eBay broker question

[SadieKate]

We're in the major liquidation mode and don't have the time to sell on eBay ourselves. We have a friend/pro mechanic who is willing to do it for us but we haven't discussed his cut. What is the going rate for eBay broker fees? We just want to dump the load of stuff on his doorstep and let him deal with it.

Thanks as always for your advice.

[SoCalSteve]

Its not so easy selling something on ebay...There are many steps involved.

Descriptions and pictures. Doing research and writing proper ad copy. Taking pictures that show off the product.

Deciding on the price, whether it is a reserve auction, a buy it now or starting low and hoping it sells high.

Inputting all this info on ebay.

Answering peoples questions while the auction is going on.

If and when it does sell, contacting the buyer and collecting the money. Waiting for checks to clear if Paypal if not used, money orders too.

Packing the item so it does not break in shipment.

Shipping the item.

Waiting (hopefully this does not happen) that the buyer is upset about something with the product that you sold them and then dealig with them to make them a happy customer.

Leaving Feedback.

Then there are the ebay and Paypal fee's. 3% from Paypal and the listing and selling fee's vary depending on how elaborate your ad is and how much it sells for.

Ok, all that being said, I havent a clue what the "going rate" may be for having someone sell something for you on ebay. I know if it were me, I would want to be compensated pretty well for all the time and effort.

Also, how much feedback does that person have and is it all positive? I am sure people would love to give me their items for me to sell as I have well over 400 poitive feedbacks and no negatives, that gives people much more confidence doing business with you.

Good luck with your liquidation venture, just remember that its a pretty complicated experience to sell something properly on ebay.

Steve

[DarrenCT]

i agree with Steve.

it's a pain in the *** :)

[Lanternrouge]

I think the fee for places like I Sold It On Ebay are really high and unless you are selling fairly expensive stuff in large volumes, the cut isn't high enough for a person to justify doing it for money alone.

Notwithstanding the above, I suppose what percentage is fair depends on how much, as often times small items take just as much work to handle as big ones (small and large in terms of dollar values that is). I would say around 25-30% would not be unreasonable at all. Even at that, it's still probably worth it to not have to deal with all the hassles.

[SadieKate]

Anybody have something to say that I don't know??? ;)

People do broker their eBay stuff so there has to be a rate.

This guy has sold a lot of stuff on Ebay and has been advising us on how to do it but we have run out of time to do it ourselves (we're moving to another state). He also will know what the heck the components are that we hand him since there is some older stuff in there, and it's both road and mtb. Whatever he gets is better than junking the stuff.

I'm just looking for a percentage.

. . . . Just typed the above while LanternRouge was replying. Thanks. We've given stuff to this guy "just because" so he knows we'll take care of him. I just need a starting point since now it's a boat load of stuff and maybe even a few bikes.

[14max]

*

[DfCas]

[QUOTE=SadieKate]Anybody have something to say that I don't know??? ;)

Post of the year.

I'd say maybe 20% on big ticket items and maybe 35-40% on little PITA items.

dan

[SadieKate]

I hope you don't think I was being crabby but I know how much of a PITA it is to deal with selling stuff. If it weren't we'd have gotten rid of this stuff long ago.

I like the tiered approach. I was just thinking of the same concept but didn't know how to approach it. I also think that we'll probably identify which stuff is his to deal with as he pleases, just so long as we never see it again and don't have to move it.

[justinf]

Why not post a list here as well? Target audience. . .

[fstrthnu]

I like the tiered approach.

Waste of time. Too much work and details. Give him 30% of the net profit. Will motivate him to sell and sell fast... you get to keep some $ in return.

[SadieKate]

I'll be sure ask him about posting a list. We bought a house in Oregon today, not only several months ahead of schedule but before we had our current property sold. We just lucked into an incredible deal on our trip last week. So after we get the hyperventilation under control :rolleyes:, we must focus on getting rid of stuff as simply as possible. We don't have the time to deal with every little item that needs to find a home with someone else. 17 years of accumulation is hurting and my husband is amazingly motivated to de-clutter. I'm doing everything I can to foster his enthusiasm. :banana:

[csm]

maybe a quick list of what you have here???? you could get rid of some easily....

[Kevan]

to help a friend sell his Masi. But that's just one bike.

[3chordwonder]

Sounds like you're basically desperate to get rid of excess stuff from the garage, and any money you might get in return will be a bonus... so stop stressing over what the 'going rate' is for brokerage, consider what it's worth to you personally and cut to the chase - offer the guy 50% in return for him taking the problem off your hands for free, plus the potential to even come out ahead.

[fstrthnu]

Waste of time. Too much work and details. Give him 30% of the net profit. Will motivate him to sell and sell fast... you get to keep some $ in return.

My bad. I meant 30% of net sales.

[Ken Robb]

what about trying Craig's List for a few days--you might be surprised at the response you get in a college/biking town like Davis. I just sold 3 chairs, table, sofa for $775 w/little trouble. @ different couples drove over 100 miles from LA to buy my stuff. It must have been my masterful pix! :beer:

[djg]

There's a fair bit of scatter in the bids here. For more advice along the lines of things you've already thought of, I'd say that for objective reports of broker fees you could simply do a quick search and find out what some of the commercial sites charge (as in, post as fees -- which may be something different from what people on the board kinda sorta recollect); and then there's the, ...if he's a friend, and going to a bunch of trouble, and you're anxious to unload both stuff and the responsibility of dealing with particular bits of stuff, how about saying that you don't know what the going rate is and you wonder what he thinks would be fair?

[thwart]

Having done my fair share of eBay stuff, I'd lean toward the tiered 20%/40%. You could use $50 as the cut point.

[Birddog]

You might just try and decide what all the stuff is worth (deducting the trouble of selling) and then tell the guy he can have everything over and above that figure.

Birddog

[neverraced]

You found someone willing to do this horrible soul-destroying humiliating labor and you're wondering what to pay him? I would suggest: Pay him whatever he wants.

[SadieKate]

Remember that sometimes people won't be the first to speak up so we need to start the conversation. I personally think that 50% of the piddly stuff is fine and 30% of the big stuff (probably only suspension forks and bikes) is appropriate.

Birddog - can't figure out the value of stuff because vintage stuff is really valued by the buyer, not the seller.

Craig's list is no less work than eBay when you're in our situation. It isn't only bike stuff we have to shed.

[John H.]

Depends on how much stuff/size/ticket.
Bikes and more big tickets items- 25% of gross, or 20% of new.
Lots of small stuff. 50%

[thejen12]

You might just try and decide what all the stuff is worth (deducting the trouble of selling) and then tell the guy he can have everything over and above that figure.

Birddog
+1

Decide what it's worth TO YOU (knowing that buyers of vintage stuff may have a different idea) and let him have the rest. It shouldn't be all that hard, just think something like, "If I could get all this stuff out of my garage and clear $1000, I'd be happy", or along those lines.

You'd probably have to guarantee him a minimum, just in case some of the stuff doesn't sell as expected. "Hey, friend, I'll give you $300 to sell all the stuff in my garage, plus you can keep whatever you get over $1300."

Jenn

[wfu_dh]

Anybody have something to say that I don't know??? ;)

People do broker their eBay stuff so there has to be a rate.


I'm just looking for a percentage.

Hi!

I used to be a Powerseller on eBay. I tend to think it is pretty easy "once your set up" with picture hosting, good camera, template, etc.

With that said, blah, blah, blah ................. I would post this question on the eBay forum. You will find the members to be very helpful and should be able to give you the %. Good Luck!

WFU ;)

[wfu_dh]

I posted a question on the eBay board for you. Going rate is 18 - 30%.

Send me a PM if you want more info.

WFU :beer:

[Blastinbob]

You can try "I sold it" ebay seller stores. http://www.i-soldit.com/index.asp

I use auctiva.com to setup my auctions. It's free and simple once you figure it out.

Bob

[SadieKate]

I posted a question on the eBay board for you. Going rate is 18 - 30%.

Send me a PM if you want more info.

WFU :beer:
Wow, thanks! Off to send a PM now.

[Polyglot]

Give them carte blanche with selling, so no questions about results, no nit-picking and no complaints if they say that they are not willing to put certain items up for sale. I often help friends sell items and most offer 20-25% of net take (after fees) on larger items. Personally, I believe that anything where a seller earns under $5 per item is a total waste of time.