I've got some gear I need to sell. I used to sell on Ebay, but noticed yesterday that they have raised their final value fee to 9%. This is ridiculous, and I won't ever be selling there again (I know now why forum members call it "evil bay"). So basically I'm looking for a new place to buy/sell camera gear. I'm new to FM (I know that I need to join 'upload and sell" to use the marketplace), and I have a few questions.
1. How quickly does reasonably priced gear sell here? I'll be selling some "camera brand" gear and also some alternative lenses. Nothing too exotic or expensive, but my fear is that maybe the average FM user already owns/has owned the gear I'll be selling.
2. How do users guarantee purchases? Do users trust each other simply based on forum involvement and longevity?
3. If I'm new, will other users still buy from me? One thought on this point: I've posted in my ebay "about me" section my FM username so that buyers can see a little bit of my selling history.
4. Are there any other good places to buy/sell gear? (I'm a member at pentaxforums.com also, and a pretty avid pentax user)
First of all, start with the smaller stuff that feels less risky to buyers and make sure you tell them that if they aren't happy, they can send it back. Most people buy stuff they really want, so the chance of a return is minimal, but there are those that will continue to "shop" while they wait for delivery, and if they find the item for less, they will make up an excuse to return it. As long as they pay for return shipping, accept it. It's part of doing business here.
If you have a buyer that obviously does damage to the item in an attempt for a refund, that's a different story. Take lots of photo's of the item to cover yourself and convey it's condition to potential buyers.
Once you have a few good feedback scores, people will feel less at risk and you are on your way.
I'd advise against using your ebay persona as a reference. So join up, post something and see how it goes!
"Jake" if indeed you are also "Nate" who appears to have a really nice looking blog, it might be useful to post a link to it. Might I also suggest that you choose a forum here that reflects your photographic interests and contribute comments to it. That will allow people here to get to know who you are.
anthonysemone wrote:
"Jake" if indeed you are also "Nate" who appears to have a really nice looking blog, it might be useful to post a link to it. Might I also suggest that you choose a forum here that reflects your photographic interests and contribute comments to it. That will allow people here to get to know who you are.
HTH, tony
Thanks, Tony, that did help a lot. Haha, I am indeed Nate. "Jake Blues" is a character from one of my very favorite movies, The Blues Brothers. I actually did have a link to my blog posted in my profile that didn't seem to be working. I updated my profile as you suggested to be a bit more clear.
I've found some kindred souls on the Alt-gear forum. Some pretty neat folks over there.
Dan, I took a hiatus from selling on Ebay for probably two years or so. I was completely shocked when I got the bill for the final value fee of some stuff I sold when I returned. I feel very frustrated that the site would provide such a great service at a reasonable price for so many years and then jack their prices up so dramatically. It's pretty shocking, and I took it pretty personally.
Since you're focused on Pentax gear I believe you would do much better selling gear on a forum that focuses on Pentax. The Buy and Sell board on FM is great and once you've earned people's trust it can be a great place to both buy and sell. But the vast majority of participants on this site and that forum in particular are Canon and Nikon shooters. I did a quick check and there were a total of seven posts on the Buy and Sell forum for Pentax gear in the last 24 hours compared to sixty to seventy for Nikon and close to eighty for Canon. You mention pentaxforum.com. That may be a much better place for you to be playing.
But if you want to sell here you'd likely want to do what others on this thread have said. Start with inexpensive gear. Make certain that you both give and receive feedback with buyers. Feedback is like gold on this site. It is through feedback that we demonstrate that we are trustworthy as both seller and buyer. Also, there are a great many very engaging forums on this website. Establishing a presence by involving in ongoing conversations can be helpful. Unfortunately, there is no Pentax forum on this website, which means you'd need to look for some other subject that speaks to you.
Good luck whatever you decide. FM is great... but I'm a Nikon shooter. This place really works for me.
Me too. I have enough feedback here that I probabably no longer need Ebay feedback, but I'm proud of my 100% positive feedback from Ebay and feel it would help to allay a prospective buyers fears.
Jake, my only advice, whether selling here or anywhere else, is to convey accurate descriptions and show very clear photos of whatever you are selling.
