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

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

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.

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. :)

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

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