Questions about how to start selling online...?

[sahalis]

Hi everyone,

Due to financial issues I'm going to have to start selling off a lot of my belongings, starting with my Breyers, ponies, and clothes. I've never really sold anything online before-- just bought. I have about 35 feedback positive feedback on Ebay (all buying) and one positive feedback on the MLPTP from a Munchy I decided to sell a few years ago. I'm totally new to selling so I have a couple questions about how to actually go about doing it... I hope this is the right place to ask!

1.) I have about 60+ Breyers I'd like to sell. All are in mint condition and some are very very rare. Would it be better to find a Breyer marketplace to sell them, or try Ebay? Doesn't Ebay take a cut of the profits? Am I not as protected if I just use Paypal? What do I do if someone opens a case via Paypal claiming they didn't receive the item, but I have proof, is there a way to show Paypal that? I'm just so worried something's going to happen and I'll be out my money and my Breyer...

2.) Since a lot of the Breyers are going to be expensive, I should send them with insurance & tracking, right? How should I pack them so they don't break? Should I charge a flat rate for shipping? Can anyone give me a ballpark estimate of what shipping + insurance + tracking on a Breyer should cost (US only)? What happens if something I sold gets damaged in the post?

3.) Any tips or advice?

Thank you sososo much in advance for assisting me in what I know must seem like silly questions to some of you! 

[Diamond]

There are several ways you can sell.  Yes ebay takes a bit but they are where most folks who buy go, so you will for the most part get better prices then selling elsewhere. 

There is one main site for Breyer Collectors, it is called the Blab but while it is free to join you can not post sales ads and the like unless you are a paid member.  If you have horses as rare and expensive as you think though it would be a great place to be able to post to get price checks and take offers on em. 

I would be happy to take a look at what you have to see if you have anything worth selling on ebay.  Some horses are super common in one color and rare in another.  Also with models condition is king, even a rare model if not in mint or near mint condition loses a lot of value. 

There is also the Model Horse Sales Site, it allows straight sales as well as auctions and while free to join it does limit how many models you can sell for the free membership. 

Your best bet is still ebay, you have ebay protection as well as pay pal. 

In regards to packing, you shall need very sturdy cardboard boxes and lots of bubble wrap and packing peanuts.   Breyers are not like Ponies, they need to be super well packed to get anywhere safely.

You might want to think about Craig List as well, depending upon where you are if you are in an area with a lot of collectors you might be able to find someone to take em all off your hands for one set fee and let them deal with selling the common items.  You have no protection like pay pal, but you can meet in a parking lot someplace and have them pay cash so you do not have to worry about it.

Best of luck and sorry you are having to sell everything.

[Ringlets]

I'm sorry to hear you'll have to sell some of your things   I hope all goes well for you. This is definitely the right place to ask so no worries there

ok, here goes  : if you do find a Breyer collector site to join and sell them on (or you could try selling them here since there are some Breyer collectors here too) , then it could work out cheaper than ebay (yes ebay takes fees, so does Paypal. I reckon about 20%  of what you get for the item with all the fees put together  -someone else might tell you the exact amount). You dont usually have listing or valuation fees etc if you sell on a collector site (such as here - its free. You do still have to pay Paypal fees though) . The only thing is, that sometimes the items will  have a better chance of selling or may sell for more money on ebay due to the wider market - so it might still be better to sell on ebay. You'll have to decide which one is going to work best for you.. perhaps you could try a collector site first and then take them to ebay later if you need to

You are still protected if you use Paypal , even if you dont use ebay.

If you have a case opened against you on Paypal , the proof you have to give would be tracking number/delivery confirmation, so do get those items sent with tracking etc. Also get them insured  especially if they are rare and valuable

Pack them in a sturdy box, with plenty of bubble wrap, packing noodles, or air bags etc. Dont use newspaper as it can stain   Make sure that the item cant move about in the box, and that the box is strong enough to hold its shape and protect the breyer should the postman throw a heavy object on top of it!   I also always seal the box with plenty tape so that it cant rip open during transit and so that its also waterproof.

I've only ever sold Breyers MIB, some years back and from the UK, so I think it might be best for another member to answer your last few questons   Hopefully that helped a bit though

ETA - thanks Diamond!  thats helpful!     LOL you posted while I was typing