Archive for September, 2010

Dear eBay Queen:

I took one of your eBay classes last year. You discussed doing research to see how much an item was worth before listing it on eBay. In doing this, I’ve discovered quite a few people are SO negative when they list their items on eBay.

I recently purchased a large lot of plastic toy animals. They appear to be from a circus or jungle toy set. While researching to see if I should list them all together in a lot, or separately, I came across a toy seller that put the following in their auctions:

NOTE: I will unfortunately not be able to continue offering individual figures at low cost for the collectors looking to fulfill their sets due to forthcoming changes wrought by eBay management and being implemented at the end of March 2010.

Once again their insatiable greed and determination to drive the small sellers out of the market have prevailed and due to significant 666.6% cost increases (Biblical prophetic irony?) in listing fees for store items (from .03cents per listing per month to .20 cents per listing per month.) This will no longer be cost effective as many of the items I sell are $1 – $10.00 each, and this increase is in addition to the basic store charge fee of 15.95/month and 12% final selling fees. Of course we store sellers can keep our 3 cent listing fees – IF we want to pay a $299.95/month store fee. To those loyal patrons whom I have so enjoyed meeting and had hopes of continuing a bright future of service in offering many store listings, for I sincerely regret that the management of eBay has undermined any such hopes for myself and many other eBay store operators who will be forced into facing radical reduction of inventory or closure.

eBay was the place where dreams of finding that treasure from the past for sale by average sellers like myself was possible. But even though many of my patron buyers purchase multiple items and as a collector & seller I use these funds to buy from other eBay sellers, all of which eBay receives a percentage of, though I am willing to devote my time & work in listing such items for the fellow collectors, it is not worth eBay’s time or trouble to maintain such listings for such low dollar amounts. To anyone considering establishing an eBay store I would strongly advise against it. eBay defines the word Anti-Trust by their every action as it has taken a year and half of very hard work to set a store in place just to have them yank the rug from under the feet of all sellers like myself. I wonder what excuse they will give their stockholders should there be a mass exodus / closing of stores like mine. What do you, the buyers, think this will do towards increasing the prices of sellers and the selection of items listed? Talk about kicking a Country in the teeth when it’s already down economically.

Do you know why a seller would do this?

Janelle; Olathe, KS

Dear Janelle:

To me this is VERY unprofessional. I don’t disagree with every point the seller made, but I would never tell my buyers those things. The changes eBay has made over the last 4-5 years have hit some sellers where it hurts. If this seller’s business is taking a hit like he says it is, then why tell his customers? I have found the more willing you are to adapt and modify with these eBay changes, the more successful you will be in the end.

Dear eBay Queen;

I read your article from September 23rd, and I have a problem with what you told J Banks. I don’t understand why you want us, the buyers, to educate the idiot sellers that can’t seem to do anything right. So she’s a new seller, so she had a death in her family, in real life does any of this matter? People expect to receive what they paid for quickly. Is it too much these days for a seller to do what they are paid to do? SEND THE ITEM?

Mad; Gardner, KS

Dear Mad:

I understand as a buyer you want your item as fast as possible without hassle. I think it is important to realize that eBay has created a lot of small business people. Some of which have more knowledge than others on running a successful business. Your opinions will seem callused and pretty offensive to most readers. I hope this was because of a bad day, and not your outlook on life.
In life just like on eBay I feel it’s important to remember the Golden Rule.

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 110588160179 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page): Like Halloween? Check out this Vintage Child’s Halloween Pumpkin Tea Set SOLD $915.99 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110588160179

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 .

Dear eBay Queen;

I’m new to selling on eBay, but not to buying.  I now have a ton of things I’d like to get rid of, and I am looking into the potential of this as a side business to bring in a little extra money.  I’d really like to start out on the right foot and do things properly, but there’s so much conflicting information out there.  I checked out some books from my local library, but they’re relatively old and I assume….useless.  Can you all point me in the right direction?

Where can I find basic information on shipping options, auction management, tips for listings etc?  I’d like to find out what the best options are buy-it-now vs. auction and UPS vs. USPS for example.  I’m just trying to make this the shortest learning curve possible.

Sorry…I know it’s a pain to deal with newbies, but I appreciate any information you could give me.

Betsy

Dear Betsy;

When it comes to books about eBay, I like eBay For Dummies by Marsha Collier (6^th edition) and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to eBay (2md Edition) by Skip McGrath. Both of these books were written by people that are very knowledgeable when it comes to eBay and the books were published in 2009.  They will be missing some of the new eBay rules, but for the most part be up to date.

Another place to check would be in eBay’s Learning Center http://pages.ebay.com/education/ You can watch video’s, check out the tutorials or find a class in your area.

When it comes to shipping, I have found USPS to be best for first class and items weighing 1 to 2lbs. Over 2lbs I ship with UPS.  eBay has a Shipping information page that you might find helpful. http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/shipping/shippingtools.html

Let me know if I can help you on your road to becoming an eBay Seller.

Dear eBay Queen;

I’ve been searching for a Nintendo NES.  I found one on eBay, but there was no description to speak of so I wrote the seller and asked if the item worked.  The seller responded, almost immediately, and told me she had not checked the system, because she did not have a game. She said she would ask her son in law if he would bring a game over and test it out. I wrote her back and asked her to email me to let me know if it worked.  I never heard from her again.

This game system was in my watched items, so on the day it was to end, I went back into the listing and saw there were other questions that had been answered, which stated it did work. Because of this, I bid and won.  She said she’d mail within 4 days of payment.  I never heard a word.  So 8 days after I paid I emailed and asked if she had shipped it. She responded, stating no she had a death in her family, and she could overnight it to me or meet me half way in Lawrence.  (The seller lives in Topeka, and I live in Richmond Ks.).  I thanked her for the offer, and said mailing it would be fine.

It arrived yesterday, in a priority mail flat rate shipping box without ANY padding, newspaper or peanuts.  The post office left outside by my mailbox on the ground. I can not believe she did not make ANY effort to protect the contents of the box! When I opened up the package, the game system was so dirty!  It looked like peanut butter and jelly had been wiped ALL OVER the console!

I cleaned the NES up, and it does work.  I am wondering what kind of feedback should I give this seller. Do you think I should give her a positive or a neutral?  What about the stars for shipping time? She’s been on eBay since 2009, with 32 positive feedback and no negatives. She only has 13 DSR star points.

J Banks; Richmond, KS

Dear J;

This is one of those occasions where I would probably leave no feedback at all, but I would email them and in the kindest way let them know what was wrong with the situation.  You obviously have a new seller, and they need a little bit of guidance on how to list and ship eBay items.  One of the reasons this transaction was not the best it could be was because of the death in the sellers family.  They could have lost someone close to them and they were not really thinking properly when they sent the item to you.

Here’s hoping your next transactions are better!

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 260657104135 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page): Do you love war history? Check out these Original D-Day Maps with previously classified information! SOLD $15,000.00 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260657104135

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.

Dear eBay Queen:

I collect old watches and timepieces.  It seems I always run across this type of thing in the item description:

This is a really neat piece from my father’s estate. We just lost him this past July. We are selling off some of his items to raise burial expenses for him. Please bid confidently & generously, as this auction is for a GREAT cause and is really so much appreciated.

Please ask any and ALL questions prior to bidding as this is an as-is auction – All proceeds are being forwarded to the funeral home, no refunds will be possible. PLEASE see all my other auctions as we have lots and lots of items to list from his estate. Always ZERO reserve auctions!

I think this is too much.  Sorry about your Dad, lady, but really! I get so tired of seeing people mention they got this or that from grandma or found it in the house they rent.  I don’t care where they got it!  It’s completely irrelevant and unprofessional to mention these details.  I also think it’s silly to mention “estate” in a listing.  Who cares?!!!  Just makes me think they probably paid too much and their prices on eBay will be over the top.  Could you let your readers know that we don’t care about their problems and where they come from?

Philip; Joplin MO

Dear Philip;

I think the problem is less about the people you are buying from, and more about what you are buying.  I have friends that collect old watches, I contacted a couple of them and they all liked knowing where the item was from and little history about it.  In my years of selling on eBay, I have found putting the history of the item in the description helps sell the item.  I would not discourage people from doing this.

I do think a seller should be careful not to make a buyer feel guilted into buying something.  It does feel a little creepy to me that we are paying off burial expenses. It wouldn’t keep me from buying an item I wanted though.  I think it would be better if your seller would tell a little about the watch, where it came from and leave out the part how they are raising money for burial.  Perhaps a better statement would be: “All proceeds from the sale of this item go back to my father’s estate.”

Dear eBay Queen;

I sold a $760 item to a buyer in Germany. After the auction ended I received an email from the buyer stating that he didn’t have a PayPal account and could only pay with bank wire transfer. His eBay rating is 142 positives, but he has only left 80 feedbacks. None have been negatives.

There are all kinds of warning on eBay and the internet about accepting Western Union wire transfers. Do you think I should accept his wire transfer?

I remember before PayPal became the big deal it is today, many of my foreign buyers would wire money via Western Union.  I have never understood why eBay has such a low opinion of this process.  I never had any problems.   The buyer would then email the ID number for the payment, and I’d call the nearest Western Union station to confirm it was there. Then I’d go pick up the money. I had to have the ID number with me, and I think I had to show my drivers license.

What do you think eBay Queen?  Should I accept the guy’s Western Union or what?

Alan ; Topeka,KS

Dear Alan;

I would never advise a buyer to send a Western Union to someone they do not know, and especially for an eBay or other online transaction.  There is no recourse if the seller does not send your item.  You will be out the money.

I realize in this transaction, YOU are the seller. As a seller I have accepted Western Union funds from several buyers without any problems. I would imagine this would be the case with your transaction also.  I have checked around and as long as you are not accepting a fake check or money order; you should be alright.  In this particular situation, the buyer is putting his trust in you.  I know you won’t let him down.

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 190435819204 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page): Do you like painting? How about old paint by number sets?  Check out this one! Weird-ohs Paint by Number Watercolor set 1960’s SOLD $228.00 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190435819204

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.