selling on ebay

Iv been scrapping cars for the past year. Make OK cash on weight and aluminum, etc. But not so good on the selling of parts.. iv read on here that some guys sell small parts on eBay. Iv thought about it, but is it worth it? Do the listing fees eat most of the profit? I'm wondering if it'll be more of a pain than beneficial. Iv got about 12 cars on our lot, and tons of parts, that'll be alooot of listings.. Looking for input from the guys that use eBay. What kinda parts work best on eBay? (shipping wise) I know stuff like lights, mirrors, ext but has anyone tried selling.doors, body pannels, or even seats? Rims? Iv tried listing on kijiji (canada's version of CL) but nobody wants anything, and the ones that do offer less than scrap weight...

Well im new. But because I did a lot of research on this forum, Im able to sell things with a better profit on ebay then scrapping. Im sure you can do well, you just have to do some research. Good luck.

Yeah iv read some stuff, but being that I'm in Canada, shipping would probably be higher to get it.to the US. theres just a lot that I'm unsure of that I can't find doing a search.

Take the car you want to scrap and run completed auctions search on eBay to see what items are selling

After doing the research I pull and sell on eBay easy to pull, easy to store and easy to ship items that are worth selling and price them just below recent sales for a quick sale
I list for one week >> Sunday to Sunday >> as an auction and if they don't sell I relist as a fixed price good until cancelled

Tail Lamp assemblies 166, Headlamp assemblies 114, Climate Control/Temp Control 655, Side View Mirrors 128, Some window motors, speedo head/cluster 257
Sometimes alternators
If the part has been selling on eBay and I have a way to box it and ship it >> I pull the part and list it

I have been on Ebay since 1999 and in the past few years-- fees have become horrible unless:
A. You are a power seller and listing thousands of things at a time
or
B. You have parts that are in High demand off High Demand cars

I have pulled many a cars in, and I always have this pie in the sky idea that some dude is really going to buy my tail lights out of a 1998 Chevy Mailibu. Then I decide to leave them on the car and let them get crushed. I have toyed with the idea of selling parts-- my problem is that I have NO storage. I don't have a barn or 30 acres to store doors, fenders, windows or "fill in the blank" parts. So I core what goodies I can and let the rest go.

I recently ran into a guy who rents commercial space to do body work. This guy literally has a fence line packed with doors, tailgates, windows, bumpers, fenders, trunk lids.. and HE can't get rid of them. I looked at a car that he has for sale- Sunfire, He wanted $425 for it- 2 of 4 rims, he's robbed the timing out of it, no battery, no tail lights. I offered him $200 bucks.. he looked as if I just stabbed him in the heart. He said "I could take all the parts off that car and sell them" I was kind, but in my mind I knew if he took 20 hours of labor to take parts- he'd never get his money back. Maybe someday someone will come and need that fender- trick is- will it ROT before that time comes??

For what it is worth, Take some of the cherry items off some vehicles- look on Ebay to see what is in demand for the vehicles you have. If the gauges sell for $85 bucks off a car- pull that part and try and give it a go- or take a picture and if it doesn't sell- you never took any more time than to take a picture and list it- no physical labor involved. Another option is- try Craigslist, gather 20 different parts- plop them up locally on CL for free- you get bites- pure profit, if not, only time spent trying. Granted Ebay has a VASTLY larger, worldwide, audience, but you can test the waters locally and see what may even have an interest.

Aaron

How about checking out the Ebay classifieds?? Don't think they cost till you sell, and you can do pictures also.

I found a Volare fender emblem in a garage and it went for around $10 on ebay, I'd do that all day long,,

I have better experience selling on a craigslist. You have to start a threat saying "parting out a >>>ford f150<<< ex.
Make lot of pictures. There is a lot of peps looking. Agree - ebay fees killing a lot of deals.
Go Chicago Bears.
Greetings.

Iv been doing CL for ages. Most iv sold are a set of tires and a console. That's in one year. Like I said, I'd get more from the scrapper than what people are willing to pay. Everyone wants something for nothing. This is why I'm also hesitant to spend more than body value at the scrap yard on a car. I know I can make money on parts, but they usually never sell... Haven't bought a car in months cause everyone wants 500 bucks for a car that weighs 2000 pounds.

How do you check recent items sold on eBay? Iv never used eBay so I'm still trying to learn. And that's one of the things I'm worried about. spending more listing say 10 items, than I'd get in return for selling one out of the 10 items.. but on the other hand, to become a "power seller" you gotta start at the bottom, right?

I have the space to store items, 2 acre lot with a shop on it, and some old van body trailers for storage. And an empty garage at home.

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How do you check recent items sold on eBay? Iv never used eBay so I'm still trying to learn.

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My listings have all been free for awhile now, all I'm paying is final value fee.
Check out a part that's selling and look on top or to the left (I've seen it both places) for a tab/link that you can check that says "completed listings" and it will reset and show you the completed sales and whether they actually sold or not.

Jord-
You have to have an account to see completed listings. and FINALLY Ebay has gotten their poop together on search functions- you can not only search "Completed Listings" which will show you everything listed whether it sold or not, but they recently started a choice of searching "SOLD" listings. So in a sense- if you type in 1998 Malibu, you will only see items listed with that search criteria of items that SOLD, weeds out looking at hundreds of listings of stuff that didn't sell. I would say if you were new at it- look at both "Completed" and then "Sold" you will find quickly the stuff that people wasted their money listing, and then show items that indeed sold for a high bid!
Aaron

I seem to be about a minute or two off tonight with the same advice. Maybe I need to work on my brevity! HA! I agree with Mechanic! :-)

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Originally Posted by sledge42

I seem to be about a minute or two off tonight with the same advice. Maybe I need to work on my brevity! HA! I agree with Mechanic! :-)

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That's ok, you get points for using the big words,,,lol

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

That's ok, you get points for using the big words,,,lol

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The way I figure from being around for just a short while.. This is a group of folks with brains.. so I feel no need to "dumb it down!" It's refreshing actually compared to some forums I have had the "pleasure" of being a part of in my younger days! :-)

Iv had an account for a while, just never actually used it! Haha, ill cruise the site tomorrow and get the hang of it.

It is a bit discouraging seeing all the not sold items, and there's LOTS. but I'm gonna give it a shot.

It can definitely be done to turn a profit but not so much with vehicle parts. I work for a local yard selling stuff on ebay and CL and I can tell you there is some good stuff to sell online. I do a lot of B2B selling as well. Like our industrial items (breakers, servo motors, starters) My worst month so far was just a couple thousand dollars but that was because it was the end of the fiscal year and nobody wants to buy. My best to date was nearly $30,000. I find that I can sell the most using ebay. But it all depends on the item whether I post it on ebay or CL. If it is an item that someone will have to come out and see or if the shipping is going to be out of this world, I post it on CL to try to find a local buyer. Other than that, most items are listed on Ebay. Sometimes I list on both. My ebay fees run about $300-400 a month but I do list quite a few items and sell most.

I could list hundreds for parts on eBay off just one vehicle. There's so many, and I'm sure you know. I'm just trying to find out what goes the best. I don't wanna waste money and time on little crap that won't sell, I'm just getting started and want as little cost as possible. Iv posted tons of ads on CL and sold 2 things in the past year. No idea what I'm doing wrong there..

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I have been on Ebay since 1999 and in the past few years-- fees have become horrible unless:
A. You are a power seller and listing thousands of things at a time
or
B. You have parts that are in High demand off High Demand cars

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I believe the first 50 listings per month are free, you only pay if they sell. The last item I sold was for $35.00 including shipping - My final paypal payout was $33.68. I don't do a lot with Ebay (my company has it's own department for that) but from that one example, I'd call it a good deal.

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Originally Posted by JohnM

I believe the first 50 listings per month are free, you only pay if they sell. The last item I sold was for $35.00 including shipping - My final paypal payout was $33.68. I don't do a lot with Ebay (my company has it's own department for that) but from that one example, I'd call it a good deal.

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That is a good deal.. Last time I sold a few things on Ebay I had:
Listing Fee
Buy It Now Fee
Final Value Fee
Forced Paypal usage and their Cut on Top.

I have not listed in quite a while, I know they have run specials from time to time, maybe things have changed?!

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Originally Posted by sledge42

Forced Paypal usage and their Cut on Top.

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There is no rule on eBay that you must use PayPal

I use them because at 3% plus 30 Cents, they are cheap enough for my use
and VERY convenient
I have a PayPal debit card and spend the money as fast as it comes in and get Ca$H back for doing it that way

I've been selling on ebay for 10 years, done good but i haven't quit my day job jet

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Originally Posted by jord0690

I could list hundreds for parts on eBay off just one vehicle. There's so many, and I'm sure you know. I'm just trying to find out what goes the best. I don't wanna waste money and time on little crap that won't sell, I'm just getting started and want as little cost as possible. Iv posted tons of ads on CL and sold 2 things in the past year. No idea what I'm doing wrong there..

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Cragislist works best for body parts and large/heavy parts. Ebay is better for everything else. I average 100 parts per car that are profitable and about 40 that are not worth selling. The experience ive gained over the years comes into play every day, especially when it is time to do listings.