eBay selling tips

[Hobbybox604]

Another tip.... Post a link to ur ebay so u get bids from some of us here ;)

[30ranfordfan]

I'll just answer the three questions, with my opinions, quickly:

Some questions:
- Any methods to get more views?

Make sure to use a good description in the title, and a longer one in the body. Mention the team name somewhere. Make sure you write 'Rookie' and 'RC' if it's a rookie card. Big thing is to use any or all of the key words that you can associate with the card. Mention the team in the body of the auction somewhere.... heck, mention any team the player has ever played for, mention that he won an Olympic Gold or a Stanley Cup (if that's true). The more words you use, the more things you mention about the card / player - the more times it will show up in searches, especially for "title & description". Just don't use anything that's not true.

- Is it worth the time to post base cards?

From premium sets (i.e. The Cup) sure. Other than that, only in lots.... and even then, you're not going to get much. If you're talking about something like Upper Deck Series 1 from this year.... you couldn't sell an entire base set of it online, without losing money. To anyone who says otherwise: I've got one to sell you. Give me $1 + the actual cost of shipping (I'll invoice you after I mail it out) and it's yours! (There will be no takers on this).

The problem with base cards (sets, singles, whatever) is that it's tough to find someone willing to pay you $2 to ship a card that's worth a dime..... or $15 to ship 200 of those cards.

- Do scrub autos/gu actually sell?

If they're in a set that's being heavily collected, yes. If they're not - then no. I'll mention this though..... if you're willing to get them go cheap enough, then you can move them pretty easily. I think it's a matter of people that believe they can buy them at a discount, and move them at slightly less of a discount. Rather than eBay, I use COMC to move a lot of low / mid end stuff. If I price a gu card at $1.... it almost never matters who the player is, it will sell. The book value will be 5x - 10x higher than what I'm asking, and at $1.... I suspect people think they can flip it for $1.50 easy enough (online) or it might be card show guys that will take a bunch of dirt cheap GU cards they pick up for $1 (or less) and then put them into $2 each / 3-for-$5 bins.

Pretty much the same thing with autos.

[AndrewZachary]

Another tip.... Post a link to ur ebay so u get bids from some of us here ;)

Here it is: http://www.ebay.ca/usr/andrew_zachary1988

Thanks for the tips ranfordfan, I will try that one out to get more views, that seems to be the big problem is I'm getting little to none.

[30ranfordfan]

Just a real basic example.....

I had an 06-07 ITG Heroes & Prospects Claude Giroux Auto sell recently. Only got my $8 opening bid for it, but that's okay.


The title:
2006-07 ITG Heroes & Prospects Autograph Claude Giroux Auto

In the description:

2006-07 In The Game Heroes & Prospects Autograph of Flyers' Superstar Claude Giroux A-CGR


People search for both 'Autograph' & 'Auto' so I try and use both, when I can, in the title. Card number (A-CGR) a mention of "Flyers" things like that in the description I find helpful in getting more views.




A lot of what I try to do - think about how I search for things. I know I've search for things like...... "Edmonton Oilers" (auto, autograph, signed) +lot ......... (exact text between the two sets of periods) so if I'm going to sell something, use as many key words that people might be looking for as possible. If you're selling an auto of a guy that played for 5 different teams - it's not going to hurt anything to mention all 5 of those teams. "Stanley Cup Winner" or "Hockey Hall of Famer" stuff like that I use a lot too.


The only time I consider it to be "overboard" is when you're using other players, or something like that. Don't mention 'Sidney Crosby' if you're trying to sell me a card of Chris Kuntiz. I also find it annoying when you Crosby card that's numbered 87/10000 is now a "1/1". FOR SURE remind me that it's Crosby's jersey number... but don't call it something that it is not.

[Powerforward]

One other thing, as others may have said, try to include as much info in your title as possible. Use all the space provided.

When people use the default search on ebay, it only looks for the search terms in auction titles. Not many people (especially ones new to ebay) check the box that also searches descriptions.

[Wickabee]

Something I never thought of until someone ragged on me for it on eBay, and now it bugs the crap out of me too.
People seem to only think of player and team collectors. A guy might need card #42 but not know who it is, so putting "UD Drew Doughty" will get no attention from a good number of set collectors. It sounds weird, given the avenues of research available, but the eBay market is much bigger than us, who know we know these avenues.
So many people neglect the card number, it's worthwhile to not be one of them.

[andrewconnors9]

Biggest tip, do not use eBay auction. it is the complete liquidation of an asset (card) and it will give you the lowest amount in return. Always use Buy it Now and give the Best Offer option.

Ive had cards that ive picked up here on SCF for 50-60$ because everybody else on ebay ran them on auctions and that was the average going price. Throw them up on ebay as BIN or best offer, and have sold in a couple hours for 100$+ easily. Reason being, you get a couple guys just low bidding on a card, then you have one guy with a deep pocket that will pay whatever to get it. Card is at 50$ on auction, he probably snipes a last second bid of about 100$ to guarantee the win. All in all, he wins the card for a little over 50$. Put that same card on Buy it Now or best offer, that same deep pocket would have no problem offering you 100$ for your card. Boom, 40$ more because you BIN'd it.

Only time auction will bring u more is because two people are going crazy in a bidding war, and then some times they realize it and dont pay for it.

Also goes for the same reason why u can buy cards on auction (steals), then fire them right back up for triple the price as BIN and sell them for more.

[CincinnatiKelly]

There's a fixed price listing special going on right now, got almost 200 listed, but why does the BIN have to be .99? I would love to list alot of these at .25 but it won't let me. Can someone offer less than .99?

[gmoney41685]

No, I tried that with some of the base cards I was picking up for my PC. The seller had them listed for $.99 each, and I figured if I made an offer for half that on all of them, they might bite. It wouldn't let me offer less than $.99. So BIN @ $.99 or BO = $.99 regardless.

There's a fixed price listing special going on right now, got almost 200 listed, but why does the BIN have to be .99? I would love to list alot of these at .25 but it won't let me. Can someone offer less than .99?

[Wickabee]

Biggest tip, do not use eBay auction. it is the complete liquidation of an asset (card) and it will give you the lowest amount in return. Always use Buy it Now and give the Best Offer option.

Ive had cards that ive picked up here on SCF for 50-60$ because everybody else on ebay ran them on auctions and that was the average going price. Throw them up on ebay as BIN or best offer, and have sold in a couple hours for 100$+ easily. Reason being, you get a couple guys just low bidding on a card, then you have one guy with a deep pocket that will pay whatever to get it. Card is at 50$ on auction, he probably snipes a last second bid of about 100$ to guarantee the win. All in all, he wins the card for a little over 50$. Put that same card on Buy it Now or best offer, that same deep pocket would have no problem offering you 100$ for your card. Boom, 40$ more because you BIN'd it.

Only time auction will bring u more is because two people are going crazy in a bidding war, and then some times they realize it and dont pay for it.

Also goes for the same reason why u can buy cards on auction (steals), then fire them right back up for triple the price as BIN and sell them for more.

Put this to the test and a card I've been sitting on for 6 months went for $30 in about half an hour. Kinda shocked me a little.

Thanks, Andrew! Everyone would do well to purchase your brochure!
(I get a cut of the sales now, right?)