I lose at selling on ebay way too often :(

[ppia600]

In the past year I've sold a few things on ebay and have lost badly as in I wish I had kept the items. For example, I just sold two amps (in two different auctions) and got a total of $200 for both. One was an earthquake PHD2 2000 frickin watt rms american made powerhouse in excellent condition and the other was a BRAND NEW pyramid pbsp 2075 built by Precision Power in the USA. I actually paid almost $400 for the earthquake and THAT was a bargain. I paid close to $150 for the "pyramid/ppi". I tried listing in two categories and posted several pictures of each amp. Don't know what I could be doing wrong as I've tried to learn from auctions of successful high volume companies. I was actually thinking of selling my two PPI A600.2's but there is no way I'm going to get screwed like I have with the past five or six sales so they're staying with me.

Funny how you can bid (against several others) on something used and buy it for x amount and sell it a few months later and get less than half of what you paid. ??????? I realize money is tight for some people but sheesh

[Glowbug]

The names likely scared a lot of potential buyers off. Unless you specifically know what it is, I wouldn't expect there to be a lot of interest at those prices.

You could try more specialized forums where you might have people who'd be able to tell the difference between the run-of-the-mill Earthquake and Pyramid stuff you see on Ebay every day.

Why not set a reserve price for your auctions, if you don't absolutely need to sell?

[tsmith1315]

I'm very sorry to hear that. I didn't want to know what you got for them.

OTOH, the PPI A's (mostly A400's) I've seen sold lately were reasonable deals for both parties. Of course, you know I'd rather see you keep 'em anyway.

If you change your mind and decide you need another amp to use in the car, let me know.

[Pano]

Yes, why not a reserve price? I'm no fan of reserve auctions, but sometimes they are the right thing to do.

[theAnonymous1]

Originally Posted by panomaniac

Yes, why not a reserve price? I'm no fan of reserve auctions, but sometimes they are the right thing to do.

I don't bother with reserve price shenanigans when I sell on ebay. I simply set the starting price at the absolute lowest amount I will take for the item.

I rarely ever bid on items with a reserve price; it ends up being a waste of time more often than not. Nothing like bidding on a 5 day auction for something that's only worth say $50 when the seller set a reserve of $100.

[cowboy99]

Timing seems to be the trick to ebay. I bought allot of bench equipment this year and noticed that the best prices sellers seemed to achieve is when they post 'em up on Sunday evening. I noticed some savy sellers would hold on to particular items and only post late Sunday after ensuring no one else had listed an identical item that weekend. The bidding on Sunday evening can be fierce.
As a buyer, I found I could get some great deals on items that ended early to mid week and especially near the first part of the month which I attribute to less funds available for the average Joe that has bills/rent etc due then. I learned to only bid on an item early if I was the first bidder; if not then I would hold off any bidding till the last 20secs. I'm sure I pis__ somebody off a time or two. Ebay is somewhat like poker.
As a seller, you should consider the option of removing an item for sale while that window is still open if it becomes apparent that your going to lose big; Ebay will allow that if you don't abuse it.

Just a theory: But I sure started get to some great deals by watching the sellers that were getting the high prices. Like any market, it helps to watch on the sidelines before buying or selling.

Charles

[lowpoke]

I think Charles is right. Timing can be important.
As a general rule of thumb I try to list items so they end between 7.00 and 9.00 pm on a weeknight. (I know this contradicts Charles a little, but this is what I find works for me.)

Decent photos and plenty of background info on the product helps too. A 'story' about how the item meant so much to you is also generally a winner. You know, like it was given to you by your grandfather or something

And starting the price low will often generate a lot of bidding early in the auction, which encourages competition. (Even though the REAL players will only bid in the last few seconds.) People like to feel like they won out over the other bidders. Starting the auction at a higher price may only generate one or two bids too late in the game.

[Geek]

Originally Posted by lowpoke

I think Charles is right. Timing can be important.
As a general rule of thumb I try to list items so they end between 7.00 and 9.00 pm on a weeknight. (I know this contradicts Charles a little, but this is what I find works for me.)

This is very time zone dependent too.

When I sold tubes, 2/3 of my buyers were Asian. They liked to bid when they get up, so I timed my auction to end in the morning hours (~6AM) Hong Kong time.

Complete unit stuff, the American's love. So I timed those to end at around 7PM EST.

DIY parts go in batches... you can sell $200-$300 one week, have two months of nothing, then sell another $500 worth and so on.

And what doesn't sell one week, may have a sniper war in the last few seconds the next.... and the week after that, go for pennies. Watch what similar items are doing with the "Completed Listings" filter option.

This close to Christmas will be dead. So will be January, June, July and August. Mid September to late November are peak selling times.

Cheers!

[lowpoke]

Gregg, it seems as though you have it down to a fine art!

[poynton]

Some very good advice here !!

Research the market is my 2c.

For high value stuff, I usually use the "Buy it Now" option with "Make an Offer" enabled.
This gives some idea of the correct target price if it does not sell.

Andy



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