I didn't know what to title this thread! I frequently find that I think that i shouldn't toss something because I can sell it on eBay. But then I don't go through with the listing, etc.
How does one decide not to eBay something and just toss/donate it?
Last year, I would have said, jump right in. Now, I would say, maybe you should try Bonanzle or eCrater or eBid. There are terrible problems at eBay. You should read the section called Seller Central in the Discussion forums. Many sellers have already left. Remaining sellers have lost a huge percentage of their sales. eBay has upped their rates, and they favor the buyers in almost every situation. Many sellers are having to refund money on items that haven't even been returned like they are supposed to. Sure there are sellers that scam, but it has become extremely lopsided. This all started right after I finally got up the nerve to sell items on eBay. I started in February. By April, my sales were in the toilet with many of the sellers who had been there for years. The other places I mentioned have much better rates. Unfortunately, some of them are slow, but so is eBay.
I am currently selling some books on Amazon. I'm about to start posting items on Bonanzle.
I don't want to disappoint you about this. Maybe eBay will have a turn around, but maybe it's time for the other sites to shine. :)
My biggest complaint with ebay is that it's turned into a place where there are so many stores and "professional" sellers. What has happened to the plain ole Joes like me who just want to sell some stuff? We seem to have faded into the woodwork.
marriedin79, I think about the value of my time and the likelihood that i'll actually sell, wrap, and ship the item.
I'm terrible about going to the post office so eBay is not a very good bet for me. But I'm good at dropping things at the thrift store, so the comparison (eBay: time to photograph, list, wrap, and ship vs donate: no extra time, already part of my weekly plans, and no extra materials/effort) is pretty easy.
for me, it is easier/simpler/less stressful all round to just donate/toss/recycle/gift the stuff.
this is partly because i have a good business where my time is valuable....you might say i have the luxury of choosing.
and so that is what i choose.
IF however, i was in a less cushy financial place, i wouldn't hesitate to garage-sale-ing or having a stall at the market, or listing stuff online (good vintage stuff on etsy, or even start my own website) and devoting some time and energy to recouping some money.
i suspect also that my stuff isn't madly valuable to anyone.
and what i have learned to really value is my time and space.
What stops me from trying to sell on ebay is the shipping. If I have something that I think might be worth $10 BUT it will cost $8 to ship, then realistically, a bidder is only going to pay $2 for the item so the total comes to $10. And that's assuming someone else values my junk as much as I do. I gather that in the states, shipping is a lot less expensive than in Canada, though. I know if I buy from someone in Ontario (I'm in the west), the shipping rate to the US is usually a dollar or 2 less than the shipping rate to me.
What helps me is that the only place to donate around here is run by an organization that I don't mind supporting (I probably wouldn't donate my actual money, but I recognize that they are a good cause). Sometimes I see ads in the paper for garage sales supporting extended care or a seniors' home, and I wouldn't mind giving to those either if I ever got the timing right.
If it is something that you are going to toss, then really, it's not going to sell on ebay.
margaret says: "If it is something that you are going to toss, then really, it's not going to sell on ebay".
now that is simple and beautiful....and uncluttered.
what a good thing to keep in mind.
I love what margaret says but another way to think of it is "is it worth my time?"
Work out exactly how much you make an hour (salary/working days a month/working hours a day is one way to do it) and that is exactly how much an hour of your time is "worth". Figure out how long it takes to deal with each ebay item (packaging, postage, ebay tracking, PayPal, etc). If expected value of the item is LESS than your time is worth (ie you make $10 an hour in your job but the item would likely only sell for $6) then it isn't worth doing. If you could realistically sell the item for MORE then it's worth doing.
Mind you... if you really don't ever bother but just say "I really should ebay this" then bin it and MOVE ON!! :-)
Marriedin79, the plain old joes like us are the ones who have left eBay, because of the fees. Bandicoot mentioned Etsy, and that's a great place, too!
If you are like me, and could really use the money, then I would try to sell things online. However, if the item is less than $10, you are not going to get much for your time and effort. Anything less than $10, I would sell at a garage sale or donate. I'm participating in a city-wide garage sale on Oct. 2, and what I don't sell will remain in the vehicle and go to the thrift shop.
If you have books to sell, check out the prices they are going for on Amazon. Some books are selling for less than a dollar. However, I have just sold a couple of art books that are fairly new, but out of print, in the $30-40 range. My MIL has an old art magazine from the 40s that has some original art work in it. Because it is rare, it is worth several hundred dollars. I will be trying to sell it soon!
My MIL has an old cast iron roaster that has turned out to be pretty valuable. However, it will be prohibitive to mail, because it is so heavy. If you have collectibles, check online to see what other people are selling them for. You'd be surprised how much people are selling Japanese dishware for, since so much is now made in China. Also, retro and mid-century items often go for more than true antiques. The buying public is very fickle! :)
I have a similar problem: I end up holding onto stuff longer because I want to list it on ebay. However, if it doesn't sell the first time around, it usually goes to Goodwill.
Right now ebay is offering free listing fees for auctions. I am taking advantage of that because it is costing me absolutely NOTHING to list the items again and again if they don't sell. Now I will give an item a few chances. If it doesn't sell then, it is out the door.
I usually recommend checking completed listings to see if your item has sold before. The problem with this is that some items are so rare that there haven't been any that sold in the last two weeks, which is as far back as completed listings go. I had some rare Strawberry Shortcake doll items that couldn't be found on ebay that sold for a small fortune. Sometimes you just have to be willing to take a chance and list the item! Start the bidding low and if it sells, it sells. At this point there is nothing to lose because you would be getting rid of it anyway.
This is something I struggle with, do I Ebay/Craigslist something or give to donation center/Freecycle? Related thread: Sentimental's Cousin: Value
In the past and recently, I find it so much easier just to donate it all, get it out of the house. I'd be lying if I said I didn't still think about the money or value I lost, but for me, right now, it's more important to have peace of mind. I can always make more money (and spend more money). Hopefully, I'll do so more wisely in the future.
Like Helofamess (best name EVER!) I apply the "is it worth my time" test. The reality is, I am fortunate to be in a profession where I earn over $25/hr. Any given paperback would take me an hour, start to finish, to sell on Amazon - for a couple of bucks. Fuggedaboudit!
The way I see it, I've gotten my money's worth out of the things I am uncluttering, and I am just not willing to give up my precious leisure time to try and shake a few bucks out of this stuff. But that's because I'm lucky and not financially in need.
If I had a serious cash flow problem, I'd be selling everything but the cats.
LOL, chacha1, I have so many cats I need to sell everything just to support them.
i've got six cats and my husband wants more.
it warms our hearts to walk into a room and see contented healthy happy cats lying all over everything.
Wow! Thank you for your responses. I would tend to agree with your comments, especially when it comes to "what is my time worth?" as a determining factor.
But! I still do think about all of the money going down the drain. I'll have to rethink my thinking and decide that it's worth my time NOT to mess with ebay.
Looking forward to seeing even more comments on this thread!
well here is another way to think about it.
it's ok to decide it simply isn't worth your time, because you make X times more per hour doing your job.
BUT
you might feel perfectly fine about making a few bucks on the side, doing something which isn't all that stressful if you approach it right.
you could view it as a sort of hobby that makes you some pocket money, while you get to declutter!
some people love the whole buying and selling process and you do get to chat with some interesting people along the way.
if this suits your personality, then why not go for it?
you don't HAVE to rationalise it as a $$ per hour deal.
LOL about the cats. We have 2, and I'd have more, but in the interest of marital harmony, we have a "no more cats than laps" rule. :)
If you think it would be fun to try selling on ebay, then it doesn't matter as much if you aren't making much money from it. I think it would be great to get some money BUT I dread the thought of having to muck around with the selling process. DREAD IT! It would be like taking on a part time job that I hated in order to make a few bucks. I could certainly use it, but I'm not quite desperate enough yet. I agree with librarygal, "it's more important to have peace of mind". I just took another two garbage bags of stuff to the donation place today, and I LOVE the feeling of dropping it off. GONE FOREVER! Maybe you could just donate one or two things that you have been thinking of selling. If you feel a lot of regret, then perhaps you should put in the effort to try and sell. If you just feel relief, then there's your answer.
Just to be clear, I don't think I have anything that would be very valuable. Probably not much that would even top $10. So my return per item sold would not be great even if I took the absolute minimum time and effort to sell. If you have some awesome good stuff, that's different.
Thanks Chacha1!
I think the key point is that you think "I SHOULD ebay this" but then never bother so really, IMO, you're looking for permission to go "I can just throw this away."
One way to do this is to think it's not worth my time as I said and if you don't need the money and if this isn't about a hobby and your spare time could be better put doing things you enjoy or uncluttering then I say LET IT GO! Give yourself permission to say "I have used this, I don't need this, I can charity shop this or throw it away but those are my two options."
so many nice cat people here. :-) DH instituted a Cat Density Ratio. We can't have more cats than bedrooms. So we have two.
I have, however, given him far-in-advance notice that if we can get our retirement place on the Central Coast, I am putting up a barn, and all Cat Density bets are off.
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