posted on September 17, 2003 07:39:31 AM new
depends on what and how much it sells for and how much efforts involved.
10 % of a genuine antique tiffany lamp could be 3k for you,is that enough??
-sig file -------The thrill is gone!!
posted on September 17, 2003 07:50:46 AM new
In the past... 20-30% with fees included.
But I got tired of having junk consigned to me, or people thinking their item was worth a fortune. So we stopped. We are going to offer our services again, but this time we are charging 40% (fees included) and the item must have a minimum estimated value of $100. We will also have a flat rate fee for cars, boats and other large items. We will probably charge $200 for more expensive vehicles.
posted on September 17, 2003 07:53:08 AM new
I am going to approach a few antique shops here and ask about doing consignments. I know one used to have his sister do ebay for him but she quit. I have no idea about the other store. They may be doing ebay themselves already. Also I am thinking about running an ad in the Thrifty Nickel and local newpaper.
Stopwhining=====
You're right. If it is large $ items 10% would be enough.
posted on September 17, 2003 08:45:48 AM new
one question is -
how do yo handle aftersales issues such as chargeback,returns,getting negged,lawsuit??
how long should you hold on to the proceeds??
i would be rather unhappy if the bidder uses paypal and then file complaint or worse,use a stolen credit card??
-sig file -------The thrill is gone!!
posted on September 17, 2003 09:30:38 AM new
Deltim--I like your method.
Most of the consignment shops I know charge 35 - 40%.
I don't take very many consignments, just family and friends very occasionally. I charge 30% of the NET (after all fees are deducted) for things that sell under $100, 25% NET for things that sell over $100. Almost everything I sell for people comes in under $100.
If it ever gets to be a nuisance for me, I'll raise my rates.
I'm getting tired of friends who tell me about a treasure they want to get rid of. I tell them it's iffy on ebay, no guarantees from me that it'll sell, and I warn them that, after researching, I tend to start items low to encourage bids.
Much as they nod and seem to understand, some of them don't. I'm selling some porcelain from a partial set for a friend. When I sent her the auctions after the items launched, she called and said she thought the pieces were worth more than that "because they're old" (50-60 years). I said yes they're worth more than that but I've started them at $12.95 because that's what my instincts, my research, and my habits tell me to do to get maximum bids. I told her we can end the auctions anytime and she said no no just keep going. But sounded wistful, as though she wished she had them back.
I do not want to lose a friend over something like this! Very frustrating, esp. when they have never bought or sold on ebay and have no clue whatsoever how to do it.
___________________________________
posted on September 17, 2003 09:41:14 AM new
I've had a lawfirm in town ask me to sell a diamond emerald ring for them. It's been appraised at $11,600.00. They received in as their fee in a divorce case. They said anything I can get over $10,000 I can keep.
They have the ring in their safety deposit box and have given me copies of the paperwork on the ring and they would be able to provide me with digital photos.
I've only done a small amount of research on expensive pieces and I'm inclined to think I would be hard pressed to get even $10,000. What do you all think???
posted on September 17, 2003 09:56:58 AM new
forget about appraisal value.
what is the setting?/platinum??
what is the style-victorian,art nouveau,edwardian??
what period is it from??
what size are the emeralds and where are they from and what impurities??
best ones come from 2 old mines in columbia where the incas mined.
also are they lab grown emerald?/
you would be lukcy if you get 5k.
-sig file -------The thrill is gone!!
posted on September 17, 2003 10:30:01 AM new
I tried selling a diamond for my Sister in Law and was unsuccessful. Appraised value $6,000. She wanted 50% of the appraised value which I though was good. I know nothing about apprasials. Well I had a buyer email me and asked for the appraisal which I sent her. She took it to a jeweler and the jeweler said it wasn't worth what the appraisal was and wasn't worth the price she wanted. Gave Up....I sell only for myself. Why doesn't the law firm sell it on eBay themselves. I think that price is to risky for a seller to take on consignment. What about charge back? The law firm has secretaries, and charge cards let them open their own eBay account....
posted on September 17, 2003 10:38:38 AM new
It depends on what I am selling. I normaly charge 25% & pick up the fees. For low priced items, I charge 20% plus the fees & FVF. I listed a Learjet valued at $550,000.00, my commission would have been 2 per cent if it had sold. The highest bid was $460,000.00 & the owner wouldn't sell.
[ edited by sanmar on Sep 17, 2003 10:39 AM ]
posted on September 17, 2003 10:39:41 AM new
libra,
law firms are not in the business of liquidating merchandise,so why not ask the ebay pro??
most jewelry do not fetch much on ebay unless it is a rare antique piece .
also would you fork over 10k to any ebay seller??
posted on September 17, 2003 10:43:40 AM new
Thank you for validating my first instinct. I didn't think I would get many nibbles it. The law firm asked me about 3 weeks ago. I was just hoping maybe things would pick up after the summer but it sounds like it wouldn't be worth my time or effort.
stopwhining....you are correct in thinking they wouldn't just ask anyone to handle an expensive ring. I work part time for a court reporting firm so am involved in the industry. Also, my former neighbor works for the law firm and recommended me.
posted on September 17, 2003 10:45:34 AM new
Jewelry never sells for anywhere near the appraised value on eBay. I'm sure Fluffy can weigh in on this. I've bought jewelry on eBay and my experience is that it goes for about 50% of appraised value. This is for precious gems.
If you are serious about selling on consignement, check out what the Trading Assistants are charging in your area. A lot of regions have TA chat boards on eBay. You might want to check it out , too.
Make sure that you have a written agreement with the consignee.
As for the law firm with the ring, tell them to sell it themselves. I can't imagine anything worse than a law firm with an auction gone bad.
posted on September 17, 2003 11:04:43 AM new
I haven't done consignments on ebay, I have done them on other auctions. Ebay can kill you in fees, and in the work to list. I met with someone recently to discuss the possibility of selling his stuff on consignment, but ended up walking away from the deal. First, he was unrealistic on what items were worth. There is no point listing something starting at near retail on ebay for most items, most will go without bids. The average price for the items he was selling was not high enough, $10 items are not worth the hassle for consigning. We never even got to discuss percentages, I just rejected it out of hand before we even got that far.
Assuming paypal is accepted, a $10 item will off the top have 15% just go to fees. I wouldn't accept less than 35% for an item like this, and that is even too cheap for the work to be done. That means the seller is going to have to give up 50%, and I doubt many will want to do that.
posted on September 17, 2003 11:32:16 AM new
precious stones are hard to photo,you need very strong light and best camera,most ebay jewelry sellers do not have either one.
in early days of ebay,there is one guy who has a studio and makes dogs look like queen sheba and i bot some emerald from him.
the price is right and it is fun to say i own a piece of emerald.
you can do a search on ebay and see what emerald ring fetches ?
posted on September 17, 2003 12:17:52 PM new
80% of what I list is on consigment, and I advertise locally.
One thing I am gearing up to do is placing a minimum bid amount of $50. I am running into listing gobs of stuff that isn't making me any money. I have one client in particular who is a constant source of BOXES of stuff, so she can slide, but on my next advertising campaign, that's going to change.
I charge 30%, fees included, plus 10% of opening bid. So..something starts at $50 I still get $5.00 for my time if it doesn't sell.
If something sells, we're done and they're paid. If the bidder turns out to be an NPB, the goods are now my property to relist as I like. Saves the hassle of refunding etc. Rule #1 of commission sales: Don't list if you don't have the widget in your posession. Period. No exceptions.
drop me an email at "maisri2899"@yahoo.com if you'd like a look at my website and terms to give you some ideas. (no quotes in the email address.)
posted on September 17, 2003 05:23:45 PM new
I would be scared to death to take anything on consignment in my area. At the Flea Market I go to,we have five Dealers who haul stuff from the dump.Then we have some Sellers that I'm pretty sure don't pay for their merchandise,they use the five finger method. We have the local factories always looking for a truck load of stuff that went away in the night,drives the cops crazy having to check all the flea markets. So knowing my luck lord only knows what I would end up with,and its hard enough trying to sell what I got. We have even had people try to sell flowers stolen from the cemetery.
posted on September 18, 2003 09:11:02 AM new
Most of what I sell are consignment items, too...for friends/relatives. I charge 25% for items under $100/15% for over $100. Consignee pays all fees. Works pretty well...And I echo...HAVE THE ITEM IN YOUR POSSESSION! I've found that folks tend to "glamorize" their items when telling about them and sometimes fail to mention flaws...DON'T SELL IT UNLESS YOU HAVE IT! Also, be brutally honest with your consignees. I always tell them that the prices they see in books are RETAIL and we'll be lucky to get half of that on eBay.
posted on September 18, 2003 11:15:01 AM new
Another problem you'll run into if you don't have the item is that if it goes for a low price (or at least lower than the owner thinks it should) you could end up in situation where they won't give over the goods. Nice little pickle, that.
I decided to pay the fees and charge a higher consignment for two reasons. One is ease of paperwork, and the second is that I found the multitude of fees (paypal, mine, ebay, yada yada) tends to scare off long term clients. Just works better for me that way.
Also, have a contract. Doesn't need to be anything fancy, but do have something in writing. Both parties will feel more secure.
