online selling questions

[cybercross]

i just wanted to ask some questions,first off-
I've never sold anything online before and i just wanted to figure how to get started. a few weeks ago i got a complete turbografx set on Ebay for $65 with free shipping. later, and for the record i just wasn't thinking , i was bidding on another turbografx complete set, but it was mostly because it included the turbostick and 6 complete games (three of those games i really wanted). i won the bid, and was planning to sell my previous system. i asked around a few stores in my area that (sorta) sells classic video games, but the best they would offer was i believe twelve dollars for the complete set. i just wanted to know how to sell my items though this forum(and how to sell through ebay)-and if anyone's interested in buying my system

 

[nat]

$65 for a core TG-16 is rather high. Unfortunately, you'll probably have a rough time finding a way to get your money back on it. Your best bet would be to list on eBay. I start all my auctions at $0.01 and they sell for what they sell for. I can guarantee you'll get more than $12 for it, though.

If you want to sell it on this forum, just post up a new FS thread with your asking price or make a note to have people make you offers. Since you're relatively new here, some people might be hesitant to buy from someone with no previous selling references.

You can also join the Turbo List (e-mail list) at turbo.mindrec.com and post an ad up once you join. That reaches a broader range of folks that don't necessarily belong to the forums here.

But for your first-time sale, eBay might be the best route. The buyer is more or less protected through the eBay system so people don't worry as much about buying from someone with no previous selling history. Once you make the sale, you can use that as a backing for any future non-eBay transactions.

[Necromancer]

Once again, nat steps up with solid advice.  If you do go the ebay route, don't forget to make a thread linking to it.

[MurderDate]

CyberCross ,  while you won't get $65 out of anyone here for a TG16 core system,  I think you should be able to make it back most of it on Ebay..  you may have to hold onto it a little while until you acquire some duplicate games but I think you may get there.  If that's too much effort  I'd say put an ad on craigslist asking for $50.  There's never any TG16 stuff up for sale there so you'll get someone's attention.  Good luck !

[cybercross]

whats craigslist? heard of it but never used it.
as for ebay, im looking into selling it there, but what im worried about is that ive never sold there before. and i don't have a computer of my own yet, so i cant easily keep up with most kinds of info. for anyone who's had long (or close) experience with selling on ebay, could you give me some simple info and instructions-like fees and what kind of paypal should you have (i just have a basic account).

[vestcoat]

I don't remember why, but after doing some research I upgraded my paypal account to whatever the option is above the "basic" service when I started selling stuff a few years ago. 

Here's some advice.  Like all true secrets, posting a decent auction is no secret at all:
*Make sure you charge enough for shipping but don't overcharge.  High shipping will drive off bidders.  On the other hand, if you underestimate the cost you'll have to pay out of pocket and end up getting F'ed in the A.  For your purposes, a Flat Rate Priority Box for $8.95 should work fine for a TG16 Deck.
*Take a nice picture!  I can't stress this enough.  Get it in focus, made sure all of the accessories are in the frame, remove your cat's litter box from the background and watch the bids roll in.
*Check your spelling.  If you list your item as "TurboGraphfesx" no one is going to see it.  I know this is silly, but you can actually find items listed like this...(*shhh*).
*Carefully consider how far you're willing to ship.  If you haven't filled out a customs form before and haven't checked your overseas shipping rates you might want to restriction your item to domestic bidders.

Fees aren't due right away.  You'll get an invoice from ebay after a while and you'll have options for setting up your payment.  You'll probably end up paying a couple bucks to ebay and a paypal transaction will take another buck fifty.  I recently sold a deck with only the dust cover and power supply that went for $31.  Also try craigslist while your at it.  It's free and user-friendly.