[lace] Re Selling on Ebay
Hi Brenda, it is also worth getting hold of postage rates leaflets from the post office; there is one for normal post and one for Parcelforce. That way, you can weigh items at home with packaging in order to estimate postage. If in any doubt, we put items in the next price grouping up. We have found with kitchen balance scales, that we are generally spot on with postage costs - though it sometimes takes splitting contents and packaging to weigh separately to get them to stay on the scales! People do like to know what postage is in advance - and we have been put off where postage is not listed or is exorbitant for the weight of the item in question. We leave items in packaging (labelled with item), ready to seal, address and post, which saves time. My husband does combine postage for multiple purchases, which then need repackaging - but chances are with lace items you may be able to fit things into one lot of the packaging you already have ready. Hope this helps, Karen In Coventry -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.6/111 - Release Date: 23/09/2005 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.6/111 - Release Date: 23/09/2005 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Re: Selling on eBay
At 02:28 26/09/2005, Tamara P Duvall wrote: 2) On Sep 25, 2005, at 17:39, Jane Viking Swanson wrote: I sell things as is and the buyer can wash or iron it. I also advise against ironing as it will set any stains. I would undersign with both hands (to use a Polish phrase) that particular piece of advice... Direct heat from an iron *sets* stains and other problems (uneven yellowing, harsher wear on creases, etc) till they can't be removed. The instructions on fabric paints always tell you to iron the reverse when the paint's dry to set the paint. I'm assuming it's for exactly the same reason. Helen Helen, Somerset, UK Forget the formulae, let's make lace -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.6/111 - Release Date: 23/09/2005 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Re Selling on Ebay
Hi Brenda, my husband uses Paypal regularly. There is a deduction for money others pay into your account - a small standing charge plus a percentage. There is also a transaction charge if you transfer small amounts (less than £50) from your paypal account to your bank account, though this should not be too much of a problem if you are selling a collection of items as you could leave the money there until it has built up to avoid charges. Worth looking at the charges so you can compare to what it would cost you to deposit cheques (postage / bus fare / carparking / petrol etc). The one advantage my husband has found, is that paypal payers tend to pay very promptly - often immediately the auction ends. This means that when he has several auctions ending the same day, I only have one trip to the post office - which makes a lot of difference as I generally have to drive to the nearest one. More recently, he has done paypal only auctions for this reason, as cheques are not generally written and sent anywhere near as promptly as paypal payments and it costs £2 bus fare to visit out building society. The higher the starting price of an auction, the higher the fee will be, but it is worth starting the auction at a reasonable amount. If the auction ends with a very small bid, then the contract is still valid and you do have to sell. Also worth selling on Ebay in small batches - I have noticed that when there are a lot of ne type of item on sale at a time, bids tend to be lower. Hope this helps, Karen In Coventry Who finally got to The Allhallows Museum in Honiton last week - and had a few wonderful hours admiring the lace and talking to staff there. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.6/111 - Release Date: 23/09/2005 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.6/111 - Release Date: 23/09/2005 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Re: Selling on eBay
Hi All, I've also been selling some things on eBay. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is to check on similar items that have sold or are selling. In the US you can click on Completed Items (I think that's what it's called) on the left and see similar items that have sold (or not) already. I take note of the starting price, if it sold, for how much and the category. I never shop by category but some people do and it makes a difference! Longer descriptions seem to sell better too. I sell things as is and the buyer can wash or iron it. I also advise against ironing as it will set any stains. Can you hang them up so some wrinkles hang out? The background also makes a difference when photographing white things. On some doll clothes I added photos of the stains and noted in the description if it was less noticeable in person than in the photo. My personal downfall on selling is I forget to weigh the item WITH the box it's to be mailed in. I didn't realize how much boxes weigh! I chalk every error up to a learning expereince G. I have some of MILs hankies and was going to sell them by 2 or 3 until I saw that they sell best in larger groups. The starting price is hard to figure but checking other similar items helps me. You do have to sell it if someone bids on it. A high starting price can discourage bids. One item I had did not get any bids when started at $10.00 but got 6 or 8 when started lower ($3. or $4.). It ended up selling for a little over $10.00 USD. I upgraded to a Paypal Business account so I could accept credit cards. I want to get all the impluse buyers like me! As has been mentioned some people pay the instant an auction is done - very nice! One thing that surprised me is that no one writes anymore. I've been buying things on eBay for years and used to write all the time but not any more. On my first sale that made me very nervous, also that the address to send to was not verified. I talked to a friend in town who sells a lot and he suggested I insure the item for my own peace of mind. It went for $160.00 USD so it was worth it to me. It all worked out fine! The many fees can seem like losing money but I figure it's worth it to have the place to sell things. The research into other items can see like work but I've found it pays off. If you have more questions please write! Jane in Vermont, USA where the heat is on, I guess autumn is here. [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Re: Selling on eBay
I've never done any selling (or buying) on E-bay, but I do have a couple of splinters to add to the general chip-pile... 1) PayPal definitely *does* charge for the conversion of the funds from one system (like GBP) to another (like US dollars); they'd been doing it even before our credit cards got onto the act. I started a PayPal account when I started peddling the 2-Pair Inventions, to make things easier (if more expensive g) for potential overseas customers. Like Barbara, I opted for a private - no extra fees, no plastic option - version, because I was not selling on E-Bay, and because the profit margin - all of which is being plugged into The Lace Museum in Sunnyvale CA - was low to begin with. The fee schedule is a part of the initial sign-up, and is very clear about how much goes into Pay-Pal's service fee and how much into the cash transfer and conversion (or it used to be clear, 18 months ago; there've been updates since). It's worth keeping track of (I haven't, alas, since I had very few PayPal buyers g), so you can add those onto the *buyer''s* account. And estimating - including the cost of packing and posting - can be a bitch, unless you're willing to take a loss (which you wouldn't be, especially since you're selling for someone else), so you have to be very careful. I've had no problems in the 3 PayPal encounters, because I was dealing with Arachne lacemakers - well-known (if only via e-mail) entities, who were no more out to get me than I was out to get them) 2) On Sep 25, 2005, at 17:39, Jane Viking Swanson wrote: I sell things as is and the buyer can wash or iron it. I also advise against ironing as it will set any stains. I would undersign with both hands (to use a Polish phrase) that particular piece of advice... Direct heat from an iron *sets* stains and other problems (uneven yellowing, harsher wear on creases, etc) till they can't be removed. Don't do it. I agree with Jane: either sell as is, or, at most, hang out for a few days (possibly in a steamy bathroom for a few hours, then in a dry environment?) before photographing. One reason I'm doubtful about refurbishing in general (and totally against inappropriate refurbishing) is that, some years ago, I watched a neighbour spend *a ton* of money re-doing her house prior to the sale (on advice from the realtor, too) - new paint, new carpets, the lot - all to make it more inviting and sale-able. And then watched the buyer tear out all those new carpets and place them on the curb for trash pickup - they didn't suit her colour schemes... Perhaps it kept economy on the whole going, but both ladies were losers in the long run. -- Tamara P Duvallhttp://t-n-lace.net/ Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
