Tips for selling coins on eBay

kangayou · Aug 26, 2010

EyeEatWheaties;980993 said:

SUPER LONG POST WARNING AND SMILEY ALERT

Sit down, grab a drink.:thirst: here comes another book! I hope this is helpful to those who use eBay. For those who think eBay is terrible and nothing but scams. Stop reading here.:yes:

On the other hand, will anyone read all of this. :yawning: I wrote all of this so I can reference it again.. or copy and edit. okay, okay, okay..... truth be told, I like hearing myself talk! ointnlaugh: so with out further ado.......

Kangayou, Great!.. It appears you have done your R&D homework. I didn't mean to borrow your watch and tell you what time it was. sorry. Amazing how many don't research selling tactics, especially when you consider how long it takes to create a listing. I get great coins for silly low prices because it most new sellers don't learn how to create the best listings.

I know it is hard to accept the fear of a coin worth $10 might close for the opening .99 bid. Don't worry about it. the low starting bid will entice others to at least enter a bid hoping to get that deal. You want them to come back, when there are no bids, because of too high a starting price, you won't get any more. You want to build a following, :luckyguy: get people to remember your screen name etc etc..

I scour thousands of wheatie listings every week. when I see a nice coin with no bids, it causes me to look at the listing much harder to see why. When the bid is $2 on a $10 coin - sure! I'll go $2.34 just to get it on my bidding list to check back later, if I get outbid I might bump it up to around 5 or 6 to see if I am high bidder. If I am not, then it is hit or miss whether I check back at the close to grab it in the last few seconds. ... depends on if it is a hole filler.. lots of reasons..

I suggest.. For coins, IMHO.. - use 10% value as your starting point. Don't overgrade, if it is XF don't value it as AU. $100 coin start at 9.99 $50 @ 4.99 etc etc

Another point to think about is that there are gazillions like me who bid and buy items just for the fun of it. :bangg:The bidding and buying is a huge part of the collecting experience. The thrill of bidding on a hot item or even sniping causes the adrenaline rush and other chemical releases from the brain. it's addictive to many a hobbyist. I have heard many a story with people buying too much and overspending. Its like a gamble addiction. lol now go create some addicts! :ninja: You gotta work to get em try a little taste. Give em a little, to get a lot later.

Also, I think on the low value, low grade common wheaties - that you have to accept that there is a lot of competition and you are not going to get more than TPG values with your first listings - figure 50% and then another loss of 10% for fees and such.

Send me a link to your listings via PM - there are other tips I can provide. For example on low grade coins, getting creative with lighting will help. I think lincolns are best looking when lighted from one particular angle. Don't do it on the high grade coins, it only takes one disgruntled buyer :heated: that thinks you were trying to hide something, to ruin your rating.

Make sure you accept returns, should an issue pop up, if it is a lowgrade coin.. maybe accept it back in a Stamped FCM envelope..... or pay for the return shipping cost. Always ship, everyday as fast as you can. print packing slips, hand write thank you at a minimum. there is never anything wrong with including bonuses. including a circulated 58d in a 2x2 flip - creates a memory point. Don't send culls! that creates a memory point too!

Personally I hate getting notes begging for feedback. Sellers who don't leave feedback until they have received FB from the buyer. I don't like flyers encouraging or advertising coins outside of eBay. :loud:Sellers who go overboard with tracking, insurance, too much packaging who try and pass those unneeded costs on on common low-grade coins to the buyer. The above are personal pet peeves .

I think that Coin collectors are detail oriented by nature. Want to stand out amongst the throngs? :burger-flip: Then do things better and/or different than the rest. Do something like this: Take a pair of dykes and flatten the 2x2 staples completely down - even if you have a cinch stapler. IMO - the seller who throws 2x2 flips together into a package without doing that, doesn't care or doesn't think you will notice, or just doesn't know. I like :sniper:sending nasty grams to sellers over stuff like that.

Also send that link to your listing or post it here because.... I would think/hope others on this board would be happy to help by putting a bid in to help show activity. remember people often want what they think other people want. silly huh? lol!

I should also mention as a validation, that I periodically sell stuff mostly collectibles (no coins to date) I have a store, silver top seller, :thumb: 100% feedback, software for tracking present and past trends. etc etc I don't know how many coin listings I have bought from eBay. its over a thousand.

Last story. I had a 70lb box of of cordless tools, chargers, batteries, all not working, not working well, lost accessories (drill but no charger) must have been 20 items at least. proper pictures, clearly described. A box of junk, if you will. I started the auction .99 last January - with shipping somewhere around $25 if I remember right. One bid for .99 won it from canada, way up near the artic cirlce - shipping calculator figured $80 - buyer paid instantly. I exhausted all means I could find to ship for $80 or under. after about 6 weeks of updates to the buyer, I asked him to agree to cancel and accept a refund - he did. :smile

So .. I got this box of junk.. around April I decided to relist same pics, same description and exclude shipping international. The box of junk sold for $63 plus $25 shipping :hail:with 28 bids - the only difference between the first listing and the second was the Power seller status. Go figure! Point is you just never know. SO with that in mind.. work on your overall batting average rather than trying to win the game with a homerun.

Sorry for writing a book, on the other hand, I have a ton of time invested into researching and learning eBay over the last year. I have been on eBay since 2003 - I am happy to share what I have learned because I wish I read all of this from someone :lurker:before I started on my buying frenzy a year ago.

Enjoy, have fun!
Click to expand...

Log in or Sign up

Tips for selling coins on eBay

kangayou Junior Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Tips for selling coins on eBay

kangayou Junior Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches