Raising money using eBay
eBay provides a way to buy and sell items using their online website. Ask people to donate smaller items which can be offered for sale on eBay.
You will have to pay a small fee for each item being sold on eBay, allow for this cost.
You will also have to post the items to the buyers; so make sure that you add a sufficient postage and packing charge to cover this. You must package items properly and safely before posting them. If you are unfamiliar with eBay then I suggest that you restrict all sales to customers on mainland Britain. If an Irish customer buys an item then the postage charge will be more than expected!
If you have not used eBay before then you could find it awkward to use. Get someone to help you!
Do not charge too much for each item being sold. Check what similar items on eBay are being sold for. If you overprice it then it may not sell! You pay a commission, based on the price, to list an item on eBay, even if it doesn't sell!
Do understand that this means that you can list an item for a high price which will make you liable to pay a listing fee which could be anything from £10 upwards (depending on the price you want) and you have to pay that fee even if the item does not sell!!!!
You may get an opportunity to relist an unsold item without an extra charge, but you are still liable for the initial fee.
There is a bit of a balancing to consider when you pick the listing price. You want to make it as low as possible, e.g. making the listing price 99p. This cuts your costs but you may only get one bid or a number of bids in the low pounds. You will have to sell at this low price when you expected a lot more for the item.
If the items are donated then the best policy is to keep the listing price low to cut your costs and if you sell a good item for a very low price then that is what happens!
One way to help you get the best sale price is to ensure that you publicise the sale within the charity that you are collecting for. For example, the parents of a school should be told about the ebay fundraising event in advance. Tell the charity about your sale and ask themn to promote it on their website and in their newsletters. Perhaps a notice in the local newspaper could help attract more buyers. The more people who bid then the higher the sale price will be!
tip Pick smaller items which can be easily posted to the buyers! Make sure that you can package breakable items properly and cheaply. If they arrive broken or damaged then you will have to give the money back to the customer!
Never list an item which you do not physically have in your possession. Someone may promise to donate an item but they may fail to do so or the item may turn out to be not as you have described it or sold it online!
Important tip Always get a proof of postage from the post office for every item you send out. You will need this evidence if the item does not get delivered to the buyer. If you can prove that you posted it then the problem becomes the buyer's problem. If you cannot prove you posted it then you have to sort the problem out or repay all the buyers costs.