Expert: Marvinator - 2/20/2005

Question
Hello Marvinator, I am downsizing & thought I would sell some of the collectables & antiques on e-bay but would like to know what they might sell for. Is there a way to do this? I have never sold on E-bay so am a bit nervous about starting out.  Any advice would be appreciate. Thank you, Margaret

Answer
You probably won't be surprised to learn that most items that sell on Ebay sell for LESS than their percieved value.  What does surprise people is that they have no way of knowing which items will sell or for how much when they do.  

Since ebay is a buyer's market (the buyer sets the price, in bidding and hoping to get the item cheaper)  the value of an item is not the same as the selling price.  Many times an item will sell for far below it's recognized value or even Manufacturer's suggested price!  It is the good seller that knows how to list an item and get a good profit.  

The best thing you can do as a new seller is to research every item you plan to sell.  Using the search engine on Ebay, you can callup a list of current listed items of pretty exacting description.  

Once you have such a list on the screen, on the left hand side is a set of check boxes one of which is labeled "Completed".  Click this check box and click SEARCH again and you have a list of items recently listed on Ebay but whose auctions have already closed.  You can see auctions which sold, and those which did not.

This is the best research you can get on Ebay - BUT it is by no means definitive.  I have seen items listed which never get one bid.  The seller then relists, RAISING the PRICE and the item gets several bids!  Ebay is a constantly changing market.  Those people viewing today will not necessarily be viewing again in a week.  The flux is incredible!

With a bit of research, y ou can more easily target your audiences and see what the 'ebay value' is of just about any item.  

As you research, feel free to return here and ask any questions which may arise.