Does anyone remember when eBay was an Auction Site?

tplyons · #1 08-05-2008, 06:38 PM

I do. Barely.

Nowadays its nothing but Buy It Now, or $0.99 auctions from Authorized Dealers or cheap Chinese Knockoffs.

Whatever happened to selling your used junk on eBay, and why can't I find any of it?

RWP · #2 08-05-2008, 06:47 PM

I think people are afraid to sell junk there anymore if it's not like new and perfect. The prices aren't all that great either. I see used stuff sell there for just about new retail pricing, never did understand that.

tplyons · #3 08-05-2008, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWP

I think people are afraid to sell junk there anymore if it's not like new and perfect. The prices aren't all that great either. I see used stuff sell there for just about new retail pricing, never did understand that.

It used to be a great place to hock your old crap you don't need anymore. Now it's just another marketplace for new stuff.

The listing fees are too high, the closing fees are too high, and the paypal fees are high. No wonder nobody's selling anything there anymore.

Skel · #4 08-05-2008, 06:52 PM

I wonder if the period when they had the feedback thing killed it and it's just now catching up to eBay. I know they did something with feedback in general, not sure exactly what it was though.

I personally, just got tired of never getting what I was expecting - misleading descriptions, hassles, etc. Realizing you had to be an expert at asking the right questions, and thinking of the most "out there" questions you needed to ask, or else you would just wouldn't get what you were expecting. I finally decided it just killed a whole lot less brain cells to buy the stuff new and know you could return it if you didn't like it. But I did get a few great deals on eBay that I was happy with.

Stinsok · #5 08-05-2008, 06:57 PM

I wonder the same thing about Flea Markets. It's all cheap chinese tools and assorted imported crap. Nobody has personal stuff to sell anymore.

fenderhutz · #6 08-05-2008, 06:59 PM

Ebay has become like MTV.

All marketing, no substance.

A common yard sale is the only saving grace.

FL Knifemaker · #7 08-05-2008, 07:09 PM

You need to go out on the weekend mornings and hit the garage and yard sales. That's where you find the good junk, antiques and other good deals. I have enough STUFF and my wife constantly brings home more

Benjamin Strange · #8 08-05-2008, 07:14 PM

This is exactly why I start all my auctions at $1 with no reserve and no Buy It Now. I think setting a starting price too high is insulting to buyers, and oftentimes the item never sells because of that. As it is, everything that I've ever sold gets TONS of bids, and I generally make a killing.

I do, however, buy cheap chinese stuff off ebay when it's difficult to find in shops around town, such as really long computer cables (ethernet, USB, etc.), or odd instruments that are impossible to get around New Orleans.

wld3 · #9 08-05-2008, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWP

I see used stuff sell there for just about new retail pricing...

That happens ...um... elsewhere too.

fdeck · #10 08-05-2008, 07:29 PM

I have read about eBay in the business news, that many customers actually prefer buy-it-now. I will often use BIN when something is cheap and I don't want to organize my life around last-minute bidding.

RWP · #11 08-05-2008, 07:54 PM

I recently bought a small buy it now electronics adapter from Hong Kong. Had never tried that before because it seems to far away and I didn't want to get burned. However, it arrived in about 3 days and was a great deal. Guess everything is airmail out of there. On the bad side I am hearing more and more about counterfeit products out of China and you really have to watch out.

L-A · #12 08-05-2008, 07:57 PM

Ebay is what New York would be if Chinatown was taking over.

Bassic83 · #13 08-05-2008, 08:41 PM

The Infernal Revenue Bureau is supposed to be cataloging all transactions there now, and you are responsible for taxes on monies earned there. Fully taxed. I have heard from a reliable source that they are going after people who fail to give Uncle Sam his pound of flesh. There is no limit on it, either, so that $10 pedal you sold is going to add onto your income for the year. Sell enough crap to have a second income, and you've moved yourself up a category on your tax chart.

Between all the fees and the taxes, it's just not worth it to sell there any more. Way to kill a great business idea, IMHO. Craig's list is also under scrutiny by the federal bean counters as well. They are getting TIGHT about tax evasion, especially in this economy. They want every cent, every shekel, every ducat, every clam, that they can possibly get. How else to pay for the trillions in national debt?

So if you sell a lot of stuff on ebay, be careful when tax time rolls around, and pay your taxes on everything you made, cuz the tax man cometh...

FingeringAm · #14 08-05-2008, 08:56 PM

Craigs List

Spector_Ray · #15 08-05-2008, 09:25 PM

Bluetooth headset! BIN $.99. Shipping and handling $49.95

wld3 · #16 08-05-2008, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassic83

The Infernal Revenue Bureau... There is no limit on it, either, so that $10 pedal you sold is going to add onto your income for the year.

This is oft repeated, yet incorrect, information.

If you are selling your own items that you no longer use or that you would rather sell for some money, you almost certainly incur no tax liability. (The IRS calls it the equivalent of an online garage sale.)

If you are running an online business, with recurring sales and/or purchasing items for resale, or your hobby, which involves selling a product, turns into a for-profit venture, then yes, you are going to be responsible for reporting the income.

The good news is, if you are running an online business, you are also eligible to deduct business expenses (like eBay and PayPal fees, shipping costs, etc.) to offset your profit. Just like any business.

This info can be found on the IRS web site:
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/...163622,00.html

The only people affected by the IRS seeking out eBay sellers are those who are doing business for profit who have thus far dodged reporting their income.

bongomania · #17 08-05-2008, 10:41 PM

I used to love Ebay, I would spend hours searching around for cool stuff, and tell everyone about how it was the worlds biggest and most diverse flea market. Now as others have said it's mostly new goods, or used goods priced at nearly-new prices. And the selection is dismal, because all the fees and red tape have driven away the casual sellers.

The other thing that seriously galls me about Ebay isn't actually their fault.

Whenever I have an item up for sale, even with lots of great photos and snazzy (yet truthful and tasteful) ad text, I get next to nothing for my item. There will be like 87 watchers, and only one bidder- who gets the item for the opening bid amount. But then when there's something I want to buy, invariably the photos and text are questionable, the starting bid is higher than I want to pay, and then a bunch of people bid anyway and drive up the price.

I know perfectly well that what I just described has no logic or sense, but it happens so consistently (on both sides of the coin) that I now think of it as a "fact". The thing is, it didn't used to be that way. Used to be I could get great deals when buying, and use nice pics and sharp ad copy to sell for at least what I paid, often turning a small profit.

So between the ruination of the diversity of goods, the overwhelming buttloads of new import trash clogging up the site, and the illogical yet inescapable way I lose money every time now, fuggetaboutit. Ebay can go blow.

LiquidMidnight · #18 08-05-2008, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

This is exactly why I start all my auctions at $1 with no reserve and no Buy It Now. I think setting a starting price too high is insulting to buyers, and oftentimes the item never sells because of that. As it is, everything that I've ever sold gets TONS of bids, and I generally make a killing.

That's how I like an auction to be run. I've always viewed Ebay as the ultimate real-world application of the market determining the monetary value of a product. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the average Ebayer is a pretty savvy person. I generally don't see people bidding on things that are close to retail price. Why try and sell things at close to retail? Of course, I don't really understand the purpose of a reserve. If you want to get a certain price for something, then why not start the bidding at the minimum you are willing to sell it for? I guess that a reserve always gives you the option to still sell to the highest bidder, even if you don't get the price you were looking for.

But I digress. I often see music gear being sold in Ebay stores for the same price I'd pay for it at Zzounds of Musician's Friend. If I am going to pay retail for something, then I might as well buy it from Zzounds or Musician's Friend and get the piece of mind that I'm buying it from a reputatable and world-wide known vendor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spector_Ray

Bluetooth headset! BIN $.99. Shipping and handling $49.95

From what I understand, Ebay takes a certain percentage of what you make off of a transaction. Therefore, people may sell items at a low price, which Ebay takes the percentage of, but then make their money off of the S&H, which Ebay doesn't take a percentage of.

tplyons · #19 08-06-2008, 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiquidMidnight

From what I understand, Ebay takes a certain percentage of what you make off of a transaction. Therefore, people may sell items at a low price, which Ebay takes the percentage of, but then make their money off of the S&H, which Ebay doesn't take a percentage of.

And still against policy. I build my paypal fees into Shipping and Handling, but not part of the product price. That's just absurd, IMO.

RWP · #20 08-06-2008, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassic83

The Infernal Revenue Bureau is supposed to be cataloging all transactions there now, and you are responsible for taxes on monies earned there. Fully taxed. I have heard from a reliable source that they are going after people who fail to give Uncle Sam his pound of flesh. There is no limit on it, either, so that $10 pedal you sold is going to add onto your income for the year. Sell enough crap to have a second income, and you've moved yourself up a category on your tax chart.

Between all the fees and the taxes, it's just not worth it to sell there any more. Way to kill a great business idea, IMHO. Craig's list is also under scrutiny by the federal bean counters as well. They are getting TIGHT about tax evasion, especially in this economy. They want every cent, every shekel, every ducat, every clam, that they can possibly get. How else to pay for the trillions in national debt?

So if you sell a lot of stuff on ebay, be careful when tax time rolls around, and pay your taxes on everything you made, cuz the tax man cometh...

Wouldn't you have to sell it for more than you paid to 'make a profit'?