I’ve just sold something for less than it was worth

[Cobwebsonthecastle]

I’m not going to say what, but I sold something on eBay for a couple of hundred to a buyer, I’ve since discovered that they have sold it on for over £1k.

I did my research and looked at previous sold things of the same type and I thought it would go for more then £100/£200. But I’m kicking myself now.

It’s not really an AIBU. It’s more of a venting as I’m angry at myself.

My dad always said that you never get the last penny for anything. Bottom line is you sold it for a price you were happy with. There's no point working about the 'if only'.

working- worrying!

Ah that's frustrating.

Try to let it go.

I've done similar before, and I'm a reseller so usually the person who would have been doing the selling on for 1K. If you got a price you were happy with at the time then try not to let it bother you. You haven't lost money as you didn't have it to begin with.

It’s annoying when that happens but it’s just one of those things

I suppose you've probably enjoyed being on the receiving end of a bargain or two in your life as well.

When I make a mistake like this, I console myself with the thought of how happy I have made someone else. It is annoying, I know. Try to put it behind you.

You just have to be content that you sold it for a price you were happy with and got what you needed for it

Is it possible that the seller is more skilled at selling on eBay?

I think the right words / images can help tremendously.

What did they do differently in their listing compared to yours? Or did they sell it elsewhere?

Don't listen at doors it never ends well. In other words if you actively searched to see what they sold it for you may have been better staying blissfully unaware.

I have done this too! Frustrating but as others have said, it does go both ways and people will also know the market better than you.

If you didn't want the thing then you've lost nothing and still have more money than you started with.

We did this, my in laws kept boxes and boxes full of my husbands toys/ figures/ collectibles from when he was younger and they were stacked high in my sons bedroom as we had nowhere to keep them. He ended up selling it all as a job lot to someone who was able to buy it all at once, who went on to sell it all off separately on eBay. My husband was gutted but we just couldn't keep it any longer, plus it was his mums idea to keep everything.
His parents went on about how much he could've had for it for ages, but I didn't hear them offering to store it for us

No point in being angry at yourself. You can't live life on what if/ buts.

I kid you not DH was watching an online auction for mostly farm stuff. Someone bought a wheel barrow, missing the wheel for €30!! What people will spend/ buy in auctions often doesn't really make sense

I would also feel frustrated, but try to think of it like selling something to an antique dealer. You know they’re going to sell it on at a profit, but you still sell to them because you don’t understand the market in the same way and don’t have the contacts they do.

The person you sold to is probably something of an expert in whatever said item is. You did your research before setting your price, but realistically there’s always going to be someone who knows more than you. It’s not like you asked them how much it’s worth and they lied to get it cheap.

You sold it for £200, they sold it on for £1,000. They knew more about it than you, it happens all the time on eBay - someone comes along that knows more about the items value than the owner. It generally means that they know how to describe and present it better. Your description/listing wasn't found by their eventual buyer that paid more for it.

I have permanent searches running on eBay looking for badly described items as bargains. It's a lot less effort than scouring charity shops.

PS.
Assuming you ran it as an auction, then they were prepared to pay you more than their winning bid. They might have bid £800. The thing to understand about eBay is that it always sells for the second-highest bid amount. This is why getting the listing right is vitally important - you only get the best price if you get at least two bidders competing.