would I be absolutely crazy to sell my two chanel handbags, chanel wallet and a Louis Vuitton handbag on ebay???

[BarbieLovesKen]

I ask because, more than likely down to my own stupidity, Ive just had a really awful experience as a first time ebay seller.

I stupidly listed 26 items, 17 sold, there were childrens clothes and some were REALLY gorgeous and some were designer (catimini, Il Gufo etc) others were next and benetton. Thinking I was clever, I listed all with no reserve - I had bought before on my DH's account and had always seen alot of interest in designer clothes with little or no reserve. Was sure they would go for a reasonable amount. So, my own fault - loads went for a silly price i.e. 0.01p, then to add insult, I had completely miscalculated postage and am down a nice amount of money, as postage costed, on average, more than ?1-?2 than I had charged and some even more . I've actually been ridiculously upset all week.

Really want to raise some cash and was thinking of listing the above, but after my experience (honestly am completely shocked at how low these went for!!! I know I was stupid but still I really expected more!!). I do know to list a reserve this time of what Ill be happy with but my initial impression of ebay is now well... rubbished, not happy and dont know if I should waste my time (I love these bags)

IME I asked my mum to sell a Guess purse that was given to me, which wasn't my cup of tea. It was boxed, and still had a partial tag from a well-known spanish dept store.. and the familky that gave it to me, had lots of money....

Anyhow - the person who bid for it - received it and then gave negative feedback saying it was fake. Which was REALLY annoying, because why not email first - my mum would have taken back, returned postage, etc.

So my mum had to go into dispute which took ages...

So IME - I'd try gumtree first.

I've only ever had good experiences of selling on ebay. It is upsetting when things sell for less than you hoped though.
I think designer bags sell really well.
Like you said...protect yourself with a reserve, work out postage before you list - send special delivery to protect yourself if lost or damaged in the post.

dont quote me i think you have to have a reserve of £50 any less than you will have to pay a fee for setting the reserve

Well it's your own fault if you listed p&p that was less than actual postage costs, but I'm sure you won't make that mistake again! Still horrible for you.

I'd start listings at 99p, not 0.01p.

I tihnk designer stuff goes for a lot, but you need to choose when your bid will end, you'll get better results if it's sunday evening, than, say wednesday morning. You want people to get into bidding wars with each other, that won';t happen if they're all at work or doing the morning breakfast rush with their kids.

Make sure you can proove they are genuine, just incase you get buyers trying to claim they are fake after you have sent them.

If you are relatively new to ebay then you might struggle to sell those items because you wont have much feedback as a seller to back you up.

Some things dont go for much on ebay - might be worth looking at the amounts that similar items have sold for in the past.

Do you have any dress agencies near you that you could take the bags to? Might be more straightforward, and at least then you could know what price you were getting before you agree to sell.

Thanks a million for all your replies/ experiences.

I know!! I was so so stupid regarding the postage etc.. was really annoyed with myself all week!. Im not worried about bags being claimed as fake as I they have seriel numbers imprinted on the lining/ authenticity cards/ dust bags etc (and could be proved if buyer brings to chanel boutique etc..)

Im just worried that theyll once again sell for something ridiculous!! I know my reserve was down to my own stupidity but I honestly thought these would go for more than 1cent. Im happy to put a start price Id be ok with but realistically, to attract buyers, it cant be that high so I would have to add less than I really want.

No. No dress agencies near me (I live in the middle of nowhere!!)

You can sell things on here if you have CAT. Alternatively, you can put a higher reserve on them if you use eBay.

I have bought a couple of Louis Vuitton's on Ebay. They both reached a good price and had a lot of bidders so I knew they were genuine (also had original receipts etc)

I did however in the begining get a fake which was sold as genuine but I did get a full refund as paid by paypal.

Which bags are they?

You could put them on a buy it now or best offer. Look throught the completed listings to see what price they should achieve. The bags you have are some of the most sought after on ebay.

I sold my LV bag last week for £300.

If I were you, I'd wait a month or so before listing them.

In my experience, things always sell for less during the summer period when people are away etc. For some reason, I've found this summer especially quiet - have made far less than expected on a couple of items I've sold (and also won some things for much less than expected).

Things usually get busier on ebay in Sept/Oct as people start to buy for Autumn/Winter. I agree that ending listings on Sunday evenings is a good idea.

I'd also recommend positing worldwide - I've had a lot of international buyers lately as the pound is still relatively weak. International buyers tend to be less put off by higher postage rates in my experience, so make sure you charge enough - you can use the Royal Mail website to price postage if you know the weight.