Ebay help (again but different)

[NikonUser]

Hi there,

Well my D70 listing on ebay just ended... unfortunately unsucessfully

I'm just wondering if anyone on here can give me advice as to why it didn't sell and how I could improve my listing for next time?

My thoughts are

1) Maybe I was asking too much? Could anyone suggest a better (reasonable) price? Someone offered me $500 if the items didn't sell... I thought this was too low. Am I deluding myself?

2) I don't have much feedback.

Anything else it could be?

Thanks for any advice

The link to the ended auction can be found here:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... %3AIT&rd=1

Thanks
Paul

[greencardigan]

Feed back helps a lot.

And the starting price. A low starting price will attract bidders/watchers.

[NikonUser]

Looks like I might have to go and buy some cheap items to up my feedback.

I had 24 watchers so thought at least one would be interested.

[birddog114]

Make it starting at AU$1.00
And you'll see how fast it will jump up!

[Jamie]

Perhaps you could offer to ship it worldwide.

$40 for shipping in AU is a little much i think - maybe half it

Perhaps you could mention that you have upgraded the firmware to D70s spec.

A different, not so cluttered layout also might help a little

There is a D70 body selling for $590 AU in the US atm so perhaps you might want to have a think about how much you are willing to let it go for.

[NikonUser]

Make it starting at AU$1.00
And you'll see how fast it will jump up!

But my worry is that it won't!

I don't want to give it away!

If it doesn't reach a reasonable amount then I'd be obligated to sell it anyway wouldn't I?

Paul

[birddog114]

Make it starting at AU$1.00
And you'll see how fast it will jump up!

But my worry is that it won't!

I don't want to give it away!

If it doesn't reach a reasonable amount then I'd be obligated to sell it anyway wouldn't I?

Paul

No, you don't have too and you can set a reserved price for it.

[NikonUser]

Perhaps you could offer to ship it worldwide.

$40 for shipping in AU is a little much i think - maybe half it

Perhaps you could mention that you have upgraded the firmware to D70s spec.

A different, not so cluttered layout also might help a little

There is a D70 body selling for $590 AU in the US atm so perhaps you might want to have a think about how much you are willing to let it go for.

Thanks for the tips.

The $40 for shipping also included insurance... But I will halve it. The $40 was the max amount to anywhere in Aus. Major centres are closer to $20

I've just checked some other forums and seen some D70's go for US$450 which is closer to $600... so maybe I need to lower the price! I'm not looking to rip anyone off, just not sure of the real market value.

Thanks
Paul

[LostDingo]

try placing a starting price of about 30% less than what you want...they will start bidding

[NikonUser]

Make it starting at AU$1.00
And you'll see how fast it will jump up!

But my worry is that it won't!

I don't want to give it away!

If it doesn't reach a reasonable amount then I'd be obligated to sell it anyway wouldn't I?

Paul

No, you don't have too and you can set a reserved price for it.

That's what I thought Birdy, but couldn't find that option anywhere on eBay. I looked through the help section and could only find mention of reserve prices on cars.

Paul

[wendellt]

paul how low will you go to sell this locally?

i mean that in terms of price

[hangdog]

Hi, Paul.

I think you probably figured out the reasons: sellers with more feedback tend to seem safer to potential buyers, although your ad looked like an honest description.

The main factor, as Birdy & greencardigan pointed out, was probably the starting price: there is an element of risk involved (in that you might not realise much money for the item), but it is often better to start low, to get bidders interested and emotionally invested in the auction. More often than not, if you start low, you can expect to at least get market value for what you're selling.

For high value items, it is also worth spending the $20 or so on a Featured Plus listing (and adding Bold, Highlight & what not). And showing lots of Supersized close-up photos so that bidders can get a good look at the item.

Oh, also don't assume that anyone who sees the ad will know what a D70 is: it often pays to spell out the features and benefits for the lay public. A little marketing-speak goes a long way on eBay.

Cheers,

Chuan

[NikonUser]

paul how low will you go to sell this locally?

i mean that in terms of price

All reasonable offers will be considered.

Paul

[hangdog]

That's what I thought Birdy, but couldn't find that option anywhere on eBay. I looked through the help section and could only find mention of reserve prices on cars.

Paul

Yup, AFAIK eBay Australia no longers a reserve price option on non-car auctions. The reason is that reserve pricing tends to waste buyers' time and probably doesn't help sales.

--Chuan

[DJXtreme]

hi

i'd drop the start price by a fair way. i was having a look through the completed listing for D70 and there are some going for less than your start price - although these listings haven't included the remote and the cf card (they did have a 12month genuine nikon australia warranty - see link for one sold for au$660 http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Nikon-D70-SLR-Digital-Camera-Body-6-Mega-Pixels_W0QQitemZ7627323982QQihZ017QQcategoryZ43456QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) , ebayers probably don't value the accessories at what they are really worth. its always helpful to browse through completed listings before you list your item to help you gauge what you can expect.

as others have mentioned the shipping seems pretty high as well. half would probably be more reasonable or alternatively, although less effective, just have potential buyers contact you for exact shipping estimates.

hope this helps.

Will

Edit - it's true, no more reserves except for cars and other similar items ... houses and boats i think.

[Glen]

Paul, being blunt, $700 seems to be the price bodies are going for at the moment on this board. Whilst a remote is handy, 512mb is probably viewed as low value these days, so we are really looking at a $700 item with a couple of handy items which will probably make it sell quicker rather than add value. You then started your bidding about $50 over market on Ebay, where many are bargain hunters and trye kickers.

I would a) offer it with goodies for $695 in the for sale section here or b) offer it on ebay for $1. In the last hour have a mate bid up to your price (say $690). If it doesn't sell to someone else you will be up for sale fees as well as listing fees if a sale goes through to a mate.

Honestly I think a sale of $695 in the For Sale section here will get you some PMs. I also prefer the more honest transaction, also people here will value the history of the item.

Good luck

[NikonUser]

Hi, Paul.

I think you probably figured out the reasons: sellers with more feedback tend to seem safer to potential buyers, although your ad looked like an honest description.

The main factor, as Birdy & greencardigan pointed out, was probably the starting price: there is an element of risk involved (in that you might not realise much money for the item), but it is often better to start low, to get bidders interested and emotionally invested in the auction. More often than not, if you start low, you can expect to at least get market value for what you're selling.

For high value items, it is also worth spending the $20 or so on a Featured Plus listing (and adding Bold, Highlight & what not). And showing lots of Supersized close-up photos so that bidders can get a good look at the item.

Oh, also don't assume that anyone who sees the ad will know what a D70 is: it often pays to spell out the features and benefits for the lay public. A little marketing-speak goes a long way on eBay.

Cheers,

Chuan

Ok,

Thanks for those tips.

I will re-list the item soon with a lower starting price and a bit more of a description. Not really much I can do about the feedback apart from buying stuff. Apart from some new AA batteries there isn't really much I want to buy at the moment

Do you think that it would be best to list it on a weekend? I just had a thought that ending it at 5pm on a workday might not be such a good idea as people will be at work or leaving work.

Thanks again for the tips
Paul

[DJXtreme]

from my experience weekends arent a great time to end. people tend to be doing other things. I normally try and make mine end at around 8:30 - 9PM working on the assumption that at this stage most people are home, have had dinner and don't have anything better to do than bid on things. this seems to maximise the bidding frenzy in the last few minutes.

[avkomp]

so, with no reserve possible, you list your $1000 item with a $1 starting price and you get one bid only @ $1 then you have to let it go for the buck?
makes it hard for sellers.

Steve

[DJXtreme]

ah but you can just tell them it's advertised elsewhere and if you don't like where the auction is headed ... cancel it. the way ebay is at the moment though - very much a sellers market i'd be surprised if you didn't realise the actualy value of what you are trying to sell and then some. people seem to get into a very real bidding frenzy and lose sight of the value. bit annoying for those of us that still seek real bargains on ebay.

Will

[avkomp]

I know of someone who sold a rusty old shed on ebay instead of tipping it.

initially listed @ something like $100 buy it now with no bids.
relisted @ $1 start and yielded over $300 for what was apparently rusty old junk.
The guy who sold it almost felt like wearing a ski mask when the guy came to pay and collect it. buyer apparently was happy though.

so the $1 thing seems to yield the results, for the betting man

Steve

[Ivanerrol]

According to an Ebay sales rep who was interviewed on the radio yesterday.
Reserves can only be set for car auction.
However there is an out. If you include in you ad that you reserve the right to withdraw the item from auction if you have it for sale and listed elsewhere.

Two weeks ago a D70 went for $ 900.00. Things seem to have slowed since then. Prices for D200's,D70s's and D50's Have gone down in recent weeks

There are brand new D50's on Aussie Auction sites for under $ 800.00 and under $ 700.00 on HKG sites already.

[DJXtreme]

Two weeks ago a D70 went for $ 900.00.

I'm pretty sure that this is the same one that Paul is trying to sell now. original buyer backed out of the $900 buy it now agreement. Other than that the price does seem stable.

[NikonUser]

Two weeks ago a D70 went for $ 900.00.

I'm pretty sure that this is the same one that Paul is trying to sell now. original buyer backed out of the $900 buy it now agreement. Other than that the price does seem stable.

Yup that sounds like mine. That was a scammer.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I will keep it in mind for future listings. I have since re-listed it on the For Sale forum here and have made a sale

Paul

[Glen]

Congrats Paul, two happy parties all in half an hour. Win/win.

[Steffen]

Paul,

1st - Don't be afraid. Set a starting price of $0.99. It *will* fetch a fair price, the D70 is a sought after model. I've started all my auctions at a dollar.

2nd - Scrap the first picture, use the second one as the main instead. Maybe crop it a bit tighter. Also shoot the main accessories close up. Maybe one shot showing all the CDs, books and cables, and another one showing the remote and CF card. Potential buyers salivate over those pics. Much more effective than just listing them down.

3rd - let the auction run long, 7 or 10 days.

When listing stuff for a small starting bid I keep telling myself, before it goes far under price I cancel the auction and pretend I've lost/damaged/whatever the item. Never happened. I was always pleased with the result. Though, I reckon, I was always realistic about the value.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Glen]

Paul, the forum will shortly send you an invoice for listing fee, second photo fee, too many post fee and not forgetting a % of the final price. Congrats.