Using EBAY to value your antiques
Here is an outline of how value your stuff... my thanks to our
Monday speaker and U3A member, Elaine Carter-Fox, for showing
me how to do this.
1. Put “ebay uk” into the Google search box > Google search
2. Select eBay from this, which must include this website address …
www.ebay.co.uk
3. On the eBay home page, click on Sign in / Register
4. If you’re a newcomer to eBay, you will need to register to be
able to do advanced searches on it.
Make up a name for yourself … eg superwoman1000 (& check the availability
of this name).
Make up a password for yourself … ideally 10 characters or more, and a
memorable mixture of letters and numbers .. eg ssmapgttf1066
(Simple Simon ...)
Check out what eBay says about security matters … eg NEVER reply to
unsolicited emails from eBay (you could be led off to bogus websites)
5. Having registered, you can now sign into eBay with your username and
password
6. Select “Advanced Search” (on the yellow strip near the top of the page)
7. Now enter your keywords to describe your object (eg Beano annual)
8. Lower down the page, tick the box next to “Completed listings”.
9. Click on the blue Search box.
If you’re searching for a Beano annual that’s been sold (or not sold)
in the past 14-15 days, you might now see a list of over 1,500 items
(which currently includes the Dandy Annual ~ I don’t know why!).
Some of the items are listed as “Buy It Now” … put on by sellers who
hope you’ll pay their full asking price. Other items have been put up
for auction to the highest bidder … some have been sold, others not
sold (zero bids).
Near the top of the page, you’ll see that you can “Sort by” various
means … have a look at sorting by highest price … some annuals sell
for over £100 (plus P&P).
Select one of the higher priced ones … the annual will briefly appear
on your screen, but then you’ll have to scroll down the page to find
it again.
Most items for sale will include one or more photos - you can enlarge
the photo(s) and check its condition. The seller’s description and
postal charges and other terms of sale will be listed below the photo.
Check out the seller too … click on the blue number of items sold
after the seller’s name. Lower down the next page, you will see the
range of items this seller has recently sold, and get an idea of
his / her expertise. (This is more applicable for someone selling
antiques). If you’re thinking of purchasing anything off eBay, then
buy from a seller with a high feedback rating. I also advise buying
stuff from sellers in the UK only, in case you have to return an item
if it’s shoddy.
If the keywords you've chosen don't produce many results, try some
other keywords.
Also do a Google search (eg for a Royal Doulton Blue Flow jug or for
hallmarks on gold / silver), and have a look through a few Google
pages to see if you can find out more information about your items.
