Originally Posted by
himespau
but not so low it looked like a scam - price from a seller with less than 10 feedbacks).
Thats part of the problem. New sellers don't understand the rules or the system. They don't understand their obligations. They think its just a money machine.
I try to avoid buying from new sellers, when I do, I know it might not end well.
"
BIN with immediate payment works, but I find that it can't hurt to have a Best Offer on some items."
The problem with accepting best offer is you LOSE the immediate payment required option. This opens the door to deadbeats, and I get the same 10% never pay on best offers. Buyers get buyers remorse. And if they get the chance to stick it to the seller, they do it. Buy it now with immediate payment required eliminates this problem.
Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt.
As far as competing against the "big guys", the big sellers tend to just sell new items. If you just sell vintage bike parts and thrift store finds, you avoid that entire group of competitors. There are people out there that want that made in USA Pendleton wool shirt from the 1970s. Now there is really no practical way to become a huge seller if you just sell thrift store and garage sale finds. You would need a team of people sourcing the stuff, and another team creating the unique listings. Meanwhile, the "big guys" will create 1 listing and sell 1000 copies of some new item.