Anyone fancy an ebaying for Christmas challenge?

[IsabellaofFrance]

Selling all your old stuff to pay for Christmas?

If you fancy it, pop in and say hello.

I am starting today and have done some listings - am aiming for £300 after fees to pay for the DC's Christmas pressies.

sooper you get 20 free listings a month starting on the first day of the month so as of Saturday I had 60 free listings as I'm using 3 ebay accounts.

Sometimes you'll get an e-mail telling you that you've been given 100 free listings between say Friday and Monday and then you can use those, I think these are given to sellers with an "above standard" rating based on their previous sales or sometimes there just seem to be "free listing weekends" anyone can join in.

I sold a large item for less than £10 when some sell for almost £20 but mine wasn't the latest model and the buyer collected within 24 hours paying in cash as requested so I'm happy as it was taking up a big space in the loft.

I've made £175 now so still £75 to go to my overall target and this week I'm hoping to dust off some of the kids slightly larger battery operated toys, test them with new batteries and list the ones that still work. Hoping this will knock a chunk of the target. I'm also going to list winter PJ'S, dressing gowns and toddlers fleecy sleepsuits now that the weather has turned colder. I'll end any summer wear auctions I've been continually relisting and put it away until spring next year, the charity shops won't thank me for it in November !

I have been ebaying for the last couple of weeks to make space and to raise some much needed cash for a new arrival early next year
Do ppl buy postage bags etc to send items? I have been re-using packing to save money where poss, but am running v low. What is the cheapest but reasonable way to pack items?

You can buy mail bags & tissue from ebay.

Possibly free listing tomorrow for 3 days - look for the email invite to accept.

Free listing until Tuesday midnight by invitation I am lucky enough to get one,I like the 3 day ones gives me that wee bit more time to get pic's done.
I did quite well last week made another £42.00 now standing at £300 + so well on track but I had a INR buyer who said she had not got her item but when I told her I would send her the tracking details she has come back and said it was dropped at her neighbours (I crossed my fingers as I never tracked it as it was only £7.00) so be careful there are alot of scammers about at the moment which could make a dent in your xmas pot.

No free listing for me .

Glad the parcel turned up...you've reminded me I need to put in a claim for a lost parcel. First, I have to find the receipt/proof of posting!!

Going to go and clear my bed so I can take some photos of a few things ready for when I get an invitation

I had the exact same thing glammanana except I had sent it by myhermes so could show that it had been delivered

Item not received according to the buyer. When I pointed out that it had been sent my myhermes and not second class post as per the original listing (there wasn't much difference cost wise and I just had a gut feeling that it wasn't worth forsaking tracked delivery for a few pennies) so I had proof that it had been delivered, I suddenly got excellent feedback from the buyer for the transaction but no explanation as to the message telling me it had not been received. Scammers eh, ebay is rife with them, I suspect they check to see if you send with standard Royal Mail and try their luck.

I buy plastic mailing bags via ebay and parcel tape too.

Am up to £230 raised now, though actual funds raised is prob closer to £200 once p&p taken into account but am pleased so far. Aiming for £350+ and lots more free space before xmas

Buyer who said INR has left glowing feedback and even stated that delivery was fast ?? whats all that about then !! the mind boggles indeed.
This past week-end has been quiet but there has been mega glitches with e-bay and I think people are wary of bidding/buying I do hope it sorts it self out soon. Good luck to everyone selling. glamma x

Up to £185 now as things have been slow. The £250 target is looking not quite so achievable astime is so short at the moment to actually list stuff.

Got the 100 free listings invites on all 3 of the ebay ID's I can use (not all mine but if not being fully used I can use the other 2's spare listings), however, really busy at work and home with other stuff, managed 20 items without pictures last night and will have to burn the midnight oil tonight to either create more listings and add pictures tomorrow evening but to be honest the best photos are those in daylight.

Have many watchers but only a couple of items bid on out of the 60 items currently listed across the 3 ID's at present.

Sold a toy for £4.20 + P&P which amazed me as so many absolutely identical items listed as starting at 99p remain unsold - perhaps it's my feedback and maximum stars rating that does it. Just wish I could shift more of the BNWT bras to ease my guilty conscience at having bought them and kept them so many years without fitting in to them any longer. I might drop the price a little.

Have heard again that myhermes are shutting some of their dropshops, still my local one seems to be hanging on.

I feel awful... haven't listed anything...

I have also come across 2 tops - 1 worn once a Monsoon one which really isn't me (black long sleeved satin trim) and a Top Shop one never worn but tags removed which is short sleeved burn out (I think) hexagon shapes on it, black again... but I've got no idea, do I Fleabay or Gumtree or?

It'd take me an age to find them if they'd sold in past...

and another top I had (Top Shop black, silver chains new with tags) the other ones I've seen like it don't seem to be selling so should I Gumtree or car boot (i don't do Facebook).

I MUST list the other stuff though... Now have juicer to add, and cat feeding tray station which cat used once then turned his nose up at and was refusing to eat at it....

Can someone enlighten me? How do you send things eg mobile phones so they're safe, recorded delivery, my hermes etc?

I must admit I've been cheeky in the past and just get proof of delivery card from Royal Mail or use receipt no way am I paying the extra for recorded/registered generally. Or is that bad of me?

SuperFlyHigh - proof of posting from the Post Office only covers you for up to £20 now. I assume your mobile phone is worth more?

Yes the mobile phones are iPhone and brand new Blackberry. what would i use instead to post them? recorded/registered or Hermes?

Gumtree seems a bit rubbish for selling clothes so that's out.

however Ebay have run out of the Philosophy gift sets I have (Sugar Plum Fairy) so I think I need to list mine now...

SuperFlyHigh

"no way am I paying the extra for recorded /registered generally"

^ - but you aren't paying, the buyer pays postage charges and if you will only send recorded, insured up to the appropriate value for the item being sent, then you list the item with that postage cost, buyer pays you and you pay it on their behalf, having already been funded for it.

Ebay is rife with scammers who will message to say that they haven't received their item sent by standard Royal Mail delivery. They get a refund and therefore the item for free, you have the hassle of making a claim with Royal Mail from your proof of posting.

Much better to check out your local parcel drop shop location, I personally use myhermes, free tracking for £2.78 up to 1kg and £3.78 up to 2kg. Print the label at home, (I pay for most postage by paypal), stick label on and drop off, no queuing at Post Office or quibbling over whether it fits through a certain width slot etc.

The Hermes insurance is only up to £50 for the services you mention. You would have to look at their website to see how much it would be to increase it.

Similarly for Royal Mail, the normal 1st/2nd class recorded /registered (i.e.Signed For) only covers you for compensation up to £50. You have to pay extra for extra cover.

fairisle I guess I've been put off because when I did do recorded/registered I'd often get complaints about the cost (even though I used Royal Mail prices) so I got so fed up that I thought I'd do proof of posting.

I also tend to list items at 99p maybe that's too low? how low would you aim for or is 99p ok? I'm talking most of the clothes have tags or are worn once and you can see that AND they're brand names, Top Shop, Monsoon etc. and this year etc.

Thanks for the advice re the posting and what it covers though to Purple and fairisle - I haven't researched.

I think you won't make anything other than pennies per item if they do end up selling at 99p.

If final selling price is 99p and it costs £2.78 to use myhermes drop shop, add in the cost of a mailing bag and some sticky tape and that's £2.91 but ebay will take 10% of the p&p value too so that's 10p and 29p gone from your 99p final sale price before you allow for paypal charges - so you see you really will only get pennies and is it really worth it for all the photographing and listing time involved ?

I start items at the lowest final selling price that I think makes it worthwhile spending my time listing. I want at least 50p net from each item.

I bundle things together. Had half a dozen Postman Pat things, magazine, eggcup, book, dvd etc. No-one wants to pay £2.78 postage on one small eggcup or toy post van or cuddly Jess the cat but bundled together the auction lot reached almost £10 and postage was about £4. Buyer was happy with what they got for their £14 and I was left with enough net after fees to make me happy but doubt I'd have sold any of the items individually as p&p would have been disproportionately high and put off buyers..

fairisle but what should I sell the tops for? I think i could get decent prices for the Philosophy gift sets though

SuperFlyHigh

I am selling some brand new with tags/hangers M&S bras (mostly 34G) which I've listed on a 30 day fixed price listing at half the original cost (which is visible on the tags in the listing photos). However I'm including free p&p (second class signed for being £1.83 on these items). I've also included the chance for buyers to make an offer but I only accept if it's quite close to the listed price.

Everyone is different in what they think something is worth, perhaps 34G is a popular size but so far I've sold half of the bras and had excellent feedback from buyers who clearly like the price.

Brand new tops.... I'm not sure. I'd put them on a 30 day fixed price listing with the make an offer option, and you can always lower the price if they are not selling. If you're using the free listings I think that way you'll get a period of 60 days ( usually allowed to relist once for free) for buyers to see your items.

Other people might do it differently, there's no one perfect way to list them really. Just take lots of good quality photos to minimise any item not as described possibility and be positive about the item but honest in the listing details.

Good Luck

SuperFlyHigh - I have a couple of ways of pricing clothing and I pretty well always end up selling any clothing I list, unlike some other items.

Either, as FairIsleDog says, think what is the minuimum price you would be happy to receive for the item and start your auction there. I used to list adult clothing at 99p but inevitably, sometimes the item would only receive one bid and it was galling to send off a perfectly good pair of trousers for 99p (minus fees). You never see items of clothing going for 99p in charity shops these days. So, generally speaking, a worn but still in good condition item of adult clothing I would list at £4 or £5 minimum. Anything up to about £10 really.

For brand new, never worn clothing, especially if, as you say, it is this year's fashion, I tend to look and see what the item is selling for new and then halve that price and put it on a fixed price sale. I'm not so sure if that works though as I have a Joules girl's coat for sale at the moment which my daughter refused to wear. I washed it once prior to listing, just to freshen it up, and was shocked to discover a similar coat in Joules sells for £55 (my dd's coat was a gift). Well, so far, I have not managed to sell the coat at £25. I turned down an offer of £18 but I am beginning to think I may have made a mistake.

Fairly modest weekend, sold half a dozen items @ £1.99, not big bucks but it all adds up and clears space in our house plus a couple of bras although and pissed off with people's cheeky offers.

May list fixed price only next batch of clothes. If something cost £25 new and still has the price tag attached, is listed at just under half the new price. then NO ! , I won't accept £5.50 when p&p is included in the price ! I'd rather wait 6 months re-listing it occasionally when there are free listings and get a reasonable amount as I know it will sell eventually.

How are others doing.