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Eff Ebay

   With apologies for the interruptions, I'm back on the subject of how to sell your stuff (this is part 2, I guess) and that means looking at the dreaded and sadly ubiquitous eBay.
   Other things you might want to consider are Gumtree and Facebook. Both are free to list and save you quite a wedge compared with eBay. You may have to work a bit harder with Facebook, finding and joining a local or relevant group, but there will be one out there. Gumtree is mostly used to sell stuff locally; its really a list and collect site. No protection for anyone. And that applies to Facebook too. So if you don't want people coming round, stick with eBay. You may well be yelling 'What about Etsy?' I tried it once, but it's too folksy for me; local crafts and I sold nothing in three months. At least eBay works. It may not be good, classy or fair, but it does move stuff.
   You'll be gathering that I love to hate eBay. Perhaps, as the article grows and in others that follow you'll see why.  It is, to me, a necessary evil and I use it purely and simply to move items that are not suitable for the shop (my shop, my rules!). I also like choice, and annoyingly, there is nothing that keeps on working as eBay does. I wish something better would come along, but until then it is Hobson's choice.

   The main thing to know about eBay is that is constructed along the principles of the buyer is king: "if we look after buyers, the sellers will come" they say. Secondly, they don't like Antiques and Collectables. So they don't look after it and the consequence is a mess. 
   For those of you that haven't got to grips with eBay, as the seller you have to do everything. And if it goes wrong, you're the one that gets it in the neck, no matter who's fault it is. And what's more, by looking after the buyers so completely eBay have created a place where tricksters and fraudsters can in theory thrive. Listing fakes and reproductions as genuine is just the start of it: caveat emptor. I recently heard, anecdotally, that there are buyers who create a spurious complaint and use the threat of negative feedback to demand money off/back. That said, antiques and collectables are a bit of an eBay backwater so you don't hear of it happening too much in our neck of the eBay woods. But because of their huge bias towards buyers, even if you are the victim of a fraud, there is very little eBay will do to help the seller. Forewarned is fore... actually of very little help. And the other thing is that buyers - you - do all the policing for them. They don't really vet or check sellers in any way, really, and don't react to anything until the buyers cry "foul". I know that's not strictly true and they (try to) stop sellers trading in, among other things, ivory. They are also supposed to stop knock-off luxury brands. Wonder how that's going, he said, with tongue practically bursting from the side of his cheek. 
   When all is said and done eBay is just another auction. So listing things on there is unlikely to render you a millionaire any more than going to the local auction house will. And in many ways, the hassle factor with eBay is far, far greater. If you've never tried them, do consider the local auction option too. I'll be writing about that soon. There are people who do buy at auction and resell on eBay, and some even make money, which would indicate better prices on eBay. I think it's a myth and the only real difference is that eBay offers the Buy It Now option (BIN). Retail for non-retailers, really.
   But auction houses are for another time. Right now we're considering eBay UK. So here's what you have to do - big breath -  photograph your item, describe your item, measure it, weigh it, list it, pack it, post it and then wait with baited breath to see if the blessed buyer thinks everything is alright with it. But just so you know, I've done many more than 1000 eBay sales and I've only ever had one problem, so don't let my cynicism put you off. Just be aware that if you are going to do it properly and want an easy life, there are other ways.

   I'll give you my pearls of 'how to' eBay tips in a separate post and for today limit myself to my jaded overview. So the next important thing to know is that in my opinion eBay can be expensive. They didn't get to have bigger turnover than the GDP of several large countries by not knowing how to extract money from you every which way you turn. I think, on average I end up paying around 16 to 18% of the selling price to eBay/PayPal. Not only that, but the delayed payment system means you can be paying that out two or even three months after the sale. You'll also need a PayPal account: basically a merchant's account that allows you to take card payments but is much easier to open and manage than a card account via a bank. PayPal runs via your debit card. But for that service you pay nearly double what banks charge for their card accounts payments. Get paid via PayPal and you'll be looking at 4% charges. But, and here's the rub, you can't operate eBay without PayPal: they use it to automatically take fees, and if you don't register your card via PayPal you won't find eBay user-friendly in any way. In theory, you can do it.  But they don't want you to, and what eBay don't want they tend to ensure happens, so it is not easy. Buying, on the other hand, is OK without PayPal, but the vast majority of eBayers use it, so by not adding it as a (the main) paying option you will be seriously limiting your appeal. And don't forget, the money stays in your PayPal account until you withdraw it. Also, as a new user, you can face limits on amounts, how soon you can get your money (they may well hold some in "escrow" for a while) and you can only list a limited amount on eBay itself.
   As well as PayPal the other things you have to pay are the listing fee. Some are free to private sellers, but for us business sellers there is no such thing as free. But that's not an end to it, oh no: you get charged for pictures if you are not careful (avoid the Gallery option) for a subtitle (don't fall for their rhetoric, it won't help and costs a disproportionate amount) and for the listing designer (aka: how to make your listing look naff). You also get charged more if you sell the item with a Buy It Now price as well as, or instead of, auction. You get charged a higher rate if you start your auction at more than 99p and you get whacked for a lot if you use the reserve option (only available at £50 or more ($20 in USA I believe)). And the final indignity is that whatever you put in for postage, eBay will take 10% of that as well. I know, I know. I'm indignant about it too. But remember what I said about scoundrels above. The people who charged a £1 for something but then loaded postage kind of forced eBay's hand. I understand why they did it, but delivery charges are the bane of the dealers life (and one of the barriers to sale that I might blog about on another day). The reason sellers did that was to avoid the final value fee: the amount you pay eBay based on the final amount you sell for. Again it varies but its generally 10% with a maximum of £250. So if your item + postage is worth more than £2500, fill your boots!
   So that's a short overview of eBay. In the end, it turned into a bit of a 'these are the issues if you're new to it' rant, but I do love a good rant. And I haven't even broached the subject of feedback for eBay virgins. Or of the fact that very, very rarely does an item off eBay actually live up to its expectations. But, should you be new to the 'Bay and want a few tips, I'll come back with a few hints to help you sell the stuff that neither you, your local friendly antiques dealers nor even the local auction house want.

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PS My Shop My rules turned out to be 'His Shop His Rules' when the landlord took it back without explanation: its closed, don't go - I'm not there

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