how do you use ebay ?

[Arcusprime]

I use it just for buying. Sometimes I browse but usually I am directed there from here or CAF or a charity auction announcement. I haven't used to to sell since, so far, I havent wanted to sell anything.

[Underdog07]

Originally Posted by Arcusprime

I haven't used to to sell since, so far, I havent wanted to sell anything.

I find it a great forum to sell non-collectibles as well as collectibles

My wife has been shocked by some of the prices I have gotten for items that she was posed to throw out.

[carlito1978]

i've used it for all of the above.

Was more selling at first. non art related collectibles have sold much better for me than art. art sales haven't been too great for me. have had some pieces listed with many watchers but no bites. good sign is that at least there are some watchers so there is a market for the art, maybe just not at what i listed it at.

buying is always good, sometimes you can find a wierdly listed item and get a great deal.

watching is also fun. get a good read of the market. also there's the occassion when you find something you really like that is offered too high that you can negotiate down if it doesn't sell.

[jye318]

I use it to all, but it's better just buy cause eBay Paypal can protect you, I just got scammed by eBay buyer, and I have already loose money.

[Meeley Man]

Answering in order:

Originally Posted by GerryT

is it purely to buy ?

I do buy, but it isn't the only reason I use eBay.

to monitor sales ?

I refer you to the prevoius answer.

had a piece on recently, with 21 people watching it, yet nobody bid.Was my price to high ?

Didn't see the auction, so I can't say for sure. The best I can say is, it could have been.

were they only gawking with no serious interest?

There are plenty of those type on eBay, so I'd say that's a fairly sure bet for some of those watchers.

If you see a piece on ebay that doesnt sell would you email the seller afterwards and try and work something out ?

That would depend on how much I wanted the piece, what their original asking price was, and if I felt they were trustworthy enough to do business with off of eBay.

[joefixit2]

Originally Posted by Simplyrob

If its something I want a certain amount for, I'll open with that bid, like others have said, and relist it as many times as possible. It'll sell eventually.

This is an excellent point. Don't just give the stuff away. Case in point, I have a Hulk-Spider-Man-Cap America sleeping bad from around 1979. I put it up on eBay for $25 a couple times and never got a nibble. Let it go for about 4 months and I just put it up last night. It is now at $86.

Depending on how collectible an item is, I will take it down a very slight amount if I just want to move it. Usually about half the time, if I reduce the price to the point that people bid on it, it will be bid up to what I had originally or more.

[ONEYE]

Originally Posted by GerryT

how do you use ebay ?

Like the best, high priced hooker it is.

[xraysteve]

Mainly for buying. I have sold art (smaller to medium range pieces) with some success.

[GerryT]

How long would you wait for buyer to pay ?

[joefixit2]

If I don't see payment within 4 days, I push the invoice to them again. After six days, I start contacting them about where the payment is.