OK, I've been asked on another thread about eBay, it makes more sense to just put my reply here. If there is no interest, no problem, I will just delete this thread!
Background: I have been selling on eBay for 20 years now. This does not make me an expert, but it does give me a lot of experience. Looking back, I would have done better just buying eBay stock instead! I've sold occasionally while working a full time J O B, and I have sold more actively since I retired (13 years ago!!)
How to approach eBay. It really depends how serious you want to approach selling on ebay.
For simplicity's sake, I will break eBay selling into three levels of activity.
1. Hobby: 25 to 50 active listings, 10 to 20 items sold per month.
2. Serious Hobby: 200 active listings, 50 to 100 items sold per month.
3. Business: 1000 active listings, several hundred sold per month.
I'm at
#2 . I have no advice on level 3, other than it WILL be a full time J O B (no thanks), and it will take developing sources of product (buying bulk from China, or whatever). My approach is based on a part time model, finding stuff at thrift stores and garage sales, along with bikes on C/L or FB marketplace. The beauty of the part time model is you can ramp UP and ramp DOWN at any time. Tired of eBay, ramp down. Ready to get serious again, RAMP up! I ramp up and down several times a year.
Number 1 Requirement!!! Develop a THICK SKIN!!! You are going to get returns for no reason, you are going to get STUPID questions (yes, there are stupid questions). You are going to get people that try to scam you. If you can't take it, STOP now! I see this a lot from others, fed up with ebay because of the nonsense. Thats OK, but if you have buying disorder, you either need an outlet for your stuff, or you WILL become a hoarder. EBay should be just one of several outlets you develop. Goofiest return ever was on a bike, the complaint was "it is too fast!" OK.....
As a
#2 level seller, you are going to want to be a Top Rated Seller. To become top rated, you WILL have to accept all returns, for any and NO reason for 30 days. Thats the rule. Get over it.
I find the subject of returns is grossly overblown. Yes, I get returns, but it's not that common. My returns on bicycle stuff are quite low, well under 1% to nothing. Returns on non-bike stuff are running 2% or less. I consider returns to just be a part of the deal. If you want ebay type prices for your stuff, then you are going to get returns.
To protect myself on returns, I require buyer pay return shipping on the big stuff, like bikes and frames. I pay the return shipping on the smaller items.
Decide what your minimum sales price is going to be, I call it the hassle factor. Below that price, the hassle exceeds the money received. My minimum is usually $25 selling price. I have one item I sell below this amount, but I have 90 of them. So 90 times a lower price = nice money! But for everything else, under $25 I donate the item.
Free shipping: I rarely to never offer it for one reason. If I offer free shipping, then it has to be built into the price. To build it into the price, I am going to assume the person is in California. So I push the price up quite a bit. Next thing you know, the buyer is in GA or some other nearby state. So the closer buyers get SCREWED if I offer free shipping. My standard answer to people that ask for free shipping is that unfortunately, I have to pay to ship an item. I cannot get free shipping, so I don't offer it. What I do is pack VERY efficiently, to keep postage to a minimum.
At level
#2 , you should expect to pay TAXES. So start keeping records. Compiling records later is a major PITA.
Start with stuff that is easy to pack. Don't try to sell grandma's china soup tureen.
Buy it now, immediate payment required (check the box on your listing). Otherwise, you WILL get deadbeats that never pay. For me, that was running from 5 to 10%, and thick skin or not, that was very frustrating. Buyers do get buyers remorse. And unless they pay immediately, they will just ignore you.
Research pricing by looking at items that have SOLD. Ignore the crazy high asking prices, there will always be some out there. Note, the crazy high asking prices can work to your advantage. I sold a cottered crank once. Only one for sale, $180. No completed auctions. So I priced mine for $90. Half price sale! Mine sold, the one for $180 has not sold in over a year now....
What sells in the vintage bicycle market:
#1 . Vintage BMX, vintage BMX, vintage BMX. There is no category that does better! Note some MTB items have BMX appeal such as some of the pedals used on early 1980s MTBs. Example, SunTour XC bear trap pedals.
#2. Anything vintage Campy. Low end Campy, high end Campy, it all sells.
#3 . Unique/odd Japanese parts like the triple jockey wheel Suntour RDs, Swiss BB (yes, Japanese brands did make some Swiss BB).
#4 . Vintage MTB: derailleurs, thumb shifters, cranksets.
#5 . High end road parts that are not Campy: think early Dura Ace, 600 arabesque, tri-color 600, Superbe Pro, Cyclone generation 1. First generation Cinelli stem (sold one for $500), Simplex retrofriction shifters, any bar end shifters, long cage RDs.
#6 Top of the line bikes and frames.
The low end stuff that does not fit into categories 1 through 4? Donate. Or if you have the patience, sell a pile, like a pile of clean but low end Suntour RDs.