Selling on eBay - Orchid Board

Ben Belton · #1 05-20-2009, 10:32 PM

Has anyone sold any orchids on eBay?

I'm considering selling a couple plants to make space, and I've never sold anything on eBay before. Does anyone have a any tips on how to figure out shipping or plant restrictions to different states or how do deal with whacko people? :-)

Thanks in advance,
Ben

Pilot · #2 05-20-2009, 11:31 PM

I've bought off ebay before-- and all the plants have been excellent. The best I could suggest is to give as much info as you can but don't bog down the listing with good-to-know stuff...give the buyer something useful-- don't skimp on the photos and if possible post a photo of the ACTUAL flower and not the usual "this is what it should look like" deal-- thats irritating. Price accordingly, too... I don't know how much you expect but most phals (can't speak for other orchids) go for between 10 to 20 dollars for NOIDs and mongrels-- if you have a specific type-- a named type-- they fetch more.

Hope this helps!

camille1585 · #3 05-21-2009, 07:37 AM

I don't know about seliing on Ebay, but have you tried the classified section here? You might be able to sell some to OB people, which probably involves a lot less hassle.

Ray · #4 05-21-2009, 08:49 AM

I've done both buying and selling on eBay, and it's generally pretty straightforward.

Stuff will sell faster with a "buy it now" price, but you may make more if you allow bids.

As to shipping, you can simply estimate the packed-up weight, the use the rate calculator at USPS.com to get a price.

You cannot legally ship plants into AZ, CA, or HI without the proper certification from your home state.

Andrew · #5 05-21-2009, 09:30 AM

I've sold some of my excess plants on eBay but not a huge amount. Someone within the US will no doubt be able to help with the local issues eg the best postal carriers to use/which states have import restrictions etc. With regard to state restrictions, as a small seller it is not worth my effort to get certificates/permits for what the plants usually go for. I do not post plants to states with restrictions and I say which states I won't post to clearly in the ad. I also do not accept requests to send plants without certificates. Be honest with your postage and only charge the postage + the cost of packaging materials. Nothing irritates me more than sellers who bump up the postage to cover the cost of setting a low reserve. Allow discounted postage for multiple purchases. It will cut into your rating stats but buyers will be more inclined to bid for multiple items.

As for the item itself, don't sell garbage. Look at the price they go for on eBay, double it and if you wouldn't be happy to pay that amount of money for your plant from a commercial seller do not sell it. If you plants looks scrappy, have chewed leaves, root rot, etc, keep them and grow them on until they're worth buying. Do not sell a plant with any sign of insect infestation. As Ryan said, if you can post a picture of the plant and flower do it. People tend to overpay for orchids on eBay so make sure they know exactly what they're buying. Remember that eBay has removed the ability for sellers to leave negative feed so you'd better please the buyer. You can get around eBay's additional photo charges using a site like Auctiva which allows you to post multiple images on your listing at no more cost than a single image. If you're HTML savvy you may be able to link images from another site but I'm not so I haven't tried it and I don't know whether eBay permits this.

If you are a new eBayer do not expect your plants to sell for a lot. You are an unknown quantity and buyers are naturally wary of that. Set your price a little lower than equivalent listings to get the bargain hunters to take a punt on you. Sell your cheap plants first to get your seller rating up before you sell anything you think is actually worth a bit of money. Even if you have a good buyer rating you may want to do this anyway so that buyers know you can sell as well as buy.

As for the whackos, I honestly haven't come across many. At least none that have actually bid on my plants. If you're completely transparent with the buyer and sell a good product they'll have no basis to complain. Realistically buyers just want a seller who are honest. Give them that and they're happy.

Royal · #6 05-21-2009, 10:16 AM

Hi Ben,

I know the caliber of plants you'd be selling. You shouldn't have a problem. I've sold a few here, that might be worth a try. As for ebay, "actual plant" pics are a must for me as a buyer. I think it's the same as a buyers as it is for a seller - sometimes ebay rocks, but sometimes you just hate it. Good luck with the whackos!