Tips for Selling on AtariAge and Beyond

[TPA5]

Tips and Tricks for Selling on AtariAge and Beyond

 

I thought I could contribute by putting together a guide on selling based on what I have witnessed here in the past months as new sellers come and go. If you have additions to the guide you believe would be useful, I’m open.

Updates made via suggestions from: atari2atari, save2600, maibock, Crazy Climber, Mendon

 

In my time here I have noticed that several sale topics generate the wrong kind of attention. From scammers to inexperienced sellers, the community here regards every sale topic with a certain amount of suspicion, unless it’s an established member. So how do you make your sale post trustworthy, and generate a sale? Read on, this is the Tips and Tricks for Selling on AtariAge and Beyond!

 

 

The Basics

 

If you read nothing else in this post, read this! There is one rule on selling that goes above everything else: Make it easy.

 

Make purchasing your item the easiest possible experience for prospective purchasers. From giving as much information you can in your post, to ensuring things like shipping quotes are quick and painless, you want everything to be simple for the buyer. Not only is it more likely to sell faster, you’ll end up with a more satisfied buyer. If people have to PM you for photos, pry information out of you, and ask 100 questions that could have been answered with good info in your post, then not only will it take longer to sell, people will be less likely to deal with you in the future. So make it easy! But how do you make it easy?

 

 

On Taking Photos

 

One of the most common requests you will see on AtariAge is “Do you have any pictures?” Pictures are crucial in selling an item; very few people will ever want to purchase anything sight-unseen. It is important then to have not only photos, but good ones! Thankfully, it’s easy to get good photos. First, here are 3 big photo do-not’s:

 

• Do not ask people to PM you for a picture. Put your picture in the post.
• Do not ask people to email you for the photo. This is even worse than PM’ing.
• Do not host photos on another site. Sending buyers away from AtariAge to broken, messy, or even unsavoury free image hosting sites is bad. There's more than enough space to host photos locally!

 

If you have a photo, post it in the topic. There is an option to upload attachments when you’re making a new topic.

This isn't a photography course, but I do enjoy photography and thus do know the basics. Here are some quick and easy tips for better photos of sale items:

 

• Utilize a decent camera. If you don’t even have a modern smartphone, see if you can borrow a camera from someone. There’s nothing worse than grainy, blurry photos. If you really want to sell some items, hunting down a camera is something you should do, even if you purchase a used digital camera for 30 bucks, it’ll be better than a cheap cell phone camera.
• Light, light, light! A basic tenant of photography is light. (Photographer actually means “drawer with light"). So snap on the lights in the room, get a lamp, or even better do it in a sun-filled room. The more light, the better things will look. Just be careful using a flash, it can blowout areas of the product, making it harder to see.
• Setting. There are very few things uglier than an image of something for sale, when it’s surrounded by clutter on a messy desk. Add a dash of professionalism to your images easily by setting a good scene. Have a couch or a chair? Throw a white (or other light colored) sheet over it and set up your items on top of it. You’ll have a nice clean, white background and your items will really stand out. If you’re selling items that are bright and/or white themselves, use a dark sheet. Simple!

 

Good photos aren't hard, and an extra few minutes of work can go a long way!

 

 

On Writing Descriptions

 

Now that you have some slick photos, follow it up with some good writing! You’re not trying to win a Pulitzer prize, but the better the grammar, the more attention to description you have, the better it looks. So take some time, accurately and carefully describe every item you’re selling. Check the spelling here: http://www.jspell.com/public-spell-checker.html

The better your topic is worded, the better you look and the more people will PM you. Some other tips include:

 

• Mention where you live. It doesn’t have to be right to your front door, but the general area can give people a good idea whether or not it’s worth PM’ing you. If you have a 20 pound item and are in the USA, folks from Canada or the UK won’t be interested unless they really want it, because shipping would cost a lot. Having a location saves you other people time.
• Be honest! Give every gritty detail about the item. If someone gets the item and finds something you didn’t mention, that’s bad.
• Use good grammar! That means punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure. You don’t need to be a novelist, but give your best effort. Basic rules of punctuation can be found here: http://www.wikihow.com/Use-English-Punctuation-Correctly
• Back yourself up! If you’re a new seller to AtariAge (or anywhere else you travel on the internet), be prepared to vouch for yourself. If you have eBay feedback, or feedback on other forums, link to it. People will not trust you if you’re a newcomer, and that’s just the way it is.
• Avoid spreadsheets! If you've made a nice spreadsheet with all your items, that's fantastic for personal collection tracking! However uploading a spreadsheet, or a picture of a spreadsheet, is very confusing for buyers. Just make a nice list in the topic, and if there's lots of items, alphabetize it using an online tool like this: http://alphabetizer.flap.tv/

 

Follow those basic rules, and the structure of your topic will be both pleasing to the eye and generate more interest. You’re almost at the end now, hang on!

 

 

On Pricing

 

Numbers make a big difference. Tack a simple zero onto ‘10’, and you can buy a heck of a lot more stuff with it. So when you’re pricing your items, be wary of the numbers you choose. Here are some tips:

 

• Do your reading! Research your item, check the value, ask around, find out how much others have sold for, and price yours accordingly. Take into account the condition, any extras you may have that others don’t, and so on. If your item has a bad price, no one’s going to be interested. If you feel you could barter on price, tell people! If you’re firm on the price, don’t tell people you’ll consider offers if you won’t.
• Be honest! Yes, I mentioned this earlier. But it’s important to be honest in all your dealings. If there are nicks, scratches, marks, and other factors which lower the value of your item, then price it lower.
• Put a price on it! Once you've researched a fair price, put it in the post! A post with items that lack prices, requiring the user to PM you simply to get a number, violates the number one rule of selling, "Make it easy".

 

No one is perfect. But there are some guidelines you can follow to be as good as you can possibly be

 

• Be nice! In everything be as polite as possible to everyone. Even if they ask a dumb question. The nicer you are, the better others will view you (this goes for stuff outside of the internet too).
• Own up! If you make a mistake, own up to it and fix it. Ignoring it, denying it, or trying to evade it will leave a bad taste. When you own up to your mistakes and fix them, you end up looking like a champ.
• Don't thread-crap! Thread-crapping is when someone is selling an item, and you come in and try to also sell the same item in another persons thread. Not good at all! Make your own thread for your items.

 

 

On Trading

 

Trading was the system used for thousands of years before humanity became "civilized". If one farmer had potatoes and another had carrots, they would trade produce so both would be better off. In this day and age, produce may not be traded as much but the mentality survives! Trading games/systems/equipment is still popular, and as such there are some guidelines that should be followed:

 

• Be fair! The golden rule of trading is to always be fair. Represent your items accurately, and don't try to manipulate or organize unfair trades. This includes trying to play off any ignorance the other party has about either the items they're trading, or the items you are trading.
• Be nice! This applies to ALL dealings you have, but especially in trades. Be polite in declining trades, and be polite in your offers.
• Stipulate shipping! When creating a topic, stipulate how you expect shipping costs to be paid. Most commonly both parties pay their own shipping costs. Again, be fair and honest.
• Track it! A package tracking number is even more vital when trading goods. It gives both members peace of mind, so make it easy and add that tracking number.

 

 

On Shipping

 

So you've sold the item, now it’s time to ship it. Make sure it gets there safe and sound:

 

• Pack it! When you’re packing up the item, assume it’s going to be drop-kicked out of a plane and land on a freeway. The more secure you pack things, the less likely it is to arrive damaged. If something arrives damaged because you packed it lazily, that’s bad. Use good packing material (bubble wrap, etc), a sturdy box, and enough tape to secure everything.
• Signatures! When shipping anything of decent value, try to add a tracking number and require signature confirmation. The tracking number gives peace of mind to everyone, and the signature confirmation protects you, requiring them to sign when they pick up the item.
• Insure it! If the item is of substantial value, put shipping insurance on it. If something unforeseen happens, you should be covered. Some members have reported that insurance can be difficult to collect on, so understand that it isn't infallible.

 

 

In Closing

 

At the end of the day, if you can sell an item and end up with a happy buyer, then you've done well. These guidelines are just that; guidelines. You don’t need to follow every single one, however if you take time and care putting your sale together, then you will find that your time here at AtariAge, and beyond, as a seller will be more successful.

Edited March 13, 2018 by TPA5

[guiltl3ss]

This is excellent! Thanks for the great information. I suggest pinning this for future reference.

[+save2600]

Nice!

 

Couple things I'd add are the annoyances of off site spreadsheets or those blasted picture hosting sites. Anything that takes you away from the original ad is just stupid IMO and those picture hosting sites are typically sloooooow!

 

If you've laid your collection out on a spreadsheet, great! Alphabetize things and then copy and paste into your Atari Age ad. Real simple stuff here. For people with a lot of wares, the importance of alphabetizing cannot be stressed enough!

[Bald_Bull_jr]

Your preaching to the choir, brother!

 

The guidelines in your post SHOULD be painfully obvious to ALL entering into any sort of business dealing, but apparently these things DO need to be stated!

(As I found out fairly recently, ughh...)

 

Allow me to RE-reiterate these golden nuggets:

 

 

" Pack it, wrap it! When you’re packing up the item, assume it’s going to be drop-kicked out of a plane at 30,000 feet and land on a freeway. That’s extreme of course, but the more secure you pack things, the less likely it is to arrive damaged. If something arrives damaged because you packed it lazily, that’s bad. Use bubble wrap, packing peanuts, lots of tape, and a good box.

• Sign here, please! When shipping anything of decent value, try to add a tracking number and require signature confirmation. The tracking number gives peace of mind to everyone, and the signature confirmation protects you, requiring them to sign when they pick up the item.
• Insure it! If the item is of substantial value, put shipping insurance on it. If something unforeseen happens, you’ll be covered."

[atari2atari]

Very cool, thanks taking the time to type all that up!

 

I agree, this could be a valuable sticky for the forum. Maybe add in something about being respectful and not thread-crapping, too, in the On Pricing and Perfection section?

 

-a2a

[TPA5]

This is excellent! Thanks for the great information. I suggest pinning this for future reference.

 

Thank you!

 

Nice!

 

Couple things I'd add are the annoyances of off site spreadsheets or those blasted picture hosting sites. Anything that takes you away from the original ad is just stupid IMO and those picture hosting sites are typically sloooooow!

 

If you've laid your collection out on a spreadsheet, great! Alphabetize things and then copy and paste into your Atari Age ad. Real simple stuff here. For people with a lot of wares, the importance of alphabetizing cannot be stressed enough!

 

Thanks! Excellent ideas, I'll add them to the guide.

 

 

Very cool, thanks taking the time to type all that up!

 

I agree, this could be a valuable sticky for the forum. Maybe add in something about being respectful and not thread-crapping, too, in the On Pricing and Perfection section?

 

-a2a

 

My pleasure! The thread-crapping is a good suggestion, especially since I've seen it happen from time-to-time. Thanks for the suggestion!

[guiltl3ss]

I hate to ask, but what is thread crapping? Thanks!

[TPA5]

I hate to ask, but what is thread crapping? Thanks!

 

Let's say someones selling Asteroids for the 2600, and you make a reply in the thread saying you also have a copy of Asteroids for the 2600 for sale. Basically trying to hijack the thread for your own sale. It doesn't happen often here, but when it does it's super frustrating for the original poster!

[guiltl3ss]

Oh lame! I saw that on gtz the other week. Its so tacky to do something like that. Ugh. Thanks for the info!

[maibock]

As a buyer and rarely(if ever!)a seller, I like this list as it helps make a purchase. I'd go a bit further with pricing and say that it's a great idea to actually suggest a price. I'm an impulse buyer and if I see something I like and it rings my bell price wise, I'm in - take my money! I'll usually shutdown if I get in return of an inquiry when I ask how much, "How much do you think it's worth?"

 

So many times online and at game conventions(let alone flea markets) do you see various items without prices and playing hunt the wumpus on price is a huge BORE.

 

Nice list though..

[atari2atari]

 

Let's say someones selling Asteroids for the 2600, and you make a reply in the thread saying you also have a copy of Asteroids for the 2600 for sale. Basically trying to hijack the thread for your own sale. It doesn't happen often here, but when it does it's super frustrating for the original poster!

 

 

Oh lame! I saw that on gtz the other week. Its so tacky to do something like that. Ugh. Thanks for the info!

 

The practice of providing unsolicited pricing advice in someone else's thread is also grouped under "thread crapping."

 

It's great to step up and provide some obvious caution for certain things (<ahem>ludicrously priced VGA-graded copies of extremely low-value games), however every single post with a few cartridges or systems does not require comments on the value, or that you think you saw it on eBay for less, or found it at a yard sale for $3, so it must be $3.

 

Something is overpriced? Excellent, let it die quietly and move down the page . . . if the Original Poster asks "why isn't this selling?" it might be time to provide advice, but in general, most people don't want or need other folks commenting on their price choices.

 

Mind you, not everyone shares this opinion, but many major trading forums have adopted it and tend to abide by it. And, those forums tend to be the ones that see the most posts and the higher-quality items.

 

[Crazy Climber]

And don't put "Make an offer" when you know damn well how much you want for it, lol

[maibock]

Speaking of take my money please - Did you ever get back into the metal fabricating Bryan?

[Rev]

And don't put "Make an offer" when you know damn well how much you want for it, lol

 

yes, i dont like 'make an offer', i used it maybe once recently and had no offers! I knew better!

 

and i actually NEVER make anyone an offer myself, i generally avoid them.

[TPA5]

Updates made from the great suggestions, thanks guys!

[Crazy Climber]

Speaking of take my money please - Did you ever get back into the metal fabricating Bryan?

Hey man! Yeah, I've been casually doing some stuff, thanks for asking I have the following wall sets I've made

- Space Invaders

- Berzerk

- Asteroids

And have made a few signs/etc for people. Here are a few of them...

Edited February 26, 2014 by Crazy Climber

[tremoloman2006]

Great Post! Now can we make eBay do the same???

[TPA5]

Great Post! Now can we make eBay do the same???

 

eBay is a lost cause, there's no hope for them now.

[Mendon]

Excellent thread!!

 

The only thing I can add is that while insuring an item is great in concept, trying to collect on that insurance is a royal pain in the ass. Three times in the past I've had to file a claim and after the inspectors viewed the package, they always refused paying out, saying the item wasn't packaged properly. Even though 90ft of bubblewrap and a dump truck full of peanuts was used, it is never enough for the UPS/Post Office people.

[TPA5]

Excellent thread!!

 

The only thing I can add is that while insuring an item is great in concept, trying to collect on that insurance is a royal pain in the ass. Three times in the past I've had to file a claim and after the inspectors viewed the package, they always refused paying out, saying the item wasn't packaged properly. Even though 90ft of bubblewrap and a dump truck full of peanuts was used, it is never enough for the UPS/Post Office people.

 

Thanks for the input, and insight! I've never had to collect on insurance, so I wasn't sure how the process works. I think for now I'll leave the line in there, maybe with a caveat.

[eightbit]

Great thread. Very informative and hopefully helps resolve selling issues that have been occurring lately. Good show!

 

On an off topic, I just had to say that those metal fabrications are freakin' awesome man!

[maibock]

Yeah he does great work - mine are almost all gone as my college kids have taken some off to school and then friends love them and they take more up. Nice to know somewhere up at Penn State there are brushed aluminum space invaders adorning the walls

[TPA5]

Added a section on guidelines for trades. Let me know if any edits should be made to that section!

 

 

(And a shameless bump)

[bennybingo]

This definitely needs to be pinned!!! Great post!!!!

 

I would add one more thing though...

 

If you plan to ignore the rules of this thread, or scam anyone on AA, I hope you are prepared to get Shatnered!!!!!

 

***click to animate

 

[Blazing Lazers]

This has been said above already but it needs to be said again: ENOUGH WITH THE OFF-SITE SPREADSHEETS!!!!! STOP MAKING ME GO TO GOOGLE DOCS!!!!

 

Especially for Vectrex items- you could have a CIB Mr. Boston for only $50 shipped but if it's on some frickin Google Docs spreadsheet I'm not even going to bother looking or inquiring. Just take the extra few seconds to post a list of what ya've got!

Edited April 11, 2014 by Blazing Lazers