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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be gutted that I've just sold over £100 of stuff on ebay for £8 :(

31 replies

Pheebe · 14/09/2008 15:22

OK, I know I am and thats how it works and that the other person has got a great deal and probably is very grateful etc etc

But still, why do I feel cheated...

OP posts:
Mercy · 14/09/2008 15:26

I've no idea how Ebay works tbh but that doesn't sound right.

Do you mean £8 was the highest offer you received?

NotDoingTheHousework · 14/09/2008 15:27

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NotDoingTheHousework · 14/09/2008 15:28

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catsmother · 14/09/2008 15:28

...... because, if you're anything like me (and 1000s of others) you're only selling stuff on eBay at all because you're really quite desperate, and it's human nature to hope that the sale would help you out of a hole. I've often also found (sod's law) that what's been selling for £xxxx 2 weeks ago only fetches £x when I sell it (always in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's me !)

Obviously, you can set a reserve ...... but then it's like, if I don't get that, I won't get anything, whereas an auction without one should at least get you something - which is better than nothing.

bloomingfedup · 14/09/2008 15:34

I have started to think that ebaby is shit. I did like it but the fees seem to really eat in to my profits!

expatinscotland · 14/09/2008 15:42

that's wild. someone on here thought they'd get £100 for something they were selling and got like £360 .

i haven't used it since getting burned by a buyer last year.

boot sales have lower fees, you get the cash then and there and don't see the buyer again.

Flibbertyjibbet · 14/09/2008 15:51

I sell stuff on ebay not cos I am desperate but because its a good way to get rid of things we no longer need/use.
Whenever I think that something will be worth £x amount, it always goes for much less. The opposite is true for bits of tat that I think will just go for 99p.
I just put it all in a separate bank account (well the couple of quid or so a month!!) and look at the total instead of beating myself up over individual amounts.
You might have listed it to end at a bad time, you might have put a bad description, you might have bad feedback, etc etc etc.

Put us a link and we'll tell you why it went for cheapo

Pheebe · 14/09/2008 16:44

It was a massive bundle of baby stuff including a baby carrier so I;m comforting myself with the thought that another little bub is going to get good use out of it. The idea was to use it to buy new stuff for the dcs. Should have put a reserve, will do next time.

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 14/09/2008 16:50

I use ebay to get rid of stuff that I don't need that is just cluttering up the house. I am always surprised at the amount some people pay for things. At the same time there are some items that I think are going to sell well and they don't for some reason.

I don't do bundles though, as I don't think that you ever get near what it is worth. I have only sold single items (not clothing).

When did your auction end? Sometimes it is just a bad time. I always have mine ending at around 9pm when the DCs are in bed cause I think that is when I would have time to browse.

Flibbertyjibbet · 14/09/2008 17:32

Large bundles of baby stuff never get much unless its all designer stuff - I mean expensive designer stuff not just high street brands.
There is just so much baby stuff on ebay - babies grow quickly so their clothes hardly get any use, so the mums try and sell them on.
I never buy big bundles cos most of it you don't want. I might buy a bundle of a few pairs of jeans but thats about it.
Postage is high on bundles.
So expecting £100 for a bundle of baby stuff I think was unrealistic.

frogs · 14/09/2008 17:40

There is a bit of a knack to ebay, I think.

It definitely helps to have stuff ending mid-evening, especially on a Sunday night. People can be put off bundles by the postage costs, and I agree that baby stuff tends to be ten a penny, unless you have named brands like Boden or designer stuff.

Look up some completed listings to see what similar bundles have gone for and try to work out the difference between the ones that go for a tenner and the ones that hit big money.

Selling stuff in season makes a big difference as well. I always hold onto things until the right time of year, ie. now for winter stuff, april for summer stuff.

I don't mess around with reserves, I just start the auction at the lowest price that wouldn't leave me completely gutted iyswim.

I am feeling rather smug atm as a bundle of dd2's outgrown clothes is heading for the £90 mark and still has 3 hours to go. But I've learnt the silly way from doing big bundles that don't go for much at all. Ebay is def. not money for old rope, but can work well if you get it right.

MarlaSinger · 14/09/2008 17:46

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expatinscotland · 14/09/2008 17:46

boot sale the bundles. likely to get a better offer becuase the buyer can see what they're buying and no postage costs.

frogs · 14/09/2008 17:51

Not convinced, expat. Boot sales are terrible for people wanting something for nothing. The last one we did we were selling lovely kids clothes at 3 for £1, just to shift them. Though agree you get the cash in hand.

If you have a 2nd hand kids clothes shop near you that can be a better solution, though you get a pitifully small portion of the sale price (half to a third, usually).

I still stick to ebay, though only for things that I know will sell (mini-boden etc).

Do look at how to tweak your listings, though -- also matters what you put in your heading, as this will affect traffic to your item.

Pheebe · 14/09/2008 17:51

Yes, think I'll bootsale the rest. Clearly I'm an ebay virgin

Its not that I wanted £100 for it, just thought it was worth more than £8. Of course, I'd be overjoyed if I was the buyer.

Thanks for the suggestions

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 14/09/2008 17:54

3 for £1 sounds about right, though, tbh.

if you have a big bundle of stuff and goods, you walk out with more than £8.

NO big fees, no paypal hassles, no hassle from git buyers, etc.

tiggerlovestobounce · 14/09/2008 17:54

Babt stuff always goes for next to nothing. I dont bother selling baby stuff on ebay, the charity shop is a lot less effort, and by the time you have paid ebay fees it isnt so different in terms of overall profit.

If you are going to sell stuff as a bundle then its better not to put too much together.

People will have looked at your listing, and if they wanted clothes but no carrier or carrier but not clothes wouldnt have bid.
Its not logical, but you probably would have got more if you hadnt included the carrier.

frogs · 14/09/2008 17:54

What flibbertyjibbet said also. Do us a link and we'll critique your listing!

frogs · 14/09/2008 17:56

But for ebay you don't have to get up at 4am, expat...

Actually both can be great, you just have to know which will sell where. I triage the kids outgrown clothes into Ebay/bootsale/freecycle tbh. You have to be realistic.

expatinscotland · 14/09/2008 18:03

4am?

they never start till noon round here!

frogs · 14/09/2008 18:56

Obviously a better class of bootsale in Scotland.

The one we go to in London opens for buyers at 9.30, which means you drive in c. 8.30, which means you need to start queuing by at least 6am to get a decent pitch. (Cramped, inner-city school playground site).

I guess out in t'country where you've got acres of proper fields they can afford to be more laid back about it.

Housemum · 14/09/2008 19:09

Don't forget the NCT sales too - sme areas do table top sales which is like an indoor car boot in that you have to man your stall and sell your stuff. Our local one is run brilliantly (OK, I am on the committee ) and you price up your stuff and drop it off, collecting the unsold stuff later - cheque follows for amount sold less thier commission, typically 30% items under £10, 15% items £10 and over.

EBay isn't getting the amounts it used to - which is great for buyers but I'm not sdelling on there at the mo unless it's big-name stuff. Eg I bought a back-pack baby carrier, local pick-up, for 99p last week - felt almost embarassed taking it. I'll use it for a year and probably sell it for a fiver at the NCT sale.

pamelat · 14/09/2008 19:14

Similar happened to me (not quite as bad)

I had a brand new NEXT suit, I had paid £70 in a half price sale (and thought that it would fetch £30 or so). I got £12 for it and then had to post it inclusive!!! Silly

squilly · 15/09/2008 13:24

People often over-value things the first time they sell things on Ebay. You have to check to check what similar items have gone for in the past. That will give you a good indication of what you could get for yours.

Things are only ever worth what people are prepared to pay for them. But I think we've all been in the position where we've sent something out for free, or for very little profit by the time fees are taken out. And sometimes it's the most divine stuff. I always count those as my karma sales. At some point, I will have a purchase or two that matches them.

As someone else said earlier, you have to word your title carefully to attract attention, present your items attractively to ensure maximum confidence in the buyer and you need to put the right seasons clothes in at the right time, just before the appropriate season starts or just at the beginning of the season.

With Ebay now I try to sell just what I'm happy to give away. That way, if it sells for anything, it's a bonus.

If what I'm selling has a definite value to it, I'd do it on a buy it now price or set a high start price.

Generally, with clothes, I start at 99p and accept that that's what they might go for. 5 years ago kids clothes got bonkers money. Now, every supermarket in town sells nice quality clothes in great designs that are near enough at disposable prices. How do you sell second hand stuff against that????

blueshoes · 15/09/2008 14:39

Frogs: " I triage the kids outgrown clothes into Ebay/bootsale/freecycle tbh. You have to be realistic." Agree, I do that too, although being in London, I substitute 'bootsale' with 'charity shop'.

I have to say I don't do bundles, whether buying or selling. But then again, I just follow my own buying behaviour. Since I don't buy bundles, I cannot really judge what is sellable for bundles.

Things can go for higher than expected prices on eBay if you time, price, present your 99p auction right. Having learnt the hard way as to what sells and what does not (from having auctions end unloved) and also from bidding for stuff, I only list what is desirable and guaranteed to not only sell but also attract a decent amount of interest. Otherwise, it is not worth my time or expense.

Agree with frogs' and others' tips on here. Definitely an art to eBay selling. Happy to look at your listing FWIW.

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