06-21-2009, 07:02 PM

Hello all,

I am considering selling my uniMB on ebay. I have never sold anything on ebay before, however. Do you have any pointers? Any way to ensure payment by the buyer?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. I have had no luck on craigslist.

Thank you!

06-21-2009, 08:02 PM

Regularly buy and sell on eBay Australia and with over 500 transactions only one dud which was sorted out by PayPal.

You might find it a little difficult if you have a 0 or very low feedback score as many buyers will not trust nil or low feedback on a big ticket item such as a Macbook. Go into eBay's selling tips and be guided by that.

06-21-2009, 09:04 PM

Make sure you properly set up a Paypal account

Be honest on the description yet be upbeat about the product

Make sure you have a low-bid that is acceptable to you. I once put something up and started it at $1 thinking it would sell high and it sold for $7 which was a lot less than I paid for it

06-21-2009, 10:03 PM

Thank you for the advice. Would it be worth having my uncle put it on ebay for me since he has bought and sold on ebay a few times, and I have no selling feedback?

06-21-2009, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by MacWill

Make sure you properly set up a Paypal account

Be honest on the description yet be upbeat about the product

Make sure you have a low-bid that is acceptable to you. I once put something up and started it at $1 thinking it would sell high and it sold for $7 which was a lot less than I paid for it

The solution to that problem is to add a reserve. Have a very low starting bid, like just a few dollars. You can program a reserve of $2,000 or whatever you want. If the item does not reach $2,000 it will not sell. I give you this advice because no one will want to bid on an item if they have to bid above $2,000

06-21-2009, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by kuklachica

Thank you for the advice. Would it be worth having my uncle put it on ebay for me since he has bought and sold on ebay a few times, and I have no selling feedback?

Not a bad idea.

06-22-2009, 03:50 AM

A reserve will also get not a lot of bids on the item.

06-22-2009, 06:01 AM

Originally Posted by Eric559

A reserve will also get not a lot of bids on the item.

I disagree there, for something like this you need a reserve, especially in the current climate. I sell with reserves quite a lot and never have problems getting bids.
Using your uncles account is a great idea, people do tend to avoid sellers with no feedback to start with.

06-22-2009, 07:07 AM

Originally Posted by Eric559

A reserve will also get not a lot of bids on the item.

I agree. Many people and I of recent have strayed away from the reserve auctions. Because we never know if we have the highest bid, if it's over the reserve or not. I like to know when I have the highest bid on an item that i won it, not if it higher than a reserve or not.

I say feel free to but a reserve in it if you wish. For something pricey like an Apple I would got that way. Sure it's less potential bids to you but then there not the risk of a $7 bid winning it.

06-22-2009, 08:34 AM

I would say definitely use your uncle's account, I had a hard time selling my HP Laptop because of low feedback (though it did eventually go).

I also recommend linking to an external gallery for your photos. For a big ticket item like a laptop I usually have over 10 photos for buyer assurance so the fees get ridiculous. I link to my photobucket account albums and my customers seem to not have a problem with it. Use the one free photo space but then link to a gallery for the rest.

06-22-2009, 09:41 PM

In the end, I just started the price off at a "low" of what I thought it should be and it generally has worked.

06-23-2009, 12:00 PM

maybe put it up as a Buy It Now item and allow buyers to submit best offers this is how i always sell on ebay and i find it saves alot of unnecessary bidding time. A pointer regarding posting the item make sure you send the item tracked and get proof of postage as this will ensure the item is not lost in the post. i have bought ands old many things on ebay and find it incredibly safe, i even bought my ipod touch 32gb from there and my beats by dre headphones, just try to establish good communication with the buyer early on and you should be fine.

good luck

06-23-2009, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by the8thark

I agree. Many people and I of recent have strayed away from the reserve auctions. Because we never know if we have the highest bid, if it's over the reserve or not. I like to know when I have the highest bid on an item that i won it, not if it higher than a reserve or not.

I say feel free to but a reserve in it if you wish. For something pricey like an Apple I would got that way. Sure it's less potential bids to you but then there not the risk of a $7 bid winning it.

place a high starting bid, not too high to block buyers, and not too low. Put the reserve bid as the lowest price you will accept, which should be near your starting price. For reference, it should be about $5-$10 lower than the actual price. eBay has some good information (<<link) and tips about selling, buying, and shipping.