Hello UYDers,
The final value of the signed copy Dave McKean sketchbook auction was $23.05 + $5.00 for shipping/handling
The winner has not paid with paypal, so I am assuming the check/money order is in the mail. If this is the case I will not have to pay any paypal fees / credit card fees.
The final value fee was $2.02
The auction listing fees $0.40
The shipping cost was $2.76 (media mail)
The envelop & packing supplies $3.99 (I could have saved money but I was in the hurry)
Paypal fee. $1.11
Total expenses $10.28
Total profit $28.05 - $10.28 = $17.71
Total time listing, contacting winner bidder, preparing package, driving to post office ~ 2 hours (I'm very slow).
I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow, so I'm just going to send this off and trust that the winner has sent payment.
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Thanks for everyone's comments.
go wrote:
Please consider starting your auctions on Tuesday and ending them on Tuesday.
I never tried this. I've always thought auctions that end on Sunday nights were best. I'll give this a try.
go wrote:Ebay is seasonal. . . . The best time to make money on eBay is March and April. . . . Please consider selling your more costly items in March and April.
I completely agree. Good idea. But nothing I have will go for much more than $100 (most will be under $10, I think). My main goal is to get rid of the excess stuff that is just sitting around.
go wrote: Please consider grouping 5 or more $.99 items in one auction starting at 4.99. You will use one fifth the effort on many small packages and individual buyers and payments.
In general, I say a good rule is to price your auction at what price you are willing to let things go for. It's worth it to pay the higher listing fees and if it doesn't sell, you are only out a few bucks and your time.
yee28 wrote:Ebay does on offer free listing days or additional pic's for Free.
When I didn't have a job, I loved free listing days. But now days, I rather pay the fees for the convenience.
yee28 wrote:A single Good photo's with a very good description is usually more than enough to sell an item. To avoid additional photo fee's you could have the bidder email you for a photos. But then again .15 cents saves you the trouble to send out emails.
Using basic HTML code is an easy way to avoid photo fees. But this also requires you host the photos somewhere else. I used to take the extra effort. I decided it is not worth my time anymore.
yee28 wrote:Don't forget to consider your Shipping and Handling cost. It's great to win an item for say $2.00 but then have to pay $6.00 for Ship & Hand. Most ebay bidders do take into consideration the S & H cost with the purchase price of the item. But how do you think that person will feel if he paid the $6.00 to have his/her $2.00 item mailed in a plain envelope.
It is very important to give people good value in s/h cost. I package my items very carefully to protect the items from damage.
One of the risk of selling something for $2.00 is that low priced auctions attract people who really care about every nickel. They may be quick to assume that I am just trying to rip them off. They don't price into the time, gas, and energy in to the s/h cost. And they maybe quick to leave negative feedback on your eBay account which will affect your future auctions.
ricksam wrote:If post at too slow a rate will miss opportunity of sales. When a bidder makes a bid on 1 item, more likely than not they will check out what else you have to offer. If nothing else up now - you lost a potential bid.
This is true. I think when I sell some more collectable comics (like The Dark Knight Returns or early run of 70's swamp thing issues) I will sell those individually instead of a set. When I sold my complete collection of Miracleman (full runs of Moore and Gaimen series and the anthologies) I sold them as one set. I pretty sure I could have probably doubled my money if I sold those individually. But it was right before my first daughter was born, so I didn't want to have to prepare 30 individual comics for shipping.
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There is also software out there you can pay for that help design nice looking auctions.
iSale
http://www.aspyr.com/games.php/software/isale
GarageSale
http://www.iwascoding.com/GarageSale
For me, eBay is a way to get rid of stuff that I no longer want. But it does take work and time (writing descriptions, taking photos/loading, answering questions, preparing, driving to the post office). That can be a pain. So I happy to just list one or two auctions at a time.
Peace, maka
