Would You Pay $113.50 for a Pair of Used Shoes?

Well, I had a buyer on eBay that did just that! The shoes I am talking about were a pair of men's Allen Edmonds shoes. This pair of shoes goes for hundreds of dollars, new. The perplexing thing is that these were not new and I paid $4.25 for them at Goodwill. And I said in the description that they had been resoled and re-heeled.

Listed for Auction

I listed the shoes for sale on eBay through an auction format for 10 days. A few days after I listed them, I received a message from a potential buyer asking if I had any plans to add a "buy it now" price for these shoes. I thanked him for asking but told him that no, I didn't have any plans to add a "buy it now" option. You see, a few months before, a buyer had suggested I end the auction early on a book I had for sale because he wanted to purchase it at the price I had listed. I did do that, but decided not to do that in the future. I was thinking after the fact, that maybe that book could have sold for more money if I had let the auction ride.

Riding it Out

As far as these shoes were concerned I didn't want to change anything at the request of a buyer because I was thinking I might be able to get more for them if I let this auction ride. And in the end, I was right to do that. Had I put a "buy it now" price on the shoes, I probably would have asked only $50 and been shortchanged by $63.50 by the ending price which was the $113.50...plus he paid for shipping.

The Morning After

I went to bed on the Sunday night the auction was ending, and there was only one bid on these shoes. It was at my original starting price of $34.95. I assumed that was what they would sell for. Imagine my surprise when I woke up the next morning, checked my eBay account and saw that they had sold for over $100...and by the buyer that had asked me about the a"buy it now" price. Before I shipped the shoes, I decided to make sure he understood that they had been re-heeled and re-soled. I didn't want to take a chance that he would receive the shoes and want to return them because he hadn't realized that. He sent me a message back right away stating that yes, he had seen that in the description.

Holding My Breath

I sent the shoes, and then held my breath (not literally!) because there was still a chance that the buyer could receive them and not like them and want to return them. I have a 30 day return policy so it could have been a long wait. Fortunately it was not. Just a few days after I sent them, the buyer gave me glowing feedback about the shoes, and I breathed a sigh of relief!

Would you pay that much for used shoes on eBay? Do you often sell things on eBay that sell for more than $100? I am sure my readers would love to know so please share your comments below.