epay...radio costs

[Smokinone]

Well, I really wondered why the radios and other items were listed and selling for such high prices. Evidently epay charges have really gone wild since I last sold anything.
Almost $60 in fees for a $150 item sold. Evidently the charges are based on item, shipping,tax...crazy.
Just a rant, now back to your regular programming.

 

[doffo]

I have not sold on eBay in a couple of years but been meaning to so that I can unload stuff I hardly use. I do my best to set a shipping price. Usually do just use the Priority Boxes on smaller stuff, so I just call it a flat $18, but even in today's stuff, that is undercutting so may have to raise it up to $20 to make it even worth your time.

Last I knew they charge a certain percentage depending on what the item sells for. I will have to dig out that chart to see what they do now.

 

[doffo]

Here is the link to what they currently charge in fees.


eBay selling fees.

 

[unit_399]

I never sell anything on Ebay, so I can't comment on that. CB pricing always goes through the roof whenever we go into a solar skip cycle, and we are at the peak of this cycle right now. In a couple of years when the DX dies down, cb prices will go back down too.
Also, Let's face it. The majority of CBers now are older retired folks like me. Our homes are paid for, and we get our monthly pension checks and Social Security so we have money to spend. If we see something we really want, we buy it regardless of price or what the better half says ( well. . . maybe).

I think that this will probably be the penultimate DX cycle for most of us. When cycle 26 starts in 2031, a lot of us will be long gone, and Cbing will be gradually dying out. It's been a fun ride.

- J.J. 399

 

[Keto]

I remember selling something on eBay I think it was expensive DE safety razor.
I listed only in the US as I didn't want to ship abroad and the guy that bought it somehow I had an account out of Russia but had an US address so I had to pay extra for his out of country acct.
That's pretty bad though $60 for $150 item, terrible.

 

[walterjn]

I don't bother selling anything there, I do look, and occasionally buy something.
I have been looking for one of those black face Uniden Grant XL for years. I've seen only one on fleabay, and it was at a time when I didn't have the extra funds to drop on it.

 

[BC Coyote]

When cycle 26 starts in 2031, a lot of us will be long gone, and Cbing will be gradually dying out

I heard this same thing during cycles 24 and 25 too ! Yet here we are and the band is as crowded as ever. It appears that while the majority of CB users are older folks there are a surprising number of younger people on the air as well.
I am quite certain the band will still have plenty of users when the next cycle starts eight or nine years from now ! Though I will venture to guess there will be far fewer AM users, and a lot more on SSB and possibly FM.

 

[guitar_199]

I never sell anything on Ebay, so I can't comment on that. CB pricing always goes through the roof whenever we go into a solar skip cycle, and we are at the peak of this cycle right now. In a couple of years when the DX dies down, cb prices will go back down too.
Also, Let's face it. The majority of CBers now are older retired folks like me. Our homes are paid for, and we get our monthly pension checks and Social Security so we have money to spend. If we see something we really want, we buy it regardless of price or what the better half says ( well. . . maybe).

I think that this will probably be the penultimate DX cycle for most of us. When cycle 26 starts in 2031, a lot of us will be long gone, and Cbing will be gradually dying out. It's been a fun ride.

- J.J. 399

I was going to say........

Seems like 4 or 5 years ago ....average 23 channels were $10-$15 US ... and 40 channels were $20 to $25 US. It's CRAZY now.

What you say makes sense....

 

[Smokinone]

As they got bigger, they got greedy...in my opinion. I have sold items from the time when it was more like a on-line yard sale. Mostly people clearing out what they had laying around and weren't using. Very little commercial sales, selling prices and seller fees were straight forward, simple and mostly fair.
They're big business and kind of cater to business rather than individual. I guess if you have a store you get a kinda break, but then you have store fees to go along with the other fees.
For a part time seller it doesn't make sense, although you do get a large buyer exposure or audience. But then you have to jack up prices for the buyer rather than be able to get a decent price average for both the buyer and seller. But i guess like what was said, if the buyer is OK with the higher prices, then it's OK, but then I feel kinda bad having to do it that way just as a fairness play.
Mixed bag.

Great comments.

 

[Dmans]

Where did the "True" auctions go? Most everything I see now is listed with a "Buy it Now" price-or at the very least, a "Starting" price that is more than the item is worth.

73
David

 

[Niceguy71]

I like E-bay for buying stuff and always had good luck... until the last 6 months.... I love handheld CB radios.... I want to have one or two of every model ever made.... LOT OF HANDHELDS!... I have over 50 now..... I will test them for power output and do range tests on each one... I like to go for 5 mile walks and will see how far each one with the Amazon aftermarket 51 inch antenna's do.... that will be my retirement hobby.... and when I find the best one I'll buy 10 of them for prepping..... so I was buying a couple a week... and I would always make sure the ad description said TESTED and WORKING.... if it did I bought it... well 80% of the time they don't transmit??? so I have to return it, big pain in the neck,,,, the people selling them have no idea how to use them and of course can't talk to anyone to make sure it's working ( they only have one handheld CB)... so now for everyone I get... I spend Saturday packing them back up and going to the post office to mail them back! there was a rare GE model that I wanted. and it said untested no returns... I took a $30.00 chance.... when it came I couldn't get the battery cover off.... I finally pried and had to cut it off as the plastic melted to the plastic body....it still had the Duracell batteries in it from the 1998! the whole plastic back of the CB was melted away... the board was melted all the wires had come apart.... I can't believe anyone would have the guts to sell it as untested not sure if it works, no returns.
I also sold my 1989 Cobra 148 GTL that was brand new in the box... I never got around to putting up a base antenna and when I did in Oct 2023. I wanted a Anytone 5555 N II... so I learned that people buy this stuff on Ebay open it up and swap parts and then say it doesn't work and return it!!!! so I had to sell it for parts no returns.... so E-bay is now my last resort for CB stuff.

BTW.... I found the newer handhelds put out more watts than the old ones... I hadn't expected that.... the Randy FCC II dead keyed 3.35 watts and modulated to 14 watts the Cobra HH 50 dead keyed at 2.9 watts and modulated to 13 watts..... but I was SHOCKED to see the Uniden Pro HH 501 hand held CB on low power dead keyed 1 watt and modulated to 10???? WOW ... then on HIGH power it dead keyed 3.50 watts and modulated to 20 watts!!!!! but it doesn't sound very good when I talk to my base with it... so I have to see what it will do and how clear it is.

 

[BC Coyote]

I also sold my 1989 Cobra 148 GTL that was brand new in the box...

Ouch ! That hurts !
The value of those older Cobra's is going up and up and up and up. Someone offered me an ungodly amount for my 1994 Cobra 148GTL side mic recently.
Needless to say, I'm not selling it............until it can fund my retirement LOL!

 

[Keto]

I like E-bay for buying stuff and always had good luck... until the last 6 months.... I love handheld CB radios.... I want to have one or two of every model ever made.... LOT OF HANDHELDS!... I have over 50 now..... I will test them for power output and do range tests on each one... I like to go for 5 mile walks and will see how far each one with the Amazon aftermarket 51 inch antenna's do.... that will be my retirement hobby.... and when I find the best one I'll buy 10 of them for prepping..... so I was buying a couple a week... and I would always make sure the ad description said TESTED and WORKING.... if it did I bought it... well 80% of the time they don't transmit??? so I have to return it, big pain in the neck,,,, the people selling them have no idea how to use them and of course can't talk to anyone to make sure it's working ( they only have one handheld CB)... so now for everyone I get... I spend Saturday packing them back up and going to the post office to mail them back! there was a rare GE model that I wanted. and it said untested no returns... I took a $30.00 chance.... when it came I couldn't get the battery cover off.... I finally pried and had to cut it off as the plastic melted to the plastic body....it still had the Duracell batteries in it from the 1998! the whole plastic back of the CB was melted away... the board was melted all the wires had come apart.... I can't believe anyone would have the guts to sell it as untested not sure if it works, no returns.
I also sold my 1989 Cobra 148 GTL that was brand new in the box... I never got around to putting up a base antenna and when I did in Oct 2023. I wanted a Anytone 5555 N II... so I learned that people buy this stuff on Ebay open it up and swap parts and then say it doesn't work and return it!!!! so I had to sell it for parts no returns.... so E-bay is now my last resort for CB stuff.

BTW.... I found the newer handhelds put out more watts than the old ones... I hadn't expected that.... the Randy FCC II dead keyed 3.35 watts and modulated to 14 watts the Cobra HH 50 dead keyed at 2.9 watts and modulated to 13 watts..... but I was SHOCKED to see the Uniden Pro HH 501 hand held CB on low power dead keyed 1 watt and modulated to 10???? WOW ... then on HIGH power it dead keyed 3.50 watts and modulated to 20 watts!!!!! but it doesn't sound very good when I talk to my base with it... so I have to see what it will do and how clear it is.

I've got a couple of dyna.com 23 Lafayette laying around. PM me and if you want I'll send you pictures and they're yours for shipping cost from MO

 

[Niceguy71]

Ouch ! That hurts !
The value of those older Cobra's is going up and up and up and up. Someone offered me an ungodly amount for my 1994 Cobra 148GTL side mic recently.
Needless to say, I'm not selling it............until it can fund my retirement LOL!

I sold the Cobra 148 GTL for $625 and bought a Anytone 5555 N II GREAT base station ... got a much better radio and $365 in my pocket.... I'm going to do it again with my President Grant Export from 1989 too.... AM FM SSB 480 channels... 12 watts on AM/FM 27 watts on SSB and it has an Astatic 75-m6 mic... I already bought my 2nd Quad 5.... but that old President Grant is working so darn good in my Ford pick-up ....talking skip all across the country on SSB and 20 to 30 miles local on AM....... so I'm in no rush to sell it....but I hope I'm smart enough to sell it before the capacitors start failing on a 35 year old radio

 

[walterjn]

I sold the Cobra 148 GTL for $625 and bought a Anytone 5555 N II GREAT base station ... got a much better radio and $365 in my pocket.... I'm going to do it again with my President Grant Export from 1989 too.... AM FM SSB 480 channels... 12 watts on AM/FM 27 watts on SSB and it has an Astatic 75-m6 mic... I already bought my 2nd Quad 5.... but that old President Grant is working so darn good in my Ford pick-up ....talking skip all across the country on SSB and 20 to 30 miles local on AM....... so I'm in no rush to sell it....but I hope I'm smart enough to sell it before the capacitors start failing on a 35 year old radio

Shit, recap, and align it and keep it going in that truck...