TOPIC: Tips for selling

I have an ultrasabers graflex that I'd like to sell (my card just jumped out of my pocket... or something), but I want to do it correctly. I am sure there are some of you who are experienced in selling sabers, could someone give me some tips? Of course, there is always the chance that my brain will catch up with my eyes and conclude that I should keep it, but at the same time I think I could make a more informed decision once the process is clear to me.

I figure I need to take some pictures and include the details of the saber (arctic blue, silver flash, v4 soundboard, blue illuminated switch, includes batteries and charger and the following fonts "X"). But I also know I need to secure payment somehow, and of course need to use plenty of bubble wrap for shipping.

I haven't sold anything yet... but I've bought plenty, haha.

First of all, setup a PayPal account and link it to your bank so you can collect payments. The thing to do in this hobby is PayPal Goods & Services, which is covered by PayPal Buyer Protection: this protects the buyer if the seller decides to just keep their money and not ship the saber. There is a fee that the seller has to pay, but you can either shrug it off or use a PayPal Fee Calculator to have the buyer pay enough to cover the fees. Example being:


PayPal also gives you their info for shipping, assuming the buyer has an account and put in their address. I believe that you can print a shipping label from there as well.

PayPal Friends & Family gives no Buyer/Seller Protection and should be avoided. If someone sends payment that way, decline it and demand that they use Goods & Services.

The PayPal Invoices offers the best protection for a seller, since you can list what the buyer is actually paying for and it includes PayPal Seller Protection. The buyer pays the fee with this method, and believe they do not get Buyer Protection.

Shipping with Tracking and Insurance is a standard practice. USPS has decent rates, especially with the Flat Rate boxes. Most sellers don't include a blade to save on shipping, since the long rectangular boxes or "Toblerone of joy" costs more. You may or may not have to declare that there's a Li-Ion battery inside. In most cases you can just take the saber to the post office and they'll package it up for you if you don't have shipping supplies at home. I think with USPS you can request boxes to be delivered for free; not sure about packing material though (bubble wrap, foam peanuts, etc).