I've never done any selling (or buying) on E-bay, but I do have a
couple of "splinters" to add to the general chip-pile...
1) PayPal definitely *does* charge for the conversion of the funds from
one system (like GBP) to another (like US dollars); they'd been doing
it even before our credit cards got onto the act. I started a PayPal
account when I started peddling the 2-Pair Inventions, to make things
easier (if more expensive <g>) for potential overseas customers. Like
Barbara, I opted for a private - no extra fees, no plastic option -
version, because I was not selling on E-Bay, and because the profit
margin - all of which is being plugged into The Lace Museum in
Sunnyvale CA - was low to begin with.
The fee schedule is a part of the initial sign-up, and is very clear
about how much goes into Pay-Pal's "service" fee and how much into the
cash transfer and conversion (or it used to be clear, 18 months ago;
there've been updates since). It's worth keeping track of (I haven't,
alas, since I had very few PayPal buyers <g>), so you can add those
onto the *buyer''s* account. And estimating - including the cost of
packing and posting - can be a bitch, unless you're willing to take a
loss (which you wouldn't be, especially since you're selling for
someone else), so you have to be very careful. I've had no problems in
the 3 "PayPal encounters", because I was dealing with Arachne
lacemakers - well-known (if only via e-mail) entities, who were no more
"out to get me" than I was "out to get them")
2) On Sep 25, 2005, at 17:39, Jane Viking Swanson wrote:
I sell things "as is" and the buyer can wash or iron it. I also advise
against ironing as it will set any stains.
I would "undersign with both hands" (to use a Polish phrase) that
particular piece of advice... Direct heat from an iron *sets* stains
and other problems (uneven yellowing, harsher wear on creases, etc)
till they can't be removed. Don't do it. I agree with Jane: either sell
"as is", or, at most, hang out for a few days (possibly in a steamy
bathroom for a few hours, then in a dry environment?) before
photographing.
One reason I'm doubtful about refurbishing in general (and totally
against inappropriate refurbishing) is that, some years ago, I watched
a neighbour spend *a ton* of money re-doing her house prior to the sale
(on advice from the realtor, too) - new paint, new carpets, the lot -
all to make it more inviting and sale-able. And then watched the buyer
tear out all those new carpets and place them on the curb for trash
pickup - they didn't suit her colour schemes... Perhaps it kept economy
on the whole "going", but both ladies were losers in the long run.
--
Tamara P Duvall http://t-n-lace.net/
Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
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