Ebay for the new guys/gals!

[Webmaster]

I thought I would shed a little light on Ebay! Recently I helped a forum member and he was very grateful so I thought I would throw out a few Ebay tid bits.

1. If you ever get an email from Ebay, an Ebay Seller or an Ebay Buyer, that email should be in your "My Ebay" page. You will find the link to this page basically on the top of every page on Ebay.

This is your control central for everything. So in My Ebay you will find a link on the left side middle "My Messages" if that email you just got is not in the My Messages section it did not come from Ebay! Delete it.

Everything you do as a seller and or buyer is controlled in "My Ebay" so make that your home.
__________________________________________________ _______
2. I also like to use the Watch feature that you will find on every auction page in the upper right it says "Watch this Item" in my Ebay.

This sets the item on your watching page so you can keep track of auctions that you might bid on or just items you want to watch and see how the bidding goes.
__________________________________________________ __________

3. Another cool thing that I use all of the time is the "Add to Favorite Searches" After you do a search you will see it also on the right side and if you click on it a page will open that gives you a variety of criteria to set up an automatic search when a specific item is added.

I have about 20 of these set up for weird items that I just can't or do not want to search for, but if they are listed it will let me know. You can set it for a short time or up to 12 months.

I have a search for "Nickel Ludwig Classic Strainer" it lets me know if something is listed like this and I get an email!

More on Bidding, Buying, Shipping and PayPal later. If you have a specific question let me know, I sell on Ebay for a variety of people. Besides drums and related items I have sold such items as a large 3 basin commercial bar sink, dolls, trains, drain rotter, I even listed a very cool boat that had bids up to $32,000!

I have had Power Seller status on a few occasions, but can't stand that you have to meet certain $$ every month and now when I get the email to become a Power Seller I delete it. Remember as a Power Seller you are also being watched more by Ebay!

Ask away....

David
Webmaster

[Webmaster]

Well, here is a little advice for buying on Ebay that has helped me in the past so I wanted to share this with others.

I have purchased enough items to be a "seasoned" shopper. This works for other companies when buying on-line.

1st and foremost before you bid send a question to the buyer. You will learn really fast if they are on top of things in regards to Ebay. If it takes 3 or 4 days there is a good chance that service carries over to how they ship and handle the transaction. Not in all cases of course!

Also, the response is very important. I recently had been watching some Gene Krupa drum sticks that were being sold in lots of 3. The picture had them sitting on a Slingerland box. I collect things like that if I can find them so I sent this email.

Hello, I noticed your auction for the sticks and wondered if you had more of these and if the box is included.

The response:

What kind of seller do you think I am, I do not re list the same item and the box is not included.

Needless to say I did not bid and just stayed away from the person. Interestingly, a friend bid on the sticks and another item and in fact the seller would not combine shipping and was a tad brash with communication.

Like anything in life it just makes sense to cover your bases and not hope that he still is a good seller. If you get poor service in a restaurant you leave less of a tip and or never go back or just walk out.

It is important also not to retaliate and I have learned to just "kill them with kindness." You would be surprised the return email I get when you are super kind to people.

So, it never hurts to start the dialogue and or build a contact before you enter into a transaction.

I always look at the feedback to see not only how many negative feedbacks, but to read them to see what people are saying. Just because they have a negative history does not mean they are bad sellers. The more selling you do the more chances you will get negatives. It is a law of averages. You should easily be able to figure it out by reading them.

Bidding is a big thing for people and when and how to enter bids is an art form. There are a variety of "Sniping" services that automatically enter a bid on your behalf at set time near the end. Usually the last 10 seconds.

Many people are against sniping, but it really does not make sense, even in an auction house the Auctioneer is giving you a fair warning and you can up until that last gavel hit to change your bid amount.

Even if a sniper has a set dollar amount and you have more, they will not win. If you are putting in a bid that is not your maximum and under what you think the item is worth and you get sniped, then the other person just wanted it more.

I tend to add odd dollar amounts to my bids. If I want to spend $50 I put the bid at $51.75. If another bidder is after the same item, they sometimes will put the $50.50 and not go any higher because they do not want to test the water after that. Odd, but it has worked for me in the past. Of course there are bidders that just go $60!

I have learned to just be patient with people and more then likely they will eventually send the item. I have heard about tragic car accidents, heart attacks, death, etc.. I guess they can be legitimate so I give them the benefit up until a certain point.

After that point I then look for the persons contact information. Click here for the Ebay (http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/know-seller-contact.html) page. This works and if they have the correct phone number I call them! A phone call goes a long way to get people moving!

On very rare cases if that does not work then I report the item as not received in your My Ebay section under the drop down menu for the item.

Let's say you sent payment and they never sent the item. If you paid with Pay Pal, and they are legitimate you can get your money back. That is if they can't provide tracking data or proof of sending the item.

What I have learned is that the majority of sellers that complain just do not ship correctly and do not get a signature guarantee. That is crucial from a sellers perspective and I ask them to add it to the shipment if they use USPS. I also always ship to my business address so it can be signed for.

Most of the Pay Pal complaints are from poor sellers and or buyers that do not go that extra step to make sure the seller is a good seller. It is not a perfect situation and things do happen. Yes, there are also buyers that do get items and say they don't, but as a seller if we do not get the signature we are just giving buyers a haven to be dishonest.

Also, as a buyer if you are getting a drum, don't be afraid to ask them how they are packing it. Always request that they try and put it in a plastic bag before packing for water damage and or any liquid contamination.

Most importantly is never expect the item to be exactly perfect! Many sellers leave things out or do not go into fine detail about the item. I expect a certain level of issues with any vintage drum and rarely find none unless an item is correctly labeled "MINT" which means not a single imperfection besides a factory one.

If an auction is labeled mint and you do not see close up pictures from every angle and the insides of the drums then they are not MINT!

Ask questions and for more pictures. If they do not respond or will not provide more pictures then do not bid. Another one will pop up some day. If the deal is to good to be true, then more then likely it is and resist the temptation to test the seller.

Document email and do everything through the Ebay system so it is tracked with Ebay and a history is set. When buyers take a seller off of Ebay into private email then it is not as easy to validate the communication.

In the end just be patient and have fun, avoid over spending on a credit card and try and sell items to keep your habit going!!

Group Hug
David

[Webmaster]

This is a big one for me and I sell regularly on Ebay. I have attained Power Seller Status and that just means you sell over a certain dollar amount for 3 months in a row and then you have to continue that level to keep the status. ( I was at $1,000 a month for 3 months and that is the lowest level)

So it has nothing really to do with the number of auctions, just the ending dollar amount. I also figured out that as a Power Seller they "Check" you more often and things that I had done up until I was a Power Seller were now being caught. It was nothing more then trying to direct people to the web site to learn more about drums.

Let's face it, Ebay is an excellent way to get traffic to a web site, but they are extremely diligent in protecting their traffic.

The biggest thing for new sellers is whether to put a reserve, Buy It Now or a high starting bid. It is also important to determine the best time to start and end an auction, because it does make a potential difference on how your auction will end.

After selling as many items as I have, probably in the 1,000's I have now come to the realization that it is best not to put a reserve, buy it now and I start my item low.

Yes, there are exceptions to the rule. It really depends on the item and the potential number of collectors. I like to list my items to start later in the evening. Ebay never had that option and now of course you can pay more to pick the time you want to start an item.

If you think about it, more poeple are probably online between 6 and 9 A.M. and 7 and 10 P.M. so why not try and have the item end at that time when the chance of finding more people searching is the highest. I have no offficial stats to back this up, it is just the way I do it. So my auctions usually end later in the evening. I also try and end on a Friday evening

I consider a high starting bid as a "Visual Reserve" and that of course costs more money. They will in fact deter people from bidding if the "Visual Reserve" is in place. I rarely bid on that type of auction. Ebay is a more of a mental game then anything else and it is very similar to a true auction in that people get caught up in the moment and once they bid on something it becomes their property and they are more likely to keep bidding because they do not want to be the looser.

I know this because it happens to me and it makes sense that you want people to bid and get excited about your auction. Starting a drum at $200 that is worth $225 does not create any excitement.

In regards to a reserve, I hate them and you might as well just create a higher starting bid. Reserves have a reputation amongst collectors, because people were setting unreasonable reserves just to see what an item was worth and I think that practice keeps people away from reserve auctions. I stay away from them because you just never know what they have it set at. I have in the passed emailed the seller about a reserve and you get mixed responses in regards to if they will tell you or not.

I have used Buy It Now on items that I got for a good price and I just want to unload it quickly and get money in to my Pay Pal account. I would never use them on rare or collectable items unless you know for sure what it is worth. Then again many sellers go higher then it is worth because in some cases if a person really wants it they will pay more to know that they can just Buy It Now.

So, I have started snare drums that were collectable at $9.99 and got more then I expected them to get. Same with drum parts, I start them low and I get more then expected. Now, there are times I did not, and that could be a number of factors. If the item has competing items that are the same and the auctions just ended. There will be less potential buyers that just got the part they have been looking for. Just a bad time to list because of a holiday or event. I'm sure there are more reasons, but these just come to mind.

In the end it has taken me years to get to this comfort zone and many new sellers just do not have the courage to do this. They put a high reserve and or a hight starting bid and a high Buy It Now only to re-list the item again and again reducing any of the top three items in slow increments.

In the end you are the owner of the item and you can stop the auction within 24 hrs of auction end and pull it off of Ebay. As a seller you are in control. So relax, respond to questions even if you think they are the dumbest question ever and have fun.

David
Webmaster

[Webmaster]

Sellers do not be cheap! "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Most ?seller whining? is because they did a poor job packing and or did not require a signature! If you have a tracking number your in the best position to offer customer service and help when problems arise. Avoid the cheap buyer that says ?I don?t care how fast I get it just ship it as cheap as possible?.

Let's face it "Buyers can be Liars", so do not even give them the chance
to say something has not been received.

Get a signature confirmation! Ship it UPS or Fed Ex so that you can protect your self.

Insure your item correctly and do not listen when a buyer does not want to pay for the extra insurance that is only going to hurt you in the end when you file a claim.

I have gone as far as taking pictures of the item in the box on high ticket items! I once shipped a marimba and took a bunch of pictures on the pack job and the box so it was documented how it left my shop. I never needed the pictures they were just a precaution to a potential situation.

Pack well, do not skimp on packing material and devise a packing method. I have had more things shipped to me that were damaged because of poor packing and the excuse is that UPS and Fed Ex are the worst. When in many cases poor packing and labeling are to blame.

Yes, I know they do mess up and they do damage items. I have seen it all and in my main business I ship 100's of packages a week with both carriers and rarely ever have a problem. Yes, we had a truck burn up on a highway with some packages!

Things happen and drivers can be brutal with boxes. The truck packers also do the same thing. If you pack well you are less likely to have problems.

If they are using Pay Pal you can go to the transaction and add the tracking information and they will get an email from Pay Pal. This goes along way to show your method of being a seller and puts you in a better stance with Pay Pal when a seller says you never shipped the item.

In regards to International buyers, I stay away! I love when they ask me to lie about the value to customs! Sure I will value my $500 drum for $50. This way when it gets lost I can get my $50 back and I lost a drum!

Sure Fed Ex will say if it was worth $500 why did you value it at $50?

I tell people to take International at your own risk. That said I have taken International bidders, because many of the higher profile bidders ship to an address in the US to a friend they have in the states. That is perfectly fine with me.

I do understand that many International bidders are excellent buyers and have excellent feedback so that all would play in to my decision.

Let me also say that there are situations and variances that will affect all of the above. People can be rude and people are slow and not attentive to detail that you would probably expect. Life brings us a variety of turns and if a person is a good seller and they are in the middle of a turn as along as they keep you posted it should be o.k., if it takes 5 days to get a response and then they start going into excuses you probably have a potential problem.

Protect yourself and it will pay off later. At times be patient and hold back and the good nature in people should come through. Hopefully it will weed out the ?Lunatics? we all encounter at one time or another.

David

[Webmaster]

Taking payments on Ebay has truly evolved into making life easier. Ebay has definitely cornered the market and made life so much better for them.

I would venture to guess that the Pay Pal people are in the majority and the "I will never take Pay Pal" people are shrinking and shrinking.

Pay Pal even has web sites of people that hate them and continue to post all of the horror stories.

Personally I have never had a problem with them in over 1000 transactions. I have a strong feeling that many of the problems are a combination of "poor" buyers and sellers that are less then perfect.

With that said and not wanting to "offend" any people let me explain. If you sell an item that is accurately described with plenty of pictures, have your payment and shipping prices clearly stated and provide tracking information, insurance and excellent packing then you are less likely to have problems.

If any of the above items have an issue, then you open yourself up to potential "Buyer" issues and a complaint to Pay Pal and problems with the transaction.

Case in point: I routinely sell items for other people. I was selling a cowboy hat that was part of an old store; it had the original plastic around it and the original box. The box was shelf worn, but the hat was in excellent NOS (New Old Stock) condition.

5 days after the item was shipped the person emails me stating that the hat had sweat marks and was not brand new. I went back to my auction just to make sure of my description and it never said Brand New but it did say NOS, but I never took a picture of the interior of the hat and never noticed any sweat marks.

So, I email back, sorry about that the hat is older and been sitting in a store for many years and never noticed any sweat marks. Please send the hat back and I will refund your money.

I waited two weeks for a response and got, "I decided not to return the hat and sold it to my brother thanks for an excellent transaction."

If I only took more pictures! Either way the situation worked fine and I gave the customer the next move. Now if I said "Your a nut case, just put the hat on in the sun for 5 minutes and you will see sweat marks..." It would have been a much different outcome.

Needless to say good customer service does go a long way and I believe that most of the horror stories are because of seller issues which leave the door open for buyer complaints.

Yes, please understand that this is not the case for every seller and even the most perfect auction could end in a bad outcome.

With that said something called "Buyers Remorse" is tossed around a lot and that is if a buyer spends more then they want and feel guilty about it. They try and back out or make excuses as to why they do not want the item. In these cases it is harder to work with buyer like that and it will just have to take its course.

At any given moment I can have 1 to 30 or so auctions running and I can personally say when I'm running 30 it gets to be a real challenge. When I list auctions in bulk my descriptions and pictures are not the same then if I go and sell one or two items.

So with that I can also see if you are running a lot of auctions it is very time consuming and like any business things will slip a little in the quality control area.

I prefer checks and or money orders since in those cases Pay Pal is not taking a cut, but I also understand that the credit card empowers people to spend more money. So they are more likely to bid if I take Pay Pal.

Personally I hate going the USPS because the person only takes Post office money orders. That in itself is time consuming and not worth the effort so I do not bid. Why should I have to do work to be a customer?

So in the end I take all forms of payment, because buyers are all in different situations. It is very similar to my main business and taking all types of credit cards. Why would I exclude people that only use American Express?

So until sellers realize they are a "business" offering a product to a customer they might not get the ultimate benefit from accepting all types of payment.

If your seller attitude is "Screw them, I only take money orders, if they want the item then that is the way it is" I have no problem with that and really do not care!

For me it is a business on certain levels and owning a Brick and Mortar for over 9 years gives me a different mentality when selling things to people.

One small clarification. If you have a nice vintage item that a collector would want then it really does not matter what form of payment you take the serious collector will pay the way you want. On another note however if your auction is not up to par on the above items like pictures, description, feedback etc.. you probably will not have a serious collector bidding on your item. Unless of course they email you and find out what type of seller you are. Every seller has a different perspective, this is just mine based on running a brick and mortar business.

I guess I'm just spouting off and if any one takes offense, sorry about that, these are just my personal observations and I'm not calling sellers out or saying all sellers are bad or don't just take one form of payment, or Pay Pal sucks, or all buyers are bed etc... You do it the way you want and I do it the way I want!
Group Hug
Thanks

David

[O-Lugs]

Thanks for this thread! It's very insightful and helpful.

[Webmaster]

No problem! I sometimes feel like this when opening up on the forum.
Well, not the kiss part but "Tip Toeing" through the tulips.



http://www.counterpoint-music.com/raclips/tiptoe_tulips.mov

flowers2

David

[Webmaster]

The busiest time I have seen for new listings is Sunday evening. More people are at home putting items up. It is a good time to visit your favorite search and refresh the page to see new listings come up.

With Ebay you just never know when a listing hits that is a good deal.

I still believe there are good deals on certain items. This really depends on the knowledge of the seller. The more researched a new seller is the less likely they will list something for less then it is worth. New sellers are joining Ebay all if the time.

__________________________________________________ _________

Pay Pal has a nice feature that lets you add the tracking number to your seller transactions. I use this all of the time when people use Pay Pal. It is at the bottom of the listing for that transaction. The system will automatically send the buyer an email with the tracking number so they can track the package.

__________________________________________________ __________

[Antipodes]

This one directed at people ex USA (or anyone there who has the knowledge, of course). Am bidding on a couple of items now where they do not ship outside the US. I've contacted the seller, told them I am stateside and they're cool with that. But my bids do not appear to be showing up on the items I'm shooting for.

Any thoughts or input appreciated. Wouldn't surprise me if I'm barred until the seller changes the shipping status on this particular item. Or what? I'm such an Ebay virgin that I have no idea.

Help!!!!

[sabshga]

David, what is your ebay seller ID. You seem like a good guy to do business with.

[Antipodes]

Oh, sorry. Just figured it out - wrong David.

David (not the webmaster)

[Webmaster]

I have been listing regularly on Ebay and want to offer a few more selling tid bits.

1. Title

This is very important and this is how people find your auction. You will see many titles that do not make complete sense and filled with words to get more potential bidders to the auction. Do it wisely and creatively and you will get more potential bidders.

Ebay also gives you limited space on the main title, but you do have the option to add a second title. Depending on the item and its potential selling price I add the second title to incorporate more keywords that might be searched by potential bidders.

2. Description

I break down each of my components and clearly state what is involved. I always duplicate my title in the description and add other words to help with bidders searches.

There is a check box when searching Ebay to "search title and description" and I use that option when looking for items.

It is safe to say that many titles are incomplete and or lack information for a correct search and you might find it in the description. So make sure you have a nice description that includes other words related to your item.

3. Pictures

Depending on the value of an item I list up to 12 pictures with the super size option.

Normally for small items I have just one picture and I do not super size it.

I also photograph in a booth so my pictures are void of a background. I just love the auctions when a picture is taken on a Victorian rug! Visually challenging to say the least.

4. Shipping

I now use the Ebay calculating method. Ebay made it so when you visit an auction that is using the calculation method the price appears on the top of the page. I stopped using a flat rate system, which was costing money in the end. I also have shipped some crazy items and recently shipped out a pair of vintage wood ski's!

I also use Pay Pal for this more and print labels directly through the Pay Pal system. I do not go to the post office anymore and leave it for my daily USPS pick up. I order all of those supplies directly from the USPS.

I still charge a handling few depending on the item. It is usually .75 up to $6.00 for larger items that require more packing material.

Ebay Store

Other then that I set up an Ebay store since for me it is cheaper to keep it going then to keep listing items. Let me clarify that, I can keep things moving and or hold them in the store for a longer time period. The Ebay stores get less visibility, so it takes longer for people to find items and they do not appear on every page. It depends on how many items appear in the auction searches.

I like to keep items in the store until I see a watcher or two on an item then I will usually push it out to auction. When I price items for my store I search completed auctions and usually sell for $1.00 or $2.00 less then the last completed auction to sell it quickly. Many people are turned off by store sellers because the items are priced much higher.

I want to sell and get rid of stuff and not keep it laying around. I just sold a set of 8 casters that sat in the store for 4 months. It cost me .10 per month to keep them in the store and Ebay takes a little more % off of store items then auction items, but your paying less to list them.

at most I have had 200 items in the Ebay store and I average around 50 or so at all times.

If you ever have any specific questions about Ebay including final value fees, problems with buyers and or just technical questions feel free to email me directly or PM on this forum.

Thanks

David

[Webmaster]

"Report an Unpaid Item"

This happens to me when I sell on Ebay and it is not everything that it sounds like when you see it. You can use this to get your fees back when you and a buyer agree not to complete a transaction.

It is very important that your buyer knows you are sending this and they agree not to complete the sale.

If not, then a savvy buyer can stop you from getting your money back.

If you do have a buyer that bid and did not pay and has not communicated with you after many email attempts through the Ebay system, then send this form. More then likely the bidder will not respond and if they do not respond you get your selling fees back. Also, if in that time they are "No Longer a Registered User" you get your fees back immediately.

In the case where the buyer and you both agree, once they complete the form (emailed to them once you start the process with Ebay) you will get your fees back.

The last scenario is the only one where the buyer does not get a strike against them and they are not affected by the process.

I have used this system probably 5 or 6 times and only in one case did not get my fees back and that was a buyer with a problem that did not want to play by the rules.

Thanks

David

[Webmaster]

Just in case you have not ventured into this area, I have been using Pay Pal shipping for years and it is a huge time saver.

Once someone purchases using Pay Pal, on the Pay Pal details page for that item you will see a few shipping options.

[Print Shipping Label] [Print Packing Slip] [Add Tracking Info]

When I was not using Pay Pal for shipping I would use the [add tracking info] for my Ebay sales. When you click the link in Pay Pal you just select the shipper add the tracking number and then it automatically sends an email to the buyer.

This to me was also a safety issue documenting my steps and taking care of my obligations as a seller.

The Print Shipping Label is a handy tool that lets you ship USPS and or UPS directly from your computer. I will not go into detail about how it works, just letting people know that it is easy to use once you ship a few items, you will get the hang of it.

Also, since it is connected to Ebay, your items sold page will automatically get updated that the item has shipped and the buyer can visit the original auction page and click to see the shipping information.

The nice thing is you never have to visit the post office again!! I suggest getting a digital scale to make it even easier.

Thanks

David

[Webmaster]

I think that this new addition to the Feedback system has good intentions, but it does not provide the seller any way of using the information to improve their Ebay selling.

As a seller you do not get the Detailed listings until you sell 10 items.

Basically the buyer can rate the seller on:


Item as described
Communication
Shipping time
Shipping and handling charges


I think these criteria are good ways to rate a seller, but every buyer has their own opinion on each criteria so if someone expects something shipped in one day and you ship in two days then they will give you a lower rating.

As a seller we should be able to see how each sale is rated so we can fix or improve how we sell.

So in the end it is so subjective that it really does not reflect correctly on a seller.

It really does not make sense to me.

Any one else care to add to this new Ebay feature?

David

[the_drum_dad]

Re: the new rating method

To me it creates more confusion. Subjective judgement is highly unreliable to start with...just take a look at buyer ratings on Musicians Friend or any other selling website. You get the gamut.

For this reason, I made the decision right away to refuse to use it. I know that doesn't stop others from using it on me but it's just my way to say that I don't like it.

I think a simple positive/negative/neutral is enough. Just one man's opinion.

[Webmaster]

Ok cool, so I'm not the only one that does not like it!

Woohoo!

David

[Webmaster]

Here is a good read on the topic in the Ebay Guides

Click Here (http://reviews.ebay.com/Exactly-whats-wrong-with-the-new-feedback-system_W0QQugidZ10000000003495160)

Also, there is a bunch of information in the Ebay Forums. I'm not sure if anyone uses the Ebay forums, but I use them to get information and read up on topics of interest.

Click Here (http://pages.ebay.com/community/boards/index.html)

If you have a question, it probably has been asked and answered in the forums. Be careful posting, many times they visit your auctions and give you feedback you might not want.

David

[Webmaster]

Hello!

I thought with all of the Ebay changes I would give some information as to what I'm doing as a seller and how I have changed my selling on Ebay. I also wanted to share a few more Ebay situations.

First and foremost, NEVER send a package Fed Ex International. They have what is called a brokerage fee and it is out of control. UPS and the USPS do not charge this fee, so be careful. This has nothing to do with duties and taxes.

I have required USPS insurance on all of my pakages and charge for it. If you follow through with that and have a problem, you can start a claim on line with the USPS and never have to go to the post office.

I use the Ebay shipping calculator for all of my shipping and give the buyer 2 or 3 options that they can pick from. I think a flat rate will be a thing of the past and Ebay is making many of the recent changes because of sellers taking advantage of high shipping.

Wih the calculator you can put in box dimensions (dim weight) and a handling charge to your liking. On small items I add a .50 cent handling charge and larger items, up to $6.00 if there is a lot of packing involved. If you have an item under 1lb, then click the Custom Weight option to put in the OZ weight. Works great for regular mail.

Ebay also reduced prices for certain picture options and other options to enhance your listing. This is a good thing and makes sense for Ebay, since better prices in this area would mean more sellers will use it and that in turn makes for better auction listings.

More Later....

David

[joeybeats]

I plan on selling for the first time at Ebay. Thanks for this sticky thread, quite informative.

I'm thinking of selling some of the extra hardware I never use to clean my shed. After a few practice sales, I hope to have enough experience that I can then sell my Slingerland Ace and a few pricey cymbals, without anything exploding. The advise in this thread will go a long way to speeding up my learning curve. If you have any updates, please let us know. Thanks again. Joey

[Webmaster]

As you all might not know I have two eBay stores. One store has bronze level Power Seller Status and soon to be a top rated seller.

The other is where I sell drum gear and drum items and will be a Power Seller next year when they change the method for configuring the levels of selling.

As a Power Seller you do get special benefits based off of your Stars (DSR). They are very important to Power Sellers because that is how eBay calculates discounts.

A Power seller can get 5%, 15% or 20% discount on the next months invoice based on those stars. So if you knock a power seller on the stars you will affect them.

As you all know, eBay has taken a lot of the life out of sellers and they are usually at the mercy of the buyer with feedback, stars and PayPal refunds.

It really cleans out the playing field and if you are not at the top of your game as a seller, then you can't get all of the benefits they offer.

Also, if you have not noticed sellers can't charge for Insurance as an option anymore. They are basically trying to compete with Amazon and other selling services where Insurance is included in the price.

I now add the insurance directly in the handling where I think the price point of the item is going to sell.

David

[nemo007]

What are the names of your ebay stores?

[Webmaster]

Drum Experts (http://stores.ebay.com/The-Drum-Experts?_rdc=1)

Lucky Penny Shop (http://stores.ebay.com/Lucky-Penny-Shop?_rdc=1)

These are the two stores.

David

[Webmaster]

As many of you know, I sell a lot on eBay, manage 4 eBay stores and run the VDS store. That is just some of the drum stuff I do.

Here are some personal observations and insights I have encountered.

1. I ask questions to sellers I do not know to see what kind of response I get or if I get a response at all. This gives me some pre-insight in who I'm dealing with.

You can tell a lot by the response what they are all about. The lack of response also might indicate how they do business.

2. eBay shoppers are not always looking at price. They look at your product lay-out, description and how your listing looks. We sell things higher then others, but because we represent ourselves a certain way it builds confidence.

3. Feedback is important, but the above will out-way the shoppers confidence. I know, I just started a store for a friend, 0 feedback, and a new user ID. I built him a logo and set up a nice listing template for him in a regular eBay account (not even a store) Within two weeks seven sales and the average sale is $70

4. Offers are game. I sell many of the same items in one particular store and I get people offering on one item. Once I take it, they then go do the same offer for other similar items. As a seller, I know the game, but it is a game and many of them know how to play it. I just take the other offers.

5. Any offer that is a ball bust, I just decline. I offer no explanations or feed them any information as to why I'm declining. (tubelugs is correct on that one)

6. Many times I just end items after a certain time period or so of being listed. I wait a week and re-list it and then it will sell within days. The person watching that item wanted it, so once they noticed it re-listed they did not want to miss it a second time.

7. After 2 months I review all items and then I drop prices to see if I can entice the watchers to take the bait. It works.

8. If an item is priced correctly, listed professionally it will eventually sell. Many of our items sit for 4-6 months and then sell. So if you can't handle the wait then adjustments to listings might speed it up.

9. Back to offers, be careful, the potential buyer can put little notes there saying I want free shipping. If you move to quick or do not realize, once you agree to the offer, those notes are locked in the system.

There is a lot more, and I'm not staying to topic, but wanted to fill in a few things on my personal learning curve over the years that might help others. I will add this info to the eBay post in the selling section of the forum.

David

[blairndrums]

Hi David,

lots of people don't know this,but........

The majority of people in the U.S. are in the Eastern Time zone,so I would go by that for ending my auction........

I have heard that the most people are online on Sunday nites around 10-11 PM Eastern time.

BLAIR