Selling on ebay for an acquaintance (1 Viewer)

[Jon_Are]

A co-worker of my wife asked her is she had any experience selling on ebay. She replied that she didn't know much about it, but her husband (that's me) has sold quite a few things. He then asked her if I (me again) would consider selling his son's drum kit for him under my account.

It's an expensive set - should go for around $4,000. I figure the listing alone would cost nearly $200.

I have an ebay rating of >400 with 100% positive; obviously don't want to mess that up.

My responsibilities, other than writing and submitting the listing, would be minimal. He's going to email me the photos along with a description.

My questions:

1 - should I take this on?
2 - what is a fair rate to charge him for doing this (we haven't discussed this yet)?

Thanks,

Jon

 

[Jay Taylor]

Are you interested in selling things for others on ebay as a business?

If so, go for it. But I would want to personally have possession of the drum set before putting it on ebay to insure that you describe it accurately.

If not, you may want to check the Yellow Pages in the Auction Houses section for a business that will do this service for your wife’s coworker. Probably every major city and many smaller ones now have numerous businesses that will sell items for you on ebay.

 

[SethH]

I agree that I would prefer to have the drum set in my possession. At the least I would go see it and/or require detailed pictures. I would also make sure you both have a very good understanding of the prices involved. Agree on a fee for you -- perhaps all Ebay/PayPal fees + 3%-5%. Also, make sure there's a good understanding of reserve prices and/or buy-it-now prices. You don't want the auction to end at a lower price and have him back out because he thinks it's worth more.

Where are you located? Is their a craigslist site in your area? I would personally try to sell a drum set locally before going to Ebay just because of shipping costs.

 

[CRyan]

Actually, your responsibilities will be all encompassing. Considering it is your account and your feedback, it will all end up on you once a deal is made. The buyer will be looking to you if problems arise so their description will be yours. Make sure it is accurate.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

I agree with CRyan that you are pretty much responsible for everything to do with the listing, including whether or not the set ships on time/packaged properly since you are the one who will get feedback about how fast/well it was shipped and any other issues.

Another thing to consider is the payment method. If you are using PayPal, the buyer can have up to four months to dispute the charge depending on whether they used a credit card or not. You don't want to get stuck with a $4000 chargeback after paying off the real seller.

Personally, I would be asking for more than 3-5%. If the son has a $4K kit, he can just as easily set himself up an ebay account and sell it himself. If he is gaining an advantage from your feedback record, then he should be willing to pay for that service, especially given the risks you could face if something goes wrong.

 

[Jon_Are]

"You don't want to get stuck with a $4000 chargeback after paying off the real seller."

Hadn't really thought of that angle, Jeff; I think I just made up my mind.

Jon

 

[Matt Stryker]

A friend of mine in the states recently went by one of those B&M "we sell your stuff on ebay" stores, and their basic rate was over 30% ! I'm guessing they dealt with a lot of estate or garage sale leftovers that people really just didn't want, either that or packrattery is a real problem in his town!

Craigslist sounds like a much better idea to recommend to them if you aren't going to sell it - I doubt he will get a very fair price with 0 feedback unless you live in a major metro area where bidders could stop by. He might also ask around at local music stores and see if they do consignment sales.