Need advice about ebaying for commission

[catmom2wires]

Hi everyone,

A few months ago at a party, we were all talking about "streamlining" our lives and selling things on ebay. One woman approached me about selling things for her on ebay and paying me a percentage of the sales prices.

At the time, I was feeling so lousy it seemed to be a monumental job way beyond my capabilities. Now, however, I'm feeling better (dare I even say BORED?) and it seems like it would be fun.

I am thinking about approaching her and seeing if she is still interested in me selling for her. However, I wonder how much of a percentage of the sales I should request? And what about if I go to the trouble of listing and tending something and it doesn't sell. Should get a nominal listing fee?

I will be asking her to bring items to me, with a description she wants put in the ad and a starting bid. I will photograph, list, watch the auctions and ship the items after the sale. What would be fair, in your opinions? I have an idea in my head, but want to see what you all think. If it matters, this woman is merely an acquaintance of about 10 years. We are in no way "good friends."

Thanks in advance.

C

 

[gloriajh]

Seems like a written agreement, signed by both, as to the understanding of what your responsibilities and ?commission? are, and what her responsibilities are, etc. would help keep you in good standing with this person.

You should include, in detail, what your out-of-pocket cost will be and then add a $? fee for your services. if an item doesn't sell, you'll still have some costs that will need to be covered, right? (I don't shop ebay.) Your agreement should cover those "worse case scenarios".

Having things in writing helps people to know what to expect.

If you're not doing this for the $$, and just to pass the time (mostly), then be prepared to lose $$ just to keep the peace.

It's like when you give a friend money - it's nice if they repay you, but your attitude would be healthier if you sincerely don't expect to ever see that $$ again.

 

[catmom2wires]

Thanks, Gloria,

Yes, there would be a written agreement of some type. I'm not looking to make a bunch of money but would like a little to cover my efforts. The woman in question is well respected, intelligent and simply doesn't have any time (works high up in the local university) and inherited most of her mom's belongings a few years ago. Her house is bulging with unused and unwanted items. I think this could be win-win for both of us.

Thanks for your input. Anyone else have any ideas?

Cally

 

[capt_jordi]

there are stores that do this called isold it on ebay or something like that. I found their website and they charge 33%-40% on each item. Instead of having one flat rate, I would do 3 or 4 brackets. And then divide it by size and price. If something is smaller and wont bring a lot, maybe charge less. But larger items that will be harder to arrange then charge closer to 40%?

Also dont forget to count in the fee's for ebay and stuff like that!
Good luck! This sounds like a fun thing to do!

 

[momofmany]

I checked into this myself a few years ago. The ebay "stores" that buy from individuals and list them on ebay are pretty selective on what they accept from people. They take responsibility for the various ebay fees and cover their listing costs if an item doesn't sell right away. Thus the reason they are selective - if they don't think they can sell it, they don't take it. The store owner that I talked to took anywhere from 25% to 50% from the selling price - the higher the price, the less they took. They wrote the ad themselves after getting information from the owner.

Before you attempt to do this yourself, have you ever tried to sell things on ebay? If you didn't like the hassle of doing the listings, weighing things to price shipping fees, obtaining shipping materials, packing, etc, then don't do it.

 

[catmom2wires]

Hi,

This is good info. I do enjoy selling things on Ebay, and have been successful. Since we already have an online business, I have a scale, USPS boxes, PayPal accounts, etc, all set up and ready to go.

C