what am I doing wrong?

[addictedisback]

I'm trying to sell some children's clothes, I've put them all at 99p with a £3.50 p&p. But nothing is selling. I've put photos and descriptions and all clothes are very good condition, where am I going wrong?

Individual items or a bundle?

Individual items.

when do they end? sometimes no one bids till the very last minute.
Are they designer clothes? these sell best; sometimes if its an obscure designer its a good idea to put like "x,y and z" in the title shows up on more searches that way.
Did you iron them for the photo? sorry if this is a cheeky question but its amazing how many people don't and it really puts buyers off.

As a buyer I would consider £3.50 to be expensive for postage

Depends on the brand......I sell Boden and Joules mainly, very occassionally John Lewis and Next, supermarket brands are a no no. I always sell in small bundles with postage at £2.70 second class, yours sounds alittle high...........

Can you link to your listings so we can advise further?

i've got similar items up at the moment and have the same situation -99p start price no bids. In my experience people tend to bid on children's clothes at the last minute so it may just be worth waiting to see what happens.

I admit some of mine aren't ironed

is that per item or bundle? if its per item, that is your problem. by the time someone has bid 99p and added postage then they may as well buy new in the shops albeit a lesser brand, as they will know it will be in great condition, and have seen before they buy. Try bundling them up into similar lots, and watch your weight, try and keep it in the lowest bracket of standard parcel postage but with as many items as possible. offer discounts for combined winnings and local free collection. To be honest I bought loads off ebay for ds1 but for ds2 I found postage just limited what was worth buying. I now use local facebook sites which are either designed for baby/toddlers or just general ones. You tend to be able to get a couple of quid an item or bundle together for more. People dont know how much petrol costs per mile so they dont think about it like a stated price for postage. Maybe if you dont already use these then ask around at the school, some parents are bound to know of some. hope that helps

No I didn't iron! I will give that a go!
Its the 4th time I've listed these items and they already ended, just unsold.
I'm sending recorded 2nd class royal mail and it costs £3.19 for postage, plus then the packaging and as I live rurally the petrol for getting to the post office. How would I get the postage down? I can't afford to make a loss.

And yes your postage is very high I would charge £2.40 for most individual items of children's clothes though would add some on for heavier items like coats. £3.70 would put me off. Second class is £2.20 so I'd be unhappy with the idea of the seller charging £1.50 for postage

sorry not posting - packing

Thanks pgmt I'll bundle as I don't think it would cost any more in postage.

Sorry for the name change (hopefully you can work it out!!)

Is there a specific reason for sending recorded delivery? If you are very crafty most small baby/toddler stuff can be got into a large letter size envelope and sent that way - much cheaper but not an option for coats and things.
I have lost a couple of items in the post but mainly it is just fine and worth the risk IMO.

The photo is important, iron and get the background right :)

Is it the recorded delivery that puts the price up? Have to say I've never used that for ebay.

I don't use recorded for items under £10 in sale value. It's a business decision about cost vs. risk trade-off.

Are the pictures as good as possible?

Are the clothes in season? Shorts won't sell well now & coats don't shift well in May.

Do close up pictures of any nice features, to show condition.

Definitely include as many items as you can for the same postage.

Look at Collect plus for sending larger bundles (jiffy bags up to 2 or 3 kg, I think).

Do similar items sell for anyone else? What's better about their ads?

All that said, I reckon that Ebay is flooded with used clothes, most don't sell, not even the quality brands in fine condition.

Supply and demand. Zillions of items with £2.19 postage (large letter not recorded), at 99p, so unless yours are amazing BNWT designer stuff, noone will bother with them.

I find JJMB sells well and I always offer to combine postage for multiple items. That means people happy to bid on more than one item which drives up prices and interest. I did well out of that this week.

Other things that sell well Thomas The Tank, Peppa, football team branded items and good brands.

Someone suggested you can wrap items in cling film before sending and get them into a large letter size envelope. Not tried it yet but tempted to.

Have you thought of selling in your local NCT nearly new sale? You normally get to keep about 70% of profit depending on which one you sell at and people go nuts to get in and buy stuff there. May be less faff than ebaying.

Your postage is huge for single items.

Maybe try selling at £2 each with free P&p. Send as large letter or small packet.

Don't bother woth recorded delivery. Too expensive plus a nuisance for recipients.

Also, if they are not big makes/names/designers, then people just won't be interested.