[terance]

Good Evening Head-Fi,

I am looking at selling my Xbox 360 on ebay along with all of the games, controllers and cables.

I have sold two things on eBay, both hockey cards, but I would like some advice on how to do things "right".

Obviously, I am going to lose money on this, but the new iPhones come out in a week or two (June 9th is my birthday!) and I am really looking at buying one. And since I cannot sell my Hockey Cards or Records (a big "hell no!") it looks like the Xbox needs to go.

I want to get around $300 for it, this is the core system, vga cables and component cables. Also included are an extra wireless controller and 5 games (all "new" releases).

So here are my questions:

A - Is $300 too much to expect?

B - Should I set a reserve?

C - Do I offer a buy it now?

D - Will investing in any of the eBay "gimmicks" (ie. bold text and the like) fetch me a higher price?


I really appreciate the guys who read this long post, and even more so the guys (maybe girls?) who will reply to it and help me out here! Also if you could share some of your positive and negative eBay experiences that would also be appreciated.

Thanks again Head-fi,

_m

 

[zotjen]

The best way to do this is look at other Xbox auctions and determine what the going Ebay rate is. If you start at $300 but the average auction is ending for less than that, you won't have a chance of selling yours. Price competitively but at the same time, if you can't get what you want it may not be worth selling it.

 

[evilking]

Try selling offline first, you'll end up with more money and less hassle.



EK

 

[dynagroove]

Quote:

Originally Posted by terance /img/forum/go_quote.gif Good Evening Head-Fi, I am looking at selling my Xbox 360 on ebay along with all of the games, controllers and cables. I want to get around $300 for it, this is the core system, vga cables and component cables. Also included are an extra wireless controller and 5 games (all "new" releases). So here are my questions: A - Is $300 too much to expect? B - Should I set a reserve? C - Do I offer a buy it now? D - Will investing in any of the eBay "gimmicks" (ie. bold text and the like) fetch me a higher price? _m

the best advice that i can give you regarding selling on eBay is to research and get a feel for what the same item you are selling is currently going for on eBay. first and foremost, look at all the closed auctions for similar items. look at how close the item is to yours (condition, included accessories, newer/older, etc...). get a feel for what the auctions that sold look like, how much they started for, how long they ran, shipping costs and questions asked.

now that you have an idea what you want to model after, clean your item up, drag out the original packing if you have it and take some really nice clear pictures that show your item in the best light - pictures are extremely important. don't have a bunch of junk in the background - you want your item to really stand out and take detailed pics of each part that is included. i have found that detailed pictures of a used item i am selling have fetched more than the stock pictures that many resellers use. the bidder knows exactly what they are getting.

before you list, make sure that you write up a good accompanying text for your photos. don't write as much as i am writing here, but be honest and detailed in your explanation of what you are selling. be catchy with your auction title as well (take examples from good sellers researched above).

make sure your policies for shipping cost, shipping around the world, insurance, payment methods, etc... are well documented. i also find it helpful to place the statement in bold "DO NOT BID IF YOU DO NOT INTEND TO PAY". if your item will be "AS IS", make sure this is very clear.

don't gouge for shipping and accurately calculate shipping before hand. it is easy enough to have your item boxed up, weighed, measured and shipping calculated for different choices before you post your auction. i use FedEx ground - they are the cheapest and provide $100 insurance included (they are also close to me

).

generally, i do not go over 7 days when listing. 10 days seems to drag on and on for both bidders and the seller. make sure that you list your item in a category that fits well (again, look to the better sellers in your research).

as for setting a reserve, if you can't bear to sell your item for less than a certain price - set a reserve. few things will make you more upset than listing a $0.99 item that is worth hundreds and having it sell for $5. that being said, be honest with your reserve price (again from the research above) unless you just like paying eBay fees

. the lower you start the auction out, the more interest that you will have - this is something i have learned from experience. if you start an item close to the selling price you want, you may have little interest. start it at $0.99 and people go bonkers.

BIN is good if you really want to sell something quick and you list a fair price for it (again from the research above). some people don't like to wait and will pay fair auction value right away. this does apply to items that are rare more than those that are plentiful. don't forget that unless you set a reserve, the BIN goes away with the first bid and you still pay the fees for it.

don't know if $300 is too much to expect (again with the research).

finally, i don't subscribe to the eBay "gimmicks" as you put them. solid, honest listing with lots of good pics seems to do the trick for me.

hth.
jeff h

 

[mitchb]

MOST important are good detailed flattering pictures. A good picture will sell an average product than a bad picture will a new product. Take really carefully planed thought about detailed pictures.
The description of the item should be relatively brief but should answer any questions you think people may ask
Finally point out any flaw no matter how insignificant so the buyer will say to himself 'why did he even mention that nothing mark" Don't let the buyer have anything but good unexpected surprises.

 

[nor_spoon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchb /img/forum/go_quote.gif MOST important are good detailed flattering pictures. A good picture will sell an average product than a bad picture will a new product. Take really carefully planed thought about detailed pictures. The description of the item should be relatively brief but should answer any questions you think people may ask Finally point out any flaw no matter how insignificant so the buyer will say to himself 'why did he even mention that nothing mark" Don't let the buyer have anything but good unexpected surprises.

QFT. Quality images are underestimated by many, but very important!

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchb /img/forum/go_quote.gif MOST important are good detailed flattering pictures. A good picture will sell an average product than a bad picture will a new product. Take really carefully planed thought about detailed pictures. The description of the item should be relatively brief but should answer any questions you think people may ask Finally point out any flaw no matter how insignificant so the buyer will say to himself 'why did he even mention that nothing mark" Don't let the buyer have anything but good unexpected surprises.

This. Take good pictures.

Also, if anyone asks you a question about the item, ALWAYS send them more pictures, even if they don't ask for them.

People love that. I'm not sure why, but make sure you have extra photos on hand.

 

[steviebee]

Absolutely agree with the excellent advice given above. Nuthin to add except: be a great communicator -buyers & sellers respond so positively to a friendly message or two in my experience...good for feedback too

And, nice idea Erik! I'll try that on my next listing.

 

[fatcat28037]

Have you considered attempting to sell it here first? A smaller base but sincere and honest buyers and no fees.

 

[mr_baseball_08]

Here's the thing. You have to decide if you want to auction the item to the highest bidder or if you want to basically "sell" the item for the price you want, except on Ebay. Then the questions are easy to answer. I'm assuming auction here because they're more fun.

A - Is $300 too much to expect? - Who knows. You tell me. Do your own research.

B - Should I set a reserve? - No. It's an auction and the market will give you what the market decides it's worth.

C - Do I offer a buy it now? - No. It costs more to list this way and if you're looking for top dollar on a used item, odds are, your reserve won't be met.

D - Will investing in any of the eBay "gimmicks" (ie. bold text and the like) fetch me a higher price? - I do recommend bold. It made me an extra 10% or so on my last auction (about $40). Since there are probably boatloads of 360's on Ebay, you want to make yours stand out. If you're selling a rare item that if someone searches for will give very few matches, then skip the bold. It stays in your case. Skip the others.

If you're trying to sell the item outright the answers are: same, yes, no, yes.

Also if you're doing the auction thing start the item at 9.99. Scary, I know, but it will sell and the price will go up. This will keep your insertion charges minimal.

Finally, since you've only sold 2 other things, you aren't going to get top dollar. That's the sad, hard truth. Most people have been burned on Ebay enough to not do business with someone who has little selling feedback.

Good luck!

 

[terance]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatcat28037 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you considered attempting to sell it here first? A smaller base but sincere and honest buyers and no fees.

yeah, not a single response in two weeks =/

Thanks for ALL of this advice guys, I am wishing I had come to you when I sold my hockey cards.

Turns out Head-fi is a great resource for everything! Thanks a ton guys, it is all very much appreciate.

_matt