Allotments 4 All

I have just 'taken the plunge' and started selling on ebay to try and offload the seemingly mountainous load of seeds that i have aquired of late (mostly freebies from a magazine). i will never sow them all so i thought id try and find them good homes, and make a few pennies in the process.

I was wondering who else on A4All had used EBAY, (for selling or buying) and what your experience was like.

Used ebay for selling books - though it was a bit of a hassle weighing them to get postage costs, then packaging them securely... Also only accepted cheque or postal order which then have to be paid in to the bank and cleared.

Have also bought things on ebay, paid by cheque and not had hassle at all. Though I have heard stories....

i too was a bit wary of taking the plunge with ebay, but can only report positive transactions. have only bought, not sold. i've bought gardening books, i like to collect vintage books and things on wartime gardening. i've had some real bargains! i will only pay by cheque though, i don't trust paypal.
watch the postage though, some seem a bit steep!

I've bought loads of stuff on Ebay, most of it expensive, but a bargain (designer shoes - fantastic!  ;D ) and only had good experiences.  That said, I am pretty careful about asking sellers lots of questions before I bid and I always check out sellers' feedback as well.

I've paid using cheques, direct into the seller's bank account and also using Paypal.  I've never had any bother with any of them.  Paypal is very safe and very convenient with safeguards built in for both buyer and seller.

I have never sold anything, though I have a friend who has sold loads and seems very happy.  He has been messed around once or twice with people not paying, but it's rare.

The one thing about Ebay that you really do have to be careful about is that it can become addictive.  You get a bit of a rush in the last thirty seconds of an item when all the bids are starting to accelerate.  Make sure you set yourself a budget and stick to it and only to bid on items that you actually want!!

Good luck with your venture.

i have plenty of ebay experience, both as a seller and buyer.
have paid and accepted cheques and paypal from overseas buyers.

beware though - paypal have introduced some kind of proceedure which means that if the buyer complains that the items have not been received, paypal will give them their money back and take it from the seller's accounts. i dont know why they have changed the procedure - it seems like good news for buyers and leaves sellers totally unprotected against fraudulent types

svea

Garden Cadet. :) Good Luck with your Project   Why not ;D

Set yourself up with Paypal. Check it out its very easy and the safest method. 8)

Greetings  Take care Tulip-23 Mike ;)

I've bought and sold a fair amount on Ebay and had no problems at all. Good luck!

I have purchased quite a bit on ebay and also sell some of my excess plants. I have never been cheated and I always offer a full money back if not satisfied  garantee. Never had a complaint and have 100% feedback rating on over 130 deals.

If in doubt about something just email them, but watch out for the scams, if it is too good to believe don't trust it.

One caution I would add, having been subject to it yet again just this week, is, if you do use paypal, to not reply to any e-mails you may get that purport to come from e-bay asking for "an update of your personal details as our records may be out of date". On checking with e-bay it turned out to be a scam from someone hoping to get access to my credit card details (which e-bay don't have, one bout of identity theft was enough for me to make sure my credit card never goes on the internet).
One phenomenon I have seen is people getting so caught up in auctions that they bid an item up to a price considerably above what you can buy it for from an ordinary vendor (one instance I remember is an Alocasia  going for $70 when I had just bought the same cv. for $4.95!). If you market whatever you want to sell with glowing descriptions then you too could do really well.

I'm a buyer and seller on ebay and I've never had any probs.

One thing to bear in mind when listing your cards for payment and selling fees;  when either Ebay or Paypal want to notify you of something they will ALWAYS use your name in the email.  It will always be Dear (username) and NEVER EVER Dear Sir/Madam/Ebay User/Member etc etc[/u] Another thing to check email authenticity is to click on the logo on the top of the email (this in itself won't link you anywhere which will take your details) and see where it takes you.  Anywhere other than the website itself - is a fake.

YP actually thats  no good enough, some people cleaverly spoof the site so you think you're on it.  If you get an email asking for any details then you should open a NEW BROWSER WINDOW and log into your account by typing in the address.  Then if they do need any other info it will say so once you are logged in.

If you are not sure then forward to email to paypal/ebay and ask them.

If you think you might have compromised your account accidently then log straight in and change your password then email paypal/ebay to tell them.

Done both and have only good things to report.

Quote from: NattyEm on February 16, 2005, 10:38:52
YP actually thats  no good enough, some people cleaverly spoof the site so you think you're on it.  If you get an email asking for any details then you should open a NEW BROWSER WINDOW and log into your account by typing in the address.  Then if they do need any other info it will say so once you are logged in.

If you are not sure then forward to email to paypal/ebay and ask them.

If you think you might have compromised your account accidently then log straight in and change your password then email paypal/ebay to tell them.

Information was given to me directly from the Ebay spoof department (I was scammed but thankfully didn't lose a single penny) and Paypal themselves so is most definitely good enough!

If members are unhappy about clicking on the said logo to check it's authenticity the it's simple enough to right click on the logo and check it's properties - that will also give an answer as to whether it's a spoof mail or not. 

Hi, have bought and sold on ebay and can't say I have ever had a problem..

HTH
Louisa xx

Husband Mike has bought and sold stamps on e-bay (he is a great collector).  He has also bought a clock and some light fittings and I have bought books, dvd's and a Chinese coolie hat, so that I would look cool at the lottie.  All have been done very successfully, but it is wise to take all the suggested precautions.  :) busy_lizzie

Hi Lizzie, I used to collect stamps when I were a lad donkeys years ago and have often wondered if they were worth anything, I have a good collection of Beatle Mags too.
How would I find a valuer in the Midlands ??? Would Mike know ??? or even a more lazy way on line ???

YP I have had the emails myself, I clicked on the logo and it took me to a page that looked just like the paypal page (with the address www.paypal.co.uk at the top) but on close inspection it didn't seem quite right so I didn't log on through it.  Very clever though.  I forwarded the email to the paypal team and they confirmed it wasn't real.

Despite best intentiond things are not going as well as hoped. My listing has attracted little interest so far,. I am wondering if there is a problem, however i cannot tell what the problem is!, other than it being a little hard to find (had trouble myself)

i was wondering if someone with expereince of selling on ebay could have a look at my entry and give me some advice please. please note i am NOT trying to push the items by posting a link on a4all.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3184&item=4357935001&rd=1

and

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=57222&item=4357939428&rd=1

bugger I typed out a long reply and lost it.

Right a few things....

1. I would change your starting price to 99p if not 1p, especially since many of the packets very clearly say FREE SEEDS on them!  Also your listing fees will be cheaper, and importantly bids attracts bids, start low and once one bids others should follow.

2. Change the titles to include at least one of the varieties in it for example Garden Seeds 5pks Verbena Petunia Marigold or whatever will fit.

3. Look at what sells before you list - doing a search on seeds I noticed lots and lots and lots of listings, but not very many bids.

4. Don't loose hope, bids if they're going to happen, usually happen within the last few hours.

HTH!

Thanks 'NattyEm'

Will bear your advice in mind. Have already revised listing and cut the price a bit - perhaps I will cut it still further.

I do still need to cover overheads (ie packaging etc)

Thanks again  :)

i would also add 'flower' to the headline, so i would be looking for 'flower seeds' in headings, and your listing would pop up.

and what nattyem said ;)

svea

overheads go in the shipping.  come on though, people arent stupid will only cost you a normal stamp probably and an envelope from something you've received if not 30p so call postage 80p if you need to.  

Well as i am wanting to sell more than one packet, (ie 5 in one go) i thought a small padded envelope (Price circa 30p), rather than an 'ordinary' envelope. Also postage still goes on weight  so i am half expecing the cost to be slightly more than the 28 (29?)p  for a 60g letter. Could be wrong though.

I suppose at the end of the day my 50p P and P will probable cover most of it.

Cheers!

Quote from: Svea on February 18, 2005, 14:56:38
i would also add 'flower' to the headline, so i would be looking for 'flower seeds' in headings, and your listing would pop up.

and what nattyem said ;)

svea

So,  'Flower seeds' then instead of just 'seeds'?

Ebay`s great, sold loads of stuff already and i've only been on there since the beginning of Jan ;D
My user name is evelynb2005 if you want to see what i'm selling, you have to go to `find seller or add seller in your ``my ebay`` i think.  :-\

a lot of those free seeds from AG came with a RRP on them-if you put this down, as i see others have done, people may see how much they are saving.
and a sow by date, if any.
and (lastly) i wouldn't worry yet, as i've just had a look at the section they're in, and you are towards the latter end of 146 pages, surrounded by other stuff with no bids!
others are right, people tend to look at the 'ending soonest' first, and bid when there's not long left.

Just an idea - say you had 10 packets of seeds - maybe not everyone would want all those ten packets, so you could say that in this auction, you are selling any 5 of the winning bidders choice out of that 10...

The other thing is, you are a first time seller, so no feedback as yet.  This can put regulars off, not always, but sometimes.  It is just a matter of working out the right formula, and once you have it, I am sure you will have no bother.  The P&P does need to be reasonable and sensible.  People do compare and if you and 'Joe Bloggs' are offering similar goods, but his P&P is cheaper, well you know where the bids will be going.  I do think you need to make you ad more appealling, sell the seeds more..................

you could add nice pics of what the flowers might look like when grown too!

Tip: if you host the pics yourself and then use html to create your ad then you don't have to pay for more pictures, just one for the gallery pic if you need one!

Some good advice here from many members.  Natty is right, a lot of bids do usually happen in the last few minutes.  I've had things listed for 10 days before and only had them bid on right before closing so don't lose hope.

My real reasonf for posting, Richard, is to remind you that each time you revise your ad, you are charged for it, so try to save all your amendments and do them at once, else your listing is going to cost you more than your winning bid!

Sam.

RICHARD can i put my tuppence in THE POUND SHOP sells  padded envelopes of all sizes for obviously £1 much cheaper than elsewhere and i think the seed size has 5/6 envelopes in.larger ones have 4  Have you a poundshop near you??.

i see you sold them then? and one set for £2? not bad!

yes i ve had my first sales. Whoopeee!

One went for 50p the other for £2.00 (plus the PandP). So not a failure after all.

i did have one problem. One buyer paid by credit card, but paypal wouldnt let me accept is as I didnt have the right account (could upgrade for a 'fee'). I then had to refuse the payment - after i had dispatched the item! Arrghhh!

Typical i thought - I'd snatched defeat from the jaws of victory (as they say).

Fortunately the other payment went through on Paypal automaticaly no problem, and the 'problem' payment has been sorted out (buyer agreed to send a cheque). But it has meant that I have had to add a note on my next sale item, requesting buyers who use paypal do not use crefit card.

Yes I have not been put off. I have put up 2 more sales, taking advantage of a special offer yesterday on listing fees. i have taken on board all i have learnt from the first attempt.

By the way i havent been charged for amendments according to my account.

You don't usually have to pay a fee to upgrade your paypal.   What happens when you upgrade is rather than payments being free (but only direct bank transfer of debit card) you pay a small fee for each transaction but it does mean that your listing will apeal to more people.  Some people add a clause that if you pay with paypal you have to add 4% to cover the charges but I'm not sure this is allowed any more.

Just to update, things have been going well with my seed selling on EBAY. Sold loads if unwanted seed packets (still more to go)and made a reasonable amount on them (though not perhaps as much as I would have prefered). Money made will be 'reinvested' in the  garden somehow, either on a nice plant or some more seeds (this time varieties that i want).

Trouble is things seem to have ground to a halt and i seem to be 'banging my head against a brick wall' with it at the moment. For the first time a listed item failed to sell and had to be relisted (with a reduced price). Recent new listings have failed to attract interest also. I have done little different and if anything have improved my listings (I'm learning through experience!). I have even tried a 'Buy it now' on one listing just as an experiment. No joy so far.

I have a good reputation (loads of positive feedback from buyers, and the seeds being sold are not all 'common' varieties. I just cant work out what is wrong.

Here are the listings. A neutral unbiased opinion on them would be appreciated.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=57222&item=4370996742&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=57222&item=4371035341&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=57222&item=4371319079&rd=1

Well the ads look good to me.  Maybe it is the time of year, you know, people have all of their seeds now and are looking more at buying pots and labels and accessories.  You may find seed selling is seasonal, from September 'til March.

Quote from: EJ - Emma Jane on April 08, 2005, 12:35:40
Well the ads look good to me.  Maybe it is the time of year, you know, people have all of their seeds now and are looking more at buying pots and labels and accessories.  You may find seed selling is seasonal, from September 'til March.

Hmm that is entirely possible EJ, the though had crossed my mind fleetingly.

Unfortunately i cant match such 'buyer trends'.

That said there still seems plenty of seed on sale on EBAY (which in itself may be a problem - a flooded market)

I wonder if I'd have better luck selling some of my more unusual varieties seperately? Many on EBAY seem to do this, though it could prove pricey in terms of fees and P&P.

Well done for getting some seeds sold. I have thought about selling seeds, but most of the packets have been opened (just for a dozen or so seeds!).

Garden Cadet

I agree about keeping the starting price at rock bottom. i've sold quite a bit on ebay, and you often get things with no start price reaching far more than the same thing with even a modest start price.

Just had a look, and there's quite a bit of competition there for seeds. I would most definitely sell the unusual varieties separately. People may want those and not the others, and there's this psychological thing about buying something you don't necessarily want - the buyer is often happy to pay even more for something specific than when its part of a package. Very different thing entirely as an example, but I did this with a completely broken (yes, really) 12 year old camera. Sold the knackered body (with no lens either), the lens that should come with the camera, and a spare lens, all separately and got over £100!! As a package it would have been hard to shift - that psychological thing again - and I'd never have got that much.

The other two things that may or may not make a difference: I know you say new, but can you say if they're all in date. (e.g. viable to May 2007, for example). Lastly, the pic looks a bit out of focus on my PC - can you take a crisper pic so the packets can be seen clearly?

Also you can view in 'my ebay' how many 'watchers' you have. Quite often there'll be more than have yet bid and they all bid against each other in the last 15 minutes. I also buy on ebay, and never bid until the last 5 minutes, sometines waiting until the final 1 minute before I press the button!  Good luck!

Dawn, Re: Pictures. Ive been having abit of trouble with those. Try as i might i cant seem to get them any better at the moment. the latter ones though i have tried to edit using Photosuite and HPphoto, which helps a bit. I figured as long as it gives a general idea of colours and shapes it would be better than nothing!

However i will look into improving things and perhaps using photobucket to host photos so Ican add more.

I will also have a go at selling 'specials' individualy.
i
t does though seem as if theres alot of seed being offered on EBay and not many buyers. I myself have bid for some sky-blue morning glory seeds recently. So far i have had no competition for them! Which of course is good for buying as it keeps the price down - but not so good for the seller. That said 1 bid at the opening price is better than no bits and i will happily sell at that price.

I just want the things to go  where they will be used and the resulting plants enjoyed, rather than just sitting in a packet in a box!

The first one you still have a lot of time left for the bidding plus the images are very poor also maybe peeps think they are out of date as you have not mentioned how old they are. ???

The second one I was put off straight away as your RRP was £1.99 your Buy It Price was £1.50 plus .60p P&P = £2.10 they can buy fresh stuff for £1.99 from a shop???

And to confuse even more you say “Choose 5 or more from the varieties below” Does that mean I can Buy 5 or more for £1.50? ???

Roy, Just to respond to your comments;

1.I have explained the quality of the photos in an earlier post. I have decided to try some different settings on my digi camera for subsequent pictures

2. The RRP was for an individual packet. I am offering at least 5 for 1.50. When you add up the RRPs of individual packets, there is a saving to be made.The listing  itself has sold this morning for the 'buy it now' price, so it clearly interested someone!

3. I admit you have a point about the 'use by' dates. Unfortunately not all the packets have this information on, but on advice I will detail such information i do have.

4 Again i admit my wording is perhaps a little vague as to the number of seeds offered, but i am trying to offer buyers a choice. This is perahps prefereble to offering say only 5 packets  with no choice as to varieties. I also leave the option open to buyers to choose ALL varietied offered if they so wished.

Mrs C sold her old,  clapped-out car on e-bay.   It made a really embarrassing amount of money.   The chap who collected it (with girlfriend and knowledgeable mate) paid cash and was delighted.

We worried for weeks.