tbram88 wrote:I don't know about other sellers, but for me I have too much time involved in it to sell for less than 2x. Those who have machines have a lot less time in sorting so they compete with each other. I don't care for Ebays fees either but it does offer me a market to sell stuff to a nationwide audience.
My last sale went like this
Sold 19.95 for $10.00FV
Ebay fee $1.80 From now on +.50 listing fee
Paypal fee $1.05
+ .95 marked up on shipping
$18.05 - $10.00 =$8.05 net
At approx 700 to 800 copper per box I had to sort 1.3 boxes probably 2hrs. to make $8.05. Would'nt be worth it bu I have more time than money and $8.05= 805 coppers for my stash.
If you accurately account for the time.. even those of us with lots of machines have too much time involved.. but it is a labor of love. For hand sorters, it is much tougher to make the numbers work. You are much better off saying "Would you like fries with that sir?" than sorting for fun and profit. But it is really tough to beat the working conditions, flexibility of hours, and short commute of a copper penny sorting operation.
You say you don't want to sell for less than 2x, but when you extract all those fees, you are actually netting 1.8x. CTU's ($100 face copper boxes) are selling on this forum for $170.. which is pretty close to your eBay net.. without any of the eBay hassle. If you happen to hook up with a buyer in your area and can avoid the shipping.. it is even better.
If your percentages are low.. just sort more. If your percentages are high.. just sort more