Selling Mobile Phones, Gumtree or eBay ?

jimbobaus on 30/08/2013 - 00:05
Last edited 30/08/2013 - 00:17

We have some phones which were provided to us to use as demo phones, they are standard models (no demo software) but are Vodafone branded, in the sense they have vodafone software loaded on them (my vodafone, etc) but the handsets are Unlocked.

They are mostly higher end 4G handsets

People have suggested i use Gumtree, but i do not like the idea of people coming to my house etc.
Is it worth the fees involved to use eBay? i think the protections offered etc makes for a better sale on both sides?

What do the people of OzB think?

Cheers in advance for the replies :)

Poll Options expired

  • 0
    eBay
  • 19
    Gumtree
Mobile

Comments

  • Ughhh on 30/08/2013 - 00:12
    +1

    People have suggested i use Gumtree, but i do not like the idea of people coming to my house etc.

    Who said you have to meet at your/buyers house?

    • jimbobaus on 30/08/2013 - 00:13

      Valid point!
      What about the time wasters.. doesn't GT generate a lot of those?

      • Ughhh on 30/08/2013 - 00:37
        +6

        Yup. Its ok if the time wasters just stop at the emailing stage, the most annoying ones are the no shows. So I usually ask for a contact number, if they are genuine it shouldnt be a problem. Though I had one illiterate idiot who thought it was a scam for asking for his number prior to meeting.
        Some still may not show or even let me know they cant come, even when given their number, in that case I send them a cute cat fact.

  • [Deactivated] on 30/08/2013 - 00:20
    +5

    I would prefer gumtree. I too hate people coming to my house so I go out of my way and deliver it to them in person.

    Personally, I would avoid eBay as their fees are ridiculously high. I sold my Brand New galaxy s4 for $670 and eBay took about $67 off my final sale. Their fees are about 9.9%. Then don't forget paypal fees on top of that

  • scrimshaw on 30/08/2013 - 05:51
    +7

    Ebay Pros

    1. More visibility
    2. More detailed descriptions and page formatting
    3. Legit payment methods are mandatory (Paypal) Seller protection
    4. Your item is more likely to sell at a higher price given you give a good write-up, have attractive photos of the product in question, and you have 100% good feedback
    5. Buyers are more likely to pickup the item from you (if you are not shipping) because they know you have the intention to sell and the price is already determined via bidding (or accepted at Buy It Now / Best offers)

    Cons

    1. The 9.9% final evaluation fee — this pretty much means you're going to lose at least 10 percent to feebay
    2. Still vulnerable to fraud — be wary of people asking you to do other things that may lead you to a transaction out of ebay. Keep it within ebay and insist on Paypal.

    Gumtree Pros

    1. Zero fees (there are purchasable upgrades for your listing, such as the "Urgent sale" and "featured item" which add more priority to your ad. I'm not sure how effective these are, but they certainly make your ads look more prominent and are more likely to net you a sale.
    2. You don't have a reputation to keep, since there's no feedback involved.
    3. It doesn't cost anything to list — if your listing gets old, delete the original and start a new one (don't bump as it costs you money)

    Gumtree cons

    1. Gumtree tends to attract a lot of ridiculous people — people who don't show up after expressing interest, people who low-ball offers and those that do come to pick it up, they deliberetely bring less cash in their wallets in the hopes that you will sell it to them at a discount.
    2. The web page doesn't allow any rich text formatting or anchor URLS — and images/vids/links cannot be embedded into your listing. There is a gallery option but maximum resolution is mediocre.
    3. It generally takes longer to sell as you get a lot of clueless people who think the phone you're selling is worth much less than real market value. That said, be prepared to receive some rather ridiculous offers and answer some really silly questions.

    I've had one person asked me if an Android tablet would work without an SD card and after explaining to him that it wasn't neccessary he still demanded I include one (At my expense) before he'd buy. Ignore these kinds of questions — if you feel that it's a waste of time answering their questions, just stop replying.

  • p1 ama on 30/08/2013 - 09:19
    +2

    There's a selling section on OzBargain which has worked well for me before, so why not try there? :P

  • andylch on 30/08/2013 - 13:58

    What are these phones? I may be interested in them.

  • angelkulit025 on 30/08/2013 - 14:04

    yeah,,what are you offering and where are you from?

  • jimbobaus on 30/08/2013 - 14:23

    Hey
    Thanks for the awesome replies :)

    The phones i will be wanting to sell include the following:
    Galaxy S4 Black 4G
    Sony Xperia SP 4G (Black)
    Nokia Lumia 720 (white)
    Samsung Galaxy Express 4G (White)
    HTC One Silver 4G

    • andylch on 30/08/2013 - 14:25

      I want Xperia SP or Galaxy Express. Where are you?

      • jimbobaus on 30/08/2013 - 14:35

        Melbourne Based, but will be in Sydney 9-11 sept if that helps.
        Not sure yet what price i should sell them for,

        • andylch on 30/08/2013 - 14:45

          That will be great, see you soon in Sydney! Please check PM.

    • p1 ama on 30/08/2013 - 21:21

      I'm interested in that HTC One, how much?

      I'm Melbourne based too.

      • jimbobaus on 31/08/2013 - 21:03

        Will post the HTC one soon, (OzB Classifieds)
        Was looking around the $600 mark as the one we have is Unopened and never used. So, Brand New in Box.

        Let me know :P

  • spliniter on 31/08/2013 - 14:04
    +2

    why not sell it here on ozbargain. :D

  • dealman on 31/08/2013 - 15:48

    yeah sell them here, Can you list the prices next to the models and where is the pickup from in melbourne ?

  • cystatin on 31/08/2013 - 15:52

    What price are you selling your Lumia 720?

    • jimbobaus on 31/08/2013 - 21:08

      have an un-opened one that is locked to Voda, however can provide an unlock code with it.
      best price i have found is $305 plus shipping
      so i think $260 is fair :)

      Let me know :)

  • dealman on 31/08/2013 - 18:39

    I am interested in the HTC one.

    • jimbobaus on 31/08/2013 - 21:03

      Will post the HTC one soon,
      Was looking around the $600 mark as the one we have is Unopened and never used. So, Brand New in Box.

      Let me know :P

  • jimbobaus on 31/08/2013 - 20:56

    S4 Has been Listed:
    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/115055

  • jimbobaus on 31/08/2013 - 21:06

    Hey Guys
    So i am limited to only posting 2 classifieds and hour so i will post them over the evening
    but here is the GO

    Galaxy S4, Is Brand new and unopened, Vodafone Apps pre-installed but UNLOCKED and BRAND NEW $600 (http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/115055)
    HTC One, 32Gb Silver, Brand New and Unopened, Vodafone Apps pre-Installed, But Unlocked and BRAND NEW $600 (http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/115061)

    The other models listed above, i have not yet decided on selling as yet, We have 2 of each, opened or unopned,
    Most likely will sell the un-opened models.
    If you are interested you are welcome to make an offer.

    Pick up is in South East Melbourne Evenings or Weekends.
    Can ship using Star Track Express to anywhere in Aus for $10 :)

    Cheers

  • jimbobaus on 31/08/2013 - 21:53

    HTC One Has been Listed
    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/115061

  • plmko on 31/08/2013 - 22:08

    The Xperia SP sounds interesting, looking forward to your post.

  • No ONE on 01/09/2013 - 03:03

    On ebay instead of profit or even equivalent you would rather loss money due to High fees and also PayPal fee on top of that. Gumtree is the best choice now.

  • Briefcase Mong on 01/09/2013 - 17:47

    gumtreee
    ebay has to much fees 9.9% + 2.2% paypal fee

  • Dealayed on 02/09/2013 - 10:51
    +1

    Seems like you run a vodafone branded mobile phone shop and get demo models from the suppliers for the prospective customers to have a play with.
    Instead you display the dummy models and sell the actual phones for a 100% profit..
    Quite dodgy!!
    I doubt if you even have a legit shop or just a business on paper..

    • jimbobaus on 02/09/2013 - 11:31

      Nope. As mentioned above I don't work for or represent Vodafone.

    • jimbobaus on 02/09/2013 - 11:37
      +1

      And we buy the phones.. We don't get them for free. We just get them at wholesale price. Not sure why you felt the need to attack me for asking for some advice.

  • Dealayed on 02/09/2013 - 17:21

    The phone was provided to us by Samsung to use as a demo model, but we already had one so did not need to use it.
    As it was provided to us by Samsung, there is no tax invoice, however Samsung have advised us that their warranty is activated on the handset when you register or log into a Samsung account on the device.
    Saying that, We can always send it off for Warranty from us, as we deal with Samsung Directly.

    First you sait it was provided, which obviously means you did not pay for it.
    Then you change your story saying you paid a wholesale price.
    Well if you did pay even a cent towards that phone, you would have got a receipt.. But you dont have one!!
    Good luck to who ever bought your phone!!

    • jimbobaus on 02/09/2013 - 18:13

      Lol. You are so funny. Provided doesn't mean free. When u r provided a meal at a restaraunt is it free?

      I didn't change my story to wholesale price, I just stated it to you when asked.

      The reason we don't have a receipt is that we but them at cost and I am not a phone seller therefore can not sell with an invoice as we are not a registered retailer.

      As for the good luck to who ever bought the phone. The guy that bought it is rapt. He even texted me today to thank me for the bargain.

      Seems you and your high horse might have made a wrong turn or are you just annoyed you can't buy phones at cost??

      • jimbobaus on 02/09/2013 - 19:14

        And for the recod.. i USED to wrok for Vodafone.. so yeah maybe thats why i get Vodafone handsets cause the SIM cards we use are Voda Sims.

  • bargin424 on 02/09/2013 - 18:14

    How did you manage to get a demo phone?

  • jimbobaus on 02/09/2013 - 18:34

    Let me clarify what I mean by demo phone as it seems that it has caused some confusion. They are standard phones but we use them to demo our software. Hence why I referred to them as demo phones. It is not a phone we have used as a calling texting phone etc. they are standard phones etc.

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