by Harry Burlington

Created on: September 09, 2010

Why should a person sell on eBay versus just selling their unwanted goods from a garage sell and vice versa.  Starting with eBay, there are so many pros and cons with it that the entire process of selling on eBay can be stressful at times.  Everyone thinks that eBay is an easy way to make money, but really it has so many hidden costs and charges (especially if using Paypal) that it is very hard to break even with the run-of-the-mill unwanted stuff being sold.  The costs tacked onto each purchase from the seller is an issue to be aware of during the purchase process.  eBay gives the seller the option to add handling costs to each shipping cost.  If not careful, you could be charged additional fees for your purchase that are tucked neatly away in the invoice. 

Although I listed several negative issues, but not all by any means, the selling of unwanted goods on eBay can be profitable if done properly.  Avoiding the additional costs of listing items is a big one to avoid.  The additional $2.00 to put your listing in bold lettering adds up over time and keeping all of the .10 cent additions from being added can help increase your profit margin. Making profit on eBay is possible, but it really involves only a few categories, game consoles, games, computers (especially laptops), iPhones, iPods, iTouches, and antiques or relics from around the world.  The first thing that comes to many sellers mind is to sell their baseball card collections and make a huge profit.  The thing is about baseball cards is the buyers are spending their money on a "want" based emotion.  Most collectors want cards that are professionally graded and that one card to complete a 1957 Topps set that you do not have in collection.  Most baseball cards sell very much under-priced and if no professionally graded then the authenticity is not guaranteed.

The common garage sell may be the best choice for those who do not want to open a Paypal account, pay their fees and the same with eBay and their fees.  A garage seller can display their product in its exact condition, not some Photo shopped picture on eBay, and have the ability to negotiate with the buyer on the value of an item.  eBay does offer Tera peak average auction price estimator, which a person can use at their garage sell to help estimate the going rate for every product.  Having the ability to advertise a garage sell is very important, but does not guarantee a mass group of buyers stopping by to purchase the sellers products. Unlike eBay, a garage sell can be advertised on multiple channels of markets, radio, newspaper, roadsigns, and classifieds that highlight the sellers most profitable products and enforces potential buyers to spend their time and money at the garage sell.

A garage sell may have advantages, but the disadvantages are location and limited target market.  The people getting knowledge of the sellers garage sell is usually local, unlike eBay, which can be made to list worldwide and market the sellers products to millions of potential buyers.  If the costs of online auctions are worth it to the sellers then eBay may be the route to go, but to save money and have a higher profit margin, then a garage sell will work best for those selling their unwanted goods.

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