Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


mattwnz

20111 posts

Uber Geek


#194932 30-Mar-2016 21:05
Send private message

I have been asked to sell some things online for a family member, who doesn't have the time to do it themselves, as they have busy work and family lives. I told them they would be better to sell the stuff themselves, and they can keep all the profit, but they said they didn't have the time. It isn't something I really want to do but will help them if they want it.  These are second hand things/junk they have in the garage, there are a few things that maybe worth $100, but I doubt the rest will make much above $30-50.  I was wondering peoples opinions on what sort of money split would be considered fair for doing this. I would need to clean some of the things up etc, and would be doing all the actual selling and handling for them. I would price them fairly high to begin with so they get good price, rather than price them at $1 reserves, and I would be storing all the stuff too.  So far 50-50 split is a suggestion I have been given considering I am doing all the leg work, and the auction website takes around 10% itself. Would be interested in peoples opinions. 


View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic
 1 | 2
Finch
2849 posts

Uber Geek


  #1522965 30-Mar-2016 21:18
Send private message

I'd say 60/40 (In favour of you), however if you like the person, 50/50 is good.

 

 

 

They are basically giving you their stuff and asking you to sell it, plus you are doing all the work, 50/50 at the minimum.




mattwnz

20111 posts

Uber Geek


  #1522969 30-Mar-2016 21:22
Send private message

Finch:

 

I'd say 60/40 (In favour of you), however if you like the person, 50/50 is good.

 

 

 

They are basically giving you their stuff and asking you to sell it, plus you are doing all the work, 50/50 at the minimum.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your opinion and it is similar to others I have had.


Handle9
11289 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1522977 30-Mar-2016 21:56
Send private message

Personally I'd do it for free or not at all. YMMV.




gzt

gzt
17006 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #1522997 30-Mar-2016 22:36
Send private message

TradeMe stuff does not sell like it used to. Since you have to move it anyway one good option is take it all to a large local saturday morning market and come home with as little as possible.

If you have never done it, it is kind of a fun day. Any leftovers offer to another stall holder at too good to refuse. Sure there will be some items that get max value only on TradeMe you can take those home after.

gzt

gzt
17006 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #1523020 30-Mar-2016 22:40
Send private message

Oh yeah I forgot to say the stall will cost you anywhere from $5-$20.

Compare that to TradeMe fees : ).

reven
3737 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #1523059 31-Mar-2016 06:50
Send private message

For family, I would do it for free (but get reimbursed sellers fees on TM/shipping, very close family I'd pay for that myself).  

 

For friends, I'd take a 25% cut after the fees/shipping/clean up costs.  anything more and you're being very greedy IMO (just my opinion).


xpd

xpd
Geek @ Coastguard NZ
13730 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod
ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1523100 31-Mar-2016 09:04
Send private message

I avoid selling on behalf, you end up with questions you cant answer, grumpy buyers if things aren't as described etc as well as fees etc if using TM. 

 

The other fun thing, is when youve been told to keep a percentage of profit made, and the item sells well above expectations, and then the owner wants more than the agreed amount.... 8/10 ends up in disputes.

 

But maybe thats just me... :)

 

 





       Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

 

                      LinkTree

 

 

 


 
 
 

Backblaze Unlimited Backup. World’s easiest cloud backup. Get peace of mind knowing your files are backed up securely in the cloud (affiliate link).
andrew027
1286 posts

Uber Geek


  #1523257 31-Mar-2016 11:51
Send private message

You don't say what kind of items these things are, but...

 

You have to: go to their house; sort thought a bunch of stuff; clean some of it up, maybe a little repair or two; photograph it; figure out what it's worth; create the auctions on Trade Me; pay the initial listing fees out of your TM account; deal with a bunch of questions, some of which you probably won't know the answers to; monitor the auctions; correspond with successful purchasers about payment, collection, delivery, etc.; package stuff and post or courier it, unless you specify pickup only; divide up the money left after success fees are deducted; deal with any negative feedback because the purchaser wasn't happy; and figure out what to do with anything left over that doesn't sell.

 

If you ask me, if your family member is so time poor that you have to do all this for them, they should be paying you to take their junk away and any money you make is yours. I'd suggest instead that they identify a few of the more valuable items that might be worth putting on TM and cut their losses on the low value stuff and give it away to the thrift shop of their choice.


tchart
2371 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #1523270 31-Mar-2016 12:06
Send private message

andrew027:

 

You don't say what kind of items these things are, but...

 

You have to: go to their house; sort thought a bunch of stuff; clean some of it up, maybe a little repair or two; photograph it; figure out what it's worth; create the auctions on Trade Me; pay the initial listing fees out of your TM account; deal with a bunch of questions, some of which you probably won't know the answers to; monitor the auctions; correspond with successful purchasers about payment, collection, delivery, etc.; package stuff and post or courier it, unless you specify pickup only; divide up the money left after success fees are deducted; deal with any negative feedback because the purchaser wasn't happy; and figure out what to do with anything left over that doesn't sell.

 

If you ask me, if your family member is so time poor that you have to do all this for them, they should be paying you to take their junk away and any money you make is yours. I'd suggest instead that they identify a few of the more valuable items that might be worth putting on TM and cut their losses on the low value stuff and give it away to the thrift shop of their choice.

 

 

Exactly. Nowadays I'm very hesitant to list low value stuff on TM (for myself) for the very reasons above.

 

I recently had a clear out of and put a few things on for $1 reserve. I didn't even want the $1, I just wanted them to go to somewhere they would be used. The hassle of emailing traders, posting stuff (when I said pick up only) was a right PITA.

 

For my second lot of stuff I just chucked it in a box and dropped it off at the salvation army shop while doing some other errands. Much less hassle and feel good factor far outweighed listing on TM.

 

So just to repeat what others said I would just say "I cant do it".

 

TLDR; even selling stuff for $1 costs you time and money.


ben28
189 posts

Master Geek


  #1523286 31-Mar-2016 12:26
Send private message

Lots of guess work in my approach.  Put a value on your hourly rate, guess how many hours work is required, guess at the sale price.

 

Then you could propose a flat fee, or use the data to come up with a best guess percentage of the money.

 

 


mattwnz

20111 posts

Uber Geek


  #1523434 31-Mar-2016 15:52
Send private message

Charities these days tend to be quite selective on what they will take,and they often don't know the value of things when they sell it. That is why you can do quite well shopping at some of these charity stores, and am sure professional traders buy some stuff from them at low prices.

 

I was thinking of just putting some of the stuff on auctions for low amounts to get rid of it quickly, and maybe take 25% for my effort. But I could also clean some of the stuff up and present it well and put it on for double the price, and it would likely take longer to sell. I would be adding value by putting in the time to clean the stuff up, which would take several hours. I think if it was the later I would charge 50%, as they too would be doing better out of it. eg 75% of half the price, is less than they would make  than 50% of double the price, so it is a win-win for both. Otherwise it isn't worth my time dealing with buyers. I have used this method when selling my own stuff, where something well presented does sell at a better price. But I think if they are asking me to do it, they have to be realistic and respectful that I am spending my time doing it, and they are also getting rid of junk they aren't using, so they have to pay a fair commission. For example a Real estate agent selling a house for a friend will still expect a commission. They won't  do it for free.  If they don't have the time to do it themselves, then they are really valuing the stuff at nothing anyway, so 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing. What I think they should do is tell me the amount they want for teh item, so anything I make over that, I keep. But potentially they could do a lot worse out of it, eg I sell and item for $150, and they only  wanted $50 for it, so I think the sharing of the profit is far more fair for both.


xpd

xpd
Geek @ Coastguard NZ
13730 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod
ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1523436 31-Mar-2016 15:56
Send private message

mattwnz:

 

Charities these days tend to be quite selective on what they will take,and they often don't know the value of things when they sell it. That is why you can do quite well shopping at some of these charity stores, and am sure professional traders buy some stuff from them at low prices.

 

 

 

 

 

Yup... had a friend try to give a local op shop an older LCD TV (was a 19" or something - nothing wrong with it) and he got told "we only accept 32"+ and under 5 years old" - beggars can be choosers apparently....

 

 





       Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

 

                      LinkTree

 

 

 


mattwnz

20111 posts

Uber Geek


  #1523440 31-Mar-2016 16:01
Send private message

xpd:

 

mattwnz:

 

Charities these days tend to be quite selective on what they will take,and they often don't know the value of things when they sell it. That is why you can do quite well shopping at some of these charity stores, and am sure professional traders buy some stuff from them at low prices.

 

 

 

 

 

Yup... had a friend try to give a local op shop an older LCD TV (was a 19" or something - nothing wrong with it) and he got told "we only accept 32"+ and under 5 years old" - beggars can be choosers apparently....

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is surprising, because they should easily be able to sell that for even $10. Maybe the paper work wasn't worth their time. It is all about time and effort when selling things.


andrew027
1286 posts

Uber Geek


  #1523444 31-Mar-2016 16:15
Send private message

xpd: Yup... had a friend try to give a local op shop an older LCD TV (was a 19" or something - nothing wrong with it) and he got told "we only accept 32"+ and under 5 years old" - beggars can be choosers apparently.... 

 

Out of courtesy, did your friend give them all the relevant connections? The op shop staff might have gone down to Dick Smith to get an HDMI cable and backed out when they saw it would cost more than they'd get for the TV.


linw
2843 posts

Uber Geek


  #1523446 31-Mar-2016 16:20
Send private message

Charities don't want 230V elec goods as they have to get an electrician sign off.

 

OP, i would take aboard andrew027's post above!


 1 | 2
View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic





News and reviews »

Amazfit Expands Active 2 Lineup with the New Active 2 Square
Posted 23-Jun-2025 14:49


Logitech G522 Gaming Headset Review
Posted 18-Jun-2025 17:00


Māori Artists Launch Design Collection with Cricut ahead of Matariki Day
Posted 15-Jun-2025 11:19


LG Launches Upgraded webOS Hub With Advanced AI
Posted 15-Jun-2025 11:13


One NZ Satellite IoT goes live for customers
Posted 15-Jun-2025 11:10


Bolt Launches in New Zealand
Posted 11-Jun-2025 00:00


Suunto Run Review
Posted 10-Jun-2025 10:44


Freeview Satellite TV Brings HD Viewing to More New Zealanders
Posted 5-Jun-2025 11:50


HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch Review
Posted 3-Jun-2025 14:40


Flip Phones Are Back as HMD Reimagines an Iconic Style
Posted 30-May-2025 17:06


Hundreds of School Students Receive Laptops Through Spark Partnership With Quadrent's Green Lease
Posted 30-May-2025 16:57


AI Report Reveals Trust Is Key to Unlocking Its Potential in Aotearoa
Posted 30-May-2025 16:55


Galaxy Tab S10 FE Series Brings Intelligent Experiences to the Forefront with Premium, Versatile Design
Posted 30-May-2025 16:14


New OPPO Watch X2 Launches in New Zealand
Posted 29-May-2025 16:08


Synology Premiers a New Lineup of Advanced Data Management Solutions
Posted 29-May-2025 16:04









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.