Need advice on selling used gear

[mjs1973]

I'm planning on purchasing the canon 70-200mm f/2.8 in the next month or so, and I want to liquidate a couple of my kit lenses that don't get used much. Of the two, I think I have used one of them twice in the last year. They are nothing special, a 35-80mm f/4-5.6 and an 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6. I'm giving some very serious thought to throwing in my Quantary 2x TC, and upgrading to a Canon TC also.

My biggest question is, do I sell all 3 items together as a "kit", sell the lenses separate from the TC or sell it piece by piece? Any other advice you might have on this subject would be greatly appriciated also.

Thanks

[another view]

You'll definately get more money selling them separately. I sell stuff on ebay, and once you get used to that "workflow" having three items listed is no more difficult than one lot of three items.

A few years ago I bought a pile of Nikon stuff and made out pretty good by re-selling almost all of it piece by piece. That's how I got that carbon fiber tripod - sold most of the other stuff and by that point I had my money back, so the tripod was free...

[Peter_AUS]

Another View, what does ebay charge to list things if they don't sell. I have never done it, but am thinking of listing some lenses and gear as well, but have been reluctant to do it for fear of rip off as well as paying and not selling if you know what I mean, I'm sure you do.

[SmartWombat]

>> as well as paying and not selling if you know what I mean
There are different kinds of listing, each at a different price.
It costs more if you set a reserve than if you take the risk of selling your lens for 9.99 if that's the only bid - instead of the 99.99 you expected.
It costs more to list in more than one section, but that increases your chance of selling because more people might find it.

Finding which section to advertise your gear in is the key to a successful auction.
We usually do a search on ebay first, to see in which category we get the most hits for what we have to sell. We reason that is where most people are likely to look.


>> have been reluctant to do it for fear of rip off
Take a look through ebay and PayPal's conditions.
Taking payment through PayPal has a seller and buyer guarantee - but only up to £500 in the UK.
Taking payment by other means, you set a selling condition that the payment should clear your bank.
Make sure that you check your bank's rules though, some transactions can be reversed within a time period in Europe and you think you've been paid and then the money is whipped back out of your bank! Definitely something to be aware of.

Though I have to say in all our ebay transactions we have not been burned yet.
... crossed fingers

[another view]

Peter, ebay has a million different charges. First thing I do when I decide to sell something is decide if it's even worth it. Look up "completed listings" for that item (search for "Canon 70-200" or "Canon 70-200mm" for example). See what it has been selling for - if there's at least a few you can get a good idea of the range that they go for depending on condition.

If it's worth my while to sell it, then I don't worry too much about the fees. Honestly I don't know how it works, but it shows you all of the adders you're getting. Usually the only one I use is "picture pack" so the pictures display bigger (easier for buyers to see them). Start a seven-day auction at a convenient time - it will end at the same time on the same day next week (easy to keep track of this way) and since you'll probably have a lot of last second bidders you'll want to keep it convenient for them so that this is more likely to happen.

Because I've spent a couple of minutes doing this homework, I'm pretty sure the item will sell. I star t the bidding below what I think it will go for, to get some people interested in it. If you get two people that really want it, then you'll do well! Well, there's all my secrets... ;)

[Asylum Steve]

First thing I do when I decide to sell something is decide if it's even worth it. Look up "completed listings" for that item...See what it has been selling for - if there's at least a few you can get a good idea of the range that they go for depending on condition...

Yep, that's the most important first step. Unfortunately, ebay's archive of completed auctions doesn't go back that far, so it's only a snapshot of the last month or so, but at least it gives you a general idea of the current value of an item and the demand for it.

Another valuable way to use the completed auction feature is to see what members are bidding on these items, and to note if any of them have been narrowly losing auctions.

If I notice people that have been bidding and just barely losing, I make sure to email them my auction after I list an item, because chances are they really want it, and may make a more serious effort to win this time around...

BTW, if you do this on a very limited basis (no mass mailings to members), it is not considered spam, and the vast majority of the time the folks who receive the "ad" really appreciate it...

[Asylum Steve]

Another View, what does ebay charge to list things if they don't sell...

Peter, I haven't kept up to date on every ebay rule change, but last time I used it the policy was, if your item doesn't sell (regular auction), you are permitted to relist it once for free.

After that, whether it sells or not, regular fees apply...

[mjs1973]

If I notice people that have been bidding and just barely losing, I make sure to email them my auction after I list an item, because chances are they really want it, and may make a more serious effort to win this time around...

BTW, if you do this on a very limited basis (no mass mailings to members), it is not considered spam, and the vast majority of the time the folks who receive the "ad" really appreciate it...

This is a great idea Steve!! Now how do I do it? I have found some people that fit this description, but I'm not sure what the best way to contact them is. I can go into their ebay profile, and send them a message that way, but I'm not sure about adding a link to that message. I know I could open another window, bring up my item and copy and paste the address into the message, but will that work? I have to be logged into my ebay acount to send the message, so I'm also logged in when I bring up my auction. Can I log out of one window, and stay logged into the other? Will the link I copy and paste into the message give the recipient an error message or prompt them to sign in as me? Is there a way I can just send them a regular email?

[freygr]

Another View, what does ebay charge to list things if they don't sell. I have never done it, but am thinking of listing some lenses and gear as well, but have been reluctant to do it for fear of rip off as well as paying and not selling if you know what I mean, I'm sure you do.

Just go to the ebay web site. They have a section just for sellers, and they list their fees. It is not that expensive.

GRF

[Asylum Steve]

This is a great idea Steve!! Now how do I do it?...

Michael, each auction has a link near the top that reads, Email to a friend. That's what I used to use, and simply inserted the person's email address in the "to" bar.

Unfortunately, seems now ebay frowns on that kind of thing. They have a disclaimer with the form that says it should be used only with people you know. It even goes so far as to warn you against using the feature to advertise your item to another member (that you don't know).

So, that's probably a risk not worth taking...

[mjs1973]

Thanks Steve, I think I will just let it go and see how things go. I forgot about the super bowl being next weekend, and my auction is scheduled to end during the game. I might just close the auction and repost it later.