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2010-03-20

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Agriculture

Lifestyles

Thursday, July 02, 2009 12:33 PM

EBAY QUEEN: Pricing the ‘Prince of Pop’

By SUZIE EADS, Ask The eBay Queen

Dear eBay Queen: I am a huge Michael Jackson fan. I was ready years ago to sell my collection that dates back to the Jackson 5. I was wondering if you thought it would be distasteful to sell the items now, or if I should wait until an appropriate time has passed.

My collection consists of records, concert T-shirts, ticket stubs, rhinestone glove, signed book, dolls and a few other items. I have four of the Michael Jackson dolls from the 1980s that are new in the box, and an autographed T-shirt by all the Jackson 5.

Do you think these will be worth more later, or should I sell them now? — Jackson Fan

Dear Jackson: I would say there is no time like the present to put your Michael Jackson items on eBay. When I last looked there were 56,800 items with “Michael Jackson” in the title. eBay is even running promotions on its home page promoting Jackson Memorabilia.

I checked out the dolls, and I believe they sell better individually. Some of them are selling for almost $500 each. When it comes to the signed book and autographed T-shirt, I would try to get a certificate of authenticity on those. This can be done by taking it to an autograph shop or collectibles store. I believe those items will sell higher being authenticated.

Dear eBay Queen: What exactly is the purpose of the detailed seller ratings? I have 100-percent feedback and tonight when listing an auction I got a little warning that one of my detailed seller ratings was below 4.3 out of 5 stars. My shipping time is 4.2 evidently. I ship everything the next day unless it’s Friday then it’s shipped on Monday.

I don’t understand what I am doing wrong. Where do I go from here? How will this affect my selling? — Kate K.

Dear Kate: I believe that detailed seller ratings (DSR) are part of the decline of eBay. Since the introduction of detailed seller ratings, eBay has added weight to the feedback system. The DSR rating a buyer leaves can not only affect how other buyer’s see you as a seller, but in some cases whether they see you at all. Since your shipping DSR is 4.2, you are lowered in search results. This means when a buyer uses Best Match to search for an item, yours will be one of the last ones it pulls in search, regardless of when your item ends.

The rating range is a 1-5 scale. If a buyer leaves you a 5 you have exceeded their expectations, a 4 you have met their expectations, a 3 you’ve neither met nor made them unhappy. A 1 or 2 star transaction represents a very unhappy buyer.

eBay has said that 4.8 is the top 10 percent of sellers, but a 4.3 is in the bottom 10 percent of sellers. That is only a 0.5 variation between the top and bottom. To me this shows the system is flawed, and it is an ineffective tool.

When I teach my beginning eBay class, I use the example of my mother and grandmother. My mother would leave 5 stars for almost any transaction. My grandmother would never leave a 5 even if you gift wrapped it and had John Wayne deliver it personally.

There is no real system for buyers to know where on the scale to rate you. Some buyers start at 3 and add for very good service, and deduct for poor service. Some start at 5 and only deduct for bad service. There’s no standardized system.

According to eBay’s system, buyers should leave a 4.2 rating for a really poor seller and to me that makes no sense at all.

The best thing to do is to add an insert to your packages.

Here’s an example of the insert I use: “Enclosed is your recent purchase from eBay. I would like to thank you once again for your purchase and honoring your bid. If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me. I hope that you will consider leaving us positive feedback and 5 stars for this transaction.

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 260436326235 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). I looked for one of the more unusual Michael Jackson items to sell. Here is a Michael Jackson signed surgical mask. It sold for $6,600. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260436326235

Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com.

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EBAY QUEEN: Pricing the ‘Prince of Pop’

By SUZIE EADS, Ask The eBay Queen

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article | Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article |
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.