Advice to avoid a current potential scenario

[ellarh-29]

Hello,

So I have an item that has 1 bid on it, and if no one else were to bid, it would end up costing me money because I selected to pay for shipping. Over confidence. Any suggestions to be wise in the future are welcome.

Thanks

[dhbookds · Accepted solution]

For $2.25, I'd let it ride.........

Three reasons: 

you never know who else is going to bid......undoubtedly you have a low price.....which may put your items on the radar of buyers who may bid on this one or buy in the future.  Running loss leaders is a recognized/successful sales tactic. 

Secondly, it's just NOT a good idea to cancel bids/listings especially on auctions.  It discourages buyers and it's part of what's killed auctions (my opinion).  Buyers HATE it.

Thirdly.......you made the mistake.....auction start prices always need to be the price you want.  Ethically, too low a price is not an acceptable reason to cancel.  I will admit my "ethics" might be challenged if the loss was in the $100/$1000s of dollars, but for a buck or two..........as said, I would let the auction ride......

[ellarh-29]

Appreciate it. One more question, is there a way to combine 2 of my listings, I've read a couple places about bundles, but not sure

[dhbookds]

Not sure what you mean.......combine 2 orders from the same buyer for  shipping? Yes

Combine active listings into 1 listing?  No....

Combine 2 different items .........a wheel rim and a paint by number......sure you can put those in the same listing......

[ellarh-29]

Thanks, I was talking about combining 2 listings. Might not have sold anything yet, but the community is very helpful and friendly so far

[m60driver]

We have all made the error of under pricing an item relative to shipping costs, an error that, in the end, costs us money.  After over 20 years of selling on Ebay I still occasionally make that mistake on the rare occasion. Just chalk it up as the cost of a learning experience.  I would be more concerned about that plasma TV you are trying to sell. As a new seller you are a scam magnet.  As a beginner, try to avoid selling more expensive items.

[a_c_green]

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@ellarh-29 wrote:

Thanks, I was talking about combining 2 listings. Might not have sold anything yet, but the community is very helpful and friendly so far

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Okay, ordinarily I would always say to let the auction run, as you may have watchers who are not going to make a move to bid until the final seconds, at which time they'll slam in a bid that will give their competitors no time to react.

However, you've got a quantity listing there that reads "1 lot available (375 items per lot)," which looks like a Not As Described dispute in the making if someone wins and then complains that they only received 8 items instead of 375. You also have a Seller Note that describes the cards as "the ones that are in Mint to NM condition," but then buried in the description you say that the Dragonite card has a bend on the bottom corner. I'm not a collector, but my amateur opinion is that a bent corner would knock it out of the Mint/Near-Mint class.

You might want to consider cancelling the one bid and ending this listing, as the problems may paint you into a corner having to deal with an unhappy buyer. Before relisting with corrected details, also take some fresh photos without a flash, so that you get better colors and no glare obscuring parts of the cards. Good luck.

P.S. I agree that the flatscreen should be Local Pickup Only, no shipping. The risks of having to refund in full for shipping damage, either real or fake, are too high, and no one halfway across the country has a pressing need for your particular used TV. 

[ellarh-29]

Thanks for the tips, especially about the TV. I'm taking down shortly, every offer I get is from Austria and way over the top. My biggest thing is how to efficiently and effectively sell the cards. They're for my son, and some of them are worth a good bit by themselves. Unfortunately the place near me that used to buy anything only wants certain ones now. Anyway, any and all pointers and tips are appreciated