[OrrieG]

I have sold over 1000 items on ebay over the years, probably listed twice that. Biggest I ever shipped were bicycles and an old iron bed....once. that got me out of the ebay furniture and bike business except for local pickup.

I have sold lots of car parts, best are under 4# because you can ship them first class. From there it is Priority flat rate boxes, but the PO has gotten wise and jacked the prices. Most people buying know that they are going to pay to ship and can calculate it, but I always caution bidders on larger or heavier items to email me for a specific quote. I take the time to box and get an estimate from the po (I live 3 blocks away) for the actual zip code. I do not charge handleing fees and I do not bid on auctions where people are trying to make money on the handling fees (example, glove box lock that costs a couple of buck to mail first class and the seller wants $16 fixed shipping cost).

You can list big stuff for local pick up or deliverly only just so you can reach a market that might not be looking on Craigslist, especially if it is something the bottom feeders are not looking for. I use paypal, yes it costs but I know I have the money before I ship. I will take post office money orders, personal checks require a 20 day hold on shipping to make sure they clear without a stop payment. Seems like there are a lot more flakes showing up, I have only has a couple of disputes in over 10 years and last month have had two bidders who did not pay or answer communication, so I am going thru the process of getting my fees reversed so I can resell the items.

When you look at similar items on ebay check the completed listings options at the left side of the search page to see what is really selling and what it is selling for. If there has been a lot of bidders on a item like yours and you can determine a sweet spot for the price. do a Buy It Now just below that and usually someone will jump on it. It will also tell you if you should pay for a reserve price. I will usually try Craigslist first for a while but there has been stuff I could not sell on CL or at one of my garage sales for $5 that I got ten times that on ebay because someone had to have it. I have also found stuff that you would think is rare and limited selling in multiple quantities for nothing. That goes back on the shelf for another 5 years. Good luck.