Do you remember the first item you ever sold online? Let us know by sending an email to ina@auctionbytes.com and we may publish your story. Today we hear from Sue, whose first online selling experience proves the adage, if at first you don't succeed, try again. In Sue's case, she not only learned some great lessons, she ended up making more money on her second attempt selling her first item!
Hi Ina -
I have read with interest about sellers' first online sales, never thinking that my first experience would have much impact on others. However, having just celebrated my 10-year anniversary of part-time selling on eBay, many have asked me how to sell online. Instructing them is easy, but I think the larger issue is to educate new sellers on what to expect after the sale.
My first sale involved a headvase that I'd purchased for resale. My aunt had collected them for years, so I felt this one was worthy of my shot at fame and fortune. Back then, I took its picture with a film camera, (all I had at the time), got it developed, scanned it into my computer, wrote the description, and listed it the long way, before Turbo Lister and such. Being self-taught, no one was there to warn me about cyber sales as opposed to hands-on, touchy-feely sales. I put no reserve price on it (what's a reserve?), but sold it for about 15 times what I'd paid for it, so I was elated. Carefully packing and shipping it to Alaska from New York, I was just thrilled it had arrived safely.
Imagine my shock when the buyer emailed me her dissatisfaction with the vase, stating she only bought perfect, mint condition headvases, and this certainly wasn't what she'd expected. With no refund policy in place, (how green was I?), I refunded her the sales price PLUS shipping both ways! (had to make that first feedback positive). When the piece arrived back here in one piece (Whew!), I began to carefully examine it and realized there was nothing wrong with it, it was simply what I'd advertised it as, a vintage headvase missing one earring. Not one easily dissuaded from her goal, I emailed a few of the regular sellers of headvases, to see if I had in fact done something terribly wrong, and was my vase a loser? They all encouraged me to re-list, and reassured me that my headvase was desirable and my buyer was fickle, and had probably changed her mind for some reason. So I re-listed, setting a reserve this time, and selling it for EVEN MORE than I had the first time. That's when I became HOOKED!
Instead of dampening my enthusiasm, this first sale whetted my appetite to do this again and again. Since then, I have encountered WAY more good buyers than bad, but have also learned firsthand about buyer's remorse, postal breakage "accidents" that you find out never happened (when the buyer is asked to supply photos and original wrapping), and buyers who attempt to renegotiate the price after receiving the item.
Now I have policies and disclaimers to inform them and protect me. It's still a fun challenge for me to unearth the dusty, dirty trash-to-treasure, make it saleable, and turn a little profit to boot. Since my hubby doesn't share my love of things old, this is also my way of owning them temporarily. I can reassure him that, yes, that old chrome toaster will not be living here to replace your space-age 4-slice slower-than-mud electronic monster from Sam's Club, but by just having it around for a while, I was able to relive a little of my cherished past right in my own kitchen!
Thanks for your newsletter - it always has some news item or gem of wisdom that I learn from, and helps me not to feel alone in what I'm doing, since I am a "one-woman" operation who now is just trying to keep her gas tank filled!
Sincerely,
Sue Neave, "shogirl"
