How to sell on ebay

the doog

 Don't exceed reasonable shipping rates, but be careful too--when you "calculate" shipping and it asks you what your package weighs and how big it is, always overestimate to get enough to cover your true costs.

[Yogi Berra's comment on Coney Island, "Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded."], ...now that's funny!

Wirraway, that's a damn good point. I have had kits properly boxed and with those airbags or bubble wrap put inside the box to stop it bouncing around. And I have had a kits just warped in brown paper. It doesn't really take much imagination to know which one will arrive in the better condition.

And I think every postal system has one of those guys just to test the strength of a parcel.

Can only echo what the Doog has said.  Good packaging will always bring me back to a seller.  Dont be stingy with the bubblewrap or extra cardboard.  I've even had sellers put the little airbag pillows in with the model.  Idiots who think you can send a plastic model kit halfway around the world with just some brown paper around the kit box annoy me.  I got an old MPC 1/24 Fw-190 from the USA just wrapped in brown paper.- looked like the most overweight employee in the whole USPS sat on it.

I've had great luck and success with eBay.

You must have a Paypal account--it's there for your protection as well--and make sure you post a few pics, not just one. DO NOT "SHINE" THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ITEM OR STRETCH THE TRUTH ABOUT A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G! -- do not neglect to mention a missing part or decal, or the seller will demand a return or refund, or worse, make unreasonable demands on you in return for a "good" feedback.

Pack well, and ship quickly. Don't exceed reasonable shipping rates, but be careful too--when you "calculate" shipping and it asks you what your package weighs and how big it is, always overestimate to get enough to cover your true costs. I've had a couple annoying instances where the calculated shipping cost "allowed" by eBay did not exactly cover the cost. Never by more than a few dollars, but that adds up.

Thanks again! Bill, I live just south of Memphis. I'm not sure if they still exist, but there was an IPMS club in Tupelo. They may still be around; check the IPMS local chapters site ( I tried, but my service is spotty today).

Glenn

You must open a paypal account to sell in Ebay. It is really simple and makes payment a lot faster. Down side to this is their fees but it's a more secure way. I recommend linking the Paypal account to a credit card and not a debit card or a bank account. For safety reasons, the credit card account is easier to fix if hacking occurs.

Price your kits at a minimum of what u want to make so u don't loose money after the fees. I have sold on and off for several years and is a painless way to get rid of unwanted items.

Paypal is secure and a good partner. I've been using it 8 or 9 years without a hitch. I had two problems with purchases, one EBay one not. Paypal's complaint system worked excellently in clearing both up in very timely fashions. The only downside with EBay is that it takes a few days for the money from your sale to get back into your account. If you're not using the milk money to make purchases, that isn't a big deal. Using Paypal also keeps your numbers out of the eyes and hands of scammers.

BSouthwell's selling advice is spot on. I've sold a few kits and a few other items. I typically start with a low bid point. Some stuff has sold at my base price while other items have had numerous bids making me a tidy little profit, sometimes for stuff that was on the edge of the trash bin because they weren't useful to me anymore.

As to buying on EBay, yes, it has become a somewhat commercial site an dsome dealers start their bids at full retail, but that is capitalism, and you, the consumer, must be somewhat well informed.

I always laugh when a poster writes something like this: "Today, I wouldn't have a thing to do with it.  It has grown so large and complex and full of commercial sellers."  It always sounds like Yogi Berra's comment on Coney Island, "Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded."

Are you familiar with the Armorama Forum,they have a nice buy and sell section which gets lots of traffic.I have used it both ways,and so far no problem.But it's still good to open a Paypal account to buy and sell anywhere.

I have used ebay for 5 + years. I have had outstanding luck on both selling and buying. It has gotten a bit harder to find a reasonable purchasing pricing compared to just a year ago. Seems like everyone starts out at retail or a great many are not bothered by the higher prices and just like to win auctions no matter the cost. A seller has it a little harder and pays the cost of the ebay fees. I will say I have heard stories of bad actors buying an item and then falsely claiming that seller not living up to the listing or not shipping etc. The complaint then stops the paypal deposit from being transferred on the fast track and/or until the conflict is resolved. Complaints can really kill the sellers ratings that hurt the ability to sell again. I have not had a problem..... knock on wood.

 I make sure to be very descriptive, plenty of pictures and always try to pack with great care so that it shows that I cared about the buyer purchasing from me and the kits safe arrival. I communicate with the seller as much as possible so they again know I care about the purchase and it's safe transfer of ownership. The "treat others as you want to be treated"" ideology has worked very well for me in all of my online sales and purchasing activities.

 With selling prices going up on ebay, if you are thinning the stash you would probably make out good. The fees on the plastic kits are not too bad considering the number of people who will look at your listings. I am always looking at listings in the plastic kit area and the ones that get my attention first are "Auction" listings with a starting price way less than list price. You can help control your loss with the "reserve" settings. One needs to be aware that one can quickly add up fees $$$ in the listing costs with the different ad options for making the ad "pop".  Their is a happy balance between your ad fees and the selling price. I look at how high your fees add up - what reserve fee is, fees for big bold lines of the listing title lines, extra picture fees etc. all added the listing base charge  vs the value of the item being listed. I have found I can usually balance all of this to be happy with the sale of my goods. It seems to me it's all about balance.

 I also want to add that some of the seller tools have helped in making the fees a little more palatable.

The shipping calculators and the shipping label system works very well and makes shipping nearly painless for me at least.  

I do wish ebay were free but it is what it is. It is a lot of fun to watch and hunt for kits I want to add to my stash. I have growled at the screen when I lost a rare kit over missing it by .20 cents but I've also cheered when i picked up a real bargain. Well sorry if I was a bit long winded, but hope it helps a little in your stash management.

All the Best!

Bill

PS

 I wondered if you are located in Mississippi as your screen name suggests? I am in NE Mississippi (Iuka, MS) and am hopeful that you might know if there are any active model clubs in my area.

Thanks

Bill

Thanks for the feedback, y'all!

I used eBay in its early days, when it was simple, before Paypal, and you dealt one on one with the seller or buyer.  Probably did 50 or more good transactions with no problems except for one crook, which I fixed by threatening to report him to the authories for mail fraud, since I paid with postal money order.  I got my money back real quick from him after that!

Today, I wouldn't have a thing to do with it.  It has grown so large and complex and full of commercial sellers.

I sold some un wanted kits on there a while back. I think it is better to have a paypal account. I have one anyway for buying stuff, and its handy for that. As for selling, my advice would be to look for others selling the same kit. If there lots of them on offer but not selling, it might be better not to bother with that kit. You have to pay insertion fee's, so if its highly unlikely to sell, it might be better not to bother. Also, it will give you an idea of how much to sell it for.

Looking at others kit will also give you an idea of how much to charge for postage without having to take it to the post office.

Are you selling any armor in 1:35?