Couldn't believe the fee....

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You know, Im at the point in my collecting that its time I start liquidating some of the stuff I accumulated over the past 5 years or so, (alot of it Royal Canadian Mint collector stuff I no longer like, but most of it my doubles from my upgrading my personal collection) but Im really on the fence right now the best method.
I need to do the math and compare were is the biggest return will be, Feebay and have the listing fees gnaw away at my profit, coin dealers where I knowingly will not get what I consider a fair price right out of the gate, or Kijiji, or Craigslist where I won't get as much exposure or immediate results as I would from the other methods
When push comes to shove, it appears Feebay and other auction sites have got me by the 'knackers' and they know it.

 

Truly, if your selling " Junk " and I hate that word but that's what most of it amounts to, than you possibly could make a killing taking advantage of some unsuspecting novices . If you sell worthwhile collectibles , coins, etc. you had better prepare to assume the position , or be fortunate enough to find a buyer who has a knowledgeable base in that market, and who will make a fair offer. I haven't seen to many of those lately.

 

I wouldn't necessarily say that this stuff is primarily junk, just because it contains RCM collector stuff, but I get the jist of why you utilized that word. Indeed they have and still do put out alot of crap or granny bait, but some of it, because of low mintage, does demand a premium. Im thinking about capitilizing on some of this stuff as well.
Remember my sells will also contain good VG, EF or VF examples of Canadian decimal coins 1858 and > so there is some stuff that can also be appreciated by collectors with a little experiance.

You do make perfect sence coinman0456, in suggesting that without having this marketplace pre-established, or knowing a dealer that can unload this stuff with certainty, how I can get screwed-over.
Thanks for the feedback.....ooops isn't Feedback and Ebay term?....I mean opinion.

 

When I offer items for sale on EBAY , I do my best to keep my price below or at the highest, FMV wholesale prices , never full retail . Except , on those items that would command a premium, such as a single CAC approved population coin.

 

The reason I usually sell on the bay is that there always exists the opportunity for an item to sell above retail value,, sometimes well above,, and you just won't get that from a dealer.
In general, the stuff I've sold on ebay does average around retail price, when averaged across everything I've ever sold on the bay'... less the fee's and what Doug says is on the button, I'm only clearing around ~5% more on the bay vs. going to a dealer and being done with it.... that said.
1 - 5% is 5%... and I'll walk a mile in the snow naked for 1%.... just me probably.
2 - I chased a barber half last night, way tooo far. An 1817 pcgs VF35, nice eye appeal, nice,,, not shocking. Redbook in VF20 is 150,, EF40 is 225.... I put in a bid of 300 and went off to watch the game..... this morning I checked ebay expecting to pay and saw that I had been outbid by two others and the coin had sold for 310 and change.......
.... that's the big difference in selling on ebay imo........ dealers just ain't that crazy !.... lol.

 

So we are where this thread started , simply confirming that it's difficult to make any gainful profit using the EBAY or similar venues. The profit margin is simply to small and the fees are to substantial , for this Seller . I have absolutely no conception what it takes to run an operation- financially speaking , such as EBAY but they have to be making a darn good living at it. Anyway , I'm at the end of disbursing the items I wanted to, and from here it's all in a holding pattern as far as Coins go. I still have much Numismatic literature to go through and decide what to sell and what to keep.

 

Im cognisant, that dealers need to buy low, sell high in order to make a living. If thats how they make a buck, then fine. Used car dealers do the same thing.
I've already done the buy low part, now without me being an authentic dealer who makes a living from these transactions, Im ready to move on to the sell high part.
I probably could fall prey to selling at a reduced price to a dealer if i wasn't privy to red or Charlton book values, grey sheets, or bi-weekly Canadian trend publications.
Its a shame I have been lowballed to many times by 1 too many dealers in both Canada and the U.S, otherwise I'd modify my position, and subsequently go to bat for them.

 

It seems everyone has an excuse , except the guy who get's caught in the middle.

I hear that Dollar !:thumb: Maybe that's where that slogan comes from " waiting for the middle to drop out " .

 

OK, I gotta go back to what I said earlier about it not being the right marketplace for everyone. I have sold some junk quarters and dimes to beginners and others as well as some proof coins, Not much, but some to get some activity in my collection. Every junk coin I sold was well received by the buyers ! Perhaps I auctioned them at a low price or whatever, but I got a better return than a local dealer would pay, if he were even considering buying them. I mean how many AU40 1952 S Roosies does a dealer want ? lol BUT, someone looking to fill a hole in the Dansco, it was a great deal ! There are thousands of collectors who fill books with junk coins, who would never get graded stuff.

Where else can the more casual hobbyist go to conduct trade ? Not everyone wants to pay the dealer's mark up and not all of these are easily found in circulation. Personally, perhaps because I am not dependent on income from it, I think eBay is Fantastic ! I allows me to participate once again in the hobby where I could not before.

Gary

 

Thats the trouble

Thats the point, folks over pay for for items where they think they are getting a good deal . But ask that same person to give you $350.00 for a MS 66 1954 S/D nickel and they practically run away screaming.

 

Thinking Outside "The Box"

 

For some reason people have a problem with merchants making a profit and they view any markup as a rip off.

When I used to sell guns people would say, "I know that you only paid $200 for that rifle." So? "Well, I shouldn't have to pay more than that." What?

I currently work for a large retailer and sell lawn equipment. Not long ago a customer told me that he knew what we paid for lawn mowers and his figure wasn't far off the mark. So? He didn't se why we marked it up as much as we did. He figured that we should be happy with a $20 markup. I asked, "How am I supposed to get paid and then my boss and the guys in the warehouse, not to mention the customer service people and the service department and the delivery guys, etc.." His response? "From your profits."

People also don't understand that markup IS NOT profit.

The solution is that if you believe that you aren't getting a fair value for your money, go elsewhere.

 

I think I actually understand what you just said.

 

When I used to sell guns people would say, "I know that you only paid $200 for that rifle." So? "Well, I shouldn't have to pay more than that." What?

Actually, I agree. Not that you're not allowed to profit, but if you can pay 200.00, then why shouldn't I be able to. it just doesn't have to be from you....
​

 

That's true of anything. If the supermarket only pays 35 cents for a can of peas, why should you have to pay more? You can buy 10,000 cans directly from the manufacturer and only pay 35 cents each.

In the case of the rifle, if you want to pay $300 for your dealer's license, then get a county business license, get a storefront location, deal with the hassles of the paperwork and inspections, and buy items in quantities of more than one . . . . go for it.

The same is true for any item for sale. If you can figure out a way to get it for wholesale, go for it. Just don't ***** when the guy who has them expects to make a profit.

 

I agree, that's the part where I said '...not that you're not allowed to profit...'.
I always look around before I spend. Sometimes I get lucky, other times I buy for convenience.

 

eBay and Paypal fee calculator I have found that running a search to see what the item I am about to sell actually sells for and than punching the digits into this site to let me know what I will really walk away with gives me a better advance look at the possible outcome to decide if I wish to auction something or pick a different avenue. Going back to the opening post, I believe the issue here is selling something that is actually worth trying to sell in the first place
I have no problem finding things to buy at 20% or less of their actual selling value and than putting them on eBay and having them sell at 75% or so. the 55% easily covers the fees and leaves me with a happy profit