| Until a few years ago, car
boot sales were a fairly reliable way of buying and selling
vintage electronics. Not any more, though - people have discovered
the benefits of selling directly to collectors, and the biggest
collectors' marketplace by far is the eBay
online auction website. For details of how to register
as an eBay seller, see the official eBay Seller's
Guide.
Tips and advice
- Make it clear what you are selling. Is
the item in good condition? Is it boxed or not? The resale
value of an item will vary significantly depending on its
condition and packaging. A mint condition Sinclair product
in its original box will fetch considerably more than a
worn unpackaged item.
- Choose the correct category in which to sell the
item. You have more chance of selling your item
if you list it in the correct category in the first place.
For Sinclair magazines and books, this would be [category].
- Use the right terminology. Because so
many auctions are ongoing at any one time, most users rely
on the eBay search engine to find a specific item. This
means that using the right keywords in the headline of your
auction is crucial - don't bury them in the body text, as
the basic search option only searches the headlines. Always
include the official name of the item, as given on the packaging
or case, and be as specific as possible. For instance, if
you are selling an issue of Sinclair User, use
"Sinclair User magazine number 123" as your headline
rather than, say, "Vintage computer magazine".
- Provide a photograph. You can greatly
increase your chance of selling an item (and boosting the
sale price) by providing an image to illustrate it. People
prefer to see what they are buying, and this has a big influence
on their buying behaviour.
- Don't overprice your item. It can often
be hard to work out how much your item is worth, particularly
in the case of rare items. Check the Price
Monitor page to see approximate average sale
values of items on eBay. Please note that just because something
is rare, it isn't necessarily worth a lot of money!
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©
Chris Owen 1994-2003 |
