Why not sell on eBay?

[Atommad]

I hear lots of bad press on here about selling a watch on eBay. But on the positive side it will reach a huge audience and could possibly get me the best price, with maximum £75 fees.

So, if I insist on buyer collecting face to face, and ignore silly offers, are there any drawbacks I haven't considered?

[4G63T]

make sure you include every little detail like *small scratch on clasp 12mm long but only surface scratch* and take a picture to include.

that way they cannot say it was not as described and your covered that way.

also, make sure you send it recorded delivery signed for with insurance, it will cost more but then if they do try an screw you over you can still claim the money back from the post office.

[4G63T]

also, i wouldn't like to do it face to face with some serious metal, as you might just get mugged for it.


probably will not but I'm sure you have heard of all sorts of horror stories of people wanting to do the deal face to face and it goes sour.


but thats just me

[Atommad]

I was intending to avoid posting the watch altogether, to avoid any scam swapping the watch, or damaging it then trying to claim it isn't as described. Face to face would avoid that, even if it reduced the number of potential buyers.

[Easty-5]

Remember paypal fees as well as listing fees.

[johnfm]

Avoid getting mugged at the face to face exchange.

[Atommad]

4G63T said:

also, i wouldn't like to do it face to face with some serious metal, as you might just get mugged for it.


probably will not but I'm sure you have heard of all sorts of horror stories of people wanting to do the deal face to face and it goes sour.


but thats just me

That is a concern I guess. Also, probably wouldn't want someone coming round to the house. That doesn't leave many options then.

[Atommad]

Easty-5 said:

Remember paypal fees as well as listing fees.

Good point, isn't it about 3%?

[Easty-5]

Atommad said:

Good point, isn't it about 3%?

I believe it's 3 or 4%. Obviously paypal won't be applicable if you are doing Face to face. Just don't mention it on the Ad, eBay don't like it. I think your listing fees are % based on asking price as well, I'm not too sure though. I haven't sold anything of value on eBay before.

I was considering selling my Rolex on there but was initially put off by the amount of fees that would be racked up. Let us know how you get on and if it works out expensive.

[yeti]

Atommad said:

So, if I insist on buyer collecting face to face, and ignore silly offers, are there any drawbacks I haven't considered?

You're spot on there. You meet in a VERY public place, coffee shop in a shopping centre or a town centre bank, that way nothing goes wrong. You then wander to the bank together and pay in the money or do a BT, that way nothing goes wrong there either. Shake hands, all's well.

Done it dozens of times, apart from listing fees I have never paid eBay a penny on watches.

I usally set up a Buy it Now with a 'best offer' option - no-one ever buys it now when they think they can get it cheaper, you then are having a dialogue. Make your postion very clear via mail, no PayPal, no eBay fees, face to face only and move from there. With the offers, you can set it up to atomatically reject anything below a certain value. Have advertised plenty at say 2k and have offers of 500... this way you don't even need to deal wth them.

You won't get mugged

[Miguel Alvarez]

There was a guy who got mugged at a coffee shop in South London a couple years back.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-19333525

[sneijder]

The buyer is king on EBay, and they know it.

If you're mailing something, make sure it's foolproof and signed for....but by this point it's costing a bit, and the eBay listing and final fees can be daft.

Have a look at Chrono24 (never used it) I've sold cheap stuff on Watchuseek, the buyers there are intelligent and if you price things properly, they shift quickly.

[andy tims]

Chronotrader is

1) Free
2) Not full of idiots who know nothing about watches - they generally know what they are buying.

http://chronocentric.com/forums/chronotrader/

[eccles]

sneijder said:

The buyer is king on EBay, and they know it.

If you're mailing something, make sure it's foolproof and signed for....but by this point it's costing a bit, and the eBay listing and final fees can be daft.

Have a look at Chrono24 (never used it) I've sold cheap stuff on Watchuseek, the buyers there are intelligent and if you price things properly, they shift quickly.

The cost of postage shouldn't influence the choice to use ebay as the buyer pays it. Free listing weekend come up regularly, so listing fees shouldn't be an issue.