will it fit in an 8x6x1 (approx) envelope? if so, you can use usps priority flat rate envelope for $3.85. saves ya a whole 15 cents !

djkball said:

<< I have been selling items on eBay for awhile . lately i have been wondering what is the best way for shipping . I would like someones idea .

Usally right now i pay around $4-4.50 for a 2lb item >>

I am trying to do the tax thing right now and I am sure many of you have a much better system than I. I am trying to have all my invoices for purchases in one stack, all the E-Bay monthly bills in another, postage charges in another and then somehow I need to figure in PayPal and Billpoint. Hopefully they will have a years listing so I can calculate their charges. Yuck!!!

How do you get to ship from OM for free/discount?

well if anyone is interested in buying clothing in bluk i can help them out with those sales . If your interested please shoot me an email

On the Tax issue.

I just throw all my receipts and invoices into a brown bag (actually a rubber-maid container), but I pay them & have them deducted from a separate checking account.

I got one of these Free Checking Accounts from my bank (the fees are a lot if you overdraft - but I try to keep around $800 in it for the times I see a killer deal - like the time Office Depot has a clearance on Siemens four line phone systems for under fifty dollars, I ended up buying about six of those in one day - and they sold for over $200 each), and everything I do goes through that account. When I want to use money, I transfer it to my personal account.

I use Internet banking that lets me sort by payee. So I get a list of all my deposits from Half, EBay, paypal. I also can get a list of stores that I have bought things from. I also remove money via ATM’s for Rummage/Yard Sales. On the back of the receipt for the ATM transaction I write the address and what I got that day.

Since the only income I receive from the “business” is what I transfer to my personal account, and I can sort by Payee on the Internet, this lets me get a very good idea what I “made” in the year.

I figure this will get me close enough to my earned income off e-bay that I shouldn’t have to worry.

Does anyone have a formula for buying clearance items for resale? Like it has to be at least 80% off to make a profit, or do you just buy, take home, and return if it’s not worth it.

Still pretty new on eBay but I have been trying a couple of things and wouldn't mind comments.

I agree with the timing thing. I think auctions that end at times when people are online is Crucial.

Good pictures, of course. Simple but informative descriptions.

I have been including links to pricegrabber recently. This allows bidder to get reviews, better technical descriptions, 360 deg pictures, manufacturer links and price comparisons. I think that it helped, anyone else tried and had experience with doing this?

Starting auctions at 1$ is also something I have tried recently. In my imagination bidders are sucked in to bid on the low priced item, hopeing for a steal but, then are locked in because if they bid on another of the same item they might win more than one.

I have been selling deals found on fatwallet and some things I find in the trash. I live in a college town and kids throw away everything. When I find it for free I don't really have to worry about profit margin either. I have done best with used text books, although not on eBay. Amazon will let you sell anything they list. Commission is high, but doesn't cost anything to list and they take care of the transaction. With the books I find I start with book resellers, then go to amazon, and then dump the rest at halfprice books(if you have one close it is better than sending them to the landfill but barely) My book total is probably around 500$. Not 230k eBay gross but better than nothing.

I am interested in selling more. Need more sources for things to sell. Does anyone go to government surplus auctions? How does half.com and other auction sites compare to eBay? Also interested in the cheapest shipping method. It has been discussed already but I didn't really see a conclusion. Any advice on incorporation, advantages/disadvantages information about the act of. Anyone willing to help fell free to pm.

Ok Seriously look into this - I speak from experience I have about 45 auctions up a week - its not much compaired to the power sellers but.
I used to use UPS from a bussinees account here at work but that was expensive they charge you if you measure the box wrong, address is off by one letter. Then at the end of the month you get unexpecited surcharges.
I now used stamps.com - this is through the post office. I get free boxes, tape and supplies delivered to my house free of charge from the post office, so no cost there. I shred paper - usualy scratch paper from work and use that as packaging material. I package up the box - weight it on my cool digital scale (weighs up to 5lbs 27.00). Then I have a little program that opens on my desk top - here i choose the way i would like to ship - I enter the weight - the address and hit okay
the machine automaticly checks the adreess to make sure its in there database and if not offers corrections. you can print on plain white paper or opt to buy lables. I use the plain white paper. If you ship Priority mail you get free delivery tracking - or if you use any other service delivery tracking is only .13 . When you sign up you get 29 free days to try it and up to 20.00 free shipping money. If you sign up for the power plan they give you a free scale. It lets you track postage, eneter accounting codes, or item numbers along with each shipping to help trak the package faster. The small plan is 10% of the shipping cost, free 10.00 start up postage and a 5.00 package with lables and such. Or the power plan is a flat rate of 15.99 you get 20.00 free postage, a free digital scale and the 5.00 package. They do not bill you till after the first 30 days. After my lable prints out on plain paper - which by the way I have my person logo that prints on all my packages. I simply tape it to the box. You can then drop it off at the post office, give it to your mail man, or go to the boxes where the mail man picks up and give it to him while hes unloading, or does the mail man come into your work to deliver mail give it to him it is too easy. I feel like a sales person but really it is the best - after i have a few auctions end i add up the total they paid in shipping and trasnsfer it straight from my payapl accout to the stamps account takes seconds then i keep all my money straight before i was spending all the shipping money and having to break into my paycheck.

If you do try it please use my referal code - Iam not solicing here on fatwallet but i did take time to explain this to all of you and then i get a free 10 dollars in postage and i can always use free postage
heres my referal number C-4W6M-QF6 thanks

Found this in the "maximizing eBay profits" thread in this forum. They listed this site: Resellers

Seems like it is pretty promising. Comments?

NicholasDWoolfwood said:

<< Found this in the "maximizing eBay profits" thread in this forum. They listed this site: Resellers

Seems like it is pretty promising. Comments? >>

I looked at that list when it was originally posted, but I didn't think any of that would work for me. Half the stuff is frilly home decor stuff, the other half seems to involve buying truckloads of pallets. While it would be great if I had several grand, a wharehouse, and a forklift, it's not for me.

I've tried going to auctions, but the 2 I've gone to have had nothing that seemed worth the risk. Stuff at auctions sells as is, and items that are popular will get bid up high, plus you have to pay cash, plus most auctions take place during the workday.

MadAnthony,

I agree about the auctions. I have been to a couple government surplus auctions and car auctions. People go crazy at auctions, thats what we hope is going to work for us, not against us.

Lovesabargain,

I assume that you have also tried Amazon for books? Is half.com better commission wise and what things will actually sell for? I thought Amazon would have superior selling power just because of the traffic.

Stacyyy23,

I agree your stratagy is better than selling from wholesalers, just takes a little more work. I think I will have to change the type of items that I sell also. I know the most about what things are worth and what I could sell them for in the computer/electronics area but I guess it is a race against time when things devalue so quickly. I am starting to lean toward clothes or artistic items.

I just checked eBay for the one item that I saw on the wholesalers site that I thought would sell. 20 listings for the same or similar items with one bid between them. Even if you could find something decent there, it is probably listed like crazy, like a visioneer 8100.

Anyone,

Does anyone try selling things locally, like in the newspaper, or local regular auctions?

BTW if you have any woodworking hand tools they sell like mad in Ahmish areas of PA, electricity being an instrument of the devil and all. Ive seen this in action, its pretty crazy.