http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2462239387 Check this out and tell me what I did wrong. I first think my opening bid was too high even though it was about $75 less than I want for it. Also since it is my first time I should have told them so. I have no seller feed back so they have nothing to go on as far as trusting me. What do y'all think?
Yeah, as long as you are using a reserve price, you may as well go with a very low opening bid, even $1. Otherwise the listing looks fine to me.
I have no feedback either. I don't plan on selling anything there either until I get some. There are a lot of sniper's out there who may be waiting until the last minute to bid on it with the hope of getting a low price. I'll admit it, that's how I do it but I only purchased 2 things from ebay so far.:bglasses:
I sold one like that on the board a while back, had it up for $150 and no one would touch it, dropped it down to $100 and it got snatched up right away. Another time I had a Jet Performance Q-Jet on Ebay with a reserve of $100 and it ended bringin $270 at auctions end. Timing is everything. If it doesnt sell put it right back up there. Someone needs it they just havent seen it yet. D.
I've sold lots of things on ebay and the best way to start it is $1 like David G stated. Ebay is funny ! I think it's the thought of outbidding another person in the end that gets the blood going. Especially if the seller has NO reserve. The bidders wouldn't want the other guy to get it that cheap, even if they don't need it. It took me a month to figure that out when i first started selling.Tell the truth eveytime when you list an item. That way there are no suprises when the winning bidder gets it. POSITIVE FEEDBACK IS WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR! JARROD
I don't like bidding on items with a reserve, you have no idea what it is and have to keep on outbidding yourself to eventually find out.
Thanks for all the replys! I have been gone this weekend and am now just getting back to catch up on the thread. What if I leave no reserve and it sells for only $100 and I don't want to sell it for that and would rather keep it and try again later? Do I have to sell it for that price or turn it down? I had one person e-mail me and ask if it was universal. I will wait for his reply now. Thanks again.
Man that's odd that carb didn't get any bids. But I would've started at a lower starting bid to get the ball rolling. I sold an Edelbrock 600 a year ago, and I started the bidding at $1. It sold for over $200!! woah...:shock: It had over 10k miles on it too. o No:
The thing is, people are competing with you if you start the price up high, however, if you start it low (with a reasonable reserve of course), then they have to compete against other bidders and they get the same feeling as anyone gets when they race someone else.
When should I relist? I have 90 days to do it for free, of course that is free only if it sells the second time. I will lower my starting price to $1 and give more details like I am a first time seller. Thanks
Put your reserve at what you want, relist it ASAP, start the bidding at $1, make sure you put as much information about the carb up as well as any "my hp went up/etc when I put this carb on" stories you may have also. I wouldn't put that I was a first time seller on there, they might try to get it for a lower price or think that you don't know what your doing (car wise).
I would relist it soon and see how it goes. I use reserves sometimes, but most times, I just list the opening bid at the cheapest price I would be willing to take for the item. Low starting bids do get people bidding. Sometimes, it turns into competition and the item gets rolling. Of course, put a reserve on it so no one steals it in the end. Good luck.
When you relist, Throw some of the years that the carb will fit on in the title as well, ship worldwide, I find that when you do that a lot more people ask about it, and they are willing ot pay to ship it anywhere. Even if you just included Canada, it would be a big plus
That's true! I'm wondering why so many Ebay sellers say they'll ship their items to the United States only and when I email them about that, they almost always answer that they'll ship to Canada without problems...
I would definitely do that, and maybe throw the word Chevelle or Camaro around. Another thing is it may be wise to list a flat shipping rate. I know it's not that big of a deal, but say a guy plans on paying no more that $200 for a carb and you list that the shipping is $15 to the lower 48, he will most likely place a bid for $185. I know that that doesn't seem like a big deal, but it might help and I do know that a lot of people do concern themselves with that. Jacob
Something stupid that might make a difference: A friend told me to go on ebay and buy a bunch of low $$ items and pay immediately to get the feedback rating up. It's stupid, because you aren't actually showing you are a good seller, but people still look at the rating and it will give some (false?) confidence for bidding.
Jacob is right about the flat shipping rate. Set it fairly conservative (and don't overinflate it, or that will hurt you). Ebay is about convenience, and people want to just send the money and get the part. They don't want to deal with getting shipping quotes and all that. They also want a total price to take into account when bidding. Looking at your auction, I think what hurt you is the high start price, with a reserve. Usually, do one or the other. Start low with what you want for a reserve or start it just a little below what you want with no reserve.
One other thought is to clean it up and make it look like something they want to put on their car . I am sure most here will tell you if it is ready to bolt on it will sell faster and bring a higher price . Yake good photos and like Jarrod said make the shipping a flat rate . I am very careful as I have been burned by the guy that had no reserve but hammered me on shipping so he could get his price . And a newby on Ebay just has to play that game of raising that feedback score to get some people interested in buying something from him . I for one have had problems with a first time seller . Right now I am working on a 72 GS grille that I had shipped to me and the guy was fairly new , well he put the grille in a box with 5 pieces of newspaper and guess what happened to it . I am going around and around with him and the USPS and it looks as if I am getting screwed on this one .
Man y'all are good. I have learned more here than I could have with many sales on e-bay! The carb is nice and fairly clean with little use but the pics make what use it has look dark and dirty. I will try better pictures using better light. Maybe take it outside in the sun and see what that does. I am using a Sony digital 8 camcorder with the still shots taken on the memory stick. I cannot find out with the manual what the Megapixal rating is, maybe 2M? Maybe a new camera is in order also. I will work on a better description while on break at work and try to relist when I have time on Wednesday night. Thanks for all the help and any more that comes.
I have sold over 50 items on Ebay, never had a problem. I don't do reserve auctions either. Your listing looks fine. Do a search on your item and see what they are selling for in recent sales, last 2-3 weeks. Your idea of what you want out of it and what it will sell can be two different prices. Also, there may be more than one item like yours listed and the lowest one will be sold/bought. Be honest in your description and upfront on shipping. Many Ebay users are very sharp when it comes to buying items and some "sellers" are using "high shipping rates" to pad the profits. I always state "Email your zip code at close of auction and I will send you a total with USPS Parcel Post shipping. You will pay actual shipping cost, no cost for box or packing material" People like that statement. As a seller you want to have the highest sales price and as a buyer you want to have the lowest purchase price. The problem with reserve auctions are the "connotation" that the seller is fishing for a buyer (someone in desperate need). Best bet is to start your auction (in my opinion) what you think a fair price is for the item and skip the reserve. You can also think of a fair price for the item and start a little lower once you know what the comparable sales of the last 2-3 weeks. Sometimes items won't sell and then you wait a week or two and relist. Ebay has no logic to it sometimes so don't waste your time or energy thinking about it.
