Ebay and Consignment Shops

[new_mommy25]

I am clueless about both and I know there are some "pros" on the boards.

I have a Snuggle Nest that is practically brand new. Noah hated it and I didn't really try. I say practically brand new because of course I washed the sheet before using. I still have the box it came in.

I'd like to get rid of it, along with a few other baby things but don't know how.

Should I go to a consignment shop. I know of at least 5 0r 6 in my area that are exclusively for kids. Do they tell me a price and I say yes or no, or do I haggle? Not that I would haggle, its not my style. Should I go to more than one shop and get the best price?

As for ebay, I don't even have a clue on how to start. Also I remember people saying they only buy from those with 99.9% positive feedback. Would people even bother bidding for my items if I am new?
Ebay seems like it would be fun once I got started.

TIA

[mamahill]

I'm relatively new to eBay, but can say that I would not buy from someone who hasn't bought/sold before. Perhaps you could start to build positive feedback by purchasing a couple things? I don't know. I'm not sure how much you could get at a consignment store, but for a couple around me they give you store credit, rather than cash. I did a quick ebay search and there are several up there selling for $25. Add in some shipping, and you might be able to get a pretty good return. I've sold one thing on ebay and have bought several. It IS fun, though - so once you get started, prepare to get addicted :).

[dogmom]

I'm not a pro, but I just sold two things on EBAY. I went through the selling on Ebay tutorial, or whatever they call it. It was easy. I had only bought 3 things on Ebay, but I had good feedback and what I was selling went for under $20 so people probably were more willing to take a chance. Here are the three things that really helped me.

1) sign up for paypal, I know most people won't buy something from someone without it. It's easy and not expensive.

2) Digital camera to take a picture of item.

3) I also knew how to format a word document as a web page then view the HTML code. All I did was copy and paste it to the Ebay site and I got nice formating with color and everything. All you need to do is have Microsoft Word and see if you have the HTML editor. It's really easy. If you email me I'll attempt instructions. Having said that, I think they have standard backgrounds for baby stuff on EBay, so maybe you can use that. Check the tutorial.

I sold two obscure books (16th c. historic cooking) and both of them sold. (Yeah me!) But I did sweat both times because no one bid until the last two days, then I had multiple bidders for both items. I think it helped I just wanted to get some money, not a lot. I'm sure there are people who can give you a lot better advice. But as a novice I can definately say it was not hard.

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03

[mamahill]

First - I'm so intrigued by your books! Hmmm - old cookbooks are my new secret "search" on ebay.

Second - I NEVER bid on something until it has less than 2 days remaining (or even less than 1 mostly). I "watch" the item until then. No sense in running up the price too early. I've been in your shoes, though. The whole, "Is NOBODY going to bid? I'm a total loser!" thing can really get to you.

Third - SPELL CHECK! A good friend of mine (who shall remain nameless, though is an active participant here ;) ) learned the hard way that it's important to make sure your title is spelled correctly. If someone is searching for a specific item and you don't lable yours correctly, it won't come up in the search.

Jeanne had some great advice, though. Definitely paypal and digital camera. I didn't format mine, but I did some freehand HTML.

[mom2kandj]

The consignment shops in my area(mostly Childrens Orchard in SoCal) have you make an appointment to drop off your stuff so that they can go through it. You then drop off all your stuff and then disappear for an hour. They review all your clothing for tears, rips, wear, and stains(sometimes even using blue light!). They also check your toys and other gear to make sure that all the pieces are there and in working order. They also check the cpsc for any recalls. They then decide what they will buy from you and how much they will pay. Keep in mind, they will pay you about half of what they will sell it for. A good example is the current model Baby Bjorn in good condition sells for $30 in their store. When they offer to buy it from you, they will only pay you $15! YIKES! In that case, you'd do much better on Ebay. I've seen a PP Milano in my local CO for $30! Yes, it was the current style and in good used condition but needed some cleaning, but someone actually took a mere $15 for it! Back to the subject! After the hour or whenever they are done, they call your name and give you an offer. My CO pays cash and gives you back everything that they don't buy. You also have the right to turn down their offer if you don't like it. You can also ask why. In the example of the Milano, it was the middle of the summer and people aren't really looking for a high end full feature, heavy stroller like that in the heat. The manager told me that Gracos and Evenflos are just better sellers when priced the same next to a PP. :(

As for Ebay, the easiest way for a casual seller/buyer to buildup their rating, is to buy some things you like and practice selling minor things that are easy to ship. The hardest thing for me was not selling my baby items, but making sure that my shipping costs and packaging were up to my expectations! Gotta go! Just remembered that I've got to put something up on Ebay.........


Rose
mom 2 katie (33 months)
& Jack (16 months)

[AngelaS]

The consignment stores here only give you 40% of the selling price. So if they sell something for $20 you only get $8. You can do better having a garage sale!

eBay selling is EASY! I broke 600 feedback just this week! :D If you don't know how to do it, find someone locally who does and see if they'll walk you thru it. I've done this for several friends. For several other friends, I eBay their stuff for them. If I sell it and take 30%, they're still doing WAAAY better than at the consignment store. :D

[new_mommy25]

Thanks for all the answers! Thats a good point about the digital camera. We were actually planning on buying one very soon because we are spending so much money on film. Jeanne, thanks for the advice about the tutorial. I'm going to that right after I finish this post. I do have MS word but I'm not sure about the html. I may have to email you later if I can't figure it out. That being said, I am going to ebay to purchase a few items so I can get my rating up. I do see how it can get very addicting. I never really went there but now I can see that they really do have everything. :)

[KathyO]

Some local newspapers have a section in the want ads where anything under a certain price can be advertised for free. I have picked up quite a number of things that way. Also, if you're in a larger city, you can pick up any small, free newspapers aimed at local parents, and see if any of those sponsor online free swaps for baby stuff.

I agree with the others re consignment stores. They offer the convenience of having someone else do the selling for you, but on the larger-ticket items, you give up quite a chunk of the ticket price.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with eBay, but I'm one of those who likes to actually see/touch the item I'm buying. So I tend to buy through the above types of channels.

HTH,

KathyO

[jojo2324]

Yeah, surprisingly MATHA Stewart doesn't sell as well as MARTHA Stewart...Such a dope I am! :)

And I am at the mercy of my ticker!! Why are so many people watching but not bidding?!?! Driving me insane!

My one problem is with shipping. I don't want to overcharge, because I don't want people to think I'm making money off shipping...Is it weird to wait until the auction is over, get the zip and calculate based on weight?

[stillplayswithbarbies]

The best way to win on eBay is to snipe at the last second. That is probably why you have watchers but no bidders.

I personally will not usually bid on an auction that does not state the shipping up front. But if they say "this weighs 0 pounds and will ship from zipcode 99999 and I charge exact postage with no handling fee shipped by USPS/UPS/FedEx" then I will go ahead and bid if the postage is not too much.

When I am bidding, I look at the total I will be paying including the shipping when I determine what my max bid will be. If I don't know the shipping, I can't figure out how much to bid.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[new_mommy25]

How do you snipe?

[mom2kandj]

I totally forgot about Craigslist! www.craigslist.org is a free internet classified ads site with listings in most major cities. It works like the classifieds in a newspaper, but it free! I snatched up a like new Maclaren Daytripper Duo for a mere $99!


Rose
mom 2 katie (33 months)
& Jack (16 months)

[AngelaS]

You snipe by waiting until the last few seconds of the auction to bid. :D

HTML is really easy....eBay can talk you thru the basics (even centering your description and starting new paragraphs jazzes your listings up a lot!) Here's a site you can practice HTML and they'll show you if you're doing it right.... http://www.e-pixs.com/practicepad.html

[MartiesMom2B]

Angie:

Do you belong to the MDC board? If you have had over 50 posts and have been a member for at least 60 day, you can sell it on there and I bet you can get a good price on it.

You can join the Baby Bargains Diaper Swap group and try to sell it on there too. However I think that most of the people on there have older babies.

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[sugarsnappea]

Ahhhh-- another cookbook maven here. I may have viewed your books Jeanne. Out of curiosity~ what were they? :)

[jojo2324]

I guess it's just hard to know what shipping is going to be. I had two auctions for 2 magazines, and I said shipping would be $2.50, based on other auctions' prices. Well, shipping turned out to be close to double that, so there went the shipping fees AND the little bit I had actually "earned." I suppose I should have looked into media mail...However, if you put IN the auction that shipping will be determined at the end based on weight (and you give the weight) and zip code, does that seem more legit?

[stillplayswithbarbies]

To snipe, I use a service at http://www.vrane.com because that way I don't have to be at my computer when the auction ends. It places my bid for me.

Joanne, I would be leery of an auction that said "shipping determined at end based on weight" unless it also said that there was no handling fee and would be postage only. I have been burned too many times on auctions like that where the seller calculated the shipping and jacked up the price because the item didn't sell for as much as they wanted. (not saying you would do that, just saying what buyers have to deal with)

When I sell, I weigh the items before I list them and then say what the shipping will be. I use the post office website to calculate it. When I was selling Barbies, they were all about the same weight so I just set the shipping at $5.00 and usually it was close to that. Sometimes less, sometimes more, but it pretty much came out even overall.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[new_mommy25]

Sonia, I've lurked on the MDC boards once or twice. I'm going to join now though, I'm sure I can find stuff to buy/sell there. Thanks, I didn't even think about that.

[Gayletmomto4]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is the MDC board?

[egoldber]

Mothering magazine hosts a very busy message board site at mothering.com

HTH,

[heidi_timms]

Just a few comments on selling on ebay. I also usually don't bid on items that don't give shipping up front. If I really, REALLY like the item and they don't have the shipping amount stated, I email them via ebay and ask how much shipping will be to my zip code before bidding.

Also, I notice that items that have really short, vague descriptions, no photo or a bad photo of the item gets fewer bids.

Good Luck!

~Heidi
Mom to Kailey Ashlin
4/27/03

[sweetbasil]

On the eBay topic, I don't mind bidding on an auction if they say actual shipping to your zip code, determined at end of auction...really, if they don't state shipping in the auction, I'll just e-mail the seller and ask- their word is their bond (per eBay etiquette), so if there ends up being a problem, I always save their shipping cost e-mail responses. It has never been an issue for me, and I've completed over 260 auctions (mostly buying, but selling occasionally).

For many of my auctions, as long as the size required to package my sales, I'll pick up Priority Mail boxes, envelopes, etc. at the post office, and then I know that within the US, Priority mail is right at 3.85. I've mailed everything from books, little boys' outfits, to Hilfiger boots this way, and I don't get hit with more shipping than I was expecting to be charged.

Oh, and another great sniping site is www.esnipe.com. I use their service all the time (the first two weeks are totally free, then it's a 25 cent fee for bidding on any auction up to $25 in value, and a fee of 1% of auction price for auctions closing for $25-$999).

Good luck,