Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to setup our QwikAuction Account?
Nothing.  You only pay $100 deposit to cover your customer's eBay listing fees.

How is the deposit I make used?
When you take in items, you customer may specify a "reserve" or "minimum" price for their auction item.  In such cases, you will have your customer prepay the minimum commission fee of $17.00.  QwikAuction will use your deposit to pay for these extra listing costs.

Do I have to sign a contract?
No.  You only place a deposit with QwikAuction to cover auction minimum commission and listing fees.  If you choose to leave the program, we refund any unused deposit.

Will I need to add more money to my account deposit?
Possibly.  It will depend what type of items you accept for auction.  If you accept items that have low demand with high reserves or minimum bids, your successful auction rate may be low and QwikAuction my require more money to be deposited into your account.  This does not mean that you will be losing money, only that you are collecting deposits from customers and are then transferring them to QwikAuction.

What is the best way to make money with eBay auctions?
1)  Try to only accept items over $50 in (eBay) value from your customers
2)  Reinforce that eBay is like a garage sale and they will only receive 10-30 cents on the dollar in value.
3)  Encourage customers NOT to place reserves or minimums on their items to ensure a sale
4)  Keep your packing and shipping rates comparable to similar items on eBay
5)  Don't get discouraged - it takes 6-12 months to build a good eBay business

Can I get rich selling items on eBay?
Yes, but you have to find a large quantity of distressed items at a very low cost.  Providing eBay services to your customer will help you increase your customer traffic, increase shipping volume and provide a modest income stream.

What fees are deducted from the sale of the customer's auction item?
Store Commission + QwikAuction Commission + actual auction fees.  Combined commission fees total 34%.  eBay auction and transaction fees range from 9.58% to 58.28% (99-cent auction).  In other words, none of us profit from $.99 auctions, look for quality merchandise and be selective.  Use the $17.00 commission minimum and pre-paid deposits to reduce undesirable and unprofitable merchandise.

What happens when a customer brings in "yard sale" items?
Tell your customer that there is a $17.00 minimum commission plus eBay fees of approximately $10%.

What happens when a customer brings in collectables and want what retail for them?
Do an advanced search on eBay for the item.  Make sure to select "completed sales only".  Prices in "green" were sold during the last two weeks.  Item prices shown in "red" were unsold.  Show your customer the average "sold" price.  If your customer insists on their price, make sure you collect $17.00 to pre-pay auction listing fees.

Can I sell vehicles on eBay?
No.  QwikAuction does not accept motor vehicles or RVs.  Do not accept anything that you can not ship, remember your core business - shipping.

What happens if the customer does not want to leave the item?
Do NOT accept items that the customer will not leave with you.  If they will not part with their item, they do not want to sell it.

Can I change a lower commission rate?
Yes.  QwikAuction advertises a combined commission rate of 34% on our website.  However, you may choose to discount your 17% commission rate if you choose.  We recommend that if you choose to charge a lower rate, that you do it through promotions such as coupons.  Be sure to note any discount on your Listing Sheet when submitting the listing.

Do you tell me what to charge for shipping & handling?
No.  We recommend that you charge the same rate for shipping and handling as similar items on eBay, otherwise, buyers will pay less for the item and your customer will not be happy about the lower high bid. However it is your customer and your auction.  You tell us what to charge for shipping and handling.

What type of items can I take in to sell on eBay?
Any item that you can ship.  However, we recommend that when your customer brings an item into your store that you do a search on eBay of completed auctions.  This will give you and your customer an idea of the value of their item.

What if the customer wants to specify the minimum price for item?
We start all auctions at 99-cents.  If your customer places a deposit on the item, they may specify  a reserve price (minimum price that they will accept).

How much deposit do I collect from the customer?
You collect $17.00.  This is 34% of $50.  This is the minimum (recommended) fee for listing an item on eBay.  QwikAuction's minimum fee to list an item is $8.75 plus the actual listing fee (~10%).  Deposits are non-refundable if the item does not sell.

Do I have to collect deposits from customers?
No.  This is your customer.  You may choose to start the price above 99-cents (say at $9.99) because this is a good customer and you are sure the item will sell at auction.  However, should the item not sell, QwikAuction will deduct the actual eBay listing cost plus $8.50 from your account deposit.  If the item sells for less than $50, QwikAuction will deduct actual listing fees, plus final value fees and $8.50 from you account deposit.

What happens if the item does not sell?
We will contact you (or your customer if you prefer) for instructions on whether to re-list the item and at what price.  We are happy to make recommendations.  There is no additional listing fees on re-listed items that sell during the second listing period.

What if the item does not sell after two attempts?
QwikAuction will contact you (or your customer if you prefer) to with information on why the item did not sell.  Your customer should be instructed to pick the item at  your store within 15 days.

How long does an auction run?
All standard auctions run 7-days.  If the customer places a deposit, we run the auction for 10-days.  Re-listed items run an identical time period.

How does the customer get paid?
We send you the proceeds (less eBay fees and QwikAuction commission) from auction 5 days after the buyer receives the item.

What is the typical costs of selling an item on eBay?
Here is a comparison of eBay and QwikAuction fees.
 

Sales Price	50.00	100.00	500.00	1500.00
Gallery Listing	0.55	0.55	0.55	0.55
Reserve	2.00	2.00	5.00	15.00
Final Value	5.25% x 25.00 3.00% x 75.00	5.25% x 25.00 3.00% x 75.00	5.25% x 25.00 3.0% x 475.00	5.25% x 25.00 3.0% x 975.00 1.5% x 500.00
PayPal	2.9% + 0.30	2.9% + 0.30	2.9% + 0.30	2.9% + 0.30
QwikAuction	8.50	17.00	85.00	145.00
Your Store	8.50	17.00	85.00	145.00

Can one of my customer's sell their products on eBay?
Yes.  Inventory items normally sell at a fixed price.  QwikAuction can sell all types of inventory items in our eBay store.  QwikAuction charges $14.99 for creating the store listing and then !0% on each item sale.  eBay store fees are $1.00 per month per listing.  eBay final value fees are 3.5%.  PayPal transaction fees are 2.5%.  Your store's commission is 1/2 of 10% or 5% per sale.