Just Sold a Lot of 90% Silver dimes with Profit!

So what do you all suggest I do for the future? Should I start printing the labels from Paypal's way? I made sure in my next listing to include this: $3.99US Postal Service Parcel Post | See all details
Estimated delivery within 3-10 business days

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

It's easiest through paypal. Ship it first class mail (tracking .18 automatically added) all you have to do is list the weight. For your average coin it cost like $1.50-$2.00 to ship.

Most buyers are still not going to like the fact your charging $3.99 for shipping when it only cost you around $1 to ship.

 

That's fine... no problems there because you say exactly what you're doing. Don't be surprised if you get negged by your buyer here in your first transaction though...

 

I'm pretty sure most buyers note the shipping cost when making their bids. So if you're charging $4 for shipping, your top bids are likely $4 less than they would be if shipping was Free. Doesn't work 100% of the time, but it usually works that way. Since you're still testing, put up a few lots with FREE shipping and see how the bids come out. Likely your total net cash will be about the same that way.

As a buyer, I wouldn't like paying $4 for shipping that cost you less than a buck and might even leave you a neutral for that, depending on the packaging used. but if you offer FREE shipping, there is very little room for anyone to complain no matter how you ship it.

 

I feel really terrible now.

I am highly considering personally e-mailing the last two winners of my auction and sincerely apologizing to them over this.. maybe even refund them some shipping cost..

bnb

 

:bow:

 

I'm e-mailing them now to let them know I made this mistake and will ask them what they'd like to do.

bnb

 

I think it would be prudent to refund shipping costs in the cases where you mis-represented the type of shipping. (e.g. advertised as express but sent parcel post).

In the cases where you charge $4 for $.61 parcel post shipping, I think it is completely buyer beware, and you should offer no refund. Whether the neg you is a whole other matter.

I personally wouldn't bid on your auctions, because of the shipping costs, but for those that do and don't read the fine print, that is their problem, IMHO.

 

Thank you all, I'm still recovering from this mistake spiritually because I really feel bad. I really need to look next time to make sure everything is right..



bnb

 

This works well if you bought a bunch of junk coins at $9 to $10 (like I did) And wait till It gets high again like now..
I think I got most of mine when it was near 9.75.. Sold a bunch at when silver was was over 17.50.. Through CL so no Ebay Fees and Shipping... Gave the guy a deal at .50 over spot.. Now will wait till it goes back down.. and it will.. { Insert Argument Tread starting... Now } and buy more to do the same.. The trick is Don't Panic and don't be greedy..


Also if selling rolls .. anything over say 3 rolls of dimes in weight.. Shipping is always 4.99 for a Flatrate box.. up to 30 rolls.. That is what I have fit in before.. Tracking another 80 cents or so..
But sell in Bulk silver.. seems to be more of a hit.. rolls of halves do well.. Quarters do great.. And we all know how well we did on Pennies this year...


I Bought the Silver as .999 Shot..
If you want to get some easy free $$.. Run an ad on CL for computer and electronic junk.. watch how quick people want you to come by and just pick up.. Take the junk apart .. sell any Gold for melt down.. so much Free $$ to be had.. Don't melt down yourself.. VERY DANGEROUS.. But there is lots of Palladium & Gold and RARE computer chips.. (Some guys paid me 100.00 for an old Chip I would have just tossed) I made a mint.. cost was gas to pick the stuff up..
Heck I just sold a 1991 Cell Phone Brick for 100 and it can never even work again..

Sorry to get off track..... Back to the coins!!!

 

This is why BNB has me on ignore. I tried to be constructively critical of how he's trying to do things, and thats by jumping in both feet first (yeah, I did go off the deep end on him, but he can bait you, thats just factual to anyone who's read his replies to some posters). He's also trying to have others tell him how to do things, and that makes him believe he has gained the knowledge. I know most, if not all here, have taken the time to learn on their own, ask questions and APPLY those answers to their own way of doing things, not simply having others tell you what to do. You won't learn anything that way, much like the camera and macro he wants to get. BNB rushes into things, and then has to bactrack, much like this auction. He needs to LEARN, THEN do. This can take YEARS, and he wants it NOW....it's simply impossible in this hobby to be instantly knowledgable.

In this situation, for $0.61, I am assuming he didn't even use a padded mailer. That is a minimal cost, sure, but it's still an added cost. I tried to call a truce in PM's, even through another member, to offer my help before he gets in too deep, but to no avail.

BNB needs to stop having others tell him how to do things, and become knowledgable by doing his homework, and gain this on his own, IN DUE TIME, or he may as well bow out now. As is evidenced by this particular auction, he jumped in the water before seeing how cold it was. I agree fully with others that I'd neg him hard, and kill his DSR due to shipping, if I received an envelope with $0.61 postage, and paid $4.00 for Priority. How well could this item be packed/packaged for $0.61 total postage? He also needs to learn that Delivery confirm is REQUIRED with Paypal, as unethical buyers will get their money back EVERY time if he can't provide proof of delivery which, for 61 cents, he can't possibly do.

Someone please tell BNB to SLOW DOWN, ask questions that will help him LEARN, and not just tell him how to do something. He needs to learn how to do things on his own, and I haven't seen a lick of that yet...he just does as he sees and as he's told. As a collector that went to the 'school of hard knocks', as we all have, he isn't going to learn any lessons. I liken it to having someone else do his homework for him, then passing it in as his own. Personally, as a collector who learned things the hard way, as we all have, I don't see him coming out of this a better collector, seller, whatever, until he does his own homework.

Not knocking him down in any way, nor trying to be a 'thread crasher' (as he puts it), just some critical criticism, which he has a hard time accepting. I hope someone can make him understand this before he bites off more than he can chew, and I see him opening wide as I speak.

 

I've been selling on ebay since 1998, and have had many people ask me to show them how to do it. They think I can show them in a hour, and I tell them it can take about 6 months to a year to learn everything for a casual seller. The basics are pretty simple, but the strategies for listing and processing orders, and ways to save on fees are pretty complicated.

 

When I was running a self-employed service business it took me years to come up to speed on some of the basics of keeping customers happy. Even then, I encountered substantial hurdles in terms of service and in terms of the law. If someone doing business does not have a lawyer to bounce ideas off of--pre-paid legal is an option for around $45 a month--a CPA, and an occasional visit with a psychologist for those really big headaches, then work can really become drudgery. Even people with really good common sense can get confounded by flies in the ointment.

 

I fully agree, Captainkirk! BNB, note Captainkirk said for a CASUAL seller it can take this long.

 

I really haven't commented in or on the myriad threads of BNB.

I've been bumming around coin forums for about four years now and I think this is the first time I've seen so much "enthusiasm" about a guy who sold 14 dimes for (maybe) $2 over his cost.

As far as the thread is concerned, I think it emphasizes the QUANTITY of coins you need to sell if you ever wanted to make this some kind of "main job".

I know that we're just talking bullion here, but you would have to sell POUNDS of silver per day if you had a family and a couple kids that you hoped would go to college.

 

some good info here, so I quoted it to bypass BNBs ignore

 

illini420...thank you!

 

This is a nickel and dime thread IMO.

Seems like a lot of hastle for very little profit.

 

And, as I've been trying to point out -- the math seems to show that there was no profit, but, rather, a small loss.

 

Sholom...agreed. He did take into account the 'small Paypal fee', but neglected to include the 'small Ebay fee' (or should I say 'fees', as there is the listing fee AND the FVF).