Selling things on EBay...?

[Nicole]

I am considering putting some things up on EBay to sell but I hear that they take a percentage of the profit. Can anyone with personal experience give me a better understanding of how this works before I do it??
~Quinny Pooh~
Another note...
Would Craigslist be better??

[Jim]

My brother had nothing but trouble selling on ebay in the end he closedown his account because they were saying he still owed the money

[Alan]

eBay is a value-added venue for people to sell their items. You pay for their service in the form of a percentage of fees based on the selling price and shipping cost of the item. You also pay a fee to accept the required PayPal payment. All said and done, figure an average of 15% of the gross sale to go to eBay and PayPal. Yes there are links I could add that break down the fees, but they are complex and we are going for a basic grasp of the system.

What eBay has to offer over Craigslist is wide exposure. If you are in a major city with a strong economy, you may be fine with Craigslist. However when I look at Craigslist I laugh at the over-priced items listed by dreamers and at the same time can't give items away that I have listed there.

Selling on Craigslist with the intent to ship is a bad idea due to the number of scammers. Nearly all transactions through Craigslist that are not in person are scams.

So if you are selling a "widget" and can get $20 on Craigslist or $100 less 15%, or $85 on eBay - which would you do?

[flower]

Craigslist is better if you respond to people who live in your area not in another state or country. Since people dont pay for Craigslist there are more crooks who use it. But it does not charge you.

Ebay is different. Ebay is an auction website with option to Buy outright. People buy according to the seller's rating and history. Ebay offers a place to sell and buy with firm guidelines for doing so and only specific payment methods. Their fees are 9% of the total for selling and 3% of the payment from Paypal.