Selling TFs isn't fun

[STL]

I hate selling TFs/toys. Period.

Part of me thinks it'd be easier to donate TFs to an op shop than sell them but I feel like I need to send them onto a home that will appreciate them.

Recouping some of the costs I paid to get the items is a non issue. I make more than enough money that the time I've spent selling is worth less than what I'd make. The G1 loose toys are the worst. Organising them by accessory is plain painful.

If it weren't for running out of space, I would never have had to bother. It just emphasises to me again how picky u have to be these days with buying stuff. I'm very selective these days but damn accumulation just happens fast.

I am appreciative that we have a hobby that is generally very cost neutral if we choose to sell our toys on later on, but I guess I'm just ranting cos it seems such a darn chore to sell stuff. I don't know how other ppl manage to do it.

Okay, end mini rant :o:rolleyes:;)

[Omega Metro]

Don't try selling on Gumtree. It's a nightmare. Idiots everywhere.;)

[Defcon]

I agree selling toys is not fun :):(
from recent experiences its a very slow process. I have tried everything from selling in lots, to make an offer, free postage. Most people just buy single items so offering combined postage orders on multiple items is very rare :p it would seem people are very selective indeed, or like many of us already have heaps of stuff already. With this kind of buying trend it is very difficult in general to sell items for decent prices. Some rare pieces seem to be the exception, but not often. It all depends on what you are selling. Transformers seem to do ok, cause they have an ongoing line. I have tried selling non transformers toys from dead lines from 5 to 10 years ago, and there is like zero interest. I have given alot of toys to charity over the years, its a practical way to pass things onto other people with no stress. Selling experiences are not stress free.

[Skullcruncher]

I'll sell them for ya :D But I tend to list them for prices I think they will sell reasonably quickly at, I care not for trying to get back what I paid.

[hanprimus]

Totally agree as I still have quite a few loose G1s I need to get rid of, might be easier just put them up for trade with what I want. :o

[Paulbot]

...or like many of us already have heaps of stuff already...

This. When I moved a few years ago and finally could see how many TFs I actually had, I started a cull that's still not done. At the start of the year I resorted to giving TFs away because nobody was interested in them, and even then some people didn't take them!

I have about a quarter of a bedroom full of stuff I'm trying to sell, or at least get to a good home. I'll lose money on most things and I'm fine with that, sick of stuff I don't want taking up space . I would ask market price for things like BotCon stuff and Genkei but loose UT deluxes or Movie legends toys... whatever the offer!

G1 accessories are annoying, but so is finding the Minicon for Armada toys, and Energon star, the correct Cyber planet key etc etc. And then all the taking the photos, making the listings, getting the packing supplies, postage quotes, carting off to the post office.

I'm too tempted to go to the op shops, like I've done with a lot of books, but I find myself thinking that the TF toys I want to get rid of are "too good" for that. They're in great shape and surely some TF collector could use them. But maybe I should just accept that getting them to some kids via an op shop
is the better outcome.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Yeah, I've often thought I should buy big lots, strip what I want and sell the rest off. But I've never been able to garner the energy to be bothered going through all that rigmarol. It seems selling toys is just a pain and very time consuming.

A friend constantly tells me how he's got a giant Star Wars collection that has cost him bugger all because the way he's traded and sold huge lots over the past 20 years. Happy for him but then he doesn't have a wife/girlfriend, kid, career etc so I'd rather have a life with a smaller/more costly collection ;)

[Deonasis]

I haven't sold too much but i don't find the experience stressful. I did find it time consuming but i also enjoy a making a buyer happy with a package i send - i get a genuine kick out of that.

For me, i have to be picky with what i can afford and when. I find the extra few dollars of postage usually turns me away from buying items. I also find it hard to ask for a lower price as sales are often reluctant and brought about by hardship. Every deal is different and for the most part i see a lot of great things for sale but i can't buy on a whim so i move on and read another thread.

[kup]

Don't try selling on Gumtree. It's a nightmare. Idiots everywhere.;)

Yep, even as a buyer, people tend to not reply and if they do, they are quick to abandon communication half way through a transaction leaving you hanging.

It is terrible.

[klystron]

I've been think about this a bit lately too. I have some figures that I really dont want anymore, but as we are saying, I dont think selling is the answer. Plus they're not really worth that much.
I was going to suggest this to one of the mods, but I'd be interested to hear other thoughts/opinions.

So my wife is part of this online thing where people offer stuff for free. Ranges from things like bundles of clothes kids have outgrown, old toys, bikes, books (novels), old tools, DVDs, CDs, etc. Someone even offered a car. Its all a bit of a pay-it-forward type thing. Way less hassle than selling, better than chucking it away, and most stuff gets taken.

I was wondering if something like this would work here for TF toys. Of course it would have to moderated and there would have to be a set of rules. And maybe only open to Deluxe and above members - to make sure they are going to good homes.

Obviously no-one is going to give away a G1 Overlord, but there seems to be plenty of cheaper figures (looking at you, movielines), junkers, loose weapons, paperwork, etc that are sitting around in boxes that probably arent worth the time and hassle to sell.
Plus think of all that good karma you'll get!

Anyway, like I said, just a thought.

[Omega Metro]

Yep, even as a buyer, people tend to not reply and if they do, they are quick to abandon communication half way through a transaction leaving you hanging.

It is terrible.

I tried to sell some ducks once for $10 each. No response in over a month. Relisted them as FREE, and they went within 30 minutes.:rolleyes:

[UltraMarginal]

Interesting thread!

It really depends on what I'm selling as to how much of a pain it is, it's true that the forum is a great place to sell things but like has been said above, so many people here already have everything, or most of what they are after that's not new. Trying to move a double I picked up in a case from BBTS 2 years ago is nigh impossible. I've donated a few of that type of thing to the giving tree at Christmas. At least then I know it's going somewhere useful and productive rather than languishing in my wardrobe.

eBay is a pain in the arse, having to set up the postage calculator for each item, you literally need to have it boxed ready to go so you know it's weight and shipping dimensions. and I've had those details change between one listing and the next so you can't just change the picture and description in a template, you need to check everything. very time consuming.

[MayzaPrime]

Having bought some figures from you I can guarantee that they are going to a good home. :p

I totally agree that it is painful trying to sell parts of your collection. I recently tried to sell some stuff on eBay and I am now going through a dispute because some moron decided not to pay. Now I won't accept bids from ppl with feedback of 0. It sucks cause I know i once had 0 feedback.

[sideswipes brother]

The only painful thing about selling my items is the long wait at the post office. Sooooooo many peoples still paying bills in person... Its called the internet people!!

[UltraMarginal]

I've been think about this a bit lately too. I have some figures that I really dont want anymore, but as we are saying, I dont think selling is the answer. Plus they're not really worth that much.
I was going to suggest this to one of the mods, but I'd be interested to hear other thoughts/opinions.

So my wife is part of this online thing where people offer stuff for free. Ranges from things like bundles of clothes kids have outgrown, old toys, bikes, books (novels), old tools, DVDs, CDs, etc. Someone even offered a car. Its all a bit of a pay-it-forward type thing. Way less hassle than selling, better than chucking it away, and most stuff gets taken.

I was wondering if something like this would work here for TF toys. Of course it would have to moderated and there would have to be a set of rules. And maybe only open to Deluxe and above members - to make sure they are going to good homes.

Obviously no-one is going to give away a G1 Overlord, but there seems to be plenty of cheaper figures (looking at you, movielines), junkers, loose weapons, paperwork, etc that are sitting around in boxes that probably arent worth the time and hassle to sell.
Plus think of all that good karma you'll get!

Anyway, like I said, just a thought.

You can already pretty much do that, just make your own sales thread in the sales section, normal sales rules would apply for expressions of interest, you could specify local pick up only or shipping could be covered by the receiver, or if you're feeling extremely charitable, you could cover it yourself;):)

it's not a bad idea to have a separate thread area for something like that, something for Mods to consider.


The only painful thing about selling my items is the long wait at the post office. Sooooooo many peoples still paying bills in person... Its called the internet people!!

The post office has competitions where you can win $10K for paying a bill in person. that's probably driving some of that que. I don't get it they must get a cut of the bill value or something.

[jazzcomp]

Some older people are paranoid and afraid of getting their bank details hacked and do not pay online.

[ChlorHex]

I agree completely with what's been mentioned...
I hate selling toys these days... It used to be a fun and passionate thing for me in the past but these days it's a pain.
I'm mostly selling at a loss as I'm trying to free up some room for newer purchases (much fewer these days and mostly 3P stuff).
Absolutely hate selling on eBay as they suck up the little "profit" of a couple of bucks made (if any!) and PayPal will take what's left leaving you with a nice fat negative balance most times.

So these days I'd rather chop up the toys I don't want and use them for parts in my customs :p
Not going to put in effort to lose money or to make a measly 5 to 10 bucks :mad:

[Facepunches]

Not having ever sold figures...but full well knowing you want your figs to go to a new home...maybe there is a way to set up occassional local meet ups...with people going into happy to spend some money...and if it fails, of to the opshop etc. I am sure the very figures you get rid of some one might be collecting (even the movie ones). But then you dont want to undermine usual sales. I agree though, if you are selling due to difficult circumstances, no matter the method - selling is never gonna be easy. It also depends on how 'free' you want to make your ducks... as the addage goes.

[STL]

I'm too tempted to go to the op shops, like I've done with a lot of books, but I find myself thinking that the TF toys I want to get rid of are "too good" for that. They're in great shape and surely some TF collector could use them. But maybe I should just accept that getting them to some kids via an op shop
is the better outcome.

My problem is should an unwanted Botcon toy (say 2009 Razorclaw) ended up in an op-shop? It makes me feel guilty.


I'll sell them for ya :D But I tend to list them for prices I think they will sell reasonably quickly at, I care not for trying to get back what I paid.

That''s what I'm aiming to do too. Don't care about making a buck, even happy to take a loss, just want them to go to a good home and more space for me. Win, win. :D


I haven't sold too much but i don't find the experience stressful. I did find it time consuming but i also enjoy a making a buyer happy with a package i send - i get a genuine kick out of that.


Time-consuming. That's the biggest thing for me.


For me, i have to be picky with what i can afford and when. I find the extra few dollars of postage usually turns me away from buying items. I also find it hard to ask for a lower price as sales are often reluctant and brought about by hardship. Every deal is different and for the most part i see a lot of great things for sale but i can't buy on a whim so i move on and read another thread.

Yeah, I generally don't like to buy from boards and it's unfortunate for people to have to sell b/c of circumstances.



So my wife is part of this online thing where people offer stuff for free. Ranges from things like bundles of clothes kids have outgrown, old toys, bikes, books (novels), old tools, DVDs, CDs, etc. Someone even offered a car. Its all a bit of a pay-it-forward type thing. Way less hassle than selling, better than chucking it away, and most stuff gets taken.

I was wondering if something like this would work here for TF toys. Of course it would have to moderated and there would have to be a set of rules. And maybe only open to Deluxe and above members - to make sure they are going to good homes.

Anyway, like I said, just a thought.

My problem with this is it's like the charity option. You just wish the toys were going to a home that valued them appropriately.


Having bought some figures from you I can guarantee that they are going to a good home. :p


And thank you. Those Sweeps were one of the reasons I ended up selling on the boards as opposed to dumping them at charity. It's too wrong to put toys like that in the op shop.



The post office has competitions where you can win $10K for paying a bill in person. that's probably driving some of that que. I don't get it they must get a cut of the bill value or something.

It's generally a fixed rate for franchises and a % for Aus Post owned outlets (yes, they really screw over franchises).

You can't blame ppl for being wary of the internet. You look at the mass hacking that happens online, the amount of corporations that don't even know until post event that they are hacked, its reasonable. I agree you can't go backwards by the same token but if it had not been for TFs, I would be far less electronic friendly than I am today.

The trade off is convenience versus security and one has to outweigh the other for each individual. Enough individuals value it enough, that forces everyone else online. The problem then is to develop good enough security or pass the buck onto someone else for the problems which we tend to do as a society. All part of the wonderful cross-subsidisation that no one ever acknowledges.



So these days I'd rather chop up the toys I don't want and use them for parts in my customs :p
Not going to put in effort to lose money or to make a measly 5 to 10 bucks :mad:

If i were only so talent....:o:p:)

[Zommael]

I've made significant amounts of money from a couple of clearouts, mainly through eBay. I went overboard the time before last and got rid of more than I really wanted to which has left me in the position of having to rebuild, but on the other hand I made more from some of the rarer items I didn't want. The trouble is it's sometimes difficult to know when I'm just tired of something and it needs to be put away and when I genuinely don't want it anymore.

I've found the best way to go through the process is just to bite the bullet, put on a movie or TV to keep it from being too mind-numbingly tedious, and sell away. EBay in the UK at least had quite a few options that made selling a bit easier (such as allowing a similar template for each item), but I've not tried selling anything in Australia so I don't know about that.

It can be worth it but it is hard work.

[GoktimusPrime]

Parting with Transformers toys is something that I very rarely do. If I didn't want to keep a toy for keeps, then I just don't buy it in the first place. When I do offer a toy up for trade or sale, it's usually because:
1. I've come across a spare. <---99% of my trades/sales are because of this
2. I've come across a later version of that toy which makes the earlier one feel redundant. e.g. I sold off my Classics Megatron, Skywarp and Astrotrain after getting the Henkei versions.

So at most, I might experience, "I don't want this version of this toy any more," but never, "I don't want this toy anymore." ;)

[5FDP]

I've only ever sold one Transformer toy - a black Energon Unicron to another board member. Why? Because I wanted the TakTom movie accurate version and couldn't justify having both (not to the wife anyway). The only thing that soured me on the experience was shipping it to the other side of Australia which ended up being $50. I can get stuffed shipped from OS for cheaper! Anyway, I'm at a stage now where I am comfortable with what I have and it's unlikely I will be selling anything off in the near future. They'll all be left to my kids and that will be their decision to make... hopefully when I am loooooong gone.

[1AZRAEL1]

Yes selling sucks and is a pain. I'm about to cull a bunch because I need the money unfortunately :(

[Jinto]

I think I'm just going to give up and use a bunch of my sale items for kitbashing practice. I need to learn how to paint better anyway.

[Raptormesh]

Well on one hand it is sad to see your old friends go(even if they stayed in the box) but on the other hand it was a good way to meet fellow fans :)

[Slag]

Yep, It sucks. For some reason, when i sell on ebay, it usually goes for next to nothing or if it does sell at a reasonable price, the post man takes 2/3rds of any profit. Not mention time cutting down boxes , Impatient buyers, Fuel to the post office, sitting in peak hour, interacting with the public , etc. etc.

If i sell at Nexus i sometimes see my item on ebay going for 3 or more times what i sold it for...

I'm thinking of giving stuff away now. It's just not worth it

[Slag]

I tried to sell some ducks once for $10 each. No response in over a month. Relisted them as FREE, and they went within 30 minutes.:rolleyes:

Bit off topic but, my mother in law had some chairs on her front lawn she was giving away. They sat there for days (no pun intended).
She then put a sign on them for 10 bucks,,, someone "stole" them that night.

kinda opposite but funny i thought.

[jazzcomp]

Bit off topic but, my mother in law had some chairs on her front lawn she was giving away. They sat there for days (no pun intended).
She then put a sign on them for 10 bucks,,, someone "stole" them that night.

kinda opposite but funny i thought.
It's the "perceived value" :D

[kurdt_the_goat]

Yep, It sucks. For some reason, when i sell on ebay, it usually goes for next to nothing or if it does sell at a reasonable price, the post man takes 2/3rds of any profit. Not mention time cutting down boxes , Impatient buyers, Fuel to the post office, sitting in peak hour, interacting with the public , etc. etc.

Uses Bunnings for your boxes!


I'm thinking of giving stuff away now. It's just not worth it

Let me know what you want to give me :)


Bit off topic but, my mother in law had some chairs on her front lawn she was giving away. They sat there for days (no pun intended).
She then put a sign on them for 10 bucks,,, someone "stole" them that night.

kinda opposite but funny i thought.

That's really funny. Every last piece of rubbish i've put out for junk collection has always been swiped within a day or so! They're like hawks where i live. One time i got woken up cause THREE cars were outside on my street at 3am, going one by one down the street, scouring through piles of shit. I kept watching hoping there'd be a brawl over ownership of the half-complete sun-faded set of deck chairs with no table or rotten queensize bed, but alas it seems they were all quite civilized!

[llamatron]

hello would you give me a 90% discount and make sure items are posted yesterday?

[Slag]

I kept watching hoping there'd be a brawl over ownership of the half-complete sun-faded set of deck chairs with no table

I believe on ebay that's considered 98% complete with some slight discolouration....:p

[Slag]

hello would you give me a 90% discount and make sure items are posted yesterday?

Sold!!! thats 10% more than usual:D

[Skullcruncher]

Bit off topic but, my mother in law had some chairs on her front lawn she was giving away. They sat there for days (no pun intended).


Do you have hard rubbish in WA? Anything decent that's put on the nature strip in Victoria doesn't last long, not that I would know or anything ;)

[GoktimusPrime]

What do you guys think about having a communal "Pay It Forward" cooperative? I've been thinking about creating a thread where people could join up and pretty much offer their spare toys for free. Others could either come pick it up, or simply pay for the cost of postage - but the toys themselves would be given away for free. This would take the whole price thing out of the equation, and the problem with direct swaps is trying to find a compatible trade (i.e. someone who has a toy that you want and you have a toy that they need). In this way, you would be supplying toys to a community, and likewise the community could potentially supply toys back to you.

Thoughts?

[Slag]

I'd be up for it.

[Raptormesh]

I'd be up for it.

Count me in. Better to someone who appreciates them.

[Sinnertwin]

Exactly. I'm in. So how are we going to do this then? Do we start one big thread, a state by state thread or just keep it to organised meets?

[Defcon]

People could nominate themselves, to be responsible and if others are happy with that person. All the locals with figures, bits, parts and instructions that they would like to donate could meet said person, that way all the stuff is in one location. Should just have one sale thread for it in the sales section, and list the items available, and group by location, I think cities eg. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth etc. and relevant people to contact for questions and organizing delivery.

[GoktimusPrime]

^Exactly what I was thinking. The toys would be free, but people who are unable to pick up would agree to pay for cost of delivery, including interstate. But hey, considering that you'd be getting a free toy/accessory, I think that paying just for the cost of postage is a pretty good deal. :)

My idea is just to make a single thread in the sales section. I'll get some of my stuff organised and get the ball rolling soon.

[Bidoofdude]

^Exactly what I was thinking. The toys would be free, but people who are unable to pick up would agree to pay for cost of delivery, including interstate. But hey, considering that you'd be getting a free toy/accessory, I think that paying just for the cost of postage is a pretty good deal. :)

My idea is just to make a single thread in the sales section. I'll get some of my stuff organised and get the ball rolling soon.

It sounds like a pretty easy practice. I'm up.

[Thurmus]

I would be interested in participating.

[GoktimusPrime]

The Transformers Pay It Forward thread (http://otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=436551#post436551) has now been created. :)

[Megatran]

Selling is taking up more of my time than I thought.

It doesn't help when Auspost calculator isn't accurate and then having to spend more time chasing up buyers to refund a few coins.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Nope it isn't. When i first started ebaying i had a blast selling stuff. Now i hate having to use ebay. It sucks so baaaad.

[griffin]

I agree.
As I noted in the ebay discount sale topic, it took me three days to take photos and edit them of the 190-200 items I was planning to list.
It then takes a while to list each item (selecting all the particular variables that aren't the default settings, plus searching sold listings to see what is a fair BIN price is because auctions on Australian listings don't often get much attention).
So I managed to stop at about 32 items because that already took me about 5-6 hours... and because the prices I had to list them at to include free shipping wouldn't make it worth listing anything under $30.
(I don't trust the shipping estimates, particularly when you have to combine shipping - if you underestimate it you lose money, and if you overestimate you risk negative feedbback for over-charging the buyer unintentionally.)

On top of all that are all the questions and offers you have to answer, as well as the "false buyers" who buy something that wasn't available to their area, or it was an "accidental purchase", requiring items to be relisted and opening a dispute for the buyer to agree to as well or else ebay thinks you sold the item.

Then, as if it couldn't get any more time-consuming (for no extra return), you have to deal with a Transformers toy that has electronics and batteries in it, which Australia Post now will no longer ship by air.... and since they don't have seamail to China, I spend significant time ringing around other shipping companies (including a delightful 31 minutes on hold for one company), just to find out that most others don't airfreight items with batteries, or if they do, they charge between $150-$350.

After all that, I've only sold 11 of my 32 items, and they are only a day or two from needing relisting (which I'll need to reduce some prices if I want to offload them).

And I haven't even gotten to the ebay and paypal fees yet.... which I'm sure will just make my day when I find out what they amount to.


Ebay is definitely best for scalpers and owners of investment items, who have the small number of the rarer items that desperate people are willing to pay a fortune for, and cost the sellers very little to acquire, sell and post.

(if we had a collectables fair in Brisbane like most of you other capital cities have, I'd sell them there)

Okay, rant over. :p

[VERT]

And yes Griffin the fees. Ebay take some from the final price. Then some of the postage cost...so your at a loss just sending it. And let's not forget the paypal fee. For the last 8 months my ebay fees have been up to and including $350 a month

[kurdt_the_goat]

I haven't used them myself but u guys know there are various means of listing to Ebay yeah? Apps and services that make it much quicker. When you think of some sellers listing and relisting hundreds or thousands of items, they must be using them to do it so quickly!

[drifand]

A lot of customers change their minds last minute.
I feel that is too much of a hassle to sell my toys on eBay or gumtree.
Too many no shows and unreasonable request has surfaced time to time.

[Omega Metro]

It's really not that difficult when selling on EBay. Once you have a listing that is perfect and covers all the postage costs etc, all you need to do when you want to list a similar item is just change the title, description and photo. Everything else stays the same. It takes me about 1 minute to do a new listing. Trust me, I've been doing it for years with over 3000 feedbacks. It's actually a lot quicker than trying to sell something on a forum like this.

[griffin]

The big time-waster is searching for details on each item like when it was released, as well as looking up sold listings to see what I should list it for so that I don't waste my time by over-pricing it, or missing out on money by under-pricing it.

I do copy listings after a while, but depending on the price or rarity, I change the shipping options (like where it can be shipped, and if it has free shipping) but each time I thought of something else, I would have to go back and add it to the previous ones.
And now that I can't sell toys with batteries overseas, I have to make sure that is taken care of as well.

With all those variables, I don't think I could trust an automated listing.

[UltraMarginal]

And yes Griffin the fees. Ebay take some from the final price. Then some of the postage cost...so your at a loss just sending it. And let's not forget the paypal fee. For the last 8 months my ebay fees have been up to and including $350 a month

eBay don't take any of the postage cost? how can they? unless you're using their flat rate post maybe. Ive only ever shipped parcels that are a measured weight and dimension.

I rarely have issue with the estimated shipping being incorrect. I just find it a drag when I'm using multiple different boxes to go in and edit the box size and weight every time I list a new item.

Last week I had someone offer me $11 each for two items I've got listed at $28 and $35 respectively. they might be a little high but they are certainly worth a lot more than $11 each. the offer didn't even ask for a combined postage quote, which I personally would have asked for before making a ridiculous pair of offers.

[VERT]

eBay don't take any of the postage cost? how can they? unless you're using their flat rate post maybe. Ive only ever shipped parcels that are a measured weight and dimension.


Yep as from a few months back ebay now hit you with a percentage of the post cost as well as the sale cost :(

[Skullcruncher]

Wow I didn't know that - just checked my invoices and looks like they started September. I always refund any postage overcharge so on top of the standard final value fee and paypal fee we are getting charged a final vale fee on shipping! :mad::mad::mad:

[Omega Metro]

I think their sole intention with regards to paying final value fees on postage cost is to encourage more sellers to offer free postage.

[UltraMarginal]

That's B#$%^#$t!!

so I offer free shipping and add an excessive amount to my BIN price. They really don't want to have anyone using them who isn't a business do they.

"come use our service, but if you want to sell stuff and maintain a 100% rating we're going to drop so many little charges everywhere that you can't possibly break even"

jerks.

[Skullcruncher]

I think their sole intention with regards to paying final value fees on postage cost is to encourage more sellers to offer free postage.

That would mean I would need to increase my buy now price to cover the worst case scenario (posting to WA) so all other buyers then see this increased price and go somewhere else..... :confused:

How can ebay charge us a fee when they are not actually providing a service on postage.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Yep as from a few months back ebay now hit you with a percentage of the post cost as well as the sale cost :(
Whaaaaaat?

Do they still charge the listing fee? It would annoy me when you pay listing fee, final value fee and then paypal fee.

Now a postage fee

How can ebay charge us a fee when they are not actually providing a service on postage.
THIS.

bugger ebay!

[griffin]

I think their sole intention with regards to paying final value fees on postage cost is to encourage more sellers to offer free postage.

I would expect that it was probably instigated to stop people avoiding ebay fees by "shifting" the bulk of the item cost into the postage cost. The buyer still pays the same amount, but ebay didn't get their cut.
Or, it might have been done to make it fairer to those sellers who list "free shipping", who are already paying ebay fees on postage.

Or the more likely option, if they still charge the same percentage, it's just an easy way for them to increase their revenue.

[Golden Phoenix]

How can ebay charge us a fee when they are not actually providing a service on postage.

I think it is to make some money out of people who list figures that are priced for next to nothing for the figure but then jack the price up on the shipping.

[VERT]

Whaaaaaat?

Do they still charge the listing fee? It would annoy me when you pay listing fee, final value fee and then paypal fee.

Now a postage fee

THIS.

bugger ebay!

I get 40 free listings a month. Gets eaten up real fast when re listing. Then yes $1.50 per item if around $20 most I get is $5 per item for the expensive stuff. Then sale fee. Then post fee. Then paypal fee. You have to sell more just to pay the bill at the end of the month.

[Megatran]

I've just pulled the pin on selling. Feels good but what am I gonna do with all that free time. :p

[drifand]

I managed to sell most of my extra mps with ease, is just a matter of patience.
Very too often you meet a lot of weird individuals but just ignore and sell your item.

[janda the red]

I've just pulled the pin on selling. Feels good but what am I gonna do with all that free time. :p

now that you have some spare time buddy... you can help me sell toys! ;):p lol

I know what you mean though.... It's such a pain, but a necessary evil :)

[Omega Metro]

I want to sell all my TFs (to concentrate on Lego) but just don't know where to start. My instructions for each Transformer is in a box and just a nightmare trying to match them up with the figure it belongs to.:(

[GoktimusPrime]

Some of the Combiner Wars toys are quickly making some of my other older TFs redundant; but I don't know if they're worth selling cos I don't know if anyone would want them. :o But I don't want to give them away either, so I've resigned to keeping a lot of them to display independently in robot mode w/ the CW version in gestalt mode. One exception is Cloud Megatron, since I can't display CW Megatron doesn't combine -- Cloud Megatron is completely superfluous to my needs now. But given that I paid $70 (incl. shipping) for what is a Japanese exclusive figure, I don't want to give it away (so instead I'm trying to sell it for $60; which is somewhat cheaper than eBay's BIN price (http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Transformers-Cloud-Guardians-of-Time-Decepticon-Megatron-/151481443506?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2344ff64b2) :eek:). I've decided that I will display CW Powerglide in weapon mode being held by Universe USA Ed Powerglide. :o

[SMHFConvoy]

Hate waiting for prospective buyers to reply. In all fairness they could have more pressing concerns but the waiting... :eek:

[MayzaPrime]

I have been tossing up the prospect of selling my entire collection (execpt MPs and a few signed figures).

I have a very large collection (1800+) and would rather sell it as a whole as it would be alot of work to sell it individually.

I am running out of storage as my family grows and the sale of my collection would help with a deposit for a house.

Has anyone else gone through this a any advice would be appreciated.

[Zippo]

I started last year selling the collection, and over the summer took pictures of everything else I hadn't got to and have just finished organising, cataloguing, uploading and pricing everything.

Pricing was the hardest part.

I know my collection wouldn't sell as a collection, which is why I needed to do everything individually.

[MayzaPrime]

I started last year selling the collection, and over the summer took pictures of everything else I hadn't got to and have just finished organising, cataloguing, uploading and pricing everything.

Pricing was the hardest part.

I know my collection wouldn't sell as a collection, which is why I needed to do everything individually.

I pretty much have everything catalogued on the Shmax website, so I have done most of the hard work...

[Megatran]

I'm gonna eat my words and have another crack at selling. :o

This time though, it'll only be a limited number of items at a time. Need to psych myself up. *Cracks neck & knuckles Chuck Norris style*

[Juggernaut]

I pretty much have everything catalogued on the Shmax website, so I have done most of the hard work...

You need to be aware that if ur selling as a collection/lot u wont get anywhere near as much as if u were to sell individually

[MissDaria]

I'll sell them for ya :D But I tend to list them for prices I think they will sell reasonably quickly at, I care not for trying to get back what I paid.

On eBay, I take a look through recently ended and sold auctions for the same or similar things and take an educated(ish) guess based on that.

[jazzcomp]

Because some of these have personal value or took some effort to acquire, do you actually care who the sale goes to? Do you feel like Andy when he passes the toys to someone who will enjoy or look after them? Why would sell here instead of ebay or gumtree or other sites?

Or is it different if it's MOSC/MISB - never been played with? Also different if you are ending your collection? Just sell & don't care anymore?

[UltraMarginal]

Luckily I'm yet to need to sell any transformers that I have a personal connection with.

I generally sell MISB spares so don't really mind where they go, I think if I had to sell transformers I didn't want to sell, I'd be hoping they went somewhere where they would be valued and enjoyed.

I don't use Gumtree, eBay is a necessary pain, here is a great way to sell, but compared to eBay a limited audience (who probably also just bought the same spare I'm trying to sell off somewhere else:p:rolleyes:).

[1AZRAEL1]

It has become necessary for me to sell off my collection. Some pieces I will keep, but because my priorities have changed, I can easily let them go. Must admit it's a strange feeling. Never thought I'd be able to sell it off.

[Omega Metro]

I started the hard task of selling my entire collection piece by piece last week. Its time to let go as I turn 40 in less than a month and I'm not enjoying the toys anymore. And I'm actually fine with it :D

[Trent]

I hate this selling thing. I have people asking for quotes and because I want to do it right, which involves packing said item up and measuring/weighing it to get an accurate price, it takes me ages. Literally weeks to get the time to do it. My life is so full on right now. All my time on here is done either when at work, or like now, in bed when I should be sleeping instead.

I completely understand people that refuse to post.

[UltraMarginal]

a small stash of old legends and deluxe bubbles help to make the space filling easier and it has little effect on weight.

but I totally get you, it's a time consuming thing. I'd hate to be trying to make a living out of it.

[kup]

This. When I moved a few years ago and finally could see how many TFs I actually had, I started a cull that's still not done. At the start of the year I resorted to giving TFs away because nobody was interested in them, and even then some people didn't take them!

I have about a quarter of a bedroom full of stuff I'm trying to sell, or at least get to a good home. I'll lose money on most things and I'm fine with that, sick of stuff I don't want taking up space . I would ask market price for things like BotCon stuff and Genkei but loose UT deluxes or Movie legends toys... whatever the offer!

G1 accessories are annoying, but so is finding the Minicon for Armada toys, and Energon star, the correct Cyber planet key etc etc. And then all the taking the photos, making the listings, getting the packing supplies, postage quotes, carting off to the post office.

I'm too tempted to go to the op shops, like I've done with a lot of books, but I find myself thinking that the TF toys I want to get rid of are "too good" for that. They're in great shape and surely some TF collector could use them. But maybe I should just accept that getting them to some kids via an op shop
is the better outcome.

I think is more of setting up a rule not to fill up with 'fluff' releases that would not stand the test of time when it comes to medium - long term collectability.

Basically the person who buys all the mainstream stuff and then decides to sell will have difficulty. Mainstream releases are not as collectable as they were once.