20 free listings per month ? Am I being a naive numpty

[2014meh]

Well things have been going swimmingly with using ebay to declutter at "chez 2014meh".

Was comparing notes with a mum at school this morning and I confessed to having used 20 free listings on my ebay ID and the one I run for my friend to offload her stuff before she emigrates properly (she's out of the country atm and both accounts are now linked to my paypal account to save hassle). I was worried that ebay might spot this and query it but not yet.

The other mum laughed and said she has set up 4 ebay IDs using various Hotmail accounts etc as she needed the money from selling her stuff quickly for her holiday spenders and loads of people she knew from her mother and toddler group were doing this at the moment as they have more than 20 items and can't wait to list stuff until next month.

Anyone else come across this, am I naïve to think ebay will spot this and simply shut down extra accounts al linked in this way ? Perhaps they won't care as it's still FVF fees for them even if they're not getting the initial listing fees.

[Butterflyspring]

no - it is 20 ebay listings per account so you will be fine.

[ThisBitchIsResting]

They make their money from final value fees and PayPal fees, not listings - they only charge a nominal amount for listings to prevent the site getting clogged with rubbish.

[ThisBitchIsResting]

So they don't care.

[2014meh]

Excellent, I'll create a new identity at the weekend and link it to an e-mail account then.

Stuff is flying out the door at the moment. I start most things at 99p as really I just want to free up space but some just goes for way more than that. I'm at the post office/dropshop every other day.

Just baby clothes and almost new men's clothes I can't shift even in bundles and some kids stuff relating to outdated characters like Noddy/Tweenies/Ben 10/Angelina Ballerina etc.

Memo to self - offload character branded goods a.s.a.p. after outgrown in future before popularity wanes.

[Butterflyspring]

the trouble with a new identity is you won't have a feedback record so may not achieve the price you want as a 'new' seller.

And there is no point starting at 99p - waste if you only have 1 bidder. Start higher at the lowest price you want to achieve. After fees you will make no profit if selling for 99p. Start at a higher price - and try Hermes for delivery - £2.98 and full tracking.

[2014meh]

Thanks Butterflyspring

I really don't mind if the odd thing sells for 99p and other stuff I start at £X.99, the absolute minimum I would take for the item. I've only sold about 5 items for just 99p and they were all bagged/labelled in 30 mins or collected promptly by somone local once sold so a few quid after FVF and paypal fees for not too much hassle. Every little helps, I've now made about £400 in total. This is why I want to use free listings as at 99p every penny counts.

I have discovered myhermes for anything above a small parcel. Both the post office and the dropshop are on my way to work and I don't have to make a special trip. I bought some cheap mixed sizes mailing bags and I have access to plenty of old/spare cardboard boxes plus second hand bubble wrap and amazon packaging stuff I've been stashing away for years (I always knew I'd be offloading one day in the future) so packaging is costing me pennies in bags/tape really.

Good point about the new seller feedback rating..... Will probably only list the best stuff that's highly likely to sell for a good price on the new ID.

[Butterflyspring]

you must never take paypal for collected items either - cash only.

After fees if you sell at 99p you will hardly make pennies - really seems a waste of time. And you get free listings if you start at higher prices now so there is no merit at all in starting at 99p at all.

[2014meh]

I only take cash on collection if it's not being posted, figured that one out before I started and I get proof of postage for every little thing (Had someone tell me an item hadn't arrived, way after it should have got there but amazingly it turned up the next day once I said I had proof of posting ;_), maybe trying it on, maybe coincidence. I'm considering stating in each listing that I always get proof of posting, what do you think ?.
One chap was so pleased with something he'd won for 99p that when he collected and I chucked in a couple of tiny extras which wouldn't sell on their own he gave me £3 instead. I once did the same when I bought some maternity clothes via ebay and collected them locally myself, I just thought I cannot walk away having only paid 99p each for these items, they were perfect.

I might rethink the 99p start maybe up it to 1.49 but I know how drawn in I am by a 99p start price and am happy to raise my bid later. I've just done a recount and out of 50 plus things sold since May only 4 have gone for 99p, one ended up paying £3 on collection and I made some money on the p&p by using recycled packaging and not having to go out of my way to post/drop off. Mostly however it is saving me trips to the charity shop/tip which is time consuming and costs me petrol etc.

I also have friends who have offered to bid on my stuff to nudge the price up but due to sensible start prices on stuff that matters I haven't resorted to this yet as I'd hate to think it had happened to me in the past plus I don't really want them knowing my ebay IDs so that I can retain some privacy re buying etc.

[Butterflyspring]

no you must not resort to your friends shill bidding - sod privacy, the issue is it is against the rules and you will lose all of your ebay accounts, plus you are conning the buyers.

[millymae]

Call me naïve but I don't think friends bidding on items to nudge the price up is in the spirit of ebay ...............

[Butterflyspring]

no it is not - and OP you are not listening, whether you start at 99p or £99 you won't have listing fees on the 20 free listings each month. Why don't you do buy it now with best offer instead - that is free too. Selling at 99p is waste or time, bumping up postage to make profit is not allowed, nor is shill bidding.

[2014meh]

I'm not into bumping up prices by shill-bidding but people I know who have been selling their unwanted stuff on e-bay for years clearly aren't averse to doing just that. If you read my posts millymae you'll see I am a fair minded individual as far as e-baying is concerned.

I hated it when e-bay changed things many years ago regarding ID privacy such that it was much harder to spot/track shill bidders (and it used to be very easy to spot it, although so long as I still had a bargain I couldn't be arsed to complain any more after than the first time I spotted and reported it as e-bay did precisely nothing, despite assuring me that they took the matter very seriously). I personally do think they don't care much as it bumps up their FVF levels.

I don't bump up postage but as I'm just using up second hand amazon boxes and packaging I've hoarded over the years I'm getting a bit extra over my actual "postage/delivery charge" costs and as long as items arrive well packaged and protected form damage buyers seem to be very happy with that (I have max star ratings on all counts). I offer a choice of postage/delivery services.

I've tried a range of selling options and BIN/Best offer hasn't gone well for me, I got fed up of replying to timewasters wanting me to agree to a BIN price which matched or was only 50p more than the chuffing starting bid. I was under the impression that BIN/Best offer does incur as when I tried one it came up with a message about there being a fee applicable whereas setting the starting bid at the minimum I'll accept for something (we're not taking high value stuff here) seems to be working for me. As I said, I've only had 5 things actually sell for as little as 99p, even though it's a gamble to lure people in. I understand completely what you say Butterfly but most retailers take a hit on some items so long as they're up overall and my main aim is to declutter our house. I just never knew I would make so much money on it (and I'm keeping an organised tally) even after postage costs, FVF and paypal costs if applicable.

[2014meh]

Oh, I'd forgotten. I also waived the postage/packing on one item as I was amazed at how high the bidding had gone. It was just a nearly new clothing item. The bidding went higher than the item cost when new although I suppose we did buy it outside the UK !

[lljkk]

On a 99p sale you'll be lucky to make any profit after all fees are taken, assuming your postage price is close to the Royal Mail price because people rant if it isn't.

[2014meh]

The 11th of August Lepaskilf ?

[Nanny0gg]

Nope. Now.
Finishes Monday at midnight.