My items are barely getting any bids. Is there something that I'm doing wrong?

[niho-3959]

I currently have two items up for auction: one is a PS4 Slim, which is complete with a controller, HDMI cable, power cable, and charger, and the other is a Power Rangers Ninja Storm Thunder Morpher. I promoted both of them when I put them up, but I'm barely getting more than 1, if not, any bids for either of them. Is there something that I might be doing wrong? What can I do to fix this?

[krazzykats]

You have to wait until the right buyer comes along.  As far as suggestions, I'd dust/clean the console and controller better.  It looks like a layer of dust on them.

Presentation is everything!

[iart]

Some things take awhile to sell. Especially in highly competitive areas.

But also...

Be really careful of scammers! They look for newer sellers. Always communicate through the ebay system. Do not go to email, texts or calls. Get all paid messages through ebay. Anyone asking you to buy gift cards or offering a lot more than asking price is a scammer.

[ckimodog · Accepted solution]

@niho-3959 

Lots of those items on Ebay.  You being a new seller a lot could go wrong with selling that here on ebay, as those types of items are scam magnets.  You got 5 days left on the auction.  Most may bid at the end. 

Honestly, I don't recommend that new sellers need to use an auction style listing.  You are more likely to get sport bidders, non-paying and scam attempts.  A buy it now price with immediate payment required checked off and don't use the best off feature.  That way a more serious buyer may purchase it. 

 Here are some red flags to watch out for.

1. Buyer asks for your email address, Paypal address
2. Buyer sends you a phone number to text/call him/her
3. Buyer asks you to buy gift cards to go with the order
4. Buyer asks you to send the item to a different address after paying
5. Buyer wants you to send the item overnight/express and will pay you a lot extra to do this
6. Buyers says that they cannot pay through the eBay website and sends you a link to click on so that the payment will go through
7. Buyer offers more for your item than the price you have it listed for

8. Buyers tell you they're in the military and want to send it to another address as a gift

Please keep your eyes wide for these types of scammers.  They're everywhere.

Good luck and Happy Selling

[coolections]

Sell at fixed price immediate payment required. There are just too many of those for buyers to choose from. You won't get any bidding wars for those items because you already have them priced everyone else has for BIN.

[toysaver]

This is the now generation.  Twenty years ago people were willing to wait a week for the auction to end and another week to get the item.  Now they want to buy it today and get in a few days.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

I'd went fixed price on both, PS/4's are not by any means a rarity.  I've saw them as low as $100 on FB Marketplace with games included.  Most the folks seem sell em' are unto the PS/5 no longer pay any attention to the PS/4 and are selling it all to buy new games for the PS/5.  With any of the console machines from the PS/3 / 360 forward the consoles and 95% of the games are worth dirt in comparison to what the buyer has laid out over the years buying the machines and games.  That's just the reality and likely it's only going to get worse.

[niho-3959]

I understand that people nowadays are into the PS5. I have one myself. Still, I would like to hope that someone might be interested in buying my PS4. 

[niho-3959]

Yeah. I'm new. I've only been a seller for a few weeks and only sold one item. Just a while back, someone got the winning bid, which was the only bid, on my PR Ninja Storm Thunder Morpher but didn't pay, and that really irritated me. Plus, it's also irritating when someone bids at the last minute because that happened when I sold one of my earlier items, but at least they paid.  Sometimes, I get a lot of views and watchers, but we all know that views and watchers don't always Also, I was advised by my dad, who sells stuff on eBay himself in his spare time, to put my items up for auction because he claimed that if I put them up for auction and let people bid on them, I'd probably get more for them. I can't switch off the bidding option for my items, but I guess I could end the listings and relist them to buy it now. 

[ckimodog]

@niho-3959 

Thanks for your reply.  Dad is right, somethings are worthy of an auction, however sneakers are every where on Ebay and the scammers are out there in droves ready to try to steal your money and the shoes.  

You can end the listing and relist, that's your choice, but unless something is really unique and hard to come by, I would use the BIN.  That way you'll get paid for your sales. 

What ever you decide, I wish you good luck and good sales in the future.

[chapeau-noir]

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@toysaver wrote:

This is the now generation.  Twenty years ago people were willing to wait a week for the auction to end and another week to get the item.  Now they want to buy it today and get in a few days.

---

Most things aren't really something people want to be bidding on, they just want to purchase it the old time way and get it shipped, and be done with it - I don't blame them, auctions were mostly a fad that died out a long time ago.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

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@niho-3959 wrote:

I understand that people nowadays are into the PS5. I have one myself. Still, I would like to hope that someone might be interested in buying my PS4. 

---

As was eluded to some of these items are targets for scammers, PS/4, PS/5, XB One being on the list.  They'll buy it, pay, get it, say it doesn't work and then it becomes a he said/she said and likely you'll lose the money albeit you never know...

Its better to have a longer established account, in my opinion ya' then price it higher and await an offer from a buyer who's a good established feedback and been here for years.  But that's just me, others might say differently.  There's a whole lot of "Gamers" who don't exactly function in norm mindsets, I know, I was part owner in a game store many moons back and also was a developer for EA, Atari, Sierra and others name a few.  We'd actually put a seal and an inconspicuous mark on systems due to people bringing them back and saying, "Doesn't work" and presto, no seal or mark...  Some would say they took the seal off but were unaware of the mark.

Here at eBay that simply doesn't matter, if we still had the place and put sealed and marks all over a system odds are a scammer take advantage and little we could do.  It's a different environment than retail.

But in any event, best of luck and hope it goes well for you.

[soh.maryl]

Just curious, did your dad tell you that, when a buyer does not pay, you need to cancel, using BUYER DID NOT PAY as your reason on day #5?  

[niho-3959]

Not exactly. I contacted a rep from eBay about this matter a few days after the auction ended and he was the one who told me that I should cancel my order since the buyer wasn't paying up anytime soon and that the buyer would be penalized for not paying. So, I canceled the order.

[toysaver]

I forgot to add the extra 2 weeks if a Money Order was involved.