginger
Dear Ginger;
I am so sorry. I have had a similar experience happen to me, and it can really mess up your day. I am glad you were eBay wise, and checked your messages to make sure the emails were real and from eBay.
I would guess the bidders account was compromised, and to be safe, eBay is warning you of a possible account take over also. When an eBay account has been taken over, eBay will put a hold on the account, until the account owner has contacted them. Since you were able to surf eBay, there was not a hold on your account.
Don’t let this one transaction turn you away from eBay. Put your book back on. A better bidder will find it before you know it.
Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 160018641860 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). Are you searching for that perfect lawn ornament to let you neighbors know how seriously you take Geography? Try this: Unique Electric Rotating Sphere Globe. It didn’t sell for the $75,0000 asking price, but it was just too unique not to show all of you. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160018641860
Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com .
Posted in Auction, Buy it Now, Negative Feedback, Product Help | 
Tags: Buy it Now, help with eBay, non paying bidder, selling barbies | 
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Sometime Life Happens even on eBay
Dear eBay Queen;
I really messed up. I had a small family crisis, and did not get 2 packages shipped out when I should have. I was nine days late sending both of the packages out. I emailed both buyers, and told them what happened, one was very kind. The other sent me the email below.
”Please refund my money ASAP and let’s call it a day. It’s the end of summer for crying out loud, what use do I have for a sundress for now anyway? This has been one of the most unprofessional ebay interactions I have ever had. I don’t know you from Adam and frankly, that is irrelevant. IF this item ever shows up I will mark it ‘return to sender’ and that will be that.”
How do I handle this? How do I keep from getting a negative feedback?
Christine- Ottawa
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Dear Christine;
Sometimes life happens in the middle of working on your eBay stuff. I would try to smooth it over with her, by giving her excellent customer service now. Try sending her another email, apologizing again for your error, and refunding her money right away. If you are feeling generous, you could send the item anyway, offer her a discount on shipping, or a percent off on her next purchase from you.
There is no way to guarantee you won’t get a negative from this buyer. Sometimes no matter what you do, you’ll get a strike. But remember, you can always reply to your negative on your feedback page. http://pages.ebay.com/services/forum/feedback.html (click on Reply to Feedback Received). If she does give you a negative feedback, for slow shipping. You can always reply with; “My mistake. Sent item, gave full refund and offered discount”
If she has already given you the negative, I would refund her money, reply to her feedback and do a “mutual feedback withdrawal”. http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MFWRequest Since you went out of your way to show you care, she might withdraw the feedback.
A negative is not the end of the world, and pretty soon it will be buried so far down in positives, no one will be able to find it.
Dear eBay Queen;
I have won multiple items from a seller and was bidding on more. I just received notice from eBay that their listings were canceled and they are no longer a registered user. I still want the items I have won and still need to pay for them, but don’t have any clues what to do.
Jayne- Rantoul
Dear Jayne;
That is a tough one. On one hand you want your items, but, if you don’t get those items, you very well could be out the money. A seller could be suspended or NARU’d (not a registered user) for 2 reasons:
- Serious Violation of eBay’s Rules and Policy’s http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/overview.html
- Non-Payment of eBay’s Fees.
Since it is impossible to know what your seller was suspended for, I would say it is better to be safe than sorry, and wait for them to become a registered user again. If you’re still dead set on buying these items from this seller, check out their recent feedback. Is their feedback good? Does it say the say they ship fast? Send them an email and ask them to send you an invoice through Paypal. Make sure you pay with your credit card. If you don’t get your items, or they are not what you expected you can always file with your credit card company.
Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 170016014238 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). Selling for 810.00, I’m, not sure I would let my kids play with this. Lego 6080 King’s Castle Set http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170016014238
Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com .
Posted in Auction, General eBay Help, Negative Feedback, Product Help, Shipping |
Tags: family emergency, Negative Feedback, shipping delay |
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eBay Drop Off Store charges More money for Pick Up
Dear eBay Queen;
I recently won a 60" TV from an eBay drop off store’s auction. I did get an excellent price on the television, but I was a bit miffed when I asked if I could pick the TV up, and they wanted to charge me a 25.00 charge just to pick it up! The auction did not say anything about a pick up fee, but did say I could pick items up between 9:30AM and 5:00PM. I don’t want to pay this fee. The seller and I have emailed back and forth over this issue. I don’t think I should pay the fee since it was not listed. I have never “not paid” for an ebay auction. What should I do? Why are they springing this fee on me now?
Unhappy Buyer
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Dear Unhappy;
I completely understand your frustration. It would make anyone upset to be forced to pay a hidden fee. Since you didn’t give me an ebay item number or the sellers name, I can only speculate on why they have a pick up fee. It most likely is a handling charge. They could be charging you because they have handling built into their shipping price, and since you didn’t ship the item, feel they should recoup the handling fees that way. Or, maybe they feel they will have to help you load the TV and want a fee for that. It is hard to say. Have you asked them directly why they are charging you the fee?
I would try to work this out with the seller, and perhaps talk to them in person when you go to pick the TV up. Explain you do not feel it is fair to pay the fee, because it was not listed in the eBay auction. If they still will not back down from the fee, you could pay for your item, and then leave Feedback that reflects how unhappy you are with the hidden fee.
Your other option is to not pay for the auction. If you choose to do this, you are risking an unpaid item strike from eBay, and negative feedback from the seller. With either option, you could always report it to eBay http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/ . This could be looked at as circumventing fees since the extra fee was not mentioned in the auction.
Dear eBay Queen;
I have been struggling with buying a new camera. I don’t have a digital camera now. I have just been selling paper goods or items I can scan. What should I look for when buying a camera for eBay?
Camera Shy
Dear Camera Shy;
A good digital camera will be your best asset when selling items on eBay. When considering a new camera purchase look for these features:
· Buy a brand Name you recognize. Support or Service will only be a phone call away if you have problems with your camera.
· 2.0 megapixels or better. If you’re going to use this for family photos, move up to a 4.0 megapixel or better.
· Macro (ability to focus 1 inch from surface)
· Manual flash (turn off and on) This is a valuable asset if you photograph your items in a different spot each time.
· How the photos are stored on the camera. If you don’t want to plug and unplug your camera into your USB port, you might want to consider a camera that stores the photos on a CD.
Go to your favorite electronics store, and check out each camera in your price range. You might find you like one camera’s feel and size over another one. Don’t forget to check out eBay when looking for a good price.
Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 320000506485 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). It might be cheaper to just yell for your family to come to dinner, but this way certainly would do it with style! 1900’s Deagan Dinner Bell Xylophone ChimesSold 151.00 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320000506485
Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com .
Posted in Auction, General eBay Help, Negative Feedback, Product Help, Shipping, unhappy buyer |
Tags: 25.00 charge, drop off store, eBay Photos, how to buy a camera |
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