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Greg M

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How have your experiences been with selling a lens on Ebay? I've bought 1 item on Ebay and it was fine. I've never sold anything online. Any tips?

I assume that Ebay is the best place to sell a lens. I welcome any different ideas.
 
I haven't sold any lenses on eBay but I've sold plenty of other things including my Olympus E-10. In fact I sold my D30 battery grip which I didn't like for more than I bought if for new (on eBay). You really don't have anything to lose except your listing fee if the item doesn't sell. Since the buyer pays you before you ship it and usually the buyer pays the shipping too. Try it.

Walt
Greg M said:
How have your experiences been with selling a lens on Ebay? I've
bought 1 item on Ebay and it was fine. I've never sold anything
online. Any tips?

I assume that Ebay is the best place to sell a lens. I welcome any
different ideas.
Click to expand...
 
I've never sold anything on ebay myself, but I've bought a lot of stuff off of it.

My advice would be to make sure the auction ends on a day/time when people will be home and able to bid- that way you could possibly get in on a little last minute bidding war action.

Also, be sure to include (high res) pictures of the lens to show its condition.

Be very clear and reasonable about shipping charges.

Personally, it peeves me when someone starts an auction at $1 (or whatever) and has a reserve of who know's what. The first thought that runs through my head is "Why the heck didn't they just start it at what they want for it and save me the guesswork??" I tend not to bid on auctions with reserves because they p*ss me off. Whether or not to set a reserve, of course, is your choice. I could be missing something about that.

Uhm... that's about all I can think of. I'm sure others will chime in with their own suggestions.

Joe
Greg M said:
How have your experiences been with selling a lens on Ebay? I've
bought 1 item on Ebay and it was fine. I've never sold anything
online. Any tips?

I assume that Ebay is the best place to sell a lens. I welcome any
different ideas.
Click to expand...
 
My wife and I have sold about 4 different items on EBay. We have had good luck, but with a number of very good feedbacks for buying, we were considered safe to deal with.

We took very good pictures of the actual item, with all accessories we were selling. The picture is what will do the selling to those interested in the product.

We listed and photographed any imperfections if any to be totally honest with potential buyers and described the item(s) as close to reality as humanly possible.
We accepted no overseas bidders for shipping reasons.
We reserved the right to not sell to people with negative feedback.

When we did not indicate a buy now, we would not end the auction early, as it would have been unfair.
Our listing was business like, honest but pleasant.

Make sure you state your required method of payment. We set up PayPal and used that as well as M.Os, certfied funds, checks (item would be held 10 days for check clearance).
My 02 cents
Les - whose D30 HAS been ordered:)
Greg M said:
How have your experiences been with selling a lens on Ebay? I've
bought 1 item on Ebay and it was fine. I've never sold anything
online. Any tips?

I assume that Ebay is the best place to sell a lens. I welcome any
different ideas.
Click to expand...
 
You're not missing a thing with your opinion of reserve auctions. I buy and sell alot on Ebay and I never bid on a reserve auction. I also never list that way and I have never failed to sell whatever I listed. Sometimes for the minimum bid, but usually for more. I don't care, as I set the minimum bid at whatever I can live with.

You're right with the other point also, I have most auctions times so that they end Sunday evening, West Coast time. I live in the midwest and it is easy to forget the time difference and end an auction while the West Coast is still at work.

Good photos are a big help. I don't just set the item on the floor and shoot, I try to have a reasonably professional looking setting and image.

I also always list a fixed shipping charge in the auction. Sometimes I underestimate a bit, but it is worth it to myself and the buyer to not have to email back and forth with totals. With fixed shipping, the buyer can pay immediately.

Jim
Joe May said:
My advice would be to make sure the auction ends on a day/time when
people will be home and able to bid- that way you could possibly
get in on a little last minute bidding war action.

Also, be sure to include (high res) pictures of the lens to show
its condition.

Be very clear and reasonable about shipping charges.

Personally, it peeves me when someone starts an auction at $1 (or
whatever) and has a reserve of who know's what. The first thought
that runs through my head is "Why the heck didn't they just start
it at what they want for it and save me the guesswork??" I tend not
to bid on auctions with reserves because they p*ss me off. Whether
or not to set a reserve, of course, is your choice. I could be
missing something about that.
Click to expand...
 
I hate responding to my own posts, but I meant to mention the "Buy it Now" feature. It is great. About 60% of my auctions have successfully ended with "Buy it Now". Its a good way to get more than your minimum bid and NOT have a reserve.

Jim
 
These are great ideas. What do you think I should reasonably expect to get for a 75-300 IS with hood that is in perfect condition? I agree with the idea about no reserve. As far as shipping goes I thought I'd just pay for it (for lower 48 that is).
 
Provide a few bullets in your listing such as...
Cosmetics
Mechanics
Optics

For a used lens buyers are looking for info about scratches on the barrel, any dings no matter how small, and wear spots above average.

Is the diaphragm action smooth? What is the filter thread like?
Greg M said:
How have your experiences been with selling a lens on Ebay? I've
bought 1 item on Ebay and it was fine. I've never sold anything
online. Any tips?

I assume that Ebay is the best place to sell a lens. I welcome any
different ideas.
Click to expand...
 
Greg,

Do a search on completed auctions of the lens you want to sell. This will give you the "market value" you can expect to get for it..

I sold 3 lens in the last month and have always sold the items in the first listing. As many have said already, good photos of the items are a must..

Good luck
Greg M said:
These are great ideas. What do you think I should reasonably
expect to get for a 75-300 IS with hood that is in perfect
condition? I agree with the idea about no reserve. As far as
shipping goes I thought I'd just pay for it (for lower 48 that is).
Click to expand...
--Frank B
 
I've sold a bunch of lenses (and other things) on eBay. I sold a 70-300IS lens in Deccember, and got about 460 for it. I think that's about average, but its easy to search for closed auctions for that lens and see.

Its a pretty painless way to sell something.
Greg M said:
These are great ideas. What do you think I should reasonably
expect to get for a 75-300 IS with hood that is in perfect
condition? I agree with the idea about no reserve. As far as
shipping goes I thought I'd just pay for it (for lower 48 that is).
Click to expand...
 
I've sold on ebay for the last 2 years.

The reason bidding starts very low is, ebay charges you a percentage of your beginning bid price. If i were to sell a lens I wanted to get $300 for I would list less $10.00 as the listing fee would be $.30 (30 cents). If I listed for $300.00 the fee would be $3.30. I would then set my reserve at the bare minimum I would be willing to sell for. Otherwise you could end up having to sell it very cheap. Most the bidding takes place in the last 5 min. of the auction. If ebay's server happens to go down(this happens manys times per month) near the end of your auction you will lose big time if there is no reserve price. I've learned these things the hard way. It's kind of like gambling if you don't set a reserve, except without a chance to win...only lose. Not setting a reserve won't get you a higher selling price. If you set your starting bid at the price you want to sell for, no one may even bid on it. If you set it low many people will watch and bid and get into bidding wars and before you know it your item has sold for a very good price.

Jack
Joe May said:
My advice would be to make sure the auction ends on a day/time when
people will be home and able to bid- that way you could possibly
get in on a little last minute bidding war action.

Also, be sure to include (high res) pictures of the lens to show
its condition.

Be very clear and reasonable about shipping charges.

Personally, it peeves me when someone starts an auction at $1 (or
whatever) and has a reserve of who know's what. The first thought
that runs through my head is "Why the heck didn't they just start
it at what they want for it and save me the guesswork??" I tend not
to bid on auctions with reserves because they p*ss me off. Whether
or not to set a reserve, of course, is your choice. I could be
missing something about that.

Uhm... that's about all I can think of. I'm sure others will chime
in with their own suggestions.

Joe
Greg M said:
How have your experiences been with selling a lens on Ebay? I've
bought 1 item on Ebay and it was fine. I've never sold anything
online. Any tips?

I assume that Ebay is the best place to sell a lens. I welcome any
different ideas.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I buy and sell a ton of stuff on eBay. For the most part I am almost always amazed at how un-educated many eBay buyers are. It never fails to amaze me when someone bids more for my used item that they can buy the same thing for brand new.

Several examples:

I bought a used wide angle zoom from B&H for $99 and used it for about 2 months. After upgrading to a better lens I put this on eBay with a starting bid of $100.00. I ended up getting $157.00 for it. You can get the same lens brand new from B&H for $159.

I bought a 40gb hard drive on sale at my local Compusa for $99.00. I used it for about 6 months and upgraded. I sold it on eBay for $120.00.

I bought a Canon S100 from Amazon.com, using a coupon I got it for $350.00. After using it for almost a year, I got $360 for it on eBay.

Amazing how many people just don't do their homework. I also find this practice is frustrating as a buyer. It is now extremely difficult to find good deals on eBay because so many buyers are overpaying. It seems the only way to get really good deals nowadays is to get something as a "buy it now" from a seller who doesn't know how much their item was really worth. These items are very tough to find and don't come along all that often.

However when you can find them they are great, several examples of my recent (within the past 4 weeks) "buy it now" finds are:

Canon 80-200 2.8L - $375
Canon 20-35 2.8L - $400
Sigma 17-35 2.8 - $250
Simga 28-200 - $90

So they are there if you can find them!

My 2 cents anyway....

Richard K.
 
Ahh, I see. I was under the impression that eBay charges a fixed rate for auctions. That makes a certain amount of sense, though it is still frustrating to the buyer.

Joe
Jack O'Neill said:
I've sold on ebay for the last 2 years.
The reason bidding starts very low is, ebay charges you a
percentage of your beginning bid price. If i were to sell a lens I
wanted to get $300 for I would list less $10.00 as the listing fee
would be $.30 (30 cents). If I listed for $300.00 the fee would be
$3.30. I would then set my reserve at the bare minimum I would be
willing to sell for. Otherwise you could end up having to sell it
very cheap. Most the bidding takes place in the last 5 min. of the
auction. If ebay's server happens to go down(this happens manys
times per month) near the end of your auction you will lose big
time if there is no reserve price. I've learned these things the
hard way. It's kind of like gambling if you don't set a reserve,
except without a chance to win...only lose. Not setting a reserve
won't get you a higher selling price. If you set your starting bid
at the price you want to sell for, no one may even bid on it. If
you set it low many people will watch and bid and get into bidding
wars and before you know it your item has sold for a very good
price.
Click to expand...
 
Jack O'Neill said:
I've sold on ebay for the last 2 years.
The reason bidding starts very low is, ebay charges you a
percentage of your beginning bid price. If i were to sell a lens I
wanted to get $300 for I would list less $10.00 as the listing fee
would be $.30 (30 cents). If I listed for $300.00 the fee would be
$3.30. I would then set my reserve at the bare minimum I would be
willing to sell for. Otherwise you could end up having to sell it
very cheap. Most the bidding takes place in the last 5 min. of the
auction. If ebay's server happens to go down(this happens manys
times per month) near the end of your auction you will lose big
time if there is no reserve price. I've learned these things the
hard way. It's kind of like gambling if you don't set a reserve,
except without a chance to win...only lose. Not setting a reserve
won't get you a higher selling price. If you set your starting bid
at the price you want to sell for, no one may even bid on it. If
you set it low many people will watch and bid and get into bidding
wars and before you know it your item has sold for a very good
price.

Jack
Joe May wrote:
Click to expand...
Very good points.
 
Yes, you'll save $3.00 - but you'll never know how many people you run off with that annoying reserve. Many, many potential bidders do not have the time to watch an auction that they have no idea what the REAL price is.

Good luck,
Jim
Greg M said:
Jack O'Neill said:
I've sold on ebay for the last 2 years.
The reason bidding starts very low is, ebay charges you a
percentage of your beginning bid price. If i were to sell a lens I
wanted to get $300 for I would list less $10.00 as the listing fee
would be $.30 (30 cents). If I listed for $300.00 the fee would be
$3.30. I would then set my reserve at the bare minimum I would be
willing to sell for. Otherwise you could end up having to sell it
very cheap. Most the bidding takes place in the last 5 min. of the
auction. If ebay's server happens to go down(this happens manys
times per month) near the end of your auction you will lose big
time if there is no reserve price. I've learned these things the
hard way. It's kind of like gambling if you don't set a reserve,
except without a chance to win...only lose. Not setting a reserve
won't get you a higher selling price. If you set your starting bid
at the price you want to sell for, no one may even bid on it. If
you set it low many people will watch and bid and get into bidding
wars and before you know it your item has sold for a very good
price.

Jack
Joe May wrote:
Click to expand...
Very good points.
Click to expand...
 
If the bidder is truly serious, then a reserve shouldn't "put him off". He should just bid the maximum that he wants to pay, sit back, and wait. If he wins, great. If not, oops.

Who you run off with a reserve are those who want to "snipe" at the last minute. Granted, they may net you the highest price.
Jim Dawson said:
Yes, you'll save $3.00 - but you'll never know how many people you
run off with that annoying reserve. Many, many potential bidders do
not have the time to watch an auction that they have no idea what
the REAL price is.
Click to expand...
--The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
 
Another reason TO use the reserve is simply psychological. You'll get people to bid on the item, thinking they only want to spend x$ on it. Even if that doesn't meet the reserve, somehow they get emotionally involved, or something, in the bid, just buy placing that bid. They don't have the discipline to "bid the max it's worth, and let nature take its course".

You've essentially "hooked" a potential buyer that way. I think you attract more bidders that way than by listing your true reserve as the minimum bid to start with.
DavidP said:
If the bidder is truly serious, then a reserve shouldn't "put him
off". He should just bid the maximum that he wants to pay, sit
back, and wait. If he wins, great. If not, oops.

Who you run off with a reserve are those who want to "snipe" at the
last minute. Granted, they may net you the highest price.
Click to expand...
--The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
 
I didn't respond to the earlier negative comments about reserves on eBay auctions simply becauase I didn't want to get into a flame about it, but I think reserves are quite appropriate. I have put reserves on most of the items I sold, and in each case I have gotten substantially more than the reserve. It definitely did not seem to inhibit the bidding at all.

And for myself, I don't react adversely to a reserve, and I don't quite understand the reasons why it irritates the other posters. When I am bidding on something I have an idea what I want to spend, and through the search on closed items eBay gives you a very good way to see what the market is. I put items I'm interested in on a watch list, and check in to see if the reserve has been reached. In some ways a reserve is a reflection of the fact that the seller values the thing he is selling. Finally, a "Buy it now" price gives people some idea of what the reserve is if you think that is important.
Joe May said:
Joe
Jack O'Neill said:
I've sold on ebay for the last 2 years.
The reason bidding starts very low is, ebay charges you a
percentage of your beginning bid price. If i were to sell a lens I
wanted to get $300 for I would list less $10.00 as the listing fee
would be $.30 (30 cents). If I listed for $300.00 the fee would be
$3.30. I would then set my reserve at the bare minimum I would be
willing to sell for. Otherwise you could end up having to sell it
very cheap. Most the bidding takes place in the last 5 min. of the
auction. If ebay's server happens to go down(this happens manys
times per month) near the end of your auction you will lose big
time if there is no reserve price. I've learned these things the
hard way. It's kind of like gambling if you don't set a reserve,
except without a chance to win...only lose. Not setting a reserve
won't get you a higher selling price. If you set your starting bid
at the price you want to sell for, no one may even bid on it. If
you set it low many people will watch and bid and get into bidding
wars and before you know it your item has sold for a very good
price.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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