Selling equipment

[Donald]

Having just bought my Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS MkII lens, I've put my Sigma 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 APO DG OS up for sale on Gumtree.

Having never sold (or bought) anything on these online trading sites (ebay etc), does anyone who has used particularly Gumtree, have any hints or tips about how to do it properly and effectively?

[chauncey]

When I have bought/sold anything of substantial cost, I make it a habit to conclude the transaction
at my local bank or...only with someone that I completely trust. Someone like a longtime member
of this website.

[Mike Buckley]

I have no experience with Gumtree, but I have bought and sold a few items on a site that competes with CiC, though not in the last few years. If you have the original box and related materials, be sure to mention them and include them in the sale. That's because some people feel that anyone who keeps those materials probably took good care of the equipment. Also mention every item the sale includes, such as the front and rear lens caps, and your typical use of the lens that implies good condition, such as if you used it always with a UV filter. Go to one of the popular commercial web sites that sells used equipment and look up their system rating the condition of the equipment. Include the rating pertinent to your lens in your advertisement. Explain why you are selling it, as that relieves prospective purchasers of the fear that you're selling it because it's defective. Naturally, include at least one high-quality photo of the lens.

You didn't mention whether you are using an auction system. If so, there are certain auction parameters that apparently work better than others but I don't know what they are.

[JR1]

Having just bought my Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS MkII lens, I've put my Sigma 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 APO DG OS up for sale on Gumtree.

Having never sold (or bought) anything on these online trading sites (ebay etc), does anyone who has used particularly Gumtree, have any hints or tips about how to do it properly and effectively?

I have 100% rating as a seller any buyer of 1327 items on Ebay both as a person and a business.

Top quality photo

Cover yourself with "If you have any questions/concerns please ask BEFORE purchase as buying will mean that you are 100% happy to do so"

In the space provided "NO RETURNS, ensure you are 100% happy before buying"


These cover you as a seller

jrthemoon ebay

[xpatUSA]

Payment:

After about 10 years on eBay, I can recommend PayPal as a payment method (with confirmed address on the Buyer's side). Some folks might have horror stories for you but, in my own experience, the risk is extremely low.

Shipping:

a) make sure to cover your cost + insurance + signature required, e.g. I'd add fifty bucks to the asking price and select "free shipping".

b) if you're confident of a UK sale, I wouldn't bother with the hassle and risk of international shipping.

Good luck w/the sale.

[george013]

Having just bought my Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS MkII lens, I've put my Sigma 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 APO DG OS up for sale on Gumtree.

Having never sold (or bought) anything on these online trading sites (ebay etc), does anyone who has used particularly Gumtree, have any hints or tips about how to do it properly and effectively?

Shipping = saying goodbye.

A serious buyer will hold and inspect the lens himself.
Ebay and Paypal have some protection build in, but mostly for the buyers. The view things I bought on Ebay like sites I did finish personal. Paying cash.

George

[JR1]

Payment:

After about 10 years on eBay, I can recommend PayPal as a payment method (with confirmed address on the Buyer's side). Some folks might have horror stories for you but, in my own experience, the risk is extremely low.

Shipping:

a) make sure to cover your cost + insurance + signature required, e.g. I'd add fifty bucks to the asking price and select "free shipping".

b) if you're confident of a UK sale, I wouldn't bother with the hassle and risk of international shipping.

Good luck w/the sale.

+1 i will only ever pay or accept paypal

[ajohnw]

I think paypal or cash on collection is the only way. If sent via the mail make sure you cover yourself for postage and insurance costs. I much prefer to use RM special delivery but the cost increases at 1kg and above. Parcel2go is more useful for larger heavier things really. I think ordinary post covers about 50 quid now. I usually use signed for just in case. There are dishonest buyers about.

I've bought a few things off Gumtree - visited and paid cash. Most things seem to be sold locally on that one but it is possible to search country wide. They warn about possible scams on their site.

Paypal offers some protection both ways so personally I will only buy things I haven't actually seen that way. One thing to watch out for is sellers who string things along appearing to help until the time limit paypal put on disputes has passed. I have had that happen to my cost and know others who have had the same problem. If there is a problem raise a dispute no matter how nice and helpful the person selling the item seems.

If I'm buying I wont use the fee paid option either - that's just sending money to some one and probably leaves PP a way out if goods are faulty. Can't blame them really, the fee helps cover their costs if things do go wrong. I've mostly found them helpful when I have had problems.

No returns accepted isn't really worth adding to an Ebay listing in the EU. I have found Ebay extremely helpful faced with that situation and needing to return an item. Only happens when I buy junk that shouldn't be. Actually they are glad to get rid of people who do that so don't mind upsetting them. In one case they insisted that the seller paid my return costs - sellers needn't do that if it's an auction but they did in 2 cases I had (one was a buy it now but the seller wasn't interested in paying for return costs). This can be a good reason to use buy it now. A fact worth remembering.

John
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[rpcrowe]

Donald... I have no experience with Gumtree but have sold several items on our local Craigslist.com...

If the sale is in-person, it is recommended that the seller meet the buyer in a neutral location (rather than having the buyer come to your home) during daylight hours. A parking lot of a police or fire station is often recommended for safety.

Of course, cash is the way to go. I would not accept a check or money order...

A common eBay scam in the USA is for the buyer to send you a money order for greater than the purchase price and then ask for a refund of the difference. Of course, the money order is not valid and the seller is not only out the cost of the item but, the amount refunded to the crook who is doing the "buying"....

BTW: Good luck and congratulations on your new camera and lens. That should be a wonderful combination for dog agility work...