gevs4him Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Does anyone have a favorite site to sell on? How about your least favorite site to sell on? Thanks Lisa:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 I've only had experience with eBay and Craig's List. I sold a used MacLaren double stroller on Craig's List for a very fair price (good for me, good for the buyer). I have tried selling on eBay with mixed success. I mainly sell stuff out of our "bounty" -- gently used clothing, toys, housewares and decorator items that have never been used or are gathering dust. eBay is so easy for me to use, but recently I've had really hit or miss success selling. I am starting to think that "regular" people aren't using it as much. I have had 6 auctions going during the past week: 2 have sold (for bare minimum -- no bidding wars like the good old days); 2 have re-listed; 2 I've let end without re-listing. Granted, I've only posted about 20 auctions since 2003, so I'm no expert; however, I think (and it's just a feeling) that eBay seems to be more the domain of pros now -- not as many "clean out your closet" people like me anymore. When you see an auction lot of 250 items that are "new with tags", that probably isn't from someone's closet...that's someone going to outlet malls (most likely) buying up a bunch of stuff and re-selling it hoping for a profit. In fact, after a recent batch of stuff I sold, I was IN THE HOLE after all of the fees, because half of the auctions didn't sell, and re-listing obviously wasn't going to get them to sell (I had re-listed several times already!). The cost of shipping has gone up so much, too. It used to be cheap to ship via UPS. Now I only ship in pre-paid USPS Priority Mail boxes and gauge the size of my lots according to what I can fit in the box. Is Craig's List becoming more popular? I think it might be because of the cost of shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gevs4him Posted September 29, 2009 Author Share Posted September 29, 2009 eBay is so easy for me to use, but recently I've had really hit or miss success selling. I am starting to think that "regular" people aren't using it as much. I have had 6 auctions going during the past week: 2 have sold (for bare minimum -- no bidding wars like the good old days); 2 have re-listed; 2 I've let end without re-listing. Granted, I've only posted about 20 auctions since 2003, so I'm no expert; however, I think (and it's just a feeling) that eBay seems to be more the domain of pros now -- not as many "clean out your closet" people like me anymore. When you see an auction lot of 250 items that are "new with tags", that probably isn't from someone's closet...that's someone going to outlet malls (most likely) buying up a bunch of stuff and re-selling it hoping for a profit. :iagree: This is what I have noticed and why I wanted people to give their opinion. It just does not look like people are buying. Thank you Lisa :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabetika Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 For homeschool materials? I like homeschoolclassifieds.com. I've bought and sold tons there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I use Craigs List. Ebay is not what it used to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandellie4 Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I like selling here because everyone is so nice. I've also sold on VegSource but have had some pretty rude people contact me to buy curricula, so I don't usually go there anymore. I've also sold at homeschoolclassifieds.com and have always had good experiences. My favorite places to buy are here and Craigs List. Craigs List is great when I need something serviceable, nothing fancy. I just bought a tube TV there for $27. I've also purchased winter coats from Craigs List to donate to our church's clothing collection and have managed to get good prices for coats in great shape. I used to buy at eBay years ago, but I got ripped off a couple of times, such as the time I bought the PBS Revolution series of DVDs, with a stock picture, only to have a set of COPIES delivered to me a few weeks later. A similar situation had occurred several months previous to that, and one of the VHS tapes I'd bought was a copy of a soap opera, not the program I ordered at all. The seller was very rude about replacing it, acting like I was making it up, and only did so when I persisted. It just wasn't worth it. Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW in IL Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I used to sell on eBay but ended up pretty much giving up on that about 2 years ago. I've had experiences similar to other people's... My most expensive loss as a buyer was when I spent $160 on curriculum and never got it. I did put in a claim with PayPal (which I won) but it took so long and the seller disappeared so I never got my money back. I bought a bunch of Progeny Press guides (from more than one seller) and many of them were obviously illegal (to sell) photocopies. I also bought a video course only to get obvious copies of that. Complaints to eBay, PayPal, or the sellers themselves usually didn't resolve anything. The ban on selling Teacher Editions (including ones marked as Homeschool Instructor or similar) hit many of us homeschoolers hard. And now, us small-time sellers (be it of homeschooling curriculum, clothes, or whatever) are being pushed out in favor of the bigger fish. I've switched over to selling books on amazon but even there I can't compete with sellers with thousands of books who can afford to post their books for under $1 ($5 is the break even point for me on amazon and eBay). Craig's List hasn't been the answer for me. Homeschooling books and children's books don't sell very well. The people I've run into when trying to sell clothes, expect new outfits at garage sale prices. But when they're selling, they want outlet store/new prices for their "gently worn" clothes. And some of the clothes I've gone to see... Gently used, sure... Each of a dozen kids gently used it so much that there are stains and holes. Some of that stuff I wouldn't even bother donating to Goodwill! And then there are the scammers. They're coming after people who are selling $5 items nowadays! I had 4 scammers contact me wanting to buy a bike I was asking $15 for. Also, on Craig's List, I've had people say they want to buy something but never show up at the appointed time. For curriculum, my favorite place for buying or selling is here. I do sell occasionally on homeschoolclassifieds and VegSource, but only by answering WTB ads on those boards. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gevs4him Posted September 30, 2009 Author Share Posted September 30, 2009 Thank you for all you honest answers. This really helps me to decide what to do with all my stuff. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gevs4him Posted October 3, 2009 Author Share Posted October 3, 2009 bump:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in Ohio Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 I tried Craigslist for the first time last month when I had a crib and nursery bedding to get rid of. I got replies from lots of scammers. It was hard to tell who to trust. I had contact with probably 15 people before I found 2 serious buyers (who came through and were delightful to work with). Almost everyone asked if I would take less, even though my asking price was pretty low to start with. I have only listed on ebay auction in the past 6 months and I got no bidders. I will sell a few new kid items before Christmas time, but otherwise I am done with eBay. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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