Buying and Selling on eBay

[Bodecia]

Hi All,

From before I joined PF I was a lurker and also an eBay seller but the remarks about ebay sellers kept me quiet on the fact that I was an ebay seller too.

It is time to grab the bull by the horns and say proudly that I sell on eBay. It is not the eBay site but some seller's that give it a bad name. I for one try to be totally honest although I know I will make mistakes. I have learnt a lot, tonnes from the PF and hope to learn a lot more over time.

I studied Gemmology when I was a lot younger but do not have any degrees in pearls, although they are my true love apart from my dogs that is.

After a year of illness I have finally started selling at auction again and trying to keep my site up to 50 so listings at a time. Very hard work. I sold a lot in the last couple of weeks so I need to work hard to get my site but up to what I feel is satisfying to me, let alone any buyers. I would like an online, no bricks shop but just don't know how to go about it. If you know how I can get a sight up and running please let me know. Website easy to work is important and ebay is not easy to work with that way. Corrections at the moment for me at least have to be done within the HTML - not easy. I am computer literate but not high tech. Please check my site out, not for sale but you might be able to help me with any mistaken pearl listings I might have made. I don't think I have but constructive help is always welcome. Hell if you want to buy from me that is okay too

You may think making a dollar on eBay is easy but it is not. Fees are high, work load is enormous and when one is virtually a one woman show it is now wonder I had to have a year off from actively listing.

I do hope what I have written is not against the PF rules but for a long time I have wanted to say I am an eBay seller and proud of it. I am honest, sometime too honest to my own detriment, I offer one off designs and I look after my customers to the extreme.

One more photo of one of my favourite pieces. I do wish I could keep it. I love it.

Bodecia aka Bo aka Dawn - call me what you want.

[Bodecia]

I uploaded the wrong photo somehow. Guess I should go to bed and will very soon but first must upload my favourite pearl necklace at the moment. I do tend to fall in love with my latest creations and the above one wasn't it. Sold in fact after being listed for about 3 days. I don't think the lady would mind though. Beautiful but not one of my top notch items.

My first love regarding pearls, apart from keeping them, is deigning. I love it. It is so rewarding, spiritually for me and also as pure relaxation.

Okay will try again.

Bo

[Caitlin]

Hi Bo Dawn
I am so glad you got comfortable enough to out yourself as an eBay seller. Now we have 2 or 3 of you we know and can trust.

Your offerings are very nice and even tempting.

Since your eBay link did not transfer over when I moved part of the thread, I am taking the liberty of posting the link to your store. I hope it brings you lots of beneficial attention.

[Bodecia]

Thanks Caitlin,

Hi Bo Dawn
I am so glad you got comfortable enough to out yourself as an eBay seller. Now we have 2 or 3 of you we know and can trust.

Your offerings are very nice and even tempting.

It took me a long time didn't it. But for the last year I haven't been actively working my site, just a few item in my store.

I am very glad now that I did become comfortable enough to come out so to speak.

I am still trying to upload my favourite Flameball pearl and lavender sapphire necklace but for some reason it is not co-operating. I do love it and wish I could keep it but sometimes and I am sure you know we just can't but can enjoy the fact that we designed it and made it and some lucky buyer is truly enjoying wearing it. I will try again tomorrow to upload it to the site because at the moment it is my favourite.

I think when the PF mentioned that there were 2 ebayers one could trust it pushed me into coming forward as a possible 3rd. I do know there is a 4th at least. It is Inger from RainbowIslandPearls. She is totally trustworthy and a wonderful person. Think she is a member too but busy and maybe as me not game enough to say - hey I am an honest seller too. :0 I did recommend her ages ago.

Thanks again Caitlin, Bo - Dawn

[silverseajewelry]

I've seen your listings before! I'll keep my eye out for your stuff.
I also sell, but I buy as much as I sell.

[Bodecia]

Hi silverseajewellery,

I've seen your listings before! I'll keep my eye out for your stuff.
I also sell, but I buy as much as I sell.

I think that most of us start selling to fund our pearl addiction. My site is low at the moment as I haven't been able to list for couple of days. By Friday it should have a lot more of my designs on it again. They sell better than other jewellery. Which is great. A great boost for me. I am lucky I have so many designer pieces ready to be listed as I won't have the time to string up more for a week or more.

That is the enjoying part, designing not the listing. That is hard work. The designing is pure fun or so it seems to me.

When did you spot my stuff on eBay. Did you know it was me???

Bo

[pattye]

How can we find you silverseajewelry? And Yes, Dawn, it is good to know about your ebay store! Lovely items!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

Caitlin, Maybe you could move the last part of this thread to one of the ebay threads? It would be closer to topic than naturals! THX!!

[silverseajewelry]

Dawn: I noticed you, I think, when I searched Cortez and found 1 or two of your pieces a few months back.

I just opened my store on ebay, so not a lot right now as I also have stuff on boutique consignment and gearing up for a few shows. I am working the lower budget angle, and good response so far. I'll leave the ultra luxury stuff for Care and others. Here's my info:


http://stores.ebay.com/Silver-Sea-Jewelry

[Cathybear]

I saw your Keshi necklace Dawn, and I was very, very tempted! I don't often buy finished pieces, for some odd reason loose pearls are more fun for me, so I was torn between yours and more loose ones. Then it was too late, yours had sold.
I sell on ebay as well to keep me in money for buying loose pearls so I don't have to dip into the grocery money )
I can tell you a little bit about running a web site.
I got my 'space' at Startlogic for just under $100 a year, my 14 year old son built it and made it simple to upload so I don't have to write html code (I get a bit lost when I try).
I think a good camera is a must, with a good macro or double macro setting. Mine is a Fuji Finepix S9600, but there are lots to choose from (maybe too many). Experiment with lighting. I prefer daylight, but just when I got it right for sunny days the monsoons came, now I prefer bright cloudy days but the sun is back.
Selling on ebay is a lot of hard work, though I've started using Turbo Lister, which means if I ever really had time before Saturday I could prepare my listings early, or if ebay pull your listing for putting earrings in the necklace category you don't have to measure everything again (yes, I really did that!) lol.
Cathy

[Casey.R]

I'm an occasional ebay seller. But I don't sell pearls. Mostly womens vintage clothing and some baby items, a few vintage collectables... etc.

My mother is a pretty regular seller of vintage clothes.

[jerin]

Godd luck on Ebay, Mervione!

[J Marcus]

Bodecia--

If all the eBay sellers were like you there would be no problem. I do know that there are ethical sellers on eBay and have both bought and sold many things in many categories myself. I don't think that selling on eBay should, of itself, do anything to a persons esteem. However, people being what they are, when there are so many unethical sellers on eBay, I think that it cannot help but do harm to your business and that of all the other ethical sellers. My problem with eBay is eBay's claim of non-responsibility and their consequent lack of responsibility for policing their site. It is my opinion that they run their site so that 1. It allows unethical persons to easily commit fraud with little chance of consequences; 2. ...that in fact, this manner of running their site actually encourages and perpetuates fraudulent practices and 3. they are profiting greatly from this fraud!!! Since they knowingly, I believe, receive monies from the commission of fraud, I believe they have a responsibility to try to bring it to rein.

However, to you I say good luck with your enterprises both with and outside of eBay. If you operate as ethically as you are able, then you have nothing to be ashamed of.

As for a way to put up a website easily, look up CityMax. If you can use MS Word, you can put up a website with them. (eBay owns CityMax, by the way...)

Marc
http://www.flyrodjewelry.com/home.html

[Nerida]

It is my opinion that they run their site so that 1. It allows unethical persons to easily commit fraud with little chance of consequences; 2. ...that in fact, this manner of running their site actually encourages and perpetuates fraudulent practices and 3. they are profiting greatly from this fraud!!! Since they knowingly, I believe, receive monies from the commission of fraud, I believe they have a responsibility to try to bring it to rein.

http://www.flyrodjewelry.com/home.html

I'm not sure this comment belongs in this forum, but in defence of ebay, I would say categorically that it is not the only venue in which fraud exists. I was selling at a fair last weekend, and my "competition" was selling pearls branded as natural - all CFWP - for several times what any of us would or should be happy to pay - mostly they were dull, eggy and blemished, for several hundred dollars per strand. All with a gemmologist's qualification proudly positioned on the stall. Still fraud? It is in my books! I know it is small scale compared to ebay, but it is still part of a general picture in which the consumer feel they cannot trust vendors...

[J Marcus]

I'm not sure this comment belongs in this forum, but in defence of ebay, I would say categorically that it is not the only venue in which fraud exists. I was selling at a fair last weekend, and my "competition" was selling pearls branded as natural - all CFWP - for several times what any of us would or should be happy to pay - mostly they were dull, eggy and blemished, for several hundred dollars per strand. All with a gemmologist's qualification proudly positioned on the stall. Still fraud? It is in my books! I know it is small scale compared to ebay, but it is still part of a general picture in which the consumer feel they cannot trust vendors...

As you will read in a subsequent post by Nerida, I completely mistook her meaning in the above post! I shall edit the following paragraph so that it doesn't point my finger at her at all. She was saying that she wasn't sure that her comment belonged on this thread. ...and actually, I think that it's just fine here. However, I hope that I am not tooting my horn too loudly to say that I think that what I wrote here has merit in a more general sense and shall let the body of it remain. (...with all due regard and my apologies to Nerida.)

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These comments that I made and have made before are not slander in any sense of the word. They are my honest opinions, stated as such and drawn from what I believe is quite solid evidence and long experience. If there is any place where I feel that there is an appropriate forum for the subject of ethics in the pearl business, I believe that it is here on the Pearl Guide Forum. Most, if not all of us that take part in this forum have a stake or interest of some kind in the pearl business and many of the members are among the "movers and shakers" of the pearl business. It is my opinion that, to one degree or another, those who practice unethically do real harm in a number of ways not only to those whom they defraud directly, but to those of us who do business ethically. When one calls out for debate and possible censure what we believe are the unethical practices of others on a public media forum, we are helping in at least our own, small way to fufill the duty of a free press.

Best regards,
Marc

[Nerida]

Hi Marc, sorry, didn't mean that the forum wasn't the right place, I meant the thread wasn't the right place to speak of fraud as practiced by my competitor last weekend (ie, not about buying and selling on ebay specifically).

I am more than happy to personally speak out against fraud and unethical practices wherever they occur - my point was just that ebay is not the only venue where these things happen. Like you, Laurenb and many others, I believe ebay is relatively safe as a user, it is just that it provides an avenue for shonky people to do business in an unethical way, just as some other places do as well - like my fair organizers unwittingly did last weekend.

I certainly haven't got any negative thoughts about your ebay comments at all - sorry if I implied that I did.