One more ebay question

If someone is planning on selling only low value items, then that could be an option.

 

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You are looking at it from a buyers standpoint. Yes, it is nice to buy for less. But, it is not nice to sell for less.

 

I sell foreign coins on eBay. Most of my listings are buy it now at $1.40 plus 95 cents for shipping. I offer discounts for combined shipping on multiple coins. I'm mostly selling coins I buy out of junk bins for about 15 to 25 cents. I ship in a normal envelope with a stamp unless it's 5 or more coins, in which case I use a padded envelope with tracking. So with all that I figure I make about $1 in profit per coin, give or take a few cents. That's out of a total price of $2.35. I don't see any way that selling a coin for $1 total makes any sense.

 

I wouldn't think there'd be a dollar sales account just doing that but with enough volume I guess that could work. I'm just ball parking the math but something like a $12 dollar item the fees are more with that structure and it gets ugly pretty fast as the price goes up

 

While true and while I generally say to wait for the aftermarket on many mint things, you don't always have a choice. Many of the products won't come back to profit levels or even break even if bought directly for someone that wants to sell. It doesn't mean people shouldnt enjoy something or get what they want, just that if the decision to sell something happens the price is at the mercy of the market

 

You must absolutely hate the idea of buying a new car.

The Mint's pricing structure is perfectly clear. They make no claim whatsoever that items they sell will appreciate in value, either in the short term or the long term. They charge for shipping (on small orders of non-PM coins), they charge a premium to cover production and operational costs, and for some issues they add a surcharge that gets passed on to another organization (commemoratives, for example).

In fact, when they produce something that does go up in the short term (because supply doesn't meet demand), there are howls of outrage from collectors who didn't get in on the "deal"!

So, why do people sell Mint products for less than the Mint's original price?

1) They didn't pay the Mint's original price in the first place. They inherited the products, or bought them at an estate sale or a storage auction or whatever.

2) They no longer want the products, and would rather have a smaller amount of money than keep the items they don't want.

3) They need money more than they "need" to keep the products.

And, since there are plenty of people who fall into one of these three categories, there's no need for buyers to pay the full Mint price. People who ask that price will be sitting on their products for a very long time.

Besides all this, "I need to at least get back what I paid for it" is fundamentally wrong-headed, because it ignores inflation. Put that into the mix, and you have no hope of getting back what you paid for almost any coin, whether you bought it directly from the Mint, from a dealer, or from another collector.

I've probably still got a clad proof set or two I bought as a YN in the early 1970s. I probably paid less than the Mint's $5 price, and thought I was getting a steal. I might get a dollar or two more for the set than I paid back then -- but even if I only paid $3, that's the equivalent of almost $20 today! Unless you've got a super-high-quality set or a rare variety/error (which I surely don't), you stand no chance of "getting back what you paid" in real value.

 

I bought a new car and a new pickup in January 2010 and am still using them today. And, like all of us, I have opinions. All of them on this thread are very valid and understandable.

 

Yep $12 is approximately the break even point.
I have seen some accounts where pretty much every item is under $10 (people selling individual modern proofs, hobo nickels, tokens, or common world coins). Those could make sense to use the 5% plus $0.05 method.

 

I mentioned reporting back on the three coins I purchased for 3.45. I have received two so far and as a lot of people said they came in a regular envelope, one stamp and were wrapped in a thin piece of cardboard or heavy paper. So yes they may make a few cent on each coin. I think the "Collecting lots of feedback answer is correct".

 

I can’t see much profit in that. I guess they using 2 stamps?

 

I would not list anything on ebay for less than $10. Cost of item plus shpx would have to be $5 or less. I have a bundle of 100 CU world banknotes in for 28c each bought in 90’s CV Now $20 Each that mite work... Offer them at $5-$8 each but would they pay the money.

a large envelope w bn in cardboard 2 stamps...

 

I quit selling on eBay a long time ago. It got too complicated. There was a time when I would use several old postage stamps on an envelope for shipping. Many coins collectors liked that. It is too commercial now and isn't fun like it used to be.

 

People still do that, especially since you can buy them well below face value.

 

Some of my buyers would end up requesting certain types of commemorative stamps. Some were starting collections for children or grandchildren. I wound always put a few unused stamps in with the coins. It was fun and very friendly in the early days of eBay.

 

While I'm certainly happy you have good memories and good experiences in the early days of Wild West eBay, just as much if not more shady things were happening on eBay as they are now and in both cases the majority of transactions are perfectly fine.

 

I'm sure they are. I have never had a real bad experience on eBay. I know of some dealers that were very crooked and helped out a few of them. I liked eBay when it was more of a source for hobbyists of all kinds and home handymen of all kinds to find things they needed. I am just too old to keep up with all the options, trading methods and commercial focus.

 

It still is though. That's really what any market place or store and so on is. It was never just a hobbyist site and always had video games, clothes, electronics etc. Granted there are more electronics in general everywhere than 20 years ago as technology advanced but just like any other site you can tailor what you look at to be in your interest. Many of the mint products are cheaper on there than from the mint as one example