any tips on the best way to sell on ebay?

[ruddersrangers44]

Hi everyone I have always had my items go for low money on ebay even when everything is accurately described with plenty of quality pics and even with a low starting price i never seem to reach anywhere near what i think i should get (thats not me being greedy either)i know what dealers charge and even with that taken into account i still cant get a decent price.i quite often see trash that has been sold which is totally misleading and yet it sells for a vast amount,i just dont know what to do to increase my sales?i dont use B.I.N or reserve because that can put people off straight away,last week i sold one of my LMZ 1948 SSH40 for £26 yes thats correct practically gave it away i paid more than that for it,is it because of the credit crunch and people dont want to part with any money or is it the "it aint ww2"so no ones interested in it,some dealers have stuff hanging around for years hoping one day some idiot will buy there overpriced items,well i cannot sit around waiting that long i need to have a quick turnaround also i have to pay enough for my stuff so why cant others do the same when it comes to me selling items,or is it because its not ww2 TR or anything else related to the "war" frustration is getting the better of me,can add pics of my latest sale if required so you can make up your own minds and maybe offer a little help too thanks in advance for your time and reading this school essay,done..............I think............Jake.

[stuka f]

hey Jake,
I could answer with a other school essay!
We recently had thise conversation on a other forum; I can show you screen prints of simillar items sold for 10 times more then a other identical.But you know those for your self.
My conclusion is that it's a lottery.
All depends on so much different details. Maybe people are on holliday or ran out of money for luxury items (I am not speaking of the recession) they just might have baught some thing else. Maybe they didn't see your add for some reason.Do you have any idea how much time you might have to spend when you want to see it all!
What I do is putting it at a price I would want for it, over and over again, it will sell at the end. You can always reduce the price when offered again.In Belgium we don't have fee's to put a add on!!That of course is a asset.
cheers
|<ris

[bananamafia]

Hi jake,
I can gladly help you out with working the ebay listings if youd like?
I sell lots of things via the site so I think I might be able to give you some pointers?
Kind regards
Ed

[bigmacglenn]

Many serious, knowledgeable collectors have been pushed away from Ebay due to their ridiculous policies concerning WWII German items and have simply stopped going there to even look...I'm speaking of US Ebay...Ebay Germany seems to be a better marketplace to buy...
Although I admit I've managed to score some great items there at a good price over the years, I feel that it's now seen more as a dumping ground for fakes...I've had the same experience you've had trying to sell original items for a fair price...it's like Russian Roulette, lol...
I recommend selling your items here in our own classifieds...Just my 2 Cents worth, friend!
cheers, Glenn

[Wagriff]

A few bits of advise...take the Absolutely Best Photos that you Possibly Can! The Better the photos, the less problems you'll have and the better the Price you'll get. And point out Every flaw-Hide Nothing. Be Thorough but not Book Length in your descriptions. People want to read what they need too know about your item and not have to ask tons of questions.
As Glenn said-you can always post for sale Here also. Here, your potential customer base is Entirely militaria oriented. On eBay, it's a motley herd. The numbers of lookers here may not be able to rival the size of eBays "audience", but here it is more singly Focused.

[dramos]

Another good idea is to ensure that your listing ends on a weekend night (friday-sunday). That way you know that most people will not be working/out of work already and there will be a bigger audience. If you have it end on Wednesday at 2 pm then your audience will be much smaller.

[MD Helmets]

eBay is just a crap shoot. Simple as that. I have listed good items that have gone no where, and I have watched absolute total junk (especially helmets) go trough the roof. I use eBay as a last resort.

[Jerry B]

As Doug suggested, try and get your items to end on weekends, also at the start of the month when people still have money to spend, avoid holidays as many people will be away, add as many tags to it as possible so it comes up under multiple search terms and even include some that might not be strictly relevant but it attracts more potential bidders. Good pics are also a good idea. Good luck as it is a somewhat of a lottery as to why the same item sells for silly money one week and peanuts the next.

[ruddersrangers44]

Many thanks guysfor all your input,i agree with kriss i should put the item on at the lowest price i would except and if it doesn't sell just relist again and again,also Jerry that is a good idea useing multiple catagories to list,i was thinking about breaking it up but i know how that isn't the best way,and yes the weekend evenings do seem to attract more interest,may also list here its worth a shot,cheers...............Jake

[NCA]

Regardless of what it is just tack 'airborne' onto the description.


But seriously, you just never know with ebay...somethings go through the roof, some for a song!I do feel in someway that ebay helps to dictate the value of things imo...like at antique fairs 'oh, I can get blahblah for that on ebay'.
I always have my listings to end on a Saturday evening around 8-9, always a 99p start and offered worldwide.Win some, lose some.