Hi, long time lurker here looking for a little advice.
I’ve got a very slightly used computer that I am thinking about putting on EBay. It’s an e machines W2060 (It’s no longer listed on their site) that I bought at Wal-Mart a couple of months ago for $799. Here are the specs:
*AMD Athlon 2000 XP+ Processor
*256 DDR RAM
*60 GB Ultra DMA/100 HD
*On-board sound with Line-In/Speaker Out/Mic-In on the back and Mic-In/Headphone Out on the front
*48X Max. Write CD-RW
*S3 Pro Savage 8 on-board graphics with available AGP slot for upgrading
*On-board 10/100 Ethernet connector
*56K V.92 Fax Modem
*6 USB Ports - 2 on the front - 4 on the back
*MS Windows XP Home Pre-installed
*Your usual host of serial/paralell ports, PS/2 ports and a floppy drive.
Its comes with a 15" LCD monitor with built-in speakers. It also came with a pair of external powered speakers which I still have in the box. I also have all of the origianl manuals and CDs. The computer still has its MS Windows XP key on the case and the case has never been opened as is evidenced by the intact e machines QA sticker that is across the back of the panel. The keyboard/mouse/monitor all still work perfectly and are in good condition. Now enough about the computer.
I originally bought this to use as a second computer for EverQuest. For those of you familiar with EQ, It ran a merchant character that I left in the bazaar 24/7. Very shortly after I got this I got tired of EQ (a whole other story) and have had it sitting in my room ever since. All told this computer was probably used less than 2 weeks.
Now, this brings me to the questions I have:
*Those of you that have EBay experience, do you think anyone would be interested in this? Would it make a difference if I had low feedback (all positive)?
*I was thinking about listing this as a No Reserve auction starting at $0.01. Does this seem too risky? Have any of you done this before? I cant seem to sell it elsewhere so I dont figure I have too much to lose.
*If the lack of feedback would be a deterrent what could I do to boost credibility? I figure it wouldnt hurt to have myself readily available to answer questions and/or fill requests for additional pictures.
*Can anyone recommend a good place to purchase a large box and other packing materials? Also what kind of materials should I use? Static-free I assume? Does anyone have any experience with shipping something of this size?
*Lastly, any additional advice is certainly welcome.
I don’t think your low feedback is going to be a problem. You are certainly going to have many people interested!
What I would probably do is set a reserve amount of about $650 and offer free shipping. (Sure, that’s going to set you back a bit, but you can expect to lose money on computer equipment.) If you do a NR, then you’re taking too big of a risk, IMHO.
I would itemize the equipment and list it with a total retail value of $$$. Do your research and you can find this out pretty quickly.
Take lots of clear pictures so the buyers can see just how new it really is.
As far as shipping material, Mailboxes, Etc., UPS, post office and even Wal-Mart are excellent sources.
Lastly, don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t sell the first time. Keep listing it until it’s sold. Remember, timing is everything!
If you’re selling a rather expensive item and don’t have much feedback, you might put bidders’ minds more at ease by offering to use an escrow service.
Sure. Start at a low enough price you’ll get intrest in darn near anything. Computers are a no-brainer.
Risky in what way? Selling it for waaaay to cheap? I wouldn’t worry about that. Enough people look at the computers section that if they see a really good deal, they’ll bid. You will probably get right around market price for it. On a good day, more that market price. BTW - Yes. I’ve started at .01 and $1 quite often. I have yet to be let down. The only time I ever use a reserve is if it is a unique item and/or you have no clue what it will go for.
Lack of feedback isn’t a big deal as long as you at least have a bit and its all positive. I’d offer paypal or the like in addition to a money order though as noddygrrl mentioned. Some buyers might be more comfortable if it goes for several hundred dollars and you’re not “established”.
That one I can’t really help you with. In my business I have tons of boxes and packing materials so I’ve never had to buy any. For electronic equipment though, make sure you pack it well.
Other advice? Pictures. At least 1 good one. Be thorough in your description. If you list it like your OP, you’re doing pretty good. Be realistic with your shipping charges, but don’t be TOO HIGH. People pick up on that and you might scare bidders away. I’ve seen items that could get put in an envelope go for $1 and the seller has a $6 “shipping and handling” fee. Make enough money to cover the postage/shipping, packing supplies and maybe 50 cents to a buck for gas. Put a good descriptive “title” for your auction. Many people do a “search” for auction title key words and don’t even browse the categories, so you want to get their attention.
You can currently buy a brand new Compaq Presario 2.4 gig Celeron with 40 gig HD and 256 RAM and CDRW with USB 2.0 ports for 499. and get a full year warranty. Used 15" LCD monitors are worth about 175 at best.
I’d say you should shoot for about 500. - 550. for the combo
I bought my computer off eBay. Shipping via UPS through Mailboxes, etc. was around $120.00 for the 2 cartons. (This included some overkill on the packaging. The original cartons were placed in larger cartons, surrounded by 3-4 inches of packing peanuts all around.) Plan accordingly. And throw in that copy of EQ as a bonus.
Actually, they sell for about $200 before shipping. Even on “private sales” type message boards like AnandTech has, the very best you’ll find is $200, shipped.
That said, eBay really is a buyer’s market, so don’t get your hopes up too high.
Actually, I don’t think its that cut/dry. I’ve found quite often that its a sellers market. People, for reasons only known to them, often bid far and above what many items are actually worth.
I’ve sold items on ebay that have netted me double what I expected to get out of them. It’s almost like it has its own little economy.
Look at other machines on ebay before you put it there that way you can see what they are getting for them.
“Shipping via UPS through Mailboxes, etc”
Oh, that seems high. There was a local ME store here & the lady told me she added $8 per box just for store profit. You might be better using the UPS pickup service (they come to your house & get it) with boxes that heavy, which is only $12 (Last time I looked) plus the cost of mailing, which you can make a label at ups.com Our Staples has no extra charge for UPS packages.
Excellent advice from all. My only addition is that many people won’t bid on items with reserve prices. It’s just too ambiguous. That said, you should figure out what sort of loss you are willing to take on the machine before setting a reserve price. If you just want to unload it (and you did say you can’t sell it locally), then I would set a very low reserve - say, $200 - and state so in the ad. I guess the bottom line is how badly do you want to get rid of it and what loss will you accept. Free shipping is a good tactic, by the way.
Could someone explain to me what the difference (either actually or psychologically) is between starting the bidding at $200 – no reserve, and starting the bidding at $0.01 with a publically stated reserve of $200?
Stating the reserve price in the auction would kind of defeat the whole purpose of having one. The point of a reserve is to give the seller an “out” if the bidding doesn’t go as high as s/he hopes–can be useful for someone who’s unsure of the real market value of an item or just wants to try their luck at fetching a certain price.
I’m not sure why anyone would actually disclose the reserve in the listing unless the intent was to get someone to make them an offer outside eBay. If I were looking at an auction where the seller stated the reserve, it would strike me as potentially dodgy, or someone who doesn’t yet understand how eBay works–in either case not someone I’m likely to buy from.
You would be including at least a dozen extremely reputable sellers who have willingly disclosed the reserve prices to me. All disclosing the reserve price does is tell the bidder whether or not the item is even in their price range.
As to why one would use a reserve price rather than just opening the bid at $200, well…that’s just a matter of what someone considers a good selling/bidding strategy. I’ve found that there are two things that consistently put off potential bidders: a) setting a reserve, and b) setting too high a starting bid price. Seems one is reducing chances of selling by doing either of these (which ebay tells you in one of their links). I prefer to take my chances with an opener of $1.00, and have done so with gold coins and the like and never lost money. My recommendations to the OP were in the interests of trying to assist with the sale.
The whole idea of a reserve is really to have a low listed price, and then when they actually “click” on your item- SURPRISE!- there really isn’t any such “steal”. Bogus.
Be honest- just start the bidding at the least you can accept.
However, what I’d do is ask around my freinds, and sell it to one of them. Or keep it as a back up.
Man- you were SERIOUSLY addited to “Evercrack” weren’t you?
Thanks for all the responses, everyone. I’m still kinda unsure about wether or not I want to set a reserve. I’m actually leaving Saturday for a week or so vacation so I have a little time to think. I will be posting the auction when I return.
DrDeth - I guess you could say that. I played on and off for a couple of years. A few months ago I found a good group and people and played with them regularly until I finally got tired of it. Having a full-time merchant really increased my profitability. I was making several thousand more platinum per day.
Personally, I start every auction I have out a $1. This way it costs less to post the auction and the psychological effect of the “computer for only $1!!!” effect cannot be underestimated. And in all these years of selling, I’ve never been crushed with what something sold for (disappointed yes, but not crushed).
My boss routinely sells used P2-300 laptops that my company gets for free from a charity on eBay and the lowest price they’ve ever sold for was around $280. They usually sell in the $350 range, which is insane given that a good friend of mine bought a 2.4Ghz P4 laptop from Dell a month ago for $675.
Seriously, check out my site, paying careful attention to th ebits about when your auction should close. Also, be sure to box everything up and have it weighed by UPS\USPS before you post the auction. I’ve walked away from what might have been many decent deals, only because the seller didn’t post a shipping price.
I can’t argue with the “computer for $1” effect, but mind that posting fees are based on the minimum bid price or the reserve price should you set one. In other words, a minimum bid of $500 or a reserve of $500, your posting fees will be the same (last I actually read the terms, anyway).
If you use “computer for $1” idea to get very high bids, the fees on closing high bids would offset alot of that advantage, right?
I have seen alot of auctions with .01 or $1 starting bids & I bid on them, but then never go back to them because I have to keep inputting my bid until it goes higher than the reserve, if there is one. click, click click, kinda gets old.
I figure out what I want to make & put a BUYitNOW price at that & close my auctions 90% of the time within 24 hours, so I dont have to stay around waiting for them to close
Purrty