ebay vs garage sale?

I found a big suprise last year when I was selling things to move. Learning toys will sell better on ebay than in a yard sell. people are comming to buy what you have for a nickle! if you don't want to sell it for a nickle than ebay is the way. Check out complete listings when you do searches to see how well things are selling. If it's going for only a few dollars don't bother. It will only be ate up by listing fees, final value fees and the glorious paypal fees. Good luck!

Thank you for responding to my discussion. You've made some valid points & I wanted to say thanks for giving me additional things to consider. :)

Thanks for taking the time to pass this tip along. I was concerned about shipping costs too, so this makes a lot of sense to me. :)

Oh, how true! Unfortunately, I don't have any collectables, so the majority will wind up going into the garage sale. Thanks for pointing out some of the most important factors. :)

Thanks ladymoonstone! I think you've helped me add back into the ebay pile with your suggestions. I had already narrowed things down to a jordasch fur coat, a pair of randolph duke boots both unused gifts I won't/dont wear and a portable manual typewritter. Your suggestion about the books sold in lots has given me hopes for my 3 boxes of books! I had pretty much decided to give them to my niece who likes to read, but some are still a little too old for her. Maybe they can be sold in lots instead. :) ps. I'll check into the buy now button too.

LOL, I'm not too sure about that after reading thru this discussion! I have to say, you do make a good point for your rule of thumb. I think the 3 things I decided to hold back would meet this criteria, so I appreciate your advice. Note to self: find a garage sale buddy for bathroom breaks!

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate the opinion you've given as that's what I'd prefer to do. lol :)

hi lenywp! Thanks for pointing these things out. You make a lot of sense. I know I wouldn't buy clothes for myself online. This is only the 2nd time someone has mentioned ebay descriptions, but you're right, I'll still need to decide on how to word an ebay auction without being misleading. Sure am glad I got this narrowed down to a possible 3 items! ;D

Thanks for the good advice beauty! I'm glad I was able to narrow down the stack to just a few that would need researching. Luckily, there's nothing seasonal about the remaining few items, so hopefully that'll help! :)

Hi phoenix! Thanks for giving me your opinion on this. I think I've figured out most of it will work at the garage sale but not so many are worthy of ebay. LOL

Thanks KrisNY! True, it never hurts to haggle a bit either. Pricing it higher definately gives a good starting point. The ebay & paypal fees already had me concerned so I think I'll just try a few of the better items & garage sale the rest. :)

Thanks for the advice serialmommy. Shipping definately influences what I decide to buy from ebay so that makes perfect sense. :)

LOL, you got that right! Not only what they buy, but what they'll list too. My, my, my! Some of the things I've seen.... ;D

Thanks for the advice linus! I think I've actually decided to accept all three choices. lol I've narrowed down the list of ebay worth items to about 3 now, the rest goes into the garage sale this saturday (1/2 day), and the leftovers go to my favorite local charities. ;D Would it still be so noble if I'm mainly doing it to save on my storage bill each month? LOL

Hi texasmom, thanks for sharing your opinion. I know the fees have had me worried too. I don't like having to pay for something that doesn't work. The idea of paying to get rid of my "junk" doesn't set well with me either. lol I'm glad I only have a few things that would even be worth pursuing, but I have a few alternate auction sites that I may try them on instead, and hopefully won't have as many fees. Luckily, just getting rid of some stuff will help me save on my storage bill each month. :)

Thanks for giving me your opinion chillybeefry! I agree, the cost are high, but this discussion has helped me pick a few items that deserve better than a garage sale. :)

Thanks signal20, that's all good advice. I think I've figured out which items to hold out for an ebay auction, everything else goes into the sale & the leftovers go to charity. :)

ROFLOL, I think all my stuff just went back into the garage sale pile. :P LOL... Ok, maybe one or two things would still fit that rule of thumb. Thanks for passing along the tip. It's always nice to learn from someone more experienced. :)

Thanks cj! I think I've gotten it narrowed down to just two or three things that are still ebay worthy, but you're right, I still have to consider the pics & description! Uuuugggg! Sure glad I asked for help to sort thru some of this.

Hi xenatessmocker! This has been mentioned a few times already, but I've never searched for a completed listing before, so I really appreciate the directions. :)

Hi bacpro, thanks for your comments. I definately don't want to be a power seller yet, because I'm definately afraid to lose money on getting rid of excess stuff. lol I have seen U-bid & may consider using them as well since I have a few other free auction sites available, just to test the waters. Much nicer to test something without it being so costly. :)