I wouldn't change a thing you were originally doing, save the hour of effort in your life for the profit of a dollar. After you subtract ebay fees, paypal fees, shipping, and all the time/effort that goes into taking pictures and listing an item...what are you left with? Four quarters?

I'm surprised the prices of those cards were going so high. Ooooh let me save 10 bucks on a $200 gift card.

I havent bought a locker since November, though that $25 dollar Craft/magazine locker has turned out pretty good. The material/yawn etc has moved pretty nicely, far beyond what I thought it would. Went to an auction yesterday, 6 rooms, 10 or so people. Most of the rooms were pretty crappy (contents) so I just did not buy. Really hoping to get another locker before Santa gets here.

I used to do the 99 cent start all the time, but in the last year or so, I do the great majority of my listings with a "buy it now", and on some items I'll add a "best offer".  It seems like more people want to just buy it and get it over with and not wait for the last minute of an auction. 

I like doing buy it nows, and the best offer feature is awesome. But the buy it now is non-committal. You can just add it to the watch list, and they'll think they can buy it any ol' time. An auction has a deadline and pressure to commit, plus the competition with other people. It really is item dependent though. Is it an electronic and something popular that will receive a lot of bids and interest or a collectable/specific piece just marketed to a few?

I wouldn't give up on Ebay just yet Homegrown, there is just nothing else like it for selling certain items. Obviously name brand possibly counterfeit items not being one of them.

I wouldn't worry about having the bag switched out, could you imagine the difficulty of finding a close enough looking counterfeit? UNLESS of course that was their evil plan from the start, and they only purchased that bag because they had a knock off similar. But I'm sure the chances of that are slim to none.

Halfway through the month and one post by someone not named Movieman? Let me contribute! Went to a small auction in another state today (hour drive) for what seems to be a pretty good payoff. Small depressed town, three bidders total including myself. Bought three of the four units sold for a total of $215. The first unit had some furniture that looked better from the door... bedroom suite but parts of it had water damage, table and chair set but the chairs are falling apart.

Second unit was a better furniture unit, with what appears to be a pretty nice sectional. Two or three bed sets. The last unit is the one I am most excited about but also dreading. Ton of boxes and knick knack type stuff, but also a ton of magazines. Stupid magazines no one should have a reason to hoard...lots to go through and lots to recycle!

I have a full size truck and a good size trailer, but I'll still be looking at 4-5 trips to clean out everything. Basically by the end of it I'll have in gas but what I paid for the lockers, but that is the way it is around here. If you want cheap prices, you pay for it on the back end.

If its a big chip/rip/stain I will disclose and normally include a picture of that area so they will know exactly what they are in for with no surprises. If it is general light scratches and normal wear I'll just sum it up as "some light marks and wear'

I've had a patient/hoya lift type item for around 6 months I've been trying to sell. I have it listed for $500 on several different craigslist cities. I've gotten one legit call on it in all that time, and when the people came out they offered 300 for it. I countered at 400 and they were supposed to 'come back' That never happened and I've been kicking myself in the ass ever since.