OT: eBay

[RobA]

I've never bought or sold anything on eBay.

Can someone explain how the shipping works? I want to sell a bunch of my Lego (40 years of bricks, technic and mindstorm parts and kits), and have an idea of how much I want for stuff but do not know how pricing the shipping works.

Thanks in advance for any advice...

-Rob A>

[thebax2k]

As thebax2k7, I sold quite a bit of rpg items on Ebay several years ago. There are several things to keep in mind when you are shipping: the weight of the item, the size of the item, and where it is being sent. Since you are selling Legos, weight might not be a problem (although if you will be shipping several thousand Legos to a buyer, than it will be).

Since I see you are in Canada, go to this website http://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/ap...execution=e1s1 and type in the weight and dimensions of what you will be shipping. Knowing how big and how heavy your packages will be is vital, since you can then calculate your shipping costs. Very heavy packages and very large packages can get very expensive to ship, make sure you check out shipping costs with Canada Post, Fed Ex, and UPS--I used all three at different times depending on the destination and the package being sent.

I don't know if the Canadian Post has a flat rate box similar to what the US Postal Service has, but if it does, you may want to break out your collection into lots that will fit the flat rate boxes that are available.

Make sure if you decide if you are going to be selling to international buyers or not, costs also significantly escalate once you start crossing borders. The Canadian Post site I gave you will enable you to calculate sample rates to Europe and Asia, but make sure you tell International Buyers that you will promptly quote them or calculate an example rate after punching in shipments to several countries on the same continent (for ex. for Europe if an 8 pound package ranged from $30-45 US to send to various countries, I'd quote $45-48 to ship it to Europe, extra was for the cost of supplies. If you have several thousand worth of Legos that you will ship, I would recommend investing in a postal scale. I did (it was about $40-$60 US) and it more than paid for itself.

One last bit of advice, Ebay may no longer allow it, but pay for tracking and include it in the price in your shipping! It will save you so much grief. I shipped Super Nintendo games to a person in Calgary who disputed receiving them, thanks to Canada Post, I could prove that a package weighing X had been delivered to their address and had been signed for by X, enabling me to win the dispute. Most buyers will be honest, but every now and then you have to be wary. Also, be careful shipping overseas, certain destinations in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Russia can be problematic.

For more help, go to:

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformat...pingtools.html
http://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/quest...alculator.html

Hope this helps RobA, good luck selling.

[RobA]

Thanks a lot! That was some great information. I appreciate the effort you put into your response.

-Rob A>

[thebax2k]

You're welcome. The more I think about it, you can probably maximize your revenues by breaking your lot down into smaller lots. Also, research, research, research. A particular set or grouping of sets may not be worth what you think it is, conversely, something you perceive as not that valuable may be in high demand among collectors. Markets are weird at times, but researching your items will help you avoid unrealistic price expectations. One final bit of advice, find as many Lego boards and forums as you can, and on the ones that have a for sale section, post links to your auctions (make sure the board policies permit this--some do, some don't). I posted notices and links on a whole bunch of oldschool rpg and d&d boards market sections, and it worked wonders for driving eyeballs and potential customers to my auctions.

[Redrobes]

Just DEFINITELY get tracking. Theres a protocol on paypal that states basically that if the receiver disputes that you sent it they will take back the money unless you have proof of sending. Now 98% of anything I have sold has been fine but the 1 or 2% of people who dick about really put the boot in to the point I no longer sell on ebay. I just buy. I generally find that sellers are good and buyers are bad. Also, paypal is a PITA as well so ensure that its all set up and running and get a mate to buy a token item off your ebay account before selling. You always find that some credit card has expired, it wont accept payments, some limit has been exceeded or the wind is blowing in the wrong direction that day for it to work.

Some more tips. If somebody pays more than the amount for the item - esp if its a LOT more than it should be then refund the whole amount, bar them and get shot of that person as fast as possible. They are money laundering. Dont accept a proxy payment or 3rd party middle man payment system. Do paypal, cheque (and wait for it to clear) or direct bank transfer.

For UK sellers at least, if shipping internationally then by getting the signed for receipt of postage only guarantees that its signed up to the airport and not with the user at the other country. That may also apply in your country too.

Also, note that as announced this week paypal sell all of your personal information. Which is nice of them. Paypal are the devil.

You may find that people are reluctant to buy from a 0 rated seller too. I know I would be, so you may need to buy some low priced items to start with.

[Jaxilon]

Also, note that as announced this week paypal sell all of your personal information. Which is nice of them. Paypal are the devil.

I didn't read it that way, what did I miss?