question about my strat on Ebay?

Terry Sneed · From: Arkansas,

I put my Strat on Ebay for 7 days and never got a bid, relisted and after the 4th day still didn't have any bids so I ended the acution. I was charged $19.50 for insertion fees and final value fees. I thought you were only charged that if your item sold.
Does this amount sound right to ya'll even though I never got any bids?

Terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

erik · Posted 20 Jul 2005 9:13 am

The final value fee is credited upon relisting. Not sure about 2nd time around especially when you end early. You need to go to the help center and find that answer. I know they made big rule changes a few years back.

Terry Sneed · From: Arkansas,

Erik, I emailed customer care, and got an email explaining why I was charged $19.50, but I disagree totally with what they said.
First of all, the insertion fee was supposed to be dropped when I relisted my item according to their rules. And unless I read it wrong I thought the final value fees were charged only if my item sold.
Anyway, I'm deleting my account with Ebay, their nothin but a rip-off as far as Im concerned.

Terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

Al Johnson · From: Sturgeon Bay, WI USA

the way I always understood it if an item doesn't sell the first time and you relist the item and it sells the second time you will not be charged for the second time--if it does not sell the second either you will be charged for the second time also.
Al

Terry Sneed · From: Arkansas,

Well thanks Al. This is the first time I have tried to sell anything on Ebay. maybe I read it wrong, but anyway, $20 is a rediculos
amount just to put your item up for sale and not even get a bid. I'm through with Ebay.
Terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

Terry. If you put your guitar in the local newspaper and it did not sell, you would still pay for the ad right.

Ebay is the same.

Now for what to do next time. When you put your guitar on Ebay you should have started the auction off for $9.99. Did you do that, or did you set a price of say $500+? If you did, then you pay a higher fee for inserting the ad. If you put a reserve price on the item, you pay for it--get the picture? The more stuff you put on your ad, the more Ebay charges you.

When you place an ad on Ebay, you will be shown the price for the insertion fees. These are paid no matter if the item sells or not.

Ebay is expensive, but I don't consider it a rip off.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Another thing is that often there are no bids till the last minute. Most guys that buy on Ebay regularly wait till the last possible moment to put in there bid.

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Bob
My Website

Alvin Blaine · From: Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA

I can't even count how many one week auctions I have had up on eBay with no bids until the last few minutes or even seconds. You wouldn't believe how many people are signed up with sniping sites. If they see something on ebay they log the item in on a sniper program and the program bids for them in the last few seconds of the auction so that they won't get out bid.
So if you list something, you have to be patient and let the auction go till the end. You aren't going to sell anything if you keep ending the auction early. All you do is make money for eBay.
It's just like fishin', if you don't leave your hook in the water how do you expect to catch a fish?

If you don't have time you could do a shorter auction, but then ebay will charge you more for that.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

EBAY is a busines.When you sell something on EBAY you MUST treat it like a business, which means understand all things and costs going in.

Without seeing how Terry listed this item it is difficult to understand why the fees were charged..

Terry, EBAY is not a bad place , quite the opposite, it's good place but sellers need to know the rules going in...

And I too fully agree with one of the comments above..most purchases take place within the last few minutes, even last few seconds..

Terry, did you notice if anyone was WATCHING your auction ? and what prompted you to end it early ?

too many things going on to give a black and white answer...but I do know if they charged you $19 it was because of the way you listed and inserted the add. They did not change the rules just for your auction.

Ganey Arsement · From: Louisiana, USA

Ebay bases their fees on the final selling price, or if the item didn't sell, you are charge normal insertion fees plus a percentage of the minimum bid or reserve price.

Many people make the mistake of putting a high minimum bid or reserve price because they either think that it is worth it, or that is what they must get. If the item doesn't sell, you are stuck with the fees.

Ebay is a very fair market place. If the item you are selling is in high demand, or popular, listing it with a $1 starting bid and no reserve will result in a successful auction at fair market value.

People are funny about bidding.
1.)They don't like to bid if the seller has already indicated how much he wants for the item. ie. minimum bid, reserve price.
2.)Research shows that 80% of the bidding for any particular item takes place in the last three days of the auction.
3.)The use of sniping programs has become widespread. Snipers put in the price they are willing to pay, and the program places the lowest bid needed to win at the end of the auction. If the bidding goes above the price they are willing to pay, no bid is placed. Ebay's bidding program artificially drives up the price by increasing the bid as needed. Buyers don't like this.

I have been selling pretty regularly for five years now. I have put reserves on items that got no bids and then relisted and sold for twice the original reserve. I recommend that you never put a reserve and only run the auction for three days, five days max.

Also, images are what sell an item. Be sure to include the best possible pics you can get from every angle. Don't use stock photos from manufacturers websites, use good lighting, and make sure item is in focus.

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Ganey
Martin D-35
Fender DG-22
Epiphone Sheraton II

[This message was edited by Ganey Arsement on 21 July 2005 at 05:54 AM.]

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

To save a few bucks don't use the Ebay photo service. You can add your pictures pretty easy in HTML as long as you have them stored on your own sevice. Just paste the html picture info in the discription area and they show up on Ebay.

To find out how to post pictures look up" HTML pictures" or something like that in google.

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Bob
My Website

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

A lot of good advice here, Terry, I will only chime in to repeat that setting your starting bid at what you want for the item will virtually guarantee no interest, everybody wants a good deal and will bid if it looks like a possibility. Once in the pool, however, many folks will keep raising their bids rather than lose the contest.

An item worth $950 but started at $0.99 is much more likely to reach $1000 and more than one started at $900 and eBay will charge fees based on the $900 because that reflects the relative stakes at risk. It's not an unreasonable practice and they DO tell you up front before you submit your bid exactly what your minimum fees will be.

Ending your auctions early is not encouraging to potential bidders at future auctions, either. It's a worldwide community resource and works very well if you learn how to take part effectively.

Mark Herrick · From: Bakersfield, CA

erik · Posted 21 Jul 2005 2:00 pm

Believe it or not, I have never used a picture, never a bold heading, never a placement, do not accept anything but a money order and I almost NEVER have a problem selling my stuff. This includes midi gear up to $900. I put only the cheapest ad in. It's real easy to skip all the way down and bypass all the frills. My biggest exciting addition is a counter.

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-johnson

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

I've had good luck with Ebay also. I have done somewhere around 1300 transactions, have over 1000 positive feedbacks, and have never been "ripped off". I have had a few non paying bidders, but I just leave negative feedback, relist the item and go on.

I have walked away from some good looking deals because there was something a little fishy. I usually ask the seller some kind of question and if there is no reply, I walk away no matter how good it looks. If a seller can't answer his emails, he probably won't have time to send the goods either. This philosophy has worked well for me.

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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

Terry Sneed · From: Arkansas,

Well, ya'll are correct in that I didn't read the rules good enough. I should have taken more time in reading the rules. But I listed my item for 7 days and never got a single bid. Then relisted for 7 more days. I had a purty good pic of my Hwy 1 Strat That I sent to ebay, and had the starting price at $300. I know now that was waay to high, but I was sure somebody would buy this 2004 almost new Strat for $500 which was my reserve price. If you don't put a reserve up there, do you have to sell your item to the highest bidder? I didn't want to end up sellin my Strat for $300. See, I should have checked about that but I didn't.
I appoligize for sayin Ebay is a rip-off. I am the one responsible for having to pay amost $20, because I didn't read the rules like I should have. I've learned my lesson well, but I'm severly gun shy after literally givin Ebay $20, so I've asked them to delete my account. I've had enough. UNCLE!

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Terry, although I have never done this I have seen some auctions end early even with bids on them.

You can place a note in your add that you reserve the right to end the auction early and stop the auction anythime you wish before the auction ends on it's own. You select the reason as " Item no longer for Sale"...

Now this does tend to torque off any prosepective bidders but they have not lost anything.

Perhaps next time start the action at .99 Cents and put a reserve of $500 in there.

Also do a search of all exact same guitars and see how they are worded and what they are selling for ..You don't want to be the highest out there and of course not the lowest either...

Also check the Internet stores such as Musicians Friend to learn how much they are selling new ones for or if they have any on specials.You do not want to conflict with that . I think rigt now they have some of these Guitars selling under $500 new...

If you price your items smart, they will sell..

and also don't forget, after the auction closes, you can still contact the bidders by EMAIL and see if they have any interest for a POST auction sale...

A very recent POST auction sale allowed me to obtain a BRAND NEW Sunburst 50's Classic Telecaster for $360....this rates as one of the top 5 deals I have ever struck on EBAY....this guitar, ( like I really needed it ) is totally pristine...

I also deal very heavily in 50's thru 70's HO Trains and am sometimes amazed at some of the deals that can be struck.

List your axe again, but use a different sales philosophy...try listing your add on late Sunday afternoon with 7 days...this gives bidders a full week and weekend before your auction closes, and most folks are home on weekends... oh, and maybe lower the selling price by just a tad...and don't gouge on shipping..list the add with "ACTUAL shipping charges apply"...Most regular EBAYERS hate those that up charge on shipping..I know I do, and sometimes I won't even bid on items I want if the shipping charges are way out of line.

Keep this in mind..Most EBAY buyers are looking for a deal and price matters... ..or looking for an EXACT something or other...which in that case price does not matter.

t

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 22 July 2005 at 04:34 AM.]

Terry Sneed · From: Arkansas,

quote:
I think rigt now they have some of these Guitars selling under $500 new...

Tony, I hadn't seen any Highway 1 guitars Strats or Teles for under $630. I've looked on Musicians Friend, Music 123, American Musical etc. I did see one for sale on Ebay for $475,(heck of a deal)! the rest were around $600.

Do you have to take the highest bid if you don't have a reserve price? I can't sell my Strat for $300.

Terry

Terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

[This message was edited by Terry Sneed on 22 July 2005 at 03:03 PM.]

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Terry, to answer your question, yes, you do have to sell to the highest bidder if you do not put a reserve price on it.

So, like someone above stated, you could start low (e.g., $0.99 or $10) and put a reserve of what is really the lowest you'd be willing to sell it for (e.g., $500). The listing cost will be somewhat higher than if you had no reserve, but that's the insurance you pay to be sure that it doesn't sell too cheaply.

Terry Sneed · From: Arkansas,

Thanks Jim. That's the reason I was charged so much I had the reserve set at $500.But I wadn't goin to give it away.
wish I had never relisted it, that jumped it up even more. I'm learnin.

Terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

Martin Abend · From: Berlin, Germany

Well, if you don't like the concept of auctioning, why do you use ebay? I don't get it...

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martin abend Pedal-Steel in Germany
s-10 sierra crown gearless 3 x4 | GiMa squareneck