Sunday, March 15, 2015

How to Find the Price an eBay Item Sold on Best Offer

eBay has changed things on us again. We used to be able to click the little "print" button on a completed listing and see the best offer price. Unfortunately, that button isn't there anymore.

There are a couple of ways you can still see what a Best Offer Price is.

First, go to Watchcount.com.

Look up the item number.

Next, you will see the eBay listing of the item and the asking price.


Then go to the actual eBay listing to see the "sold for" price.



You can also go to a completed listing sold on Best Offer and right click:

Then choose "page info" and you will get a screen like this:





Where the selling price is displayed.


Best Offer is a great way to increase sales and be able to negotiate with buyers. Here are some more tips about using Best Offer on eBay.

Related Articles:

Avoiding a Defect on eBay When You Can't Ship an Item 

Are You Shipping to Alaska and Hawaii?

21 Ways to Boost eBay Sales




Thursday, March 12, 2015

Avoiding a Defect on eBay When You Can't Ship an Item


If you are an eBay seller, at some point one of these things will happen when an item sells:

1. You can't find it in your storage area.

2. You notice a stain, hole, or other defect when preparing it for shipping.

3. You accidentally break it (or otherwise damage it) when packing it for shipping.

If you don't ship the item, eBay will place a defect on your account. Seller canceled transactions are now a big no-no on eBay. The reason is because eBay wants the customer to have an exceptional buying experience and return to buy more. eBay looks bad when sellers can't fill orders.

The best way to avoid a defect if this happens to you is to explain the situation to the customer and offer them a replacement item. Let's say they bought a $50 sweater and you found a hole or stain - you don't want to ship a defective item. Ask the buyer to look through your store and choose $50 worth of product as a replacement. This way you don't have to cancel the transaction, you won't receive a defect, and the customer still gets something they want.

Your goal is 100% customer satisfaction as well as avoiding a defect on your account.

Learn more about the eBay defect system here.

Related Articles:

How to Reduce Returns on eBay

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Friday, March 6, 2015

Moomin Coffee Mugs a Hot Seller on eBay

Here is another item to add to your BOLO list. Moomin mugs.

These are whimsical ceramic coffee mugs with characters from "Moomin Valley." If you aren't familiar, Moomin Valley is a beautiful fictional place where the Moomins live a peaceful life amongst lush nature. Tove Jansson is the author and illustrator of several books about Moominvalley.

The mugs can sell for over $200 on eBay in used condition. Here are a few of the highest priced sales:

Rauha Peace Mug sold for $250 on 2/26/15



Green Moomin Mug Piirustus sold for $150 on 2/14/15


Rare Moomin Mug Muumitytto sold for $132.50 on 2/1/15

Now keep in mind these are the top sellers. eBay shows 24 listings for Moomin mugs which indicates this item is rare and hard to find. But these mugs are out there. And since these mugs are rare and valuable, make sure you price them high enough. If you run an auction, make sure you set the starting price high so that if you only get one bid, you are ok with the sale. Only 3 of the 24 listings are auctions. The rest are fixed price either with or without best offer.

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Monday, March 2, 2015

Are You Shipping to Hawaii and Alaska?

 
I often hear from eBay sellers that they only ship to the lower 48 - they don't ship to Alaska or Hawaii. There really is no reason to exclude Alaska and Hawaii - it is no more expensive to ship there than to any other state.


First Class and Flat Rate will be the same regardless of the destination. Calculated Priority and Parcel Select may cost a little more to go to Alaska and Hawaii - but as long as you set the shipping so that the buyer pays, it won't cost you as the seller any more. And remember your eBay shipping discounts - large or heavy packages often receive up to a 40% discount.

During a phone consultation last week with eBay seller Charmane who runs eBay Store YouStyle888, I got to hear first hand how frustrating it is for eBay buyers living in Hawaii to purchase from sellers on the mainland. Charmane explained that as a buyer, she often finds what she needs on eBay only to learn that the seller won't ship to her. Hawaii residents deal with a higher cost of living than most of us, and they often look to eBay to find deals. They may find the perfect item but then discover that the seller excludes their state. Back to square one.

Alaska is a little bit different situation as there is limited shopping and many people live in rural areas so they depend on the internet for shopping. Mail may not be delivered every day due to severe weather, but it gets there. According to this article on the University of Alaska's website, online shopping is a preferred way to get supplies for many Alaska residents.

If you are not shipping to Alaska and Hawaii, there is no reason not to. Hawaii has 1.4 million residents and Alaska has 736,000 residents. That is over 2 million people you aren't reaching if you exclude these states.

Related Articles:

Free Shipping Flow Chart

International Shipping Tutorial