"ebid" is cheaper than feebay!!!

[johnwash1]

hi , not sure if a wardrobe is the thing for a site ( any site )...would it not be easier to get your friend to go to an auction room...and the buyer has to get it home ???

Easier? So then he has to get it to the auction room himself (bit tricky, considering his only transport is a bicycle) and if it doesn't sell I guess he has to bring it home again. Er, does that sound easy to you?

Hi.
I agree it's hard to sell things like wardrobes. however it's very easy to list them so i DO list big stuff when i have it to sell. I have a fireguard listed just now and have the postage set at 'collect in person' just in case someone who lives in scotland stumbles upon the listing! So if you're not in a hurry, why not list the wardrobes, chest of drawers ( i'm looking for one of those just now!) chairs etc.. and list them in a way that will make them eligible for inclusion on google products. a buyer may find your listing- and ebid via google.

It's easy to list anything, and sure, I'm happy to list it first on eBid and give it a try for a few days, but I'm not taking bets. You said it yourself, Hanna, someone would have to stumble onto the listing [Harry Hill voice]"What are the chances of that!"[end voice].

In contrast, if I wanted a chest of drawers, I'd go look on e*ay. I'd put in 'chest' 'drawers'. I'd get 1,634 current auctions (or at least that's what I got a few seconds ago). Needless to say, I'm not going to browse through 1,634 auctions on the offchance I find one nearby, and I doubt you would either.

So I narrow the search by restricting it to 10 miles from my postcode. And I get just 30 to investigate.

I don't understand why I seem to be the only person on this site who regards this as a supremely important missing feature, one that MUST be discouraging many visitors from continuing to use eBid, one that is sure to be making sellers selective about the kind of auctions they'll run here.

Are you really telling me that most people are so stupid they don't use such searches? I think that's very insulting to them and grossly underestimates the average person's intelligence.

[kedo]

yo folks,

I dont understand why people say things like 'eBid is **** I cant make a living from it'. The whole point of being here is that its a great venue for selling everything and with a greater % return. I never expected to make a living from selling on eBid and I dont know why anyone would. I think all the full time sellers on here use other venues as well. I work 35 hours a week and sell for fun and a little profit. I dont watch TV, dont have kids and I find internet buying and selling to be a hobby that fills in my down time. But even if I was to try making internet sales my main income (been thinking about it) I would still list on eBid before I listed anywhere else. But I would also continue to use amazon, green metropolis, play and (for a smaller number of items) ebay.

Just today I sold a couple of well dated memory modules. They went for a massive £1.99 plus a postage charge of 25p more than the cost to post. So not a price that is going to get me a holiday on Easter Island but if I had tried to sell this on ebay the listing fees would have probobly taken all my profit buy the time the item sold. But 3 days ago I sold a good quality laptop hard drive for £21. I have made more selling it on here and NOT taking paypal than I would have on ebay and charging a couple of quid more. I could add more to this list of sales that are best on eBid. But all sales are best on eBid!

Things tick along here quite well and I can only see trade increasing, especially with the google base thing going on. What with Google Checkout I can deffinitly see Google Base combined with the other venues it links to taking over the online selling world. It might take a year or three or five but I believe it is the future for small time sellers like myself and probobly for full timers as well. The ability to link from a base search to an item on eBid (or elsewhere) is going to be a fantastic boon for all internet sellers.

Totally agree with that.

Did someone mention wardrobe? I've got an Edwardian wardrobe to add to the antique furniture category. In my experience buyers will travel to get stuff if they really want it. Having said that I would guess that an antique wardrobe is probably easier to sell than a 'second hand' modern one.

Just had an enquiry on a set of Art Nouveau chairs as it happens. You can see it on the auction page. Must send an answer tonight!

[johnwash1]

Totally agree with that.

Did someone mention wardrobe? I've got an Edwardian wardrobe to add to the antique furniture category. In my experience buyers will travel to get stuff if they really want it. Having said that I would guess that an antique wardrobe is probably easier to sell than a 'second hand' modern one.

Just had an enquiry on a set of Art Nouveau chairs as it happens. You can see it on the auction page. Must send an answer tonight!

Ah, now you're talking. Those look really nice. No doubt somebody would indeed travel to get them. Though "Size:- 00.00 inches high approx" might discourage some! I guess they'll fit into even the smallest flat though!

I'm talking about completely different furniture. The kind of thing that you might be glad to pick up for a furnished buy-to-let property or for a child's bedroom (or even your own if you're on a tight budget). When you pay a fiver or a tenner, you're not going to hitch up the horsebox to the 4x4 and drive 200 miles down the motorway to pick something up.

Don't get me wrong -- this isn't tat, it's in nice condition and very functional (and not on auction yet, so don't go browsing my auctions!). But I'm sure the price has to be low because many people these days would rather get something new from Argos or Ikea and won't even consider a secondhand bargain.

[inversions]

Okay, so listing large low value items isnt really worth it on eBid, until they add an ability to search with a distance from postcode. That kind of item gets listed in my local paper. And its a good selling tool, the local ads. Apart from that eBid is a great venue that I am sure will improve, with regard to sales, as Google Base grows, and gets better cos it sure needs to do that. But the owners of eBid and other similar sites had better hope that Base does not become its own auction site. If you see what I mean.

Interesting to note that Play and Asda items are currently listed on base but that amazon and ebay are not. Do you think that ebay and google will become friends so that ebay items auto appear on base? I hope not.

Did you 'see' Bill Gates saying: "Google has done a good job," he said. "We expect to surprise people that we can match and even do better there - people should wait and see."

Yuck! I'm sticking with google thanks Bill. If it wasnt for the fact that the PC games I like to play are only released on windows I'd use Linux all the time n all.

Hugs n kisses to you all!

[johnwash1]

Okay, so listing large low value items isnt really worth it on eBid, until they add an ability to search with a distance from postcode.

Thanks Inversions, glad to see someone else does realise there's a need for that. Though a little more enthusiasm, please!

That kind of item gets listed in my local paper. And its a good selling tool, the local ads.

Used to be, but for a seller I think eBay beats the local paper. I recently put a 3rd-hand ancient greenhouse on eBay, a greenhouse my wife would have gladly paid money to have taken away. It netted over 150 quid! I find it very hard to imagine the local paper could have done that for me, besides which I'd have had no idea what level to pitch it (my auction started at 99p of course).

Apart from that eBid is a great venue that I am sure will improve, with regard to sales, as Google Base grows, and gets better cos it sure needs to do that. But the owners of eBid and other similar sites had better hope that Base does not become its own auction site. If you see what I mean.

Interesting to note that Play and Asda items are currently listed on base but that amazon and ebay are not. Do you think that ebay and google will become friends so that ebay items auto appear on base? I hope not.

First I've heard of Google Base, I must look into it, thanks. Ebay and Google friends? Hmm, scary thought but pretty unlikely I reckon. Would either have enough money to buy the other?

Did you 'see' Bill Gates saying: "Google has done a good job," he said. "We expect to surprise people that we can match and even do better there - people should wait and see."

Yuck! I'm sticking with google thanks Bill. If it wasnt for the fact that the PC games I like to play are only released on windows I'd use Linux all the time n all.

Go Linux, yeah! Have you tried Wine or Qemu for those games? I've no experience of running games myself though. I believe things are improving though. And there are some good games on Linux too (some of them free).

Try looking for your local Linux user group (via http://www.lug.org.uk) and join their mailing list, they'll be interested in helping you. Great source of info, not just for techies either.

[inversions]

Hi,
when it comes to the ebay/google friends thing I was kind of having a laugh. Google are stepping on ebay's turf in a number of ways. And ebay dont seem to like it!

Base isnt great at the moment but I am sure Google (and the rest of the world) know that and are working on it. It is in beta ATM.

As for games on Linux. I am afraid I am very picky about the games I play. Currently I am on medieval II total war. I expect to play it for over a year before I get board of it. I doubt it will become available on Linux. Might be wrong, hope I am! I am also interested in Bio Wares 'Dragon Age' which hasnt been released yet. But the word on the 'street' is that its windows only.

I have looked up the emulators you mention and they are interesting! I had kind of been aware of the existance of the things but that is all. Maybe I will take a closer look. Time permitting!

[furryvisionv2]

This site is good in principle, but when it comes to selling anything, it's like getting blood from a stone.

[kedo]

This site is good in principle, but when it comes to selling anything, it's like getting blood from a stone.

It works better if you list more items. Just three isn't going to get you very far.

[furryvisionv2]

2 of those 3 items have been up for over a month though. I only have 3 things up because I only want to sell 3 things. At least I don't get charged for keeping them up.

[papagran40]

2 of those 3 items have been up for over a month though. I only have 3 things up because I only want to sell 3 things. At least I don't get charged for keeping them up.

quite right furry , if you only have a few items , I do not think you are trying to make a living here ... so why do others tell you to list more ? ...just list what or as many as you like ...