fair start price?

[hammers2009bsc]

I have a Hubley Real Types Eatons Of Canada Die Cast Delivery Van and see only one listed on eBay - any idea what I should start an auction for mine at as I don't know what these might go for and with only one - hard to gauge reasonable start price?

Thanks for any guidance,

[2011limey1 · Accepted solution]

I Google everything - make sure you enter year of the model and that you want the price.  Maybe you have done this already?

[hammers2009bsc]

Tried but haven't had any luck so far...have to admit I'm not a strong searcher online.

[davesplace89 · Accepted solution]

the one that is on ebay now is way to high , i have sold 3 of these trucks in  the pastt 5 year best i ever got was 85.00  on best offer hope this helps

[hammers2009bsc]

Huge help - thanks a million!

[pocomocomputing · Accepted solution]

The current one listed is 321301719798 at Fixed Price $444.90 US / 491.35 CAN with a Best Offer option. It has 11 Watchers.

A post above suggested a price under $100 based on past 5 years of selling the same item. That might be the value of the item but I would take advantage of the higher priced competition listing to look like a better price.

I would list for $299 Canadian with Free Shipping as Fixed Price 3 days and see what happens. Your listing would take advantage of the existing higher priced listing with $13.33 US shipping charge.

Why the existing listing is charging a shipping cost on a $444 US priced item is something I do not understand. For such a small item with such a high price, I would ship free and absorb the relatively small shipping cost compared to the item price. I would not list in US $$ because I would think many potential buyers are Canadian.

So the $299 Can price with free shipping would be considerably less than the $444.90 US + $13.33 US shipping (= $505 Can roughly). I would assume the Best Offer will be accepted at 20-25% off the listed price so the existing listing has a price around $375 Can. (My guesses).

Based on the response to your listing views and watchers on the listing, relist again at 3 days with the same price a couple of times. Then go to the $299 fixed price but with automatic Best Offer set to $250 at 7 days so you do not have to deal with lowballers. Use a short duration to force a decision on potential buyers as to buy or not. Buyers may compare the two listings. Also use short durations so that the existing listing seller does not have time to react and change their price down or accept a lower best offer.

A few listings like this will give you an idea of the amount you can get. A little "fishing" might get a better than expected price when sold.

If after the fixed price strategy above and not getting a sale, you could go with an auction instead with a high start price of $99.99 (or higher at $149) with Free shipping and in Canadian $$. Then see what happens. It might go up, it might not. Very hard to tell on an item that is not listed often. Auctions are unpredictable.

Do list in Canadian $$ because the item is a Canadian item. Most likely your buyer will be Canadian so encourage the Canadian buyers. It will show on eBay.com at a lower price in US$$ with the higher Canadian price so it will appear less expansive to anyone in the USA.

PS I would also limit shipping to Canada, the USA, the UK and Australia where most interest would be. Figure out the shipping cost to each country in advance. This is important so you are not surprised at the shipping cost since I suggested free shipping.

You will need to use a service with Signature confirmation if over $250 US ($325 Can, unsure where the real limit is because of confusing amounts in PayPal agreement for Seller Protection). Expect to pay $20-$25 for Expedited Parcel shipping within Canada with SC and insurance, $30-$40 for Xpresspost USA shipping to the USA with SC and insurance. UK and Australia gets more expensive because shipping with Xpresspost with signature and insurance will be around $50-$60. Remember if it is under $250 US ($325 Can), no need for Signature confirmation and you can use Delivery Confirmation (Tracked packet USA and International have DC for the countries I suggest, insurance is limited to $100 but you can buy 3rd party insurance at $2 or less per additional $100 of coverage) which is less expensive.

International buyers (UK and Australia including USA since over the $200 import limit for USA buyers) will most likely have to taxes and possible duty when receiving the item but that is not your problem. I would put in a disclaimer in the listing about the international buyer being responsible for import duties and taxes to make them aware of this potential cost to them.

There is a lot in this reply so if you have questions ask and someone can help if I am not available.

[hammers2009bsc]

Very clear and makes perfect sense!

I have to say that I am so impressed with the time and effort you have put into helping me out with this.  Thank you so much!  It isn't often that someone goes out of there way to assist others like you have.  Please accept my gratitude - you rock!  PS if you ever make it to my area - I'll be sure happy if you look me up so I can take you out for a drink. 

[pocomocomputing · Accepted solution]

By the way, what is the condition of your item compared to the existing listing? Is it the same, better or worse? That will affect the chance of selling. Make sure that you take clear photos and shots from different angles like the competition.

Taking clear photos of small items can be difficult.  The main issue is lighting. A digital camera with a flash can produce harsh lighting with hot spots so avoid flash if you can.  Take the time to take great pictures since pictures sell an item.

If you can go outdoors in daylight (cloudy day is best or in the shade on a bright day), you will get the best lighting. Try to have a steady hand, rest your hand with camera on something so there is no camera shake to slightly blur the picture.

If you get close to the item, you might have to use the macro camera function for closeups. Usually this is needed for 6 inches or closer. The item is small but not that small so the macro may not be needed.

If you have to take pictures indoors with artificial lighting, make sure that you set your digital camera white balance setting to the type of lighting in the room.  Be careful not to mix light types as it will confuse the camera. For example, if you use incandescent lights from a desk lamp but have florescent lighting overhead (like in the kitchen), the mix can confuse a camera.

If possible, take pictures during the day inside near a large bright window.

If you have a digital camera with a high pixel count (say 8 or 10 or more megapixels), you should set it lower to 5 or 3 mp. This will create smaller pictures, smaller in file size (how many bytes to upload to eBay) and in dimensions.  My 8 mp camera allows me to choose 1,2,3,5,8 mp.  I usually use 3 mp which takes pictures at 2048 x 1536 mp and crop them down to 1000 x 1000 pixels with an image editor. The smaller file size makes it easier to edit and upload to eBay. eBay recommends 1600 pixels on one side but I find using that 1600 pixel size magnifies my small items by 2x to 5x and shows "visual defects" that are not there to the naked eye.

You may want to reduce your size down to 1000 pixels also to avoid a large magnifier effect. However, your buyers may want magnification to check it out.