Tuesday, November 25, 2008

eBAy Selling Tips #1 - What is my Item Worth



eBay, the perfect way to make some fast, fat cash. People will buy anything that you list for copious amounts of money, right? Not quite. There is a lot of money to be made but there is a method to the madness. I've learned plenty of do's and don't over the last 9 years of selling and now I give them to you. 5 tips for selling on eBay #1 - What is My Item Worth.

1) Don't believe collector guides. The values are generally greatly inflated. You usually won't get much more than 50% of book value. (some exceptions may apply)

2) Do your research. Search for the item that you want to sell under completed listings on eBay. If 10 people couldn't get $5 for the same item that you have then there is no point in your making the same mistake. However, you may find that your item is worth much more than you expected.

3) If you can't find your item under completed listings than it is no doubt rare and worth a ton of money. Um, or its junk and everyone but you knows that but you. Try googling your item. This can be a tedious and time consuming activity. Reseraching the value of an item using Google is very hit or miss.

4)If your item proclaims on the box that it is a collectors item, it probably isn't worth collecting, buying, or selling. (once again, a few exceptions may apply)

5) Collecting trends change as does the market for those items. Just because your item was worth $100 last year doesn't mean it is worth $1 this year. (your not going to retire off of your POGS or Beany Baby collections)

6 comments:

Paul said...

But what if I have a complete Star Wars POG collection? Slammers and all!

snobound said...

Good advise! Thanks for sharing.

Michael Joseph Sharp said...

Ok. So lets say that I know of a garage that you need to burrow through like a hamster in order to gain entry. What would be a person's first step be (no pun intended) if he wants to sell some stuff?

DanThoms said...

First you need to set up an eBay account which is easy, you will also have to set up a Paypal account. Then its just a matter of photographing your item and listing it. eBay will walk you through it for the most part.

elektra said...

THIS IS SCARY.
the world is coming to an end.

eBay Ticket Selling said...

Cases on eBay, you already have an eBay account - just log in and click "Sell" at the top of the page, then click on "Create a seller's account." If you've never been before on eBay, then you must open an account and use the link 'register' in the toolbar, then click "Sell" and "Create a seller's account." The user is guided through all necessary steps to eBay. For security reasons, this may be related to the issue of the card and bank account, but it is completely safe.