*sigh* I don't know why I bother with eBay

[TomGoodheart 373]

Oh, sure. It's fine for picking up stuff. So long as you know what you're doing. And getting rid of things you don't want that are easy enough to post or can be collected.

But to sell, I'm beginning to wonder. Once I've included the listing fees (about £3.50) and commission (9%) and PayPal fees (3.5%) it really cuts into the selling price. And because I can't put in a reserve price below £50 I currently have one item (a coin) that, if I get no more bids, I'm facing a £25 loss on.

The irony is that I'm not looking for a huge profit (though that would be nice!), just to recoup what I paid ... so I can then put the money back into buying more coins! It shouldn't be too difficult for coins I bought around six years ago, but it is. I think for all the coins I've sold perhaps a third have brought in money. Which means I've made a loss in over 60% of sales.

I suppost it's OK for selling stuff a dealer doesn't generally want. And certainly cheaper than the auction houses 20%+. But somehow I lack the knack of getting my money back.

[/grumble]

[azda 973]

Oh, sure. It's fine for picking up stuff. So long as you know what you're doing. And getting rid of things you don't want that are easy enough to post or can be collected.

But to sell, I'm beginning to wonder. Once I've included the listing fees (about £3.50) and commission (9%) and PayPal fees (3.5%) it really cuts into the selling price. And because I can't put in a reserve price below £50 I currently have one item (a coin) that, if I get no more bids, I'm facing a £25 loss on.

The irony is that I'm not looking for a huge profit (though that would be nice!), just to recoup what I paid ... so I can then put the money back into buying more coins! It shouldn't be too difficult for coins I bought around six years ago, but it is. I think for all the coins I've sold perhaps a third have brought in money. Which means I've made a loss in over 60% of sales.

I suppost it's OK for selling stuff a dealer doesn't generally want. And certainly cheaper than the auction houses 20%+. But somehow I lack the knack of getting my money back.

[/grumble]

I believe that if you can give as much info about a coin as you can then it can attract more people

Good pictures are a must also. I've seen coins with descriptions of "Penny" and that's it, well we can all see that it's a Penny. Might i suggest that you look at other peoples descriptions and work on it from there, this guy (330435532851) a dealer always sells high end stuff, although he has been caught silver dipping them, but his descriptions are always much the same format and he does attract bidders. Also list it international, there is a tick box just after you've added your description on the next page. Timing is also important, Sunday to Sunday is always good, i generally list something either a Sunday morning or a Sunday night. Hope it helps.

Edited May 23, 2010 by azda

[TomGoodheart 373]

Looks like I need a better camera. My eBay page

[Rob 2,998]

Just for you I'll keep an eye on them to make sure they don't sell for a silly low price (to anyone else)

[azda 973]

Also Tom, it does cost extra for the zoom in pix, if you take a good quality picture there would be no need for zoom unless it was a rare coin. I use the macro function on my coins. Look up some of my posts in coin aquisition of the week, you'll see how good a pic you can get with a decent camera. Mine is only an 8M cannon on something like that, but it does take a good picture and i only paid €100 for it, my last suggestion would be to put the coin on a flat surface and not hold it, i take mine against a dark background generally and also in the daylight, natural light is great for making good pictures. Also, putting a reserve price and a buy it now costs you twice, either put one or the other. Sorry, i'm just trying to help and not tell you how to run your auctions, just some advice on saving a few pounds here and there

Edited May 23, 2010 by azda

[TomGoodheart 373]

Just for you I'll keep an eye on them to make sure they don't sell for a silly low price (to anyone else)

Thanks Rob!

Sorry, i'm just trying to help and not tell you how to run your auctions, just some advice on saving a few pounds here and there

No, the advice is appreciated! I'd not thought about the BIN and reserve. I guess I just figured if someone wanted it that much it would BIN would save us both time, but the reserve keeps that option until a few bids build up.

As I say, I'm generally only after recouping my costs. My impression is that if you have the nerves to start at a low price people are more likely to bid than if you start off high. But that then risks the things selling for a pittance.

Of course, if I was more careful about price when I buy it might help! But sometimes you see something novel and jump. Particularly in the early days of collecting! Of course, a few years later you start to realise that there are much better examples out there .. if you have the patience to wait for them.

All part of the learning curve!

[Rob 2,998]

On a more practical note, if anyone is interested in hammered shillings or thinking of dabbling, then there are a few listed that are seriously difficult to get hold of. As grotty as the E5/2 looks, you will struggle to find one in any grade and it isn't expensive. I paid well in excess of book for mine a few years ago and have absolutely no regrets. Of the handful of decent examples I know of, none are in danger of being sold in a hurry. You are also unlikely to be over-run with B2/1's or D1/1's either.

Edited May 23, 2010 by Rob

[TomGoodheart 373]

Oh well. Looks like overall, only a loss of £30. Could be worse I guess!

[Gary D 76]

Oh well. Looks like overall, only a loss of £30. Could be worse I guess!

I know I always seem to buy high and sell cheap on ebay. I suspect a lot on ebay is not what it seems. Although I don't condone it I think it's all about multiple accounts. If you have a coin to sell that's not worthy of a reserve a second account can be used to put a bid on your own item to protect it from going too cheap. Ok you could end up winning it yourself and paying the ebay fee but you would likely only loose a pound or two. Also naturally toned coins don't make money, hence a certain seller dipping his silver, it can increase you selling price by 200%. Sad but true.

Gary

[1949threepence 3,366]

Of course, if I was more careful about price when I buy it might help! But sometimes you see something novel and jump. Particularly in the early days of collecting! Of course, a few years later you start to realise that there are much better examples out there .. if you have the patience to wait for them.

All part of the learning curve!

Indeed, paying big for lower quality, because of impatience to get something unusual, is a typical rookie coin collector mistake. One which you usually pay for, sometimes years later

Oh well. Looks like overall, only a loss of £30. Could be worse I guess!

I know I always seem to buy high and sell cheap on ebay. I suspect a lot on ebay is not what it seems. Although I don't condone it I think it's all about multiple accounts. If you have a coin to sell that's not worthy of a reserve a second account can be used to put a bid on your own item to protect it from going too cheap. Ok you could end up winning it yourself and paying the ebay fee but you would likely only loose a pound or two. Also naturally toned coins don't make money, hence a certain seller dipping his silver, it can increase you selling price by 200%. Sad but true.

Gary

So do I ~ and the sockpuppets are easy to spot in a bidding up process. They're usually the ones who only have a very few reps to their name, and never end up winning, but appear very frequently in the few hours leading up to the sale, although never in the last few minutes.

It's understandable in a way, and I've seen sellers using this method, and still end up selling for less than book price.

[1949threepence 3,366]

For buyers especially, another potentiality to bear in mind is the pound/dollar exchange rate. If by some remote chance the pound strengthens against the dollar, it will be worth bidding on US e bay.

Not very likely I know, but just something to have at the back of your mind. Just in case.

[Peckris 579]

- you would likely only loose a pound or two. -

Gary

You KNOW what I'm gonna say. But I'm gonna say it anyway. LOSE not LOOSE. (Sorry, it's my pet irritant at the moment).

[Red Riley 2]

You KNOW what I'm gonna say. But I'm gonna say it anyway. LOSE not LOOSE. (Sorry, it's my pet irritant at the moment).

NEVER start a sentence with a conjunction (chortle!).

[scottishmoney 18]

For buyers especially, another potentiality to bear in mind is the pound/dollar exchange rate. If by some remote chance the pound strengthens against the dollar, it will be worth bidding on US e bay.

Actually the Pound being in the loo works to my advantage. I was hatin' life back when it took $2 to buy the £1 a couple of years back - and made a big purchase from one of those London dealers.

[Peckris 579]

You KNOW what I'm gonna say. But I'm gonna say it anyway. LOSE not LOOSE. (Sorry, it's my pet irritant at the moment).

NEVER start a sentence with a conjunction (chortle!).

Actually, that's just a stylistic thing. Many novelists and writers ignore that particular Louthism.

[1949threepence 3,366]

For buyers especially, another potentiality to bear in mind is the pound/dollar exchange rate. If by some remote chance the pound strengthens against the dollar, it will be worth bidding on US e bay.

Actually the Pound being in the loo works to my advantage. I was hatin' life back when it took $2 to buy the £1 a couple of years back - and made a big purchase from one of those London dealers.

Yep, the principle I referred to only works to full advantage here in the UK

[Red Riley 2]

Actually, that's just a stylistic thing. Many novelists and writers ignore that particular Louthism.

As do I, but I just felt sorry for Gary. It was however, what I was taught at school.

Going back to the initial topic, the last few items I have sold on e-bay have gone for way below what I expected. I just wonder if people are beginning to abandon it, perhaps because of the impenetrable mountains of utter crap that nobody would buy in a million years.

[1949threepence 3,366]

Actually, that's just a stylistic thing. Many novelists and writers ignore that particular Louthism.

As do I, but I just felt sorry for Gary. It was however, what I was taught at school.

Going back to the initial topic, the last few items I have sold on e-bay have gone for way below what I expected. I just wonder if people are beginning to abandon it, perhaps because of the impenetrable mountains of utter crap that nobody would buy in a million years.

Things are going for slightly less than last year. I've noticed that. There may be something in what you say.

The number of crap worn coins marked as being "from Ireland" is phenomenal. I'm not sure if anybody ever buys this crap.

It's a pity e bay can't have pages devoted to coins marked as EF and above, for serious collectors.

[TomGoodheart 373]

I find it frustrating that people list 30 Charles de Gaule 2€ pieces or Charles & Di wedding crowns individually! For goodness sake! Do they not realise that they can list them all in one listing, save themselves ££ and me time and irritation at having to skip past their bloody listings!

Yes, 30 listings stand out more than one, but they can highlight one just as easily and probably cheaper. Having pages of the things just seems closer to spamming than selling.