Seller to seller etiquette....a question.

[willowsbow]

Hello Folks,

Years ago I did a bit of selling on here regularly but hardly do any these days. Due to life circumstances I need to sell off some of my collections and junque. I'm getting ready to list an item from one of my collections. I look to see the completed and sold prices and I also look to see if there are more listed. There is one listed with a much more experienced seller than I.  Their price is crazy high. I am a collector and spend a lot of time looking at this stuff and I don't think it would sell for more than a third of what they are asking. My question is to I list mine at a similar price or list it for what I think it will really sell for? I don't want to be an jerk and ask for 50 when they are asking for 300, but I need to generate some money so I can't sit on it forever.

[soh.maryl]

Listed for a certain price does not mean it will sell for that price.

A better way to figure is what the sold prices were for  this item.

Or were there no sold ones?  Or you could wait and see what theirs goes for and if it sells.

[dakotasnowshine]

Sell it for what you think it will sell for in my opinion. When I come across those situations I try and see if there is any reason I am undervaluing my item and if I don't find anything I list it at my price based on sold comps alone.

[wrong66]

Only you know what you NEED to get for it. But I would certainly undercut the other listing.

[mtgraves7984]

"... but I need to generate some money so I can't sit on it forever."

@willowsbow 

Welcome back. Good questions, but I'll only address one issue... I hope you are aware that you won't generate money fast.

>> Payments on hold | eBay

[soh.maryl]

Just read your title.  How does this involve "seller to seller etiquette"?

Do you think the seller of the other item will be offended if you undercut his price?

[willowsbow]

I actually tried to sell this item last year in auction form and I couldn't get a starting bid. One sold in a lot of items for 107.00 but it is hard to say if it was that specific item people wanted. It is a Halloween item and the best prices are going to be had now. I kind of hate to undercut someone but I am pretty sure the seller will not get their asking price. This line has been dropping in value.

[willowsbow]

Yes...I know but at the same time I'm not a professional reseller and can't pull it down if it doesn't sell and wait until next season.

[showmecurrency4u]

most of the items (about 100,000 listing with over 200, 000 individual items)  i have sold are auctions which i started the items at 1 cent. i was happy on  most of them so this is what i suggest other people do.  many of  the buy it now items listed by my others are overpriced but that is the choice each person makes. I dont want to waist time listing 1000 lots and have 2 to sell and i might do well, but i would rather sell the 1000 items an clear a small profit on average  but in the end it is your choice what you want to do.  i see people on this forum with less than very low feedback who need to take my advice and not give it. good luck

[the_fancy_fox]

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@willowsbow wrote:

Hello Folks,

Years ago I did a bit of selling on here regularly but hardly do any these days. Due to life circumstances I need to sell off some of my collections and junque. I'm getting ready to list an item from one of my collections. I look to see the completed and sold prices and I also look to see if there are more listed. There is one listed with a much more experienced seller than I.  Their price is crazy high. I am a collector and spend a lot of time looking at this stuff and I don't think it would sell for more than a third of what they are asking. My question is to I list mine at a similar price or list it for what I think it will really sell for? I don't want to be an jerk and ask for 50 when they are asking for 300, but I need to generate some money so I can't sit on it forever.

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Research. On ebay currently listed and sold. Then hit Google and see what other sites have it listed for. 

Take pictures like there is no description and write your description like there is no pictures.

[ten_o_nine]

Do more research, don't rely on what you see on ebay, google it and you'll see more than one ebay listing plus what other sites are asking for it. Goodluck.

[willowsbow]

Whoops...I wasn't accepting that as a solution...lol. I'm not concerned about offending but I assume we all like to get the best profit from what we sell. It does kinda suck when I have a widget I am selling at what I think is a fair price...lets say 100 tacos and someone jumps in and starts an auction for the same widget for 2 tacos.  BTW...My foray back into selling last year taught me not to use auction format anymore. Jeeze...that was awful!

[mtgraves7984]

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@willowsbow wrote:

Yes...I know but at the same time I'm not a professional reseller and can't pull it down if it doesn't sell and wait until next season.

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@willowsbow 

Hey... as long as you know that it's not instant  income, I say go for it. (After all, "generate some income" doesn't mean "make next month's rent", which I've actually seen posted here.) And as far as under-cutting another's price... not your worry. You figure a fair return (after FVFs, etc.) on your item and price it accordingly. I wish you good luck! 🙌

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@willowsbow wrote: .... My question is to I list mine at a similar price or list it for what I think it will really sell for? I don't want to be an jerk and ask for 50 when they are asking for 300 ....

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IMHO there's no reason for you to worry about another seller's reaction to your asking price -- especially if he is probably asking too much. Just ask whatever seems reasonable to you. How long has the competitor's item been listed (sort search results by newly listed.)?

[monroe67]

"I don't want to be an jerk and ask for 50 when they are asking for 300, but I need to generate some money so I can't sit on it forever."

I say -- go ahead and undercut another seller's $300 asking price.   Be sure to include a lot of good pictures showing your item is of good quality.   

It's best, however, to look into the completed listings to get an idea of what your Junque and/or similar things have been going for on eBay.  If you undercut too much, you could only be hurting yourself if it sells for a too-low price.  $50 could be a dirt-cheap price for something that could reasonably bring $200 to $300.  

BUT - - - - -  that said, in a couple of categories I sell in, I do have competitors in my general geographic area, even if they're 15-20 miles away from me.  I am aware of the circumstances of one of those competitors, and if I thought I would hurt her or her family by selling the same thing for $50 when she could actually get $300, no, I would not do it.  I might list mine for the same amount she does!  But I don't know my other competitors throughout the country.  

As other posters have said, please be aware that (1) eBay will place a hold on your sales proceeds from your first sale or two or three, which could be as long as 30 days, I believe, and (2) you will need to send the sold item to its buyer as soon as eBay notifies you to do so.  You cannot wait the 15-20-whatever days until you get your payout.  AND (3), be aware of what the Final Value Fee (FVF) calculation is.  eBay considers the Final Value to be the amount your buyer pays:  Item price + sales tax + postage cost.  eBay takes 12.9% of that total price as the FVF, plus 30 cents per order.  

Hope this works out for you!