What sells on ebay?

[chaska]

I've been spending a lot of time in thrift stores lately. There's some good junk in 'em. But when I check ebay to see if I could resell it... well, I'm not finding much that sells. Nordic track ski machines -- that's about it so far.

[toddzilla]

1. shipping kills.

remember the high cost of both shipping, and shipping materials. i've done quite a bit of business on ebay and shipping costs limit what i'll even attempt to sell.

[Blue-Jay]

2. Yeah. Seems that smaller item and "specialty" items sell well.

"Specialty" meaning "not-total-crap", but stuff that's actually worth the money and hard to find anywhere else.

The only things I've bought off Ebay so far are guitar effects pedals, a sax stand, and some artsy-fartsy prints.

[madrchsod]

3. i`m buying paintings from

a fellow du`er..and there`s someone here that has some cool cut stainless steel figures..but i lost his website...melsky is her name and she sells cool paintings at good prices on her store on e-bay...

[SoCalDem]

4. I bought 3 very nice painting from Radfringe.. but not on ebay

I see lots of art I would like to buy from DUers.. I need a ruler to draw a line :silly:

[Blue-Jay]

6. I saw those!

They're quite good, and very reasonably priced for original work. I wish she'd do one of a saxophone. I'd buy it in a hot minute.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

5. I have sold tons of first edition and rare books on Ebay.

All in all, it has been a pretty good experience.

[Blue-Jay]

7. Noticing your avatar, Pilgrim....

What's the going rate on a first edition Twain? I have a shelf full of old Twain books, the earliest edition is 1930-something. I've always wanted a first edition, but feared that it would be WAY out of my means. Any idea?

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

12. Depends on which title and the condition.

I have sold Twain firsts from $35.00 (A 1st of Captain Stormfield in good condition only) to $7500 for a like new copy of Tom Sawyer (1st/1st).

Be careful buying firsts on Ebay as some people don't know how to identify editions and states. There have been volumes written on identifying Twain states and editions and you should do your research or acquire the services of a reputable rare book dealer/collector before investing serious money in books. Don't get me wrong, book collecting can be both fun, rewarding and profitable when done carefully and with research.

[CShine]

8. There is a very brisk market for.............

......guitars on ebay. I've talked to some people who've bought instruments there, and quite frankly, I'm amazed at the prices that some of them will pay to buy a guitar sight unseen.

[chaska]

9. yeah, I'm a musician.

It's kind of hit or miss. The problem is finding them cheaper than you can resell them for. I just found a couple of musical items that I will make a profit off of, but they don't come along often.

[thebaghwan]

10. The book Ebay for Dummies really has some good info in it.

n/t

[Fridays Child]

11. The best way to learn about what sells on eBay?

It really doesn't work to find things at thrift shops, tag sales, etc., first, and then try to sell them, second. Do it the other way around.

Browse the eBay categories and/or type in specific search queries based on the things that interest you. Then, click on "completed items" to see what actually sold in those categories and how much the items went for. Learn how to query the system: quotation marks, commas, parentheses; when to query titles and descriptions and when to query titles only, etc. eBay has seminars and classes that you can take online (and live in larger cities).

As you start to develop ideas about what sells, you can keep an trained eye out for those items. For example, by browsing and educating myself as to what sells, I learned that circa 1960 Enid Collins box purses bring a lot of money. Then, I found one for $12. I sold it on eBay for $167.50. Another crazy sale I made was a small glass ashtray bearing the name of an obscure tire company and surrounded by a little rubber tire. My husband had gotten it as a premium for buying semi tires, a long time ago and it sat on on his workbench for years. I sold the dumb thing for $64!

Old AA books, Holt-Howard serving pieces, and all sorts of other stuff get big bucks, too. It just goes to prove that you never can tell what will sell until you do the research. Anyway, good luck and have fun.