Don't Sell Items for Friends on EBay

Selling items on eBay is a great way to either earn extra money or a full time income. It has become so popular that most community centers are holding classes are held just to teach people how to get started selling on eBay, Unfortunately, few people who take the classes actually end up selling anything at all. eBay makes selling much harder for anyone just starting out to actually sell anything. The real people who are successful have a large number of feedbacks from satisfied customers. This takes years to develop.

Once your friends and family realize that it is not easy to get started selling on eBay, they will ask you to sell an item or two for them. The economy has no recovered yet, and money is still tight for many people. Selling what they believe is a valuable antique seems like a good way to get easy money.

You must stop these people in their tracks. Selling items for friends and family rarely goes well at all. First, they often do not offer to pay you, not realizing all the work involved in creating an eBay listing that sells. Even if they do offer to pay you, say 20%, it will not be worth it. Few people besides an eBay seller realize there is a fee to list the item, a fee when the item sells, and a fee from PayPal to process the transaction. Your friend would be lucky to end up with $50 for an item they believe is worth $100. That alone is enough to discourage many people from insisting you sell their item.

Next, people always overestimate the value of their items. Grandma's prize vase may hold a great deal of sentimental value, but it may not be worth listing at all. Research takes time, your time. Few people have enough details about their items to make researching prices easy on you. Value can easily be affected by things like packaging and condition. Those Matchbox cars your brother has loose in a box and all scratched from use will not bring the same price as a mint condition Matchbox car still in the original packaging.

Last, try telling your best friend that the Coach purse she bought new at a flea market for $10 isn't real and you can't sell it on eBay without getting into trouble. No one wants to hear that they got ripped off.

If you value your friendships with people, never sell their items for them on eBay. I usually tell people who ask me to sell collectibles on eBay that the prices for collectibles on eBay are the lowest around. I say that they can get a much better price at an antique store or flea market, which is true. For other items, I simply tell them that the return rate on this type of item is too high, blaming the buyers. I never let friends know what type of items I really do sell, this way I can say I am unfamiliar with their items. It is hard when someone you know desperately needs the money, but if you value your eBay account, it is a must.