I personally list my items on sunday night, starting about 9:30 p.m. e.s.t. I do this for a couple of reasons. First, I am in the eastern time zone and I want to make sure it's not too late for the east coast viewers to bid. Second, I try to make it so the west coast viewers can maybe catch it after dinner or at least near the end of the day. Third, I usually list 6-8 items every week. I will pre-box my items to figure the weight and size, but I will not pack them for final shipping until sunday in case there are questions or requests for pictures of the item during the auction. Listing on sunday gives me all day to pull, photograph and pre-box the items I'm going to list as well as pack my active items for final shipping so they are ready to ship on monday. I started doing this because a lot of people pay instantly with Paypal, and I'm of the mindset that if you've paid instantly for an item, you should receive a prompt shipment of your item.
Packing and shipping is by far the most time consuming aspect of listing items on internet auction sites. If you list too many items at once, you are going to be overrun with packing and shipping, trying to keep all of the information for every package straight, and it can quickly get overwhelming.
A word on packaging... you are going to need a couple of sources for boxes of all shapes and sizes, as well as a sizeable amount of packaging materials. If you are shipping larger items such as dash frames, heater boxes, and items of that size, try your local collision center for boxes from front valences and body repair panels. Try to get at least double walled cardboard boxes, the cheap single wall boxes don't stand a chance.
If you are planning to ship any trim, I have a method of packaging that has not failed yet. I will go to Home Depot, in the insulation department and get 4x8' sheets of 2" polystyrene foam and find a box that the trim will fit in with at least 2 inches of space all around. I will then trace the shape of the trim on a section of the styrofoam and dig it out enough to set the trim into the dug out channel. I will then cut a second piece of styro the same size as tthe first and trap the trim between the 2 layers, then pack it tight in the box so it is crushproof and unbendable. This is usually the only time I will buy packing material, because it is worth the cost to make sure that easily damaged trim is fully protected.
As far as communication... I will message the winning bidder as soon as the auction is over with their total including shipping to make sure that the shipping amount accuratly reflects the actual cost of sending the item. I will also message them when their payment has been received and their item has been shipped. I always insure the item for the full final value amount and I ALWAYS use the tracking and delivery confirmation features from the respective shippers. I do this because it gives me opprotunity to provide proof that the item has been shipped, and also to let the winning bidder know that I am able to track it too, just in case you run into a less than honest customer that claims that they never received their items.
There are a lot more details to selling on ebay that will help you as you list and sell items sucessfully, some you will learn as you go and some you can ask the answers for. If you'd like to ask any specific questions, P.M. me and I'll help you however I can. Good luck with the selling, Geof
M eastern but that still conflicts with prime time television viewing on the west coast. My day of choise is Tuesday or Thursday.
