Thursday, September 15, 2016

No Wonder I Didn't Get Any Bids!

I got a message asking about the shipping cost for the Interceptor I have on auction at Ebay -

"I wanted to check the cost of shipping: eBay is showing $67.60 to Seattle, WA.
Is this accurate?"


What?

I went back and changed the shipping method to something much more affordable.
In the past I passed on bidding when the item had outrageously high shipping.
Anyway - it'll run for another week.

8 comments:

  1. I have also found sales go better when I you take a chance and start with a lower bid. There is some risk the item might go cheap, but I think people like to play the bidding game, but if the initial bid is about what it's gonna sell for they won't even start bidding. I would start at $20 on this. You know it will go for more anyway and you'll definitely get someone to start it off.

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    1. Hi Jim,
      I usually start my built models at a bid that is twice the retail price. I have quite a few hours in this one, four hours in the decals alone. With the time and supply expense involved I thought my starting price is fair. I also use other finished model starting prices (by other builders) as a guideline.
      A few years ago a finished Estes Saturn V only had bids up to only $200! Good thing I put a reserve on that one!

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    2. Chris,
      Your starting price was certainly legit but I think it's a psychological thing with people. They are looking for a deal so a lower starting bid affords them that possibility. Almost always if the item is something people want, they will bid it up to its true value, if not higher. I think eBay tends to show what the real value of things are. I've bought some commonly available items for less than hobby shops charge, while the truly rare and collectable things go for much higher.

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  2. I have no experience selling on eBay, but a while back I looked into it. One thing I read somewhere was that if you offer free shipping, you'll often get a much higher price for the item itself - more than would offset the cost of shipping.

    I guess it's just one of those consumer psychology things. I know that I've spent more on an item than I would have if I paid for shipping.

    Again, I have no experience selling, but it's a thought to consider.

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    1. Agreed. I've had to switch to free shipping on my auctions because if you set a flat shipping amount (i.e., to cover the cost of shipping and packing materials), eBay charges you a $5 "shipping fee" if they deem your shipping amount too excessive. You can't win.

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    2. I usually lose money on the shipping. A box has to be custom made to fit a model like this - more time. That and I insure the model.

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  3. Ha ha, looks like Chris has been hanging around TVM at Apogee a bit too much..... :^)

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    1. Tim runs a good operation. You might pay a little more for products but consider the service, free newsletters and videos.

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