Advice To Sellers
BIDEBAY ADVICE TO SELLERS
My minimum start price is £10 for an item, so if it's not worth that, then I'm afraid I won't take it. In general take a good look at your items before bringing them and bring them in as clean and ready for sale as possible.
As a guide, items sell at around one quarter of what you paid for them when new even if they are unused.
In general online auction services are ideal for quirky, unusual or interesting items. Run of the mill items tend not to sell. Only about one third of items I list online sell, so it will be unlikely I will be able to sell all your items.
I take up to 25 items at once.
1. CLOTHING
Clothing needs to be CLEAN and UNDAMAGED. If something has been hanging in the wardrobe for a long time, it will need rewashing to ensure it isn't musty. Cleaning just before bringing in is important if you have pets or are a smoker, as items need to be pet and smoke free for sale. If an item needs to be dry cleaned you may want to consider whether it will make enough money on selling to be worth cleaning. I cannot sell it uncleaned. I do not iron your clothing.
Clothing I take on must fall into one of two types
Modern/contemporary clothing that has a good name – think Marks and Spencer and better! Popular selling brands include White Stuff, Boden, Fat Face. I don't generally take on lesser brands, as they don't make enough money to be worth selling.
Retro clothing – here brand is less important than the look of the garment. If it looks really of a period, then it has a good chance of catching someone's eye online in photos.
2. CERAMICS/GLASS WARE
It is always a good idea to check these over, often there are chips and cracks that go un-noticed at first glance. Washing dirty items is important to present them at their best for sale. I do take damaged items, but will need to declare damage on listing, and that will diminish their value.
3. ELECTRICAL GOODS
Any portable appliance will need to be PAT tested before I am legally allowed to sell it. The item has to be tested ready for sale whether or not it subsequently sells. I make a small charge to get appliances tested at cost - £2 per item. If you bring in an electrical appliance, then it will need to wait for my monthly PAT test before listing.
4. FRAGILE ITEMS – COLLECT ONLY
Where an item is too fragile to be posted (large glazed pictures, for example), then I will list the item online as 'collect only'. These will be on display at the shop. Collect only items will achieve a lower price online, since they will only attract local rather than global buyers.
5. LARGER ITEMS – COLLECT ONLY
Where a customer wishes to sell a large item (for example, table and chairs), then an appointment needs to be booked for me to make a home visit to photograph and measure the item. For us to make a home visit you need to be within 5 miles of our shop. Please have the item ready for me to photograph (clear of items if possible, in a good position to photograph). I will then list online as 'collect only'. I then liaise between the winning bidder and the customer for them to collect and pay for the item. 'Collect Only' items will achieve a lower price online generally, since they will only attract local rather than global buyers.
6. SETTING A START PRICE FOR AUCTION LISTINGS
You can either do your own research, or come to me with information on the item for us to set a price based on past auction sales. In general the more information you can provide on the item the better, as this helps me to sell it.
Updated April 2023
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