Hey - you've got to start somewhere - may as well be a guitar.  Some people may be turned off by your low rating, but not everyone.  To cover your butt you can if you wish put in a reserve at the lowest amount you would be willing to accept, just in case the auction gets a low response.  You can also make the item more attractive by offering a 48 hour inspection period, with the buyer paying all the shipping of course.  And even though lots of people hate PayPal, there are lots of buyers who will not buy unless it is accepted.  Inlude LOTS of pictures and include mesurements of action and relief if you can get them.

I know eBay is supposed to be a jungle now, but I've sold over 350 items, including a half dozen guitars, with no problems (and still have a 100% rating).

If you put your picture from your posts here, on Ebay EVERYBODY will stop by and take notice.

Tony

DP;

I, too, have been thinking about selling on Ebay.  At first I was worried about shipping, but with all the POs Are Us the shipping is the easy part.  And then how to collect (I've used paypal as a buyer, have no idea how it would work as a seller).  And then the people you have to deal with and their expectations.  I suspect the best bet is to be as honest as you can about what you selling and look for good ratings in your buyers.  In short, I can't help you, but I'll be interested in your experience.  Steve's advice sounded good to me.  Good luck!

I have never been really good at dealing with selling stuff to people I don't really know.  When I have guitars or gear to sell, I either trade it for something else, sell it on consignment through The Podium, or directly to a friend who knows me and how I treat my gear.  You might want to peruse some of the forums (AGF?) to see what advice comes from any of the threads that deal with this subject.  Another possibility is to sell through one of those "broker" places that sells your stuff on Ebay.  Having never tried that, I have no idea how big a cut they take from your profits.  I think the main thing is to have a contingency plan in case you run into a problematic buyer (i.e. what will PayPal or Ebay do on your behalf, or is their some means of doing these deals that minimizes your risk...).  I personally know a couple of people who have sold larger ticket items through Ebay (riding lawnmowers, stuff like that) and have never had any problems.

Good luck,

Tony

DP:

I've sold about ten guitars in my village--to people I know and trust, and who trust me.  I give them unbeatable deals.  First I determine a resonable value of the guitar. Then I take off possible shipping expenses, what it's been worth to me as a rental, and the hassle and expense it would take to move it through Ebay, Craig's list, or  the newspaper.   By the time I've made my deductions, my friends and neighbors have the deal of the century.  In short, I basically give it away, counting it as a brief gift from the guitar gods.  You may not want to do it my way. 

I have sold countless high end guitars on ebay.  Fed Ex has screwd up two so I never use them again.  UPS to a confirmed address with tracking and insurance.  Pay Pal is fine.  Accept nothing else.  E-checks take a week to clear so dont ship till it clears.  No international shipping.  Might stay away from less than 3-5 feedbacks at first.  I list every ding if any, inperfection everything.  No surprises.  I have never ever had a complaint and have made many good guitar friends doing so.  Good luck.

DP, I agree that you just need to document everything.  I've sold several guitars on eBay, and one just last week because of, although not actually through eBay.  (The buyer contacted me and offered me less than the starting price of the auction.  But he was local - we met in a parking lot, he got to examine the guitar, and I got CASH.  It was worth discounting for the convenience.)

I always start my auctions at the lowest amount that I would take for an item; I don't like the Reserve system.  By listing at a price that I'd accept if that's all I got I'm okay with the sale, and my potential customers don't have to guess.  I don't like bidding on Reserve itmes either though, so take that into consideration.

As a new seller, you need to be aware that PayPal won't release funds to you until the item has been delivered or positive feedback is given.  So you need to be SURE to input the tracking information - and I recommend including it both on the eBay listing and at PayPal.  I agree that UPS is the way to go, but you won't be able to ship from a UPS Store if you're going to insure an item for $1000 or higher - they simply won't take it (although you can do $999).  That means you'll need to pay a small surcharge ($8 iirc) for UPS to pick the item up.  If you take the guitar to an actual UPS HUB, they'll be able to ship it, but their requirements for packaging (when dropped off at a hub) are ridiculous.  You could easily pay an extra $50 for double-box pacjaging with a 2" separation between the containers.  USPS is pretty much out because of Paypal requiring POD.

You should really consider listing the item on Craigslist as well.  Keep in mind that CL is going to have people making offers for less than your listing price - it's the nature of the beast.  But I've also sold many things through CL; it's really nice when you can conduct CASH business face-to-face.

Good luck!

I buy a lot on ebay and I was never concerned whether feedback is from being a buyer or seller.  What I always look for is a history of positive transactions.  If a person only a 1 to 10 transactions I tend not to bid.  Paypal however,may have changed that for me by their guarentees.  I may not be as concerned but I just like someone with a record of successful transactions.

Steve

I buy a lot on ebay and I was never concerned whether feedback is from being a buyer or seller.  What I always look for is a history of positive transactions.  If a person only a 1 to 10 transactions I tend not to bid.  Paypal however,may have changed that for me by their guarentees.  I may not be as concerned but I just like someone with a record of successful transactions.

Steve

Hey guys, thanks for all of the great advice!  I actually forgot that i posted this thread, so my apologies for not showing my appreciation sooner.  So i just made my first EBAY posting, for my CA GX Raw guitar.  Here is the link to the auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Composite-Acoustics-GX-Raw-Acoustic-Guitar-2010-MINT-/320579719839?pt=Guitar#ht_554wt_1137

Any sort of criticism is greatly appreciated, as this is learning experience for me.  Maybe one of you guys can get this great guitar for an awesome deal, that'd be pretty sweet huh?