New to Selling, looking for eBay tips.

[kophax]

Greetings all!

First time poster here and I've just recently decided to try collecting and trading hockey cards and I just picked up some UD S1 and a few other cards recently at discounted retail prices to get me started. My goal for this first run is to try and break as close to even as possible with the cards I've acquired, and learn a bunch about buying/trading/selling/collecting in the meantime.

I've decided to sell on eBay to get started. I realize eBay can be a pain for the seller at times, but I'm dealing with fairly low value cards and I'm willing to accept the risk that may be associated with it.

What I'm looking for is some tips on how I should go about listing my auctions in order to get the best bang for my buck. From the little research I've done so far, here are a few things I've been considering:

1) Should I put a Buy it Now price on the more popular cards, people seem to be willing to pay a premium for immediate gratification.

2) In a case where I have a UD Canvas YG and Standard YG, should I consider selling them together or will I get a better price separate?

3) Is it better to sell inserts like the EA ultimate team or hockey heroes in a set or individually?

4) Should I try and end my auctions Tue-Thu and Sun evenings for best results?

5) When shipping, I'm currently going with Sleeve, Top Loader for basic 1-5$ range cards and Sleeve, Top loader, Team sleeve for the higher end (10-30$)
. I'm planning on wrapping it in bubble wrap and shipping in a cataloging envelope (5x9) and possibly using a piece of cardboard to provide rigid protection. Will this make most buyers happy, am I missing anything big?

I realize some of these questions are very subjective to the buyer, but any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers

P.S. Here's a list of my cards from my spreadsheet. It'll give you guys an idea of what I'm working with and hopefully bring up a few suggestions on how to best sell them.

Atkinson, Cam 212 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Bulmer, Brett C101 2011-12 UD S1 YGC
Bulmer, Brett 218 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Da Costa, Stephane 233 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Diaz, Raphael C103 2011-12 UD S1 YGC
Diaz, Raphael C103 2011-12 UD S1 YGC
Gardiner, Jake 241 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Gardiner, Jake 241 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Gaunce, Cameron 209 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Geoffrion, Blake 224 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Geoffrion, Blake 224 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Geoffrion, Blake 224 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Henrique, Adam C107 2011-12 UD S1 YGC
Henrique, Adam 226 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Hodgson, Cody 245 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Hodgson, Cody 245 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Horak, Roman 204 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Klingberg, Carl C118 2011-12 UD S1 YGC
Klingberg, Carl 247 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Lander, Anton C99 2011-12 UD S1 YGC
Lander, Anton 215 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Landeskog, Gabriel 208 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Landeskog, Gabriel 208 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Landeskog, Gabriel 208 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Larsson, Adam 227 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Macenauer, Maxime 202 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Macenauer, Maxime 202 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Moore, John 210 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Nash, Brendon 222 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Nemisz, Greg 203 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Postma, Paul 249 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Postma, Paul 249 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Postma, Paul 249 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Read, Matt 235 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Saad, Brandon 207 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Sateri, Harri 238 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Sauve, Yaan 246 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Savard, David 211 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Scheifele, Mark 248 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Scrivens, Ben 244 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Vitale, Joe 237 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Wiercioch, Patrick 231 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Wiercioch, Patrick 231 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Yemelin, Alexei 220 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Zibanejad, Mika 229 2011-12 UD S1 YG
Gagnon, Simon GJ-SG 2011-12 UD S1 GJ
Parise, Zach GJ-ZP 2011-12 UD S1 GJ
Bobrovsky, Sergei GJ-SB 2011-12 UD S1 GJ
Chara, Zdeno GJ-ZC 2011-12 UD S1 GJ
Art Header Hockey Heroes HH-13 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Lindsay, Ted HH11 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Kelly, Red HH10 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Kelly, Red HH10 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Howe, Gordie HH9 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Howe, Gordie HH9 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Howe, Gordie HH9 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Schmidt, Milt HH6 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Hull, Bobby HH4 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Hull, Bobby HH4 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Hull, Bobby HH4 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Bathgate, Andy HH3 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Worsley, Gump HH2 2011-12 UD S1 HH
Crosby, Sydney AW34 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Hedman, Victor AW30 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Weber, Shea AW29 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Miller, Ryan AW28 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Kane, Patrick AW23 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Zuccarello, Mats AW20 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Hossa, Marian AW18 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Hossa, Marian AW18 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Zetterberg, Henrik AW12 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Keith, Duncan AW9 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Doughty, Drew AW8 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Doughty, Drew AW8 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Price, Carey AW4 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Price, Carey AW4 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Semin, Alexander AW1 2011-12 UD S1 AWT
Checklist C1-C90 C90 2011-12 UD S1 C
Backstron, Nicklas C86 2011-12 UD S1 C
Luongo, Roberto C80 2011-12 UD S1 C
Pavelski, Joe C69 2011-12 UD S1 C
Avery, Sean C58 2011-12 UD S1 C
Latendresse, Guillaume C44 2011-12 UD S1 C
Lidstron, Nicklas C37 2011-12 UD S1 C
Morrow, Brenden C33 2011-12 UD S1 C
Morrow, Brenden C33 2011-12 UD S1 C
Ribeiro, Mike C32 2011-12 UD S1 C
Lehtonen, Kari C31 2011-12 UD S1 C
Mason, Steve C30 2011-12 UD S1 C
Hossa, Marian C25 2011-12 UD S1 C
Stajan, Matt C19 2011-12 UD S1 C
Kiprusoff, Miikka C18 2011-12 UD S1 C
Horton, Nathan C10 2011-12 UD S1 C
Marchand, Brad C9 2011-12 UD S1 C
Fowler, Cam C4 2011-12 UD S1 C
Ryan, Bobby C2 2011-12 UD S1 C
Quick, Jonathan EA15 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Stoll, Jarret EA14 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Stoll, Jarret EA14 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Stoll, Jarret EA14 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Stoll, Jarret EA14 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Streit, Mark EA13 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Streit, Mark EA13 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Phaneuf, Dion EA12 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Phaneuf, Dion EA12 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Hall, Taylor EA11 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Seguin, Tyler EA10 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Perry, Corey EA9 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Lucic, Milan EA8 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Keith, Duncan EA7 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Sedin, Henrik EA4 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Sedin, Henrik EA4 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Sedin, Henrik EA4 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Sedin, Daniel EA3 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Sedin, Daniel EA3 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Doughty, Drew EA2 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Doughty, Drew EA2 2011-12 UD S1 EA
Bitz, Byron 226 2009-10 UD S1 YG
YG Checklist 250 2009-10 UD S1 YG
Santorelli, Mike 248 2009-10 UD S1 YG
Beleskey, Matt 240 2009-10 UD S1 YG
Regin, Peter 224 2009-10 UD S1 YG
Hendricks, Matt 247 2009-10 UD S1 YG
Hanson, Christian 246 2009-10 UD S1 YG
Pirri, Brandon 215 2010-11 UD S1 YG
Leddy, Nick 214 2010-11 UD S1 YG
Wingels, Tommy 243 2010-11 UD S1 YG
Turris, Kyle 246 2008-09 UD V R
McKenna, Mike 243 2009-10 UD V R
Machacek, Spencer 244 2009-10 UD V R
Okposo, Kyle 245 2008-09 UD V R
Okposo, Kyle 245 2008-09 UD V R
Mcleod, Cody 226 2008-09 UD V R
Poster, Alex 244 2008-09 UD V R
D'agostini, Matt 248 2008-09 UD V R
Plante, Tyler 247 2008-09 UD V R
Lee, Brian 243 2008-09 UD V R
Brassard, Derick 201 2008-09 UD V R
Earl, Robbie 206 2008-09 UD V R
Pelletier, Pascal 222 2008-09 UD V R
D'agostini, Matt 248 2008-09 UD V R
Stone, Ryan 211 2008-09 UD V R
Benn, Jamie 373 2008-09 UD MVP R
Hendry, Jordan 548 2008-09 UD OPC MR
Staal, Eric AW17 2009-10 UD S1 AWT
Ovechkin, Alexander SG-30 2008-09 UD V SG
Tavares, John 201 2009-10 UD S1 YG
Yzerman, Steve HH17 2010-11 UD S1 HH
Richards, Mike FF9 2009-10 UD S1 FFF
Kiprusoff, Miikka ASR18 2008-09 UD FU ASR
Lecavalier, Vincent GB-4 2008-09 UD V GB
Sedin, Daniel GB-35 2008-09 UD V GB
Datsyuk, Pavel GB-42 2008-09 UD V GB
Kessel, Phil GB-36 2008-09 UD V GB
Kane, Patrick GB-16 2008-09 UD V GB
Lundqvist, Henrik GB-49 2008-09 UD V GB
Luongo, Roberto GB-3 2008-09 UD V GB
Parise, Zach GB45 2009-10 UD V GB
Arnott, Jason GB28 2009-10 UD V GB
Kopitar, Anze SG46 2009-10 UD V SG
Vokoun, Tomas SG-45 2008-09 UD V SG
Price, Carey SG-49 2008-09 UD V SG
Radulov, Alexander SG-36 2008-09 UD V SG
Selanne, Teemu SG-1 2008-09 UD V SG
Abdelkader, Justin 214 2008-09 UD FU R
Brodeur, Martin SH2 2009-10 UD S1 SH
Thomas, Tim SH3 2009-10 UD S1 SH
Rinne, Pekka GEM13 2009-10 UD S1 GEM
Turko, Marty GEM10 2009-10 UD S1 GEM
Sturm, Marco 11 2008-09 UD FU GM
Roy, Derek 17 2008-09 UD FU GM
Toews, Jonathan HC19 2009-10 UD MVP HC

[bojohnson]

From a buyers view

1. I like bin, and hate bin
I like it because I can just buy it, which sellers love because buyers pay more, but i also hate it because I can't get it for cheaper sometimes because sometimes people will just go in and buy it out
I'd say really depends what card you listing

2. Canvas and non canvas should be separate I think
For me I hate lots

3. Again I hate lots, some people like them though
I'd say individually, build feedback, allow buyers to pick what they would like to buy

4. I like evening nights, but generally, the general time is to have them end on Sunday evenings(apparently high traffic)
Personally I can't be on any time but late nights on week nights, but I guess that's different so ya Sunday evening is the general time to have them ending)

5. That sounds fine to me

[pur3strpker0]

I dont sell on eBay but I can have some input that might help

1) Putting the Higher end cards with a BIN price can be a good idea. It lets you generate a sense (if you have the best offer option) of what the card may be worth.

2) I believe separate is the way to go and if possible offer a combined shipping of X amount per extra card.

3) Personally selling inserts in bulk may be better than individually. You can charge a bit more for shipping if the lot is bigger.

4) Sunday is the best day to end it as most people usually have the day offs and what not.

5) The shipping method is nearly the same as what I would do!

Good luck with your sales!

[Ray33]

start it at a 7 day auction at a penny no reserve and just let it ride out. you be surprised how high the cards may end at.

[kophax]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

A few more questions:

1) Should I always do a full 7 day auction? If so, should I really be listing them Sunday evenings every time to get the full 7 days, or can I add them on, say, Tuesday evening with a 5 day and still be successful?

2) In response to Ray33's feedback: For the cards that I know are decent, should I start the bidding higher than 0.01 or 0.99? Will it always get bid higher or do I risk the loss of a nice card at a fraction of the cost? I'd like to stay away from reserves as well, but would be a little cautious in putting up a 10$ card at 0.01 without a reserve (though I'd probably add a Buy it Now in that case)

[fleuryfan 29]

Here is a thread that I posted a while ago posing the same question. https://www.sportscardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1487978
From my experience the biggest downfall to starting on ebay is this, when you sell a card due to limited feedback (I think you need 20-25) paypal holds your money for 21 business days. Also 7 days on older products like UD series one and start them at 0.99 cents and let them ride. IF you bust something on the day it is released I recomend posting a 3 day auction right away to get into the first rush buyers. Also being new to ebay you will likely be able to only sell 10 items a month for the first little bit or 1000 dollars which ever happens first.

[gfel2795]

The 2011-12 YGs you can list at .01 bc they're in high-demand...the 08-09 stuff I'd do BIN or set at a higher opening bid and hope for the best, you can always relist at a lower price.

[centrehice]

1) Should I put a Buy it Now price on the more popular cards, people seem to be willing to pay a premium for immediate gratification.

2) In a case where I have a UD Canvas YG and Standard YG, should I consider selling them together or will I get a better price separate?

3) Is it better to sell inserts like the EA ultimate team or hockey heroes in a set or individually?

4) Should I try and end my auctions Tue-Thu and Sun evenings for best results?

5) When shipping, I'm currently going with Sleeve, Top Loader for basic 1-5$ range cards and Sleeve, Top loader, Team sleeve for the higher end (10-30$)
. I'm planning on wrapping it in bubble wrap and shipping in a cataloging envelope (5x9) and possibly using a piece of cardboard to provide rigid protection. Will this make most buyers happy, am I missing anything big?

.................................................. .......................................

I've been selling since 1999 on eBay. Well over 5,000 individual sales. Buy it Now has only been popular in the last 3 years on eBay.

1. Out of every 100 auctions, I get about a 6-7% BIN ratio, and my cards for the most part are listed cheaply.

2. Always sell current items, or popular items as singles, one at a time, as this will net you the most money. You grab an extra .50 to.75 cents on each individual shipping gross charge. I buy lots, then turn them around for huge profit. Lots are only convenient when you need to dump cards, but in all they aren't profitable.

3. Again Subsets depending on who is on the card, you should sell individually as well. Todays non-Game-Used subset cards are garbage compared to the Subsets from 1996-2004. Singles again make the most money.

4. If you cannot end you auction at primetime Sunday evening, that is between 8:00pm PST or 11:00 EST, then choose a night when the NHL Schedule is light and has 1, 2, or only 3 games being played.

5. If you keep your shipping fair, you WILL get tons of repeat customers. Last Week I had a customer win 11 single card auctions from me. He is a Domestic Buyer. Some sellers would gouge and charge him $6.00-$7.00 for shipping, I only charged him $4.00. It makes a huge difference.

Now just recently eBay has given Sellers an Auto 5 stars for ship time and ship Price if you ship for Free. That means that the buyer cannot One-Star you, on Shipping Time, or Shipping Cost if you ship for Free. Certainly that means you have to try to incorporate the shipping cost within the total Gross Price of you auction, or your BIN.

A Little extra cardboard goes a long way in making your customer feel secure, especially when some bubble envelops are so flimsy to start with.

Make sure the card is secure in the Toploader, either use a Team Bag, or Masking Tape as to not leave residue on the Toploader.

[30ranfordfan]

First off, Welcome to Sports Card Forum!

I've put my answers to your questions in bold below, hope it helps.



1) Should I put a Buy it Now price on the more popular cards, people seem to be willing to pay a premium for immediate gratification.

For higher end cards, my way of doing business is usually to check for what the cards are selling for, or for more limited cards - have an idea of what similar stuff goes for..... and then decide what you think it's worth.

Then list it with a BIN / Best Offer - and set the price about 30% higher than you're hoping to get for it. It gives you some wiggle room.

2) In a case where I have a UD Canvas YG and Standard YG, should I consider selling them together or will I get a better price separate?

Seperate. People who want both, will stil bid on both... but people who just want one, will bid on the one they want. Putting them in lots, IMO, can limit your potential bidders

3) Is it better to sell inserts like the EA ultimate team or hockey heroes in a set or individually?

If you start the auctions at very low prices ($.01, $.25, something like that) you may be able to move them out, but from my own experiences - it's hard to move most of these cards. People don't want to pay $2+ for shipping on a card they think they can pick up for $1 later (even if the card price is next to nothing). I would suggest going the opposite of what I said in the paragrah before :) If you put 10 of these kinds of cards into a lot, and start the bidding around $2.99 + $2 s/h...... someone working on a set and needing a few of them (or someone wanting to start the set?) may come along and grab them. They're looking at 30 cents per card (to start) and reasonably shipping costs for the lot. You're not going to make much money doing it..... but it's a good way to move them out, and recoup a couple of bucks

4) Should I try and end my auctions Tue-Thu and Sun evenings for best results?

I've always hear that Thursdays and Sundays give you the best results, though I'm not sure how true that really is (I've never seen any evidence to support it). I would suggest that the evenings are the time to do it though - mid-day, or late at night are bad. Less people trolling the site.

5) When shipping, I'm currently going with Sleeve, Top Loader for basic 1-5$ range cards and Sleeve, Top loader, Team sleeve for the higher end (10-30$)

I use Penny Sleeve, Top Loader, Team Bag, Bubble Mailer for everything.... except higher end stuff ($50+) then I'll generally use a one-touch instead of the top loader.

I'll charge $2.50 for that shipping, and don't seem to ever get any complaints. I also generally offer free shipping on cards I expect to sell for more than $40. I find it helps get bids / offers - and the couple of bucks I'm eating in shipping costs is okay, becuase the decent sized sale was worth it.

A few more questions:

1) Should I always do a full 7 day auction? If so, should I really be listing them Sunday evenings every time to get the full 7 days, or can I add them on, say, Tuesday evening with a 5 day and still be successful?

7 day auctions give you the most chance for the most views, but inevitably most the bidding action happens on the last day anyway. I've done 5 and 7 days, don't see much of a difference. 3 days though, IMO, is too short. Too many potential bidders don't log in THAT often

2) In response to Ray33's feedback: For the cards that I know are decent, should I start the bidding higher than 0.01 or 0.99? Will it always get bid higher or do I risk the loss of a nice card at a fraction of the cost? I'd like to stay away from reserves as well, but would be a little cautious in putting up a 10$ card at 0.01 without a reserve (though I'd probably add a Buy it Now in that case)

If you've got something that you expect will sell for $10, I would NEVER list it for a penny. There are too many variables.... auction titles / descriptions / time of day / right couple of bidders not checking / just about anything you can think of.

I know there's a theory that lower starting prices attract more early bids, but IMO it's a bunch of nonsense. The only extra bids it attracks are people who try and bid on undervalued auctions, and then re-sell them. Once the bid price + shipping price approaches the card's value - they're going to be done with the bidding anyway.

A card that sells for $10, having a $3 start bid isn't going to impact the final value at all. Never in my life have I not bid on something becuase the starting price wasn't low enough (providing the starting price was a reasonable price.... I wouldn't bid $15 for a $10 card I wanted, but if I'm expecting to pay $10 for it - $3, $5, $7, etc - those starting bids arn't going to affect me much).

What the start price can have an effect on though, is your eBay fees. They change things around so often, that I'm not really sure what 'normal' fees are anymore - but I think they typically have 50 free listings per month, at 99 cents (or lower). That's why you might not want to list for $3 or $5 - they charge you to list. If you're confident the card is worth $10, 99 cents probably doesn't hurt you anyway.

One last thing to mention. For nicer cards (at least ones you think are nicer) do your homework. Book values mean almost nothing anymore. Just becuase it says $40 or $100 in a magazine, doesn't mean it will sell for anywhere close to that (the reverse can also be true). If you've got something you think is worth $10, and you'd rather keep it than sell it for less than that - check eBay's completed listings, and see what they're selling for. MOST Young Guns, for example (Canvas, included) can be had for under $3. You've got some on your list that will obviously sell for much more than that, but before you start listing..... take a look at those actual sale prices, and you'll have a very good idea of what you'll actually get for them.

[kophax]

Awesome feedback guys, much appreciated! I'll probably list a few lower value ones tonight on 7-days to get a feel for putting them up. Maybe i'll put a couple nicer ones up on Sunday evening on 7 days as well with some BIN's.

Thanks again!