Nooo! Most certainly! Do NOT go to Ebay to sell. Don't take THAT advice. I was a seller on Ebay since at least 2001. And their fees and seller protection is AWFUL! Crashed my bank account I don't know HOW many times, people stole from me, harrassed me. You name it... I sold mainly cars and everyday items... so no. Stay away from them!
As far as Tophatter goes? I can honestly tell you. I am new at selling here myself. I have been a buyer since 2003. I have been happy with the items I buy. I usually go for the designer & luxury goods. But am smart enough to wait for a decent bidding price that fits my budget. I see things go ridiculously high there as well... guess it depends mostly on the time, # of attendees, how many auction rooms are going, what you are selling. Etc.
I started out with just random extra things to test the waters... I have been fortunate so far myself. I was able to sell my items for a fair price and my buyers were very happy :) I liked that. But yes, you must start everything out for $1 at least.
Unless you just have $$ to burn, you also must tally in your shipping costs. Which, in most cases, the least with tracking is $2.53 per package. Even with jewelry.
Buyers pay via credit card... therefore, the credit card company charges you 2.9% PLUS. 60 cents fee. PLUS Tophatter charges. 50 cents per auction schedule insert. THEN charges 10% of final price, not counting supplies you need. Bubble wrap, envelopes, gas, etc... so here, just to sell an item for a $1... you must start the item out at least $7 to make it worth your time at all:/
Some items I have seen go through... no way I would give that much for, but they sell. But, just because I don't like it, doesn't mean someone else wouldn't. I personally would NEVER give so much for mere "purses" like they do there, but I do enjoy shopping there for other items. Because there are just as many deals as well:)
Items I sell, I make sure they are at least the value I need to retrieve from them. If I think the buyer overpaid... I throw in a free gift. I believe in being fair too.
Most complaints you see here are either 1. Buyers who are upset because they paid too much for a cheap item ( this being a direct result of the price THEY bid on and willing to pay for it). 2. Sellers who were unaware of fees or have taken a loss... due to their own negligence of not reading... because the fees are actually listed online :/