Selling on eBay

[magno3025]

I'm looking to finally clear out all my beginner cymbals and eBay seems the place to do it. The problem is I've been buying on eBay for a while, but I've never sold anything before. I was wondering if anybody could clue me in on that whole process or offer me some advice to make this nice and easy for me. I think the packaging and shipping end of it is the part that I'm the most uncertain about, but I'd like to hear any advice anyone has to offer. A complete walk through of selling a cymbal on eBay would be amazing.

[Aleks192]

Have you tried CL or Kijiji yet? I find ebay can be a hassle at times, slow, and you don't always have a "positive" transaction.......That being said I will sell stuff on ebay, but usually more obscure stuff......I like the CL/Kijiji route because I can set the price, I don't have to pay to list anything, and if someone wants to offer me x$ for something I can choose to take it or not (reserves work similar on Ebay, but some people shy away from reserve auctions)......Depending on where you live, you may have good luck with online classifieds....I just sold a bunch of old gear, all within days of having it listed on the sites, and all for within 10% of my asking price......

[veggo32]

Look at other auctions of similar products and see what the shipping is on those, it will give you a ballpark shipping cost. No reserve auctions have worked well for me, there have been occassions where I was surprised how good the final price was.
Local is fine, it has worked for me too. Just seems certain things fly better on ebay.
I wouldn't sell a real high priced item on ebay with no reserve though, ie: I would sell a drumset locally and not on ebay, that's just me though.

If its cymbals then def. ebay, just make sure you include make model and take some really good pics. Buyers want to see in detail exactly what they are buying, If your listing is vague it will result in a lower selling price.
I would go for a 5 or 7 day auction, 3 day auctions aren't enough time for the product to get the exposure it deserves.

MO
good luck.

[IneptDrummer]

If you live near a major city craigslist is good

[trkdrmr]

Get a bathroom scale.

Box up the item you plan to sell, and measure dimensions.

Enter the info into the USPS -and- UPS.com sites and get a good estimate.

Bear in mind: add $2.00 per $100 for insurance. You will want to ship any expensive items insured.

You also make sure you ship them so that the recipient must sign for them so the package is tracked and signed for.

Always send the buyer a tracking number.

[magno3025]

Thanks everyone.

One of the items I plan on selling are my Sabian B8s. Should I sell them like I got them, in a set, or separately?

[trkdrmr]

Thanks everyone.

One of the items I plan on selling are my Sabian B8s. Should I sell them like I got them, in a set, or separately?

I sell my cymbals separately. If I don't I *always* get the inevitable question: "how much do you want for just the ride cymbal?:"

Also, you can get a better price individually.

[magno3025]

That's what I was thinking. Thanks trkdrmr.

[zambizzi]

I've sold dozens of cymbals (and drums!) on eBay now...it's how I keep cycling through new kits all the time. ;)

Some tips...

- Clean the cymbal up if it needs it, try to clear the finger prints. People are shopping with their eyes first.

- Take exceptionally good pictures of the entire cymbal, the hole and the logos. Use good lighting behind the camera.

- Keep your description brief but professional. Make sure you use a good title in the eBay listing because you could keep your price low by making a simple mistake. For example, saying Sabian "Chinese" in the title will exclude you from all "China" user searches. D'oh! Try to use "Cymbal" in the title, if you can fit it.

- Be friendly, answer all questions and remember that the peeps are your customers.

- Ship same or next day upon payment and give the customer a tracking number as soon as you have it.

- When packing, put it in a bag first and then find a suitable box with plenty of room for the edges. Pad the edges well, as well as the rest of the cymbal.

Don't start your cymbal at the full dollar value you wish to get for it...you're only hurting yourself. eBay is a game...it's a market-place. The lower you start your price, the more watchers and bids you'll garner early on, in the auction. I usually start mine at just a few dollars. Everyone's worry is, "it'll sell too cheap!". Not usually...you're chances of getting a good price go up if you start low. If you're still too worried, do a Buy It Now listing instead...but check to see who the cheapest seller for your item is, first. Match or beat that guy.

Good luck!

[zambizzi]

I sell my cymbals separately. If I don't I *always* get the inevitable question: "how much do you want for just the ride cymbal?:"

Also, you can get a better price individually.

Yes! Excellent point! I forgot that one.

[grannydrums]

Definately sell them seperately, more people are looking for a replacement or additional cymbal rather than a whole set. Totally agree about lots of pictures. But also point out any little flaws in the description. It will give people confidence that you are honest and that there will be no nasty surprises. Have you tried Inkfrog--its a cheap listing program that makes it easy to manage your pictures and listings--its free for the first month.

[zambizzi]

Definately sell them seperately, more people are looking for a replacement or additional cymbal rather than a whole set. Totally agree about lots of pictures. But also point out any little flaws in the description. It will give people confidence that you are honest and that there will be no nasty surprises. Have you tried Inkfrog--its a cheap listing program that makes it easy to manage your pictures and listings--its free for the first month.

My wife uses Auctiva - another good, free service.

[trkdrmr]

Yes! Excellent point! I forgot that one.

I recently had someone look at two different cymbals. I clearly started bidding at $115 for one of them and $120 for the other. I get a question:

"IF I buy them now, will you take $150 for both."

uhhh.... you did notice that there is already a minimum bid and $115+$120= $235 minimum.

[criz p. critter]

Ditto all zambizzi sez. He pretty much covered all the points there.

I'd only add: make sure you go online to UPS or better yet to the UPS Store in your neighborhood, and figure out for sure what the shipping will be before you commit to a price in the ad. Heavy or oversize packages, or shipping to other countries can get real expensive.

I once had a surprise when I sold a bass drum head for $9, and shipping was supposed to be $5. But when I went to the UPS Store I was told it would be $15 to ship, because it was going to a "rural area". So I was losing a buck on the deal, as well as all the time and effort to place the auction and then pack and shop the box. When I followed up with the buyer to see if he'd meet me halfway on the extra shipping, he just ignored my emails.

The other thing I learned from that experience was don't bother selling piddley little stuff under $10. It's not worth the time and effort.

[trkdrmr]

Ditto all zambizzi sez. He pretty much covered all the points there.

I'd only add: make sure you go online to UPS or better yet to the UPS Store in your neighborhood, and figure out for sure what the shipping will be before you commit to a price in the ad. Heavy or oversize packages, or shipping to other countries can get real expensive.

I once had a surprise when I sold a bass drum head for $9, and shipping was supposed to be $5. But when I went to the UPS Store I was told it would be $15 to ship, because it was going to a "rural area". So I was losing a buck on the deal, as well as all the time and effort to place the auction and then pack and shop the box. When I followed up with the buyer to see if he'd meet me halfway on the extra shipping, he just ignored my emails.

The other thing I learned from that experience was don't bother selling piddley little stuff under $10. It's not worth the time and effort.

If you register with UPS.com you get a shipping price break as well, something like 10%.

[zambizzi]

If you register with UPS.com you get a shipping price break as well, something like 10%.

Yep. Then you order yourself a quality scale for about $40 and pre-print your shipping labels w/ accurate totals. It's a beautiful thing. We probably ship anywhere from 20-40 packages a day (mostly books) and we're saving hundreds now thanks to this.

[magno3025]

criz p. critter mentioned shipping to other countries. Should I even bother with shipping outside of the United States? I've seen a lot of auctions that say they will not. It sort of seems like it could be a bit of a hassle.

[zambizzi]

criz p. critter mentioned shipping to other countries. Should I even bother with shipping outside of the United States? I've seen a lot of auctions that say they will not. It sort of seems like it could be a bit of a hassle.

Your sales will be considerably better if you do. It's not that big of a hassle, really. You simply fill out a customs form when you drop the package at UPS. Make it clear to the buyer that he's paying all of the shipping costs - which you can set to auto-calculate when you create your listing. Make sure you enter the correct dimensions and weight of the package on the int'l shipping option.

[trkdrmr]

I have shipped all over the world. UPS international is *brutally* expensive. USPS international will ship for much less, but it won't have the speed.

To ship a 22" ride cymbal to Madrid Spain:

UPS: $238
USPS: $58

[zambizzi]

I have shipped all over the world. UPS international is *brutally* expensive. USPS international will ship for much less, but it won't have the speed.

To ship a 22" ride cymbal to Madrid Spain:

UPS: $238
USPS: $58

Really? I just shipped a 20" China to Romania via UPS, it was $45.

[trysthedrummer]

Don't do what I did by not putting a no reserve thinking that it would sell at a good price. My 20" Hand Hammered, absolutely mint condition went for about £80. I thought I was going to do well with the hundred of views it had.

[trkdrmr]

Really? I just shipped a 20" China to Romania via UPS, it was $45.

Do you have a frequent flyer UPS account? Does it cost much?

All I did was sign up through paypal, and my prices dropped slightly. West coast---Spain was indeed that expensive for me.

[zambizzi]

Do you have a frequent flyer UPS account? Does it cost much?

All I did was sign up through paypal, and my prices dropped slightly. West coast---Spain was indeed that expensive for me.

My wife is a Powerseller, which might earn us further discounts.

[trkdrmr]

My wife is a Powerseller, which might earn us further discounts.

Oh ok. I don't sell *that* much.

[magno3025]

So I've sold and shipped my first item. Got a decent price for it too. I just wanted to thank everyone here for they're helpful advice. I'm not done with you yet though. I'm selling a few more items and someone asked the question "Do you combine shipping." Of course I have no problem doing that but I'm just a little sketchy on how to set that up.

What I've done so far is: My eBay > Account > Site Preferences

Then I show the Shipping Preferences and made sure that "Offer combined payments and shipping" was marked "Yes."

Is that it? Will eBay take care of the rest as far as combine the invoices is concerned or is there something else I need to do.

Thanks,
One Paranoid eBayer

[grannydrums]

if someone buys more than one item then when you click send invoice all the items appear on the same page. just tick the items and fill in the correct postage and insurance cost. click preview invoice to make sure it has done it right, sometimes it ignores your new costs.

[DestinationDrumming]

Statistically items sell for most on a Thursday night or a Sunday night so probably best to aim for a finish on these days. I usually aim mine to finish at weekend as more people are available to bid than during a week day.

Always look at other items and see what they go for. Sometimes the selling price is so low that you end up not listing. I've not listed some vintage cameras because the general buying price is so low I'd rather give them away rather than go through the hassle.

Good luck

[trkdrmr]

There are a few ways to have an auction. If the item is really valuable, they tend to have a "reserve". Meaning that even though you may start bidding at .99 cents, the product will not sell unless the reserve is met, which would be $4,000 or whatever.

Since I am selling average/name products not collectors items I may do this:

Item: Ludwig LM 402 14x6.5" supraphonic used/like new
You want no less than $300

Start bidding at the minimum price you could part with the item. Any lower, and it could sell and you are out.

Start bidding: $299

Set a "buy it now" price that is reasonable. $375.

Customers know what you have in mind, they might try to bid, or just decide $375 is fair and buy it with no hassle.

Both have worked for me. Either I get my minimum price, buy it now price, or sometimes they get in a bidding war and someone pays more than "buy it now."

Thusfar, I have only sold ONE item below what I wanted to. And that was years ago. It was one of those "live and learn" things.

Make sure you include the phrase "I expect immediate payment upon winning" otherwise some clown will use ebay like a lay away service and you won't see a dime for a couple weeks. If they play this game, DO NOT give them feedback. If you give these people anything less than positive feedback (no matter how bad they are) they use it as an excuse to leave a false negative for you. False negatives are very difficult to contest, unless they are blatantly obvious. Ebay sees in shades of grey, because they have gone overboard to protect idiots that do this. The other bad part is that paypal will not release your money until long after the item is shipped and received unless you get a positive feedback after it's shipped. Clowns could separate you and your money by up to 45 days.