Same Alisande.

I have a gift shop on there. I agree that the Item Specifics have gotten out of hand. I only sell one type of item so I can't speak to other catagories, but yes, it's mind numbing all the questions you must answer. It's to get you listed in the proper area of their website and fit buyer searches they are looking for...to match a buyer to your item. Also, the more detailed you can be in the description, item specs, photos, etc, it helps you in the long run should there ever be a dispute about the item not meeting expectation. The dispute will be pounded out within how those points on the listing were described. So I've read; I've not been in that situation myself to date.

Promoted listings are one of those things that are highly encouraged, lest your listing might languish off in a corner somewhere. It's a $$ making ploy by the platform, but if you want your item to be seen, it's probably worth enabling that feature. I use it as my item will show up next to other seller's items. I've sold quite a few items this way. Someone is looking at something else that showed in their platform search, then my listing hovers near theirs and mine sells as it is more to their liking than what the algorythm initially sent their way. Other sellers who use Promoted Listing also get to hover next to my listings, so it's fair to everyone.

I look at this way, that selling platform site is a huge place. Millions, maybe billions of items are listed for sale there. The platform has to narrow down where to place your item within the website. Sometimes I marvel at how many millions of things for sale there, someone was able to actually see my item and liked it enough to buy it. What are the chances of that? I think the buyers get to see your item if your Item Specifcs are direct enough to lead them your way. < so I tell myself when I grumble after a 30 minute listing chore then the listing goes poof!, like you described. (sometimes it does get saved in "drafts", though. Check there next time.)

I occasionally sell on Ebay. I totally ignore them yapping at me about specifics. I've sold some stuff there but favor fb marketplace.

alisande, do you do it for the money or as something to do? If your objective is to "get rid of stuff", as you commented above, there are other alternatives, of course.

Elmer, I'm laughing at the idea that I might need something to do. My To Do lists have started carrying over from one year to the next. :-)

The answer to your question is "neither." It's always nice to get money, but I'm not a high-volume seller. The profit from my eBay sales, such as it is, isn't something I rely on in any way.

Yes, I'm aware of a number of ways to get rid of things. If an item has value, even modest value, I'm reluctant to throw it out. I've done, and will continue to do, a lot of donating. But sometimes I'd rather sell. To me, the ideal transaction is one where I get an unneeded item out of the house, and the buyer acquires something they want--often something they've been looking for.

The best transactions are the ones where the item has special meaning to the buyer. A recent buyer sent me this message:

". . . so nicely wrapped. It is amazing that one person's "give away" is another's treasure. My uncle owned [the pottery company]. I have been looking for this jam jar to replace mine that broke long ago!"

I started selling on eBay to rehome my late husband's chemical engineering books. I tried to get my son to do it for me, but he said once I tried selling on eBay I would love it. He was right. I enjoyed it for many years, and taught eBay classes at the library a few times. But in the past couple of years I've become less enthusiastic.

SEA SEA, thanks for your response. I guess I'll have to see about promoting some of my listings. I have only 18 active listings right now, but a few of them have been lingering for well over a year. I hope you haven't had any bad experiences with dishonest buyers. I have not, but I hear stories all the time from higher-volume sellers. Sometimes it seems as though we've become a culture of cheats. I did check my listing's Draft, by the way. It was there . . . with only the title filled in.

I’ve been on eBay for years too and have recently started sourcing amd selling more. I’ve also joined a couple FB groups for resellers to get up to speed on the changes. I’m thinking about cross-selling on Poshmark because I’m selling mostly clothing/shoes/accessories.

I complete the mandatory items + what I think will help my stuff sell better. I haven’t promoted anything, but should probably do some A/B testing to see if promoting helps. I’m also thinking about moving to an eBay Store.

Adding that I’m starting to promote my stuff on Instagram.

Also adding that my designer smalls have had some fraud attempts, but eBay has supported me when I’ve had to file a case.

I do place things for sale in local consignment stores, but have never sold on eBay. I am a frequent buyer on eBay and have had, overall, positive experiences. I collect vintage blue and white souvenir plates from Cape Cod that I display on my walls and intersting pottery oyster plates made in France. I also buy tops in my size made from cotton that are difficult to find anywhere anymore because I hate wearing polyester or poly-cotton. Sometimes they are laundered with a strong fragrant detergent and I have to wash them several times to get the smell out but it's better than from a smoker's home which is awful...

"Elmer, I'm laughing at the idea that I might need something to do."

I don't intend to badger you but I guess I still don't understand. If you want to get rid of something, there are easier ways to do it than to sell on Ebay. And if you've done it for over 20 years, then isn't that done for the money?

Elmer, let me use the jam jar--the one referred to in the comment from the buyer in my previous post--as an example. It belonged to my stepmother's family, and I felt a certain responsibility to get it to someone who would take care of it. It wasn't something I'd choose to decorate with myself; besides, at my age I'm trying to downsize.

I donate often to our animal shelter's thrift shop, and I could have given the jam jar to them. But I knew it would be put on a shelf, priced at $2 or $3, and someone would eventually buy it. Around here, it's unlikely the "someone" would have an interest in collecting or even recognize the name of the pottery company. If I'm right (and I admit I'm a little pessimistic about this scenario, and it's possible I could be wrong), the jam jar would end up collecting dust until the time it was viewed as trash.

So I sold it, and was fortunate to have a buyer who was delighted to find it. After eBay's fees were taken out, I made about $20 on the transaction. Let's look at how much time I put into it: When it comes to photography, I can't turn off my desire for perfection. So I took around six photos of the jam jar, editing each one. I'm a writer, so I didn't just dash off a description. I hate to ship breakables as I'm always afraid they'll arrive in pieces, so I spent time (and money) wrapping the jar to the max with bubble wrap. Twenty dollars wasn't exactly a good return on my time.

If I wanted to do something "for the money" I'd start submitting my short fiction again, which has sold for $1/word.

I've had exciting, profitable sales on eBay, complete with international bidding wars, but for me, those have been few and far between. Even then, the down-to-the-wire bidding wars were as much or more fun than receiving the fat check. I remember one year when I sold all my mother-in-law's playing cards, one deck after the other, to collectors in Australia. Exciting stuff--for me, at least.

I see. Maybe the difference is, neither my wife nor I have an attachment to any "things". My attitude is use it or lose it, nothing is kept for the sake of doing so. When we want to rid ourselves of something. the best way is the way that takes the least amount of time and effort. If you think sometimes your time isn't well spent from a $$ return standpoint, then the time was wasted other than if it fulfills a desire to have the experience and something to do. That's reason enough.

To each, his/her own.

I volunteer at a nonprofit that accepts used books (and often other items) that we sell at a huge book sale in November. When we receive books that seem to be worth much more than the $1 or $2 that we get at the sale, we list them on eBay. I have just started listing books. I haven’t run into a problem that you described yet.

Zoe, books are still my favorite thing to sell. They don't have many Item Specifics, and they're easy (and relatively cheap) to ship. I especially like to sell antiquarian/collectible books. I'll never be one of the booksellers who sell mainstream books for under $5 and probably pay at least $3.50 in postage. I imagine they have a very high volume, but still . . .

I recently ordered from eBay a book I heard about here at the KT. It's called Brood. Unfortunately, the seller sent me the wrong book. I returned it (he paid) and he refunded my money, so now I have to look for another copy.

There is monetary value and emotional value. Not to be connected to "things" is not in my vocabulary. I worked hard for what I have and am very sentimental about stuff handed down to me by people no longer on this planet. I touch the things and use them and it helps me remember my love for the people who I lost. So, I am sorry for you Elmer.

Elmer - crutches? I'm married to a mathematician/engineer. I understand where you're coming from and I'm sorry if I offended you but you pull my chain sometimes.

"I'm married to a mathematician/engineer. I understand where you're coming from and I'm sorry if I offended you"

You didn't offend me. The relevance of your husband's occupation to the conversation is perhaps more apparent to you than to me.

Well, you both seem to be very literal, hard wired thinkers and your positions are frequently in synch with his perspectives on things - that's all...again I don't mean any disrepect...

IMO, anyone who has no emotional attachment to anything is missing out on a wonderful part of life, and yes, I would certainly feel sorry for that person.

I've never sold anything on eBay, but I would like to try selling some things like books, that would be easy to ship. I think it would be fun, then I hear about the problems people have with eBay, customers, etc. and it scares me off.

I have purchased quite a few things on eBay, though. It's harder to find good deals on there than it used to be, but I still like to look.

Woodrose, most of the problems with buyers--at least the problems I've heard about--have been with clothing (the buyer says it doesn't fit, while they've actually worn it and stained it), electronics (they say the item doesn't work, and then they return one that doesn't work, although it's not the one they bought) and collectible china and glassware (they claim it broke in shipping, but it's not true). So much dishonesty.

Seriously, I think you'll be fine selling books.

Only at the KT can a message thread go from selling on eBay to Brenda Lee. LOL (PS: Brenda brought some teenage memories with her--thanks!)

I get where Elmer is coming from. I'm not a "stuff" person. It's not that I don't get sentimental over an item that belonged to someone I loved. But one item is all I want, and if I didn't have it, the memories would be all I need. I find excess and clutter to be distressing. I find peacefulness in a half-empty drawer or clear tabletop. I make Marie Kondo look like a pack rat. My mom was like this, too, and I'm very glad I inherited the trait.

E-bay; I spent a summer or three shopping e-bay back when you had to have a paypal account to bid and I did not. A friend handled all that. She loved getting packages. We argued over the different shipping charges. Later I found out I was correct sellers did use shipping charges as a way to hide profits from Ebay's % take. Nothing about selling made sense. I was buying 'collectables' for pennies compared to their original purchase price. The seller is under a lot of pressure to get things in the mail RIGHT NOW once an item is sold. Items come broken... Our post office is to be avoided at all costs. Nope the church garage sales/good will make sooo much more sense to me when off loading STUFF. The people shopping there also get items they are wanting at prices they can afford and that makes me happy. When I am done with something I am done! I don't need to expend even one more minute than necessary getting rid of it--and it doesn't end up in a landfill by my hand. Plus plus. Posting items, dickering on price at times, watching for final sale, wrapping, hauling to the Post Office adds up to a lot of time I sure don't have to give and I have a TON of time on my hands!!!

eBay now takes their commission on total paid, including shipping and taxes. Back in the day, shipping wasn't included and you're right that some sellers tried to game the system, taking the rest if us with them.

For me, reselling on eBay is a hobby and side hustle for kicks and giggles.

Sellers can state how quickly they'll be expected to get a sold item in the mail. I think it's one to three days. Not RIGHT NOW. I ship 99% of what I sell by placing it in my large mailbox. On the rare occasion when I take an oversized package to our small, rural Post Office, I always get a friendly greeting. They've told me they're grateful for my eBay activity because it helps keep them in business.

Clearly, eBay selling isn't your thing, Arcy, and that's fine.