Ebay - Pros and Cons

With Ebay getting mentioned throughout the threads, I thought we could share our individual experiences both good and bad.

I’ll start with the bad since it happened recently. I sold a turntable with the plastic dust cover. It went for about $50 + shipping. Dust cover was cracked during shipping. I worked it out with the buyer and refunded the shipping. I didn’t loose money on the deal but I will be spending a bit more time on packaging in the future. Buyer was content and left positive feedback.

The only other “con” would be a couple winning bidders not paying (items didn’t ship).

My “pros” for Ebay include several items selling for way more than I would have ever expected. I had a pair of weighted (filled with cement/sand/etc.) silver salt and pepper shakers that I bought for something like $4 at a thrift store. The actual silver weight was probably only an ounce or two (silver was around $35oz). They sold for $240.

I also had some scrap “components” that I determined to have approx 6lbs of copper when cleaned. I shipped a 40 lb flat rate box for $38 + shipping. $6 lb for copper I didn’t have to harvest!

I list my items in batches so I can take all the pictures at one time, post descriptions at one time, and ship at one time. I have 115 positive feedbacks and I feel the exposure your items receive is worth the fees you pay.

Ebay is a pain, always favors the buyers over the sellers, when selling computers no matter what you do/say, people hold you accountable for software issues!
... not to mention the fees
ebay is nice to move some items like you had mentioned above though.

I am using E-bay a lot less right now since they started sucking a chunk of my shipping as well. they really push that free shipping crap.

I broke through 1000 a couple months ago and still at 100%. I have never had a negative and only a very few neutrals. Usually the neutrals are for stupid stuff. I was swelling coins and the buyer asked if I had more of that particular coin and I did not. She left me a neutral stating (too bad he didn't have more of these).

She left me a neutral stating (too bad he didn't have more of these).

I'd have cried like crazy to Ebay about the unfair feedback and someone there might have reviewed it and reversed it/ or just canceled it out.

I make more off ebay than scrapping. I sell alot of stuff that at first seems like it's scrap on ebay. The other day they were installing all the cash registers in a new "Micheals" they were building and threw the extra credit card machine mounting brackets in the trash. On a whim I put them on ebay for about $6 each and sold them. I got $36 for less than a dollars worth of steel.

Ebay keeps raising their fees but I can deal with it. I don't like how they have made it so easy for people to rip off sellers though, I've had that happen a few times.

I was swelling coins

How do you do that?? LOL

I hate feebay, the fees are high, the buyers don't understand about the fees the sellers have to pay so they don't want to pay higher prices to help cover them. I make more money selling on my website then I do on feebay without the **** fee's.

Originally Posted by Mechanic688

How do you do that?? LOL

Soak them in water.

My feedback is over 1800 right now. I have left around 3000 feedbacks, so you only get rated on half of what you do. I have been there a while.

I have changed to free shipping on most things. It has helped me achieve the top rated seller, which along with power seller helps reduce your fees.

I have had to deal with crooks and returns... but that's just a part of doing business. One of the costs of doing business.

Without Ebay I would be sitting on more crap then I have right now.

I guess I'm a little different then most. I'm a Ebayer getting into scrapping, not the other way around.