My husband and I have been happily married for eighteen years. During those eighteen years we have moved five times, each time taking with us a few wedding presents we just could not put into circulation but also felt like we should keep. Well, this week I listed one of those wedding presents. The current bid is $36. It may go for more or it may not, but I am certainly pleased with $36. We all have stuff like this in our house that we can sell. Just think if you had five items like this-and I am sure that you do-that all brought $30 if sold. $150 sounds pretty darn good!

Here is our Terra Sancta Guild Door Knocker wedding gift gone unused. I wish it many happy knocks.

• First, give them the benefit of the doubt. Things happen in life-I have had relatives of bidders email me stating that the bidder had been in a car accident and was in the hospital. Relatives of the bidder die. Pets get sick. Computers and Internet crater. The list can be endless, and, sometimes a bit unbelievable, but you can never say for sure. Don’t be quick to assume they are deadbeat.

• Second, send them the following email or some version thereof:

  Ebay item #____________________________
  Hello-just wanted to make sure you received my email regarding your winning bid on the (*FILL IN THE BLANK*). The total with shipping is $(**.**)-insurance is $(**.**) extra. Please email me when you receive this message with your address so I can prepare your package for shipping. Thank you!
  Tracy Paymeplease
  123 Pay Me Street
  Pay Me, TX 99999

  This reminder generally will refresh them if you have gotten lost in their jillions of emails.

• Last, and most recently the most controversial, is to file a Non-Paying Bidder Report. I do this only when I am confident that the bidder is not going to respond. It is the only way in which sellers can recoup their Final Auction Value fees. I say this is controversial because thanks to ebay’s new feedback system, bidders can give you negative feedback if/when you file a Non-Paying Bidder Report. They can do this because a Non-Paying Bidder Report is a black mark on their record and with too many can result in the eventual expulsion from ebay. So, be aware of this prior to filing one.

As of this writing date sellers cannot file a negative feedback if a bidder fails to pay. Can someone explain the equity in this scenario?

For the past eight years I have been a full time mother and part time ebay reseller. I average a respectable part time income each month, selling second hand designer handbags, shoes, and accessories. One of my favorite garage sale stories was when I purchased and authentic Hermes agenda. I was digging around a box of miscellaneous junk when I stumbled upon a small leather daytimer looking notebook, just larger than a deck of cards. I was surprised to see ‘Hermes’ embossed in the interior of the agenda, and not knowing if it was real I inquired as to how much the man wanted. “Oh, how ‘bout a dime?” he replied. Sold!!! The agenda sat on my shelf for about a year when finally I called Hermes to ask if they would authenticate the piece and they very graciously agreed. Seeing as I had only paid a dime for it I mailed the piece off in a white business envelope. About a week later I received a phone call from the boutique manager, effusing that of course, my piece was authentic and they would be returning it to me. It arrived shortly thereafter, at which time I turned around and sold it on ebay for $121. Nice profit margin!

A second story is one where I purchased an authentic Chanel key bag with the price tag of $95 still attached. I bought it for $5 and sold it on ebay for over one hundred dollars. Whenever I tell my garage sale stories I here the same whine from my friends, “but I never find deals like that!”. But anyone can, it is no different than any sales professional will tell you: it is all in the numbers. The more you go to, the better your chances are at finding a deal.

My favorite tips:

• Shop in nice neighborhoods. They afford (whether they can or not) nicer stuff and replace it more often than me or you.
• Look at the shoes they are selling. If they come from Pay-Less, chances are they scrimp in other areas of their life. If the shoes are expensive, they are name brand shoppers in most areas of their life.
• Be a nice and considerate garage sale attendee. When trying to finagle a deal, I always preface my offer with, “Would you consider…$15?” It just sounds nicer as opposed to, “Hey, I’ll give you 15 bucks for this, ok?”
• Cash talks, especially these days. People have a hard time turning down real money, especially if they can see it. You are more apt to get the deal if you are nice, speak in complete sentences, and have cold hard cash. Be safe, but this gets people drooling.
• Last, people like it when you buy bunches of stuff from their sale. Get you a big pile going and ask what they would take for the whole lot. Generally you will negotiate yourself a good buy.

You could expect the charges to be similiar to the following (I took this straight off of the quote):

• If your item sells for less than $70, you get sale price minus $24.95
• If your item sells for $70-$499.99, you get 72% minus auction fees*
• If your item sells for $500-$2,999.99, you get 75% minus auction fees*
• If your item sells for over $3,000, you need to check with a store associate. Huh?

*Auction fees depend on the style of auction you choose. Non-reserve auction fees are $5. Reserve auction fees are $15 + 1% of your reserve price (ouch!). This must be paid when the item is dropped off.

First, he should have been advised by the store associate that his expectation of a beginning price of $1,999 was too high. The chance of the two pieces selling for that much is very skinny. But, for the sake of our example let us think positive and that they would indeed sell. So, let’s assume the items sell for $1,999 and he has no reserve:

I did not factor in Paypal fees on the example where he sells the items himself. Paypal fees are charged if you routinely get paid over $500 per month via Paypal. Chances are, if this was a one time thing for him, he may or may not have a Paypal account. If he was in a position to incur Paypal fees they would be somewhere around the same amount as the Final Auction Value Fees, or around $48. So, he would still net $1897.48, about $403 more just for taking the time to do it himself.

Even if it takes this man four hours to list the item he has just made over $100 an hour. I’d work for that.

The challenge that faces most newbie ebay sellers is what to sell. Once they have sold everything in their house of value they are presented with the big question: what to list now? My answer is to sell what you love. Focus all your attention on buying items that maintain your interest. Finding a source of products though, will be your next hurdle.

Designer items have always been a passion for me. Most specifically, accessories. Buy one classic, high dollar designer handbag in lieu of 40 no names from Target. The money will probably be the same. The look is completely different. Because I have always felt this way, selling designer accessories was a perfect match. When I made the conscious decision to focus my sales on handbags, the next thing I needed to do was to find a place to purchase them–and at a price where I could resell them and have a margin decent enough to make it worth my while. This small point is what distinguishes the ebayers who can sell for a living and those living wanting to sell. Margin, margin, margin…

Once you decide on your focus you need to start the constant thought process of searching for new products. Even if you currently work full time you can still utilize your lunch hour to acquire new items to sell. To start, check the classifieds of your local newspaper…daily. I once purchased $500 worth of Louis Vuitton from a man whose wife had passed away. I bought eight large pieces plus paid an additional $200 for some Gucci and Prada. The only reason I got it because I was the first person to show up with the cash. Happens more than you may think and yes, I resold it all on ebay. Absolutely lovely. In addition, Craigslist is a wonderul source for all sorts of stuff. Here again, it pays to check daily and it is a must that you know your prices. I love Craigslist because the quaility is generally better than what you might get at a garage sale.

What I nor anyone else can teach you is what is a good purchase price. This is truly trail and error. In my end of ebay it is a fine line of condition and desirablity of an item. Time and practice will teach you when something is a good buy. Also, many original sellers cannot resist the sight of cash. Oftentimes people will take far less than the asking price if you produce some visible cash. Of course, use caution when doing this and make sure you are safe.

Last, finding stuff to sell is an ongoing process. If there existed a truck that would come and dump superior products off at your house for resale to make loads on ebay people would be doing it left and right. The fact is that unless you want to buy pallets of unsold stuff from QVC or HSN to sell it probably won’t ever happen. But if you can find $500 worth of Louis Vuitton you know that you can sell it…ask me.

What if someone is truly a poor buyer? Over the years I have dealt with a few, but thankfully I can say that there were not many. Who are sellers to complain to? The customer service reps at ebay who know less than the average seller? Grrr…