OT, I've purchased a number of things on Ebay but never sold on

[Bill R.]

Ebay, I have some sterling n.o.s. parts that i thought i would put up there and see what they get.. Any tips on the procedures for selling and setting up paypal etc? Thanks

[Gayle]

Ebay, I have some sterling n.o.s. parts that i thought i would put up there and see what they get.. Any tips on the procedures for selling and setting up paypal etc? Thanks

There are two types of paypal accounts--ones that take credit cards and ones that only take direct withdrawals from peoples accounts. The first costs more in fees, but if you don't go that route, your high bidder will be someone who didn't read the instructions and only has the credit card type.

Other than that--lots of pictures and lots of descriptions. Your stuff will probably sell well cause your pictures are so fab. Be prepared to get lots of stupid questions. (But we have gotten you accustomed to that--right?) But it you are really nice in your replies, people feel sort of obligated to bid. If you are curt, it makes them not want to bid.

The best feature is printing your own prepaid postage labels through paypal. And you know that the post office gives you free mailing materials for priority mail. There is a seller feature where you can set it up so that people can check the postage to their zip code either priority or standard and then pick. That is good. Most people add $1-5 to postage rates for shipping and handling.

And one other cool thing is you will be able to see how many people have put your item on either watch list. A lot of people don't bid until the last minute so that they don't drive up the price.

Also you want to use lots of symonym in the titles so people can find it (as in purse, handbag, wallet, ) and not make it too restrictive--for example say bmw 5 series, as opposed to e34, or maybe say 525, 535.

You should let us critique your listing after it posts.

Former Ebay Addict in Recovery

[shogun]

Interesting also for me. I am registered there, but have so far not applied for paypal, as I read some month ago one thread about Paypal here where some people complained. On the other hand many people prefer Paypal and it is cheaper to remit or receive money.
As I am soon going to start selling a lot of parts from my E32 750iL parts cars, I think I have to get Paypal.
There are also different types, for buyers or for sellers mainly. So what category is most suitable if you buy and sell?
And here in Japan Ebay is small, Yahoo is 2nd biggest, Rakuten ist the biggest auction house, and of course both have their own different pay system than Paypal.
Why on earth can they not all use the same system. Rakuten this year even bought a bank.

[Rigmaster]

Bill, it's easy to set up an account on Ebay AND Paypal. I'm not an expert, but I've bought and sold alot of stuff on Ebay, and it seems like BMW parts is pretty much a buyer's market- there are lots of folks parting out cars, right down to the last nut + bolt, and selling them on Ebay. The best thing I can tell you is- describe your items accurately and honestly, take GOOD pictures and offer to provide more if anyone requests them.

There are a couple of different philosophies about starting price- some say to start out low (like 0.99 cents) in order to get more people interested, while some say to just set the opening bid at the lowest price you could imagine selling it for. I've done it both ways, and I've sold some $$$ things for $1 or $2 dollars, but I've also sold things for alot more than I could have imagined (those auctions are few and far between though...). One interesting feature is the "make an offer" thing that Ebay started offering not too long ago. Basically it's only available for fixed price listings, or listings with a "Buy it now" price- people can make you an offer for the item if they think the price is too high. I have gotten several (usually REALLY low) offers, but it could be a useful tool.

There is plenty more I could say about Ebay- let me know if there's anything specific you need help/advice on.


Bret.

[Gayle]

And Bill, I think you should exploit your professional mechanic status. It will give people confidence they are not buying junk. Put it in the ad. People sort of want to know who they are buying from and why they are selling.

[Springfield1952]

Should I feel somehow insulted??

Curt.

Other than that--lots of pictures and lots of descriptions. Your stuff will probably sell well cause your pictures are so fab. Be prepared to get lots of stupid questions. (But we have gotten you accustomed to that--right?) But it you are really nice in your replies, people feel sort of obligated to bid. If you are curt, it makes them not want to bid.

[Gayle]

Should I feel somehow insulted??

Curt.

LOL Around our house we have a theory that peoples names shape their personality. So did being named Curt make you "curt"? Some of those definitions are thought provoking.

Definition of "curt"

[Zeuk in Oz]

Ebay, I have some sterling n.o.s. parts that i thought i would put up there and see what they get.. Any tips on the procedures for selling and setting up paypal etc? Thanks

Have never used paypal as either seller or purchaser, however I seem to remember an enormous amount of discussion on the topic on this forum a little while ago, and it wasn't complimentary - might be worthwhile doing a search.

Talk to "Mark D" or "Qube" .

[Bill R.]

actual mechanics of setting up the account with paypal and the selling procedure and you have answered the things i was wondering about. As far as getting the best price, since there isn't a whole lot of demand for sterling/rover parts i'm not too concerned about what i get for them.. just want to get rid of some stuff thats taking up space. Who knows if it works out easy i may get rid of a whole lot of stuff thats just taking up space. Thanks again.

[Jon K]

Bill:

Before you open paypal...

www.paypalwarning.com


they have $800 of mine still... its frozen "indefinitely". cool.