Any thoughts on selling your items via Ebay?

[Peri]

I have a solid walnut/maple chessboard and a chopping board I'd like to try and sell.

I'm tempted to try Ebay - I haven't sold anything on there for at least 10 years - but the amount of stories I've heard about people either saying they didn't receive the item, or damaging the item and then sending it back for a refund is concerning.

Is that actually as rife as it seems to be?

Does anyone sell the stuff they've made on Ebay, or is there a better way?

 

[johnnyb]

your boards look nice and they are quality I wouldn't sell them on ebay tbh. I have a friend who sells hisspice racks mostly via ebay between £35 to 50 Inc Post they are pallet wood. its mostly all he does and it's difficult to make work.

 

[artie]

Is that actually as rife as it seems to be?

I don't think so.

Just an opinion.

 

[Pallet Fancier]

Depends if the problems on ebay are because of the "light touch" ebay uses, keeping staff numbers down and being unresponsive, as a result. Bad actors can generally get away with it because complaints probably don't get a response quickly, or investigated thoroughly.

I've not heard of such nonsense on Etsy. You could try setting up on there.

 

[Jacob]

I've been OK with selling on Ebay except for one A-hole who found fault and was belligerent about everything, so in the end we both lost a bit of money. But only one.
Basic rule of selling, like advertising, is to try everything. You just don't know how it will turn out. Go for it!

 

[user 34476]

Etsy will go mad for them, they look good. If you need any advice regarding Etsy PM me.

 

[Chisteve]

I sell restored tools on eBay had the odd problem but nothing too bad, always been quick and positive to get resolved.

 

[thetyreman]

I did manage to sell some hand made bar stools a while ago on ebay, etsy is probably better but there can be a lot of competition, so it's worth doing some research before listing.

 

[Peri]

Thanks folks - some food for thought there.

 

[pgrbff]

I know of people who have sold on etsy and ebay. More than one has stopped using etsy because the fees were too high. But that was during lockdown and they were selling from Japan when Japanpost stopped postage overseas.

 

[Simon89]

I’ve sold thousands of things on eBay, a few problems along the way but most people are genuine. I just factored in enough profit that when I had a problem I could afford to take the hit and not feel too sore.

give both platforms a go, see if either work for you, what have you to loose?

 

[okeydokey]

Ive used ebay for selling a variety of things including a Apple computer to someone at the other end of the country. It was sold as not working the listing said it wasn't working several times. The purchaser said it arrived in perfect condition but didn't work!! He then proceeded to dismantle it to try and repair but couldn't.
So despite the purchasers taking it to bits in an attempt to repair ebay found in favour of the purchaser it went on for a while and they eventually (only because the purchaser didn't return it in ebays set time frame) I was able to keep the sale proceeds and the purchaser did whatever he wanted with the item. So for my pennyworth it looks as if ebay protects the purchaser over the rights of the seller.
On your pricing take into account ebay and paypal selling fees
Other items I have sold have all received good feedback

 

[Nelly111s]

Etsy will go mad for them, they look good. If you need any advice regarding Etsy PM me.

My experience of Etsy, both for me and my customers (who buy timber from me and make stuff to sell) is mixed. Some stuff sells, some doesn't, even "desirable" things like resin tables / charcuterie boards etc. Etsy's charges are high and difficult to understand (they even charge you a % of the postage that you charge). If you look at a CSV of the download of your sales, it's like platting fog to know how they got from the starting price to the small amount of money making its way into your bank account. They do pester you for advertising / upcharge for listings, too.
However, Etsy does have a reasonable reputation from a buyer's point of view, so it may be a good option. Just make sure you account for the postage (use a carrier outside of Etsy) and finance charges before you list it. Some people I know have done OK with Facebook Marketplace, too. It may be worth listing it in a few places if the listing fee itself is not a show-stopper.

 

[marcros]

My opinion...

Not sure if it is applicable here because you only have a couple of items to sell. Probably not worth setting up an Etsy store for it. I would think that the main issue with eBay is that most people want a bargain. You only need 1 buyer for each though, and it is minimal effort to try it. I think you do get the odd chancer, but pack it well, signed for delivery and you should be fine. At least it is a regular shape, so fairly easy to pack.

If you plan to make a few, I would probably look for a local shop to sell them. Independent kitchen retailers for example. They would expect a decent commission, but if they sell a kitchen for a few thousand and your board is another £200, so what. You get £100, shop is happy. No packing and sending, probably somebody even selling them for you. If you sell a few, worth looking at nice packaging, possibly a display stand.

I have bought a few things from Etsy, not sold anything. I find it quite hard searching for what I want. When I wanted a wooden cutting board, I had to wade through a lot of cheap rubbish that was clearly mass produced, through tat with "hand decoration" on that looked like it had been done by a child, and eventually there were some nice examples on there. If selling, you then have to package each one up label it and take it somewhere. That is at least 30 mins of your life gone forever!

Final thought, dont undersell your items. They are hand made to a high standard, if somebody is comparing it to a board at Debenhams (probably not so much now), they have misunderstood what you are selling. You don't need to remove your profit to compensate for their mistake!

 

[whatknot]

I haven't seen it mentioned but have you tried market place on facebook? the advantages are there are no costs (unless they use paypal) most are local buyers so collected, no packing , ebay everyone wants everything for nothing and you have ebay costs, paypal costs and packaging and posting, as market place is free to list theres no down side to trying it

 

[Chris152]

Try Folksy? I've sold a fair few pieces there, reasonable commission, Uk based.

 

[Peri]

Thank you all for the thoughts on this.

It was suggested by a co-worker (who makes and sells a lot of silver and slate items) to try Facebook marketplace, 'Amazon Handcrafted' and Folksy.

There seems to be a lot more alternatives to Ebay than I originally suspected

 

[Chris152]

It was suggested by a co-worker (who makes and sells a lot of silver and slate items) to try Facebook marketplace, 'Amazon Handcrafted' and Folksy.

I made an FB business page, placed ads there, shared to local FB pages with free delivery/ cash payments locally; the original ad had a link to my Folksy page for people further away as it included secure payment and delivery cost. It worked pretty well - leaving it to just the Folksy page wasn't enough for what I was making, there's a lot of competition and it's a good idea to use other social media (including Instagram) to point people to the selling page.

 

[yetloh]

eBay also take a cut of postal fees. I think it's outrageous but just factor that into my charges.

Jim