Selling designer handbags

[inspiramarkbooks]

Hi all,

I'm planning to sell designer handbags on eBay as that's my passion, it's something I have begun thinking about. However, I am trying to figure out if I want to sell them from wholesalers like Queen Bee of Beverly Hills, Silk Avenue Ltd, and Brands Gateway as well as buying on clearance from places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls and other places that sell discount designer and reselling them at their retail price or reasonably lower at fixed price or if I want to instead sell pre-owned designer bags for auction and source them by winning ebay auctions that ship from Japan or China or any listings that end with a reasonably lower bid price and resell on eBay with a starting bid of $0.99. I know that counterfeiting can be a problem on eBay and that buying from places like Japan or China could be a risk, however I know that eBay beats on counterfeits hard and makes it easier to minimize the risk of buying counterfeit goods. The reason I like the idea of buying at auction for a lower price and reselling is because I think that most eBay buyers looking to buy designer handbags online are looking for the best deals and a starting bid price of $0.99 would possibly drive the bid price up, but there's the risk of selling it for way less than it's worth that way and I'm not sure that it's a good idea to use a reserved price auction. Somehow it just seems like buying pre-owned in good condition and reselling at auction would be a better go. I would use Auctiva's pro package and other seller tools, but there's certainly always that risk. I understand that I will need to establish a positive selling history as I get going. What I would like to know is, what sounds like the better option to you or what sounds like the best strategy? Has anyone here sold designer bags on eBay? Thanks.

[vintagecraze50]

Yes there is a risk buying a possible counterfeit from China. You would not want to be in a position where you get people making not as described and counterfeit claims on here so I would not source these there. If you are considering selling extremely high end designer bags, use Ebay authenticate a new service offered by them where you send them the bag and they authenticate it and sell it for you.  These bags run ito the thousands so I am not sure that is what you are into. You reduce your risks of buyers claiming fake and buyer have more confidence in buying. There is a fee for this service. 

[retrose1]

OP, you should read about ebay's money back guarantee and then consider how it would apply to you as a seller.  The read the boards about scams - and you could narrow it to scams and designer handbags.

Designer purses are in the top 5 genres of items scammed on ebay.  You have to plan ahead what to do if the buyer claims there are problems, damage, fake, ect AND how ebay will respond to it.

And once you have decided to go ahead with your plan I advise that you start small and build up.  Only list items under $50 until you have as much recent selling feedback as the dollar vaue of the item you are listing. That way if you get scammed you will not be out big bucks at the start.  Scammers prfile and target new sellers listing high dollar items.

[lookng2015]

buying from places like Japan or China could be a risk, however I know that eBay beats on counterfeits hard and makes it easier to minimize the risk of buying counterfeit goods.

Thanks for the LOL

[fashunu4eeuh]

As you are a new seller, i would never recommend starting out with high dollar luxury goods. You need to learn the ropes and risks of selling here first. New sellers have limits on how much can be listed in both quantity and dollar amount as well as limits on categories. PayPal places holds on the sale funds on new sellers and you may not be able to access the proceeds for up to 21 days. 

Do not source your goods from the Counterfeit Capitals of the World—you must be absolutely certain of the designer handbag’s origin. Your selling career can end abruptly with no chance of reinstatement for selling fake items. 

Setting a starting price at $0.99 only works for the most coveted items. Take a new seller, add a designer bag at a .99 auction, and voila! you have a scammer’s paradise. 

So read the Ebay Help pages, the UA, these boards, and start small— selling unwanted items from around the house. After 3 months of successful transactions, your limits might get raised and only then should you entertain selling higher dollar items. Selling on ebay is hard work and a seller needs to be prepared for it. I wish you much success in your venture.

[nawlinsron2]

if you can afford to lose one, do one at a time until you get burned.
ebay is not all fairy dust and butterflies.

[smenkveld]

Your post sounds like your very inexperienced on how ebay works and doesn’t work. Get some experience selling before going blindly into selling designer handbags so you don’t lose everything.

[emerald40]

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Buyer-opened-a-case-for-wrong-item-received-and-blamed-Fedex/t...

OP - long but worth reading.

This OP decided to sell a desiger bag that unfortunately attracted the worst kind of scammer.

[albertabrightalberta]

1. There are experienced sellers who find deals on ebay and flip them for a profit, but "experienced" is the operative word.
2. Auctions are NOT the way to encourage bidding. Bidding wars on 99-cent listings have gone the way of the dinosaur.
3. If you want to do auctions, start your opening bid at the lowest price you'd be happy to sell for. Assume that your item will only get 1 bid.
4. Calculate fees, time, packing materials, shipping costs, etc. so you don't lose money.
5. Designer handbags are not sold by wholesalers to the general public. If you find a "wholesaler" offering you deals on Louis Vuitton and Coach bags (and other designer brands), I guarantee you'll regret doing business with them!
6. Personally, I prefer fixed price listings with a best offer option.
7. Although you believe that ebay is tough on sellers of fakes, you are living in a dream world. Although fakes are illegal and ebay policy disallows them, there are thousands of fakes listed and sold daily.
8. If you're going to buy from ebay sellers, you need to learn the brands and verify authenticity before buying.
9. If you plan to sell items you bought on the secondary market (i.e., ebay, other online sites, thrift stores, yard sales), have those items authenticated by brand experts before listing them.

Before selling highly faked categories of items, my suggestion is to start small with items from your home that you no longer need, wear or use. Get used to photographing, writing descriptions, packing and shipping and the ins and outs of ebay before venturing into territory where you don't know what to expect.

[citrine146 · Accepted solution]

Start small and build yourself up.  Sell stuff you own and don't need and not to invest your money on designer goods for re-selling as yet.

Learn the trade, get the feel of your market,  read more on ebay and its policies etc.

[usaflea]

where is the des bag wher they ebay sell them for you at 10 per cent also

hw do i find authenticate4u ?

[albertabrightalberta]

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@usaflea wrote:

where is the des bag wher they ebay sell them for you at 10 per cent also

hw do i find authenticate4u ?

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I'm not sure I understand your question but what I think you're asking is about the 10% commission. 

You've misunderstood if you think you can buy from sellers for 10% of their asking prices. For sellers, ebay charges 10% commission based on the total selling price plus shipping. Paypal will charge the seller an additional 2.9% of the payment amount. 

For the authentication company, you can google authenticate4u and you'll find their facebook as well as their website. 

[zollione]

We have just started selling designer handbags, have you started selling used ones already ?

[albertabrightalberta]

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@zollionewrote:

We have just started selling designer handbags, have you started selling used ones already ?

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You need to use your OWN pictures of the actual items.

As a new seller, particularly of "designer" items (which I'm not sure Versace 1969 is), you need to have feedback that inspires confidence in your buyers. 

[a*river*runs*through*it]

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@zollionewrote:

We have just started selling designer handbags, have you started selling used ones already ?

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You might also want to lose the names of Donatella and Gianni since they have nothing to do with what you're selling.

Stock pictures are not good as mentioned above. But that might be hard to do since you don't seem to have the bags in your possession.