Deep thoughts, Selling on ebay, Questions for the ages

[dirk12955]

   As an ebay seller (23 years)   You'd think I'd have a clue,  an idea,  a system,  a balance,

   a way that works.   

A question before the masses.

Why is it,   Whenever I make a mistake,    Said mistake never puts $5.00 or $10.00 into 

my pocket.   Gets added to my bottom line.

My mistakes always cost me $$$   Maybe a $5.00    Maybe a $10.00    Maybe a $20.00

Is it just me?    

[eburtonlab]

If making a mistake is profitable, then there is an incentive to make that mistake, and lots of folks will make the same mistake and profit -- at someone else's expense.

It is in eBay's interest to avoid a situation where a mistake on someone else's part costs eBay money, and eBay works hard to create policies that prevents that from happening.

eBay has less incentive to prevent you from making mistakes that cost you (but not eBay) money.

You have your own interest in avoiding mistakes that cost you money. Not every mistake you make costs you money, but you tend to notice and remember the ones that do more than the ones that don't.

[monica-sells]

I would venture to say that you, like me, have made mistakes that "slipped through the cracks"....

the monetary value can be debated, and is probably not a tangible number as you surmise.....

1 example I can readily think of....I sent an item media mail (by my mistake) that did not qualify for said service. Cost for that shipment was 4.65...It should have been sent priority or (other) for at minimum 9.85....

Is that $5.30 a "win" for my mistake?

I could have easily been 'penalized' for 'my mistake' and cost me 10.00 or more, but it slipped through.....

granted, it's not "in my pocket", but, in reality, it is a "plus" to my bottom line

[dirk12955]

How about this?

I made a new listing using sell similar.    The old listing price was $19.99 and the new listing 

  should have been changed to $49.99

I hit send and the listing is up at $19.99 and one of my competition bought 

it about 2 minutes after it posted.

Goodbye $30.00

[lamber9347]

---

@dirk12955 wrote:

How about this?

I made a new listing using sell similar.    The old listing price was $19.99 and the new listing should have been changed to $49.99

I hit send and the listing is up at $19.99 and one of my competition bought 

it about 2 minutes after it posted.

Goodbye $30.00

---

That exact scenario has happened to all of us long time sellers. It is a simple mistake. Because of the items which I sell, I use sell similar 99% of the time. The first time this happened to me, although I was certain I had changed the price, subconsciously I had to doubt. Since then when I use it, which is almost always, I post then immediately hit view this listing. Not once, not a single time since, has this happened again to me. It won't to you either. Best of luck to you....

[12345jamesstamps]

Lucky for me I have plenty of stamps to send for free if I make a mistake. I had two big ones this year and lucky buyers accepted replacements. They never did leave any feedback considering they got such a better value for their money. Having duplicates does help. My business plan is repeat buyers so I have to please those buyers at a loss sometimes.

I remember someone leaving feedback for a stamp....."thanks...a very valuable stamp". I kicked myself in the butt a few times after that feedback.

[reallynicestamps]

Whenever I make a mistake, Said mistake never puts $5.00 or $10.00 into

my pocket.

Because when you make money on an error, it becomes a new Standard Practice?

When you make money you don't feel bad, you either feel good or don't notice?

[ms.rodriguez*]

Get a good postal scale, a measuring tape.  Make sure that you have lots of different size boxes at home.  NOTHING gets listed by me unless I have weighed the item exactly.  I add a little extra weight for the bubble wrap /peanuts. If it's a diecast car, I add an ounce.    If the box is oversize, I see if I have a slightly smaller box. If I don't , I measure and round up.  I add the surcharge of the oversize box to the STARTING PRICE.  I also add a handling charge.  Rarely do I lose money.    The few times that I do, it's when the postal rates went up and of course, the buyer bought it before the rate increase.  The losses were a dollar or so.  No biggie. But when I do lose money,  that loss is recovered in the form of a higher price for the next X items.  X depends on the how big a mistake I made and what I am selling.

In case you did not realize it, any loss in shipping is an expense for your DEDUCTIONS column .  Jot it down and save the paper/notebook for tax time.  This paper/notebook should have all of your costs and deductions /losses associated with  your Ebay selling and they will be DEDUCTED from your the amount reported in the 1099.     Remember the 1099 includes all of the funds that you received including the shipping.  You need to be adding the shipping cost to your DEDUCTION / expense list.

Learn to use calculated shipping. If you haven't , then assume you will be shipping an item to the person who lives in the farthest state or territory.  YOu can always give a partial refund if the buyer lives near you.