This guide helps people who are thinking of selling their items on consignment on eBay in selecting a good Trading Assistant.

When looking for a Trading Assistant, there are many important things to consider.  First, it isn't necessary for your Trading Assistant to be registered in the Trading Assistant directory.  I did my first consignment sales before I was registered. However, it is very helpful if your seller is registered. 

EBay has very stringent standards for registered Trading Assistants, and if you're looking in the Trading Assistant directory, you can be assured that your Trading Assistant has a high feedback rating and is in good standing with eBay.  In order to place a listing in the directory, an eBay seller must have a feedback rating of 100 and at least 97% positive feedback.  This means that at least one hundred unique eBay users must have left positive feedback for the seller (more if he has negatives), and not more than three percent of these users can have left a negative. 

This assures that your Trading Assistant is a good member of the eBay community who fulfills his promises and his responsibilities to the buyer, and is experienced at selling.  However, this alone does not ensure that your seller will do well selling your items on consignment.

Whether your seller is in the directory or not, it's important to check his feedback rating yourself.  Also, look at the seller's current listings, and ask yourself a few questions. 

Does he do a good job creating his listings?  How do the pictures look?  Are they clear and bright or dark and blurry?  Are the listings well written, or are they full of misspellings and grammatical errors?  Does the seller use a template in his listings?  Does he have an eBay store?  Does he sell the sorts of items I'm wanting to sell?  Is he near where I live?  Has he responded to his negative feedback, and has the situation with the buyer been resolved?  How long does he appear to have been in business?

How much does he charge for his services?  Does the price include listing and PayPal fees?  Does he require an up-front payment for listing items on consignment?  Does he work out of his home, or does he have an office?  Does he offer free pickup and research services?

How do the listings seem to be performing?  Are they going unsold, or is the seller consistently selling items for good prices?  This information can be found in the Advanced Search Engine, under Items by Seller.  You can research up to thirty days of that seller's history.

I recommend that you investigate your seller thoroughly in this manner before choosing him or her to sell your items. 

Some other considerations that can't be resolved with the Trading Assistant directory, for example, is whether or not your Trading Assistant will require you to sign a contract.  Many sellers dispense with formal contracts, but in fact a contract protects both the buyer and the seller. Ultimately you should feel comfortable with the terms of sale, and if you aren't happy with them, it's perfectly okay to shop around.

Remember than when you're looking for a quality Trading Assistant, your items should be selling for at least $50 to $75.  Experienced trading assistants often won't accept items which are selling for less than this, or which don't have a good sales record.  If you have some items that are highly valuable, it's important not to burden your Assistant with other items which are not valuable.  If you are selling something that is worth a lot of money through your Assistant, he still has the right to decline to sell your other items if he feels they aren't worth his time.

Also, not all Trading Assistants are created equal.  Some are very good at getting the best price for your items, and others simply don't know what they're doing despite their years of experience.  That is they've become very experienced at sending their clients' money down the drain.  After all, the client can't leave feedback for the Trading Assistant, so you can't easily check up on whether or not his previous clients were satisfied with his services.  If there's any question in your mind, feel free to request references.

Don't be put off by a high commission price.  In many cases the sellers who charge the highest rate are the best sellers.  It's far better to pay 50% commission, eBay and PayPal fees included, to a seller who can get the best price for your item, than to pay 10%, plus eBay and PayPal fees, to a seller who will carelessly lose your items for a poor price, throwing away your money on expensive listing upgrades and unsold item fees.  There's a very good reason why certain sellers can charge more; their greater experience both entitles them to a higher fee, and enables them to earn it consistently.

When I was selling coins on consignment, for example, I often started my listings with a high starting price, especially when the item was highly valuable.  It's far better in situations like this to lose the listing fee on an unsold item than to sell the item for too little.  I also went to a lot of trouble to describe the items well, putting information in the listing description that other sellers tended to leave out.  I then added extra pictures, making sure they were clear and crisp.  The end result was that I sold many of these high-dollar items, especially the platinum bullion, for above average prices.

I have generally been averse to reserves, but when my client insisted upon a reserve in his listing, I of course had to abide by his wishes.  The item was bid up to the reserve before it had been listed for twenty-four hours, and ultimately sold for nearly a thousand dollars.

High starting prices and reserve prices are important tools which your seller must use to get the best price for your items, and if the seller you're considering doesn't or won't use them, you should probably look elsewhere.  After all, the item can always be relisted for a lower starting price.  But if the Assistant loses it for too little money, there's no turning back the clock.

Power Sellers are featured in the directory and show up at the top of the list, but sellers who are not Power Sellers can also do well selling your items.  For example, the Power Seller at the top of the directory list may have a higher sales record, but another seller who is not featured might have more experience with the specific item you're thinking of selling.  For example, if you're wanting to sell your Waterford Crystal collection, and the top sellers in your area all sell motor vehicles and parts, you'll probably want to move down the list to find a nearby seller who specializes in selling collectible glass. Check the sellers' directory listings to find one that specifically states that he or she will sell glass items.  This seller might also already have similar items for sale, and thus will be better able to market your items.  Check his or her other listings, or eBay store to see whether the items coordinate with yours.

Many Trading Assistants will negotiate with you if you would like to work with them, but feel unhappy with some of their terms.  So if you would like some element of the arrangement changed don't hesitate to ask.  Trading Assistants will work with you especially if you are selling higher priced items which sell in the thousands.  You have a say in how your item is listed, and you should definitely speak up if you want a discount on the commission rate for sales over a certain dollar amount, or if you want a high starting price or a reserve.  Do listen to your Assistant and benefit by his expertise, but you always have a say in how he goes about his job.

In summary, if you don't have the time, energy or equipment to list your own items on eBay, a Trading Assistant can be a very useful ally.  He can liquidate your belongings into cash and often even after his commission fees you will end up with more money than you would have had if you had attempted to sell the items yourself.  Any money paid to your assistant can be considered an intelligent and wise investment.

This message is brought to you by Fantastic Books and Collectibles.  Fantastic Books and Collectibles offers eBay consignment services for books, magazines, playbills, and other paper collectible items.  We specialize in first editions, signed and rare items.  We also sell non-paper collectible items on occasion.  We have sold U.S. Mint coins, including State Quarters, gold, silver and platinum bullion, a D'Alton Holder custom knife, an Hermes silk scarf, antique books and scrapbooks on consignment.  We are registered Trading Assistants with eBay and have a listing in the Trading Assistant directory.   If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, please consider us for your eBay consignment needs.