Readers Ads!!!

[Quaver]

Just wondered if many people manage to sell much of their gear they list in SOS readers Ads??

I've been using the ads for the past few years,and selling gear at reduced prices of the current 2nd hand market values but never seem to sell anything,even though the correspondence has always been pleasant and I always send pictures,and the gear is as described I've never abused anything and took good care of the stuff I've bought,I've never tried to rip anyone off,and don't list things like "Yes mate its vintage add £3K to the price",and always reply to any genuine enquiry as if it was a definete sale,however it seems that there is a small group of the same people who enquire again and again but never more than simply tyrekickers with no intention of buying.

infact I could list at least 7 or 8 email address's that enquire again and again,I know my replies get through because they always respond,but either after sending pictures stop correspondence or give some lame story about their uncle's pet rabbit needs a new wheelchair fund excuse so "will you swap it for a sherbet dip mate"usual crap,I know we all want a bargain but I list it lower than typical prices,but it seems some look at it as a segue to take the mick!

I've never had a problem when I've bought things from others users and I never mess anyone around and would never waste peoples time neither do I take the mick with knocking people down because I hate it when people do it to me,I had enough of this on ebay!

Does anyone else who lists gear have this or is it just me that never seems to sell anything or seem to be plagued by the same timewasters again and again or are there a hardcore group out there who simply are dreamers of owning certain gear and are obsessed with just enquiring with no intention to buy anything!

[Dzara]

try e-bay

[Persuazion]

I've bought but never sold through reader's adds. Have listed though. Usually get someone from Landan asking if its in 'good nick' but thats about it.

Anyway, your post made me chuckle a fair bit so, thank you! ''will you please swap it for a sherbet dip'' - Fantastic

[vinyl_junkie]

I love SOS readers ads, I've brought and sold bits over a period of about 7 years and never had any issues.

The people always seem to be genuine from experience and not there to rip you off or ask the earth for something just because it's "vintage" or bla bla bla cough ebay

I've never had an issue with time wasters but I have to say on a few occasions when I have sold bits peoples emails were going right in the spam folder! One day I checked it wondering why no one was biting at my synth DOH!

[Stef Andrews]

I've been both buying and selling bits through the readers ads section of the site ever since I've been a member, not to mention gumtree and ebay.

I've never had any problems with people following up interest etc. In fact, quite the opposite! So much so that if any of my non SOS friends are flogging stuff off, I've always recommended they try SOS.

[Dave B]

Used it for many years with mixed results. It used to be a really great musos resource, but eBay spoiled it. I got a rash of 'wots your lowest price' type mails - one that degenerated into a series of abusive mails when I wouldn't sell it for a fraction of what I listed it for. Yes, there are nasty plebs out there, but there are also some nice genuine guys who often are looking for something interesting or looking to replace a lost love. It's nice to meet them, have a cup of tea and a chat and for everyone to come away happy.

Ebay is a swamp though .. not a nice place at all, and my last resort...

[grab]

Bought some stuff through here, not sold anything yet (although that may change soon - got a few bits of kit I need to dispose of). Not had any problems from the buyer's side of things though.

[ConcertinaChap]

When selling stuff I usually put it on Readers Ads first. Then if it doesn't sell it goes to ebay. In my experience the ratio of sales to posts on RA is 20 - 25%. This is high enough to make it worth while since as compared with ebay you get to keep all the money. So far I've had no problems buying or selling.

Concertina.net, a forum where I've bought and sold concertinas (what else?) makes a request for a purely voluntary donation of 2% of sale price for any sale made through the service. This always seemed reasonable to me.

CC

[Mixedup]

yes, I've bought and sold plenty on there. As a seller, in order of preference, I tend to use SOS Readers Ads (low hit-rate, Gumtree, eBay, and maybe Gearslutz or Group DIY for a few more specialist/boutiquey/vintage things.

SOS is great if you're listing things at a reasonable price. But it pays to have your photos hosted somewhere so you can direct queries to them...

eBay's a poor choice for low-volume high price sales because of the way the fee structure works. You can afford to ask far less on Readers Ads/Gumtree and still end up with the same cash in your pocket. But eBay does give you access to a large market, and if you're in a hurry to sell you can pretty much guarantee a sale (if you're not so worried about the asking price). Also, if anything goes wrong with a sale on eBay, the odds are stacked very much against you.

[ConcertinaChap]

Also, if anything goes wrong with a sale on eBay, the odds are stacked very much against you.

I dunno ... I'm no apologist for ebay, God knows, but on the rare occasions something has gone wrong there has been some (admittedly limited) support plus the option of leaving poor feedback. I know of no support at all in the case of problems on Gumtree or even Readers Ads. I'd be glad to know otherwise if I'm wrong.

CC

[Mixedup]

the option of leaving poor feedback.

Very difficult to give bad feedback on buyers now. Worked much better in the past.

I know of no support at all in the case of problems on Gumtree or even Readers Ads. I'd be glad to know otherwise if I'm wrong.

But you enter those with your eyes open and deal direct. With eBay, malicious, ignorant or unreasonably impatient (I've experienced all three) buyers have the ability to complain and eBay/Paypal can claim back funds from your Paypal account, putting it into a negative balance if you've already transferred the funds into your bank account (which as a low volume seller you tend to do instantly, because Paypal creams off the interest on your cash for four days while it completes the transfer). Once you have the cash from Readers Ads or Gumtree it's yours and the onus is on the buyer to communicate with you and resolve it person to person. No needless middle man. eBay's great *when* things are going well. But when they go wrong it's a right royal pain in the arse. eg, shipping something to Switzerland took a full week (shock, horror!) due to a courier problem: buyer emailed me and complained at the same time to eBay. eBay seized funds. It's a great business model for eBay but less so for anyone else...

[Scope]

Reader's Ads have always been very useful to me.
I'd much rather buy from someone I can visit and try out the device before handing over cash.
As for Flea-bay - hmmm, grossly over-priced !!!!
They seen to have forgotten that the seller is Flea-bay's customer, making life difficult and expensive.
Only last week I sold a G5 tower, but because the buyer wanted to organise a currier himself, I could not send an invoice through the normal Flea-bay system. apparently a postage price of £0.00 is not valid. Neither is £0.01, with a discount of the same !
Net result, customer cannot collect due to not paying. nice one flea-bay.

Nah, Readers Ads ROCK.

[adrian_k]

Ditto - I always try to buy (and sell) on Readers Ads before ebay. Prices are no cheaper there and it just seems more risky. Last thing I bought arrived with no power supply - when I pointed this out the seller said "check the listing - it doesn't mention a power supply". Fair point but jeeze, I can't be bothered to deal with these people.

[Quaver]

Ebay is a Waste of time,by the time you've taken the fees off and sold it at a fraction of the cost it should be worth,you barely have enough to buy a first class stamp to post it these days!its about time somebody regulated how much money they sting off consumers!!And people say the banks rip people off,my word Ebay must be the biggest crooks on the planet,I refuse to line their pockets anymore for very little outlay on there behalf!

The only good thing is that your gear is on show to a wider audience,but with it comes a whole different mentality of idiot,its full of chavs selling all there tat to accumulate a paypal balance in order to buy your £1000 synth for £2.50.

Maybe its a case of being patient and keep listing the surplus gear on SOS till the right buyer comes along ;)I know people are feeling the pinch so perhaps thats having a detrimental affect on people having disposable income to buy,just wish the same dreamers didn't keep enquiring with no intent to buy(I guess I'm too polite to tell em to eff off)

Cheers for the replies guys!

[Mike Stranks]

Yesterday I received a bill from Ebay for £59+ 'seller fees'.

Do I begrudge it? Initially, yes! But after a moment's reflection I put things into perspective... I'd sold about eight items for about £1200 quickly and painlessly. Some of them wouldn't have attracted a jot of interest in 'Readers' Ads', even at £5, But in EBay all the items attracted buyers - all for more than their Starting Price and some for double and treble what they'd started at.

You have to put the time in to sell well on Ebay. Good and honest descriptions - links to relevant reviews and manufacturer info and several decent photos. I rarely have trouble with time-wasters - but have had on occasions - because I make it very clear in the text of the ad that it IS an auction and that it IS UK only.

Ebay is a business, not a charity. It's a successful business too. I have a choice: use them, sell the gear and pay the fees or don't access the market they offer and perhaps struggle to sell the gear quickly - or at all.

Why did I start using Ebay? I had a reasonably good, cased mixer in immaculate condition. Reader's Ads: no interest; asking mates: no interest; local newspaper ad: no interest. Eventually after about three months someone said, 'Why don't you try that Ebay thing?'. Seven-day listing, huge interest, sold for three times my previously advertised price. Draw your own conclusions...

[DAGGILARR]

I was considering getting in on this, Mike has expressed exactly what I would of said. Ebay is not a cheap option but if you want a wide audience ....... Ebay is the place to get it

[Richie Royale]

I sold a bunch of worn out old trainers on eBay recently, som efit for the bin, but people still paid money for them. I paid my auction fees, but it amounted to just over 10 percent of the total sales. It would be the same or more in any auction house.

At least eBay doesn't sting the buyer and the seller.

http://www.exploreauctions.co.uk/auctionhousecommissions.html

I also sold a few music bits, including a ROM card for an old Roland that sold for £35, even though I had never been able to use it because the synth I bought it in was DOA. I doubt I would have got any interest in the reader's ads. It went to Puerto Rico in the end!

[ConcertinaChap]

Fully agree with Mike. If you're selling you've got to do it properly. If nothing else, if you put up a good looking listing with plentiful photos (in the body text, they're free that way) and a clear description you get more for it. Knowing a little HTML helps.

As for fees, I go to a local auction house for their three monthly musical instrument auctions. Their fees (standard for the industry) look like this:

We deduct commission of 15% on all items sold. Goods are automatically insured at a cost of 1% (minimum £1 per lot) whilst in our care. All lots are subject to a minimum charge of £5 whether sold or unsold. Removals and Collections by contracted carriers, where required, are charged at cost and can be deducted from the sale proceeds. All charges are subject to VAT at the current rate.

...

A buyers premium of 15% plus VAT on the premium is charged on all lots purchased.

So for every sale they get 30% + VAT. As I say, I'm no apologist for ebay and I do try readers ads first, but I don't know where else I'd go for this service at a price I can afford.

CC

[Quaver]

Each to their own I suppose.

I've got over 135 transactions on ebay,mainly as a buyer,I expect to pay for a service like any auction,using the Auction site you speak of,tends to attract a different kind of buyer,and also a different breed of instrument for serious buyers,I've been messed around by buyers on ebay and they do nothing if anything to stop these idiots.I would rather keep hold of my gear than give hard earned cash or profit (if there is any) to the likes of ebay and paypal,especially when the odds are stacked against the buyer nowadays should anything go wrong,I would say the success rate on ebay is heightened by the fact that many people can use their credit card to purchase items,whereas SOS sales usually means that its more for those who have real cash to buy,which in this economic downturn obviously makes a difference to your success rate!

Do paypal Still take a fee if you receive money not connected with sales from ebay,I've always sold using paypal through ebay but they take a fee,Never used paypal other than with ebay so how does transferring of money not connected to them work does it still incur a transfer fee??

[Richie Royale]

I would expect Paypal to charge a fee for using their service. All cards cost retailers per transaction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interchange_fee