Forget Chocolate. This Website is Better Then Sex!
Written: May 17 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: You have fun while making money on your old, unwanted collectables!
Cons: Very busy title page, can be overwhelming at first
The Bottom Line: Why let your old stuff collect dust? Make money and have fun doing it! Half.com is the garage sale for the modern person.
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| JulAnn1217's Full Review: Archived Web Services Reviews |
I am a Half.com junkie. There I’ve admitted it out loud! I am completely addicted to this website thanks to Mimi369 (please check out her opinion on Half.com as well at http://www.epinions.com/webs-review-3120-3175B44-396F58AF-prod1). She wrote a review back in July of 2000. I read it and I checked out the website. I now have a problem worse then a Beverly Hills socialite with a new credit card. Videos, CD music, DVDs and books, nothing is sacred in our house anymore. If it has a barcode on it, I post it on Half.com.
So what is this website about? Glad you asked.
“Half.com: The smartest place to buy and sell books, music, movies, games and more”.
Selling Your Stuff
Setting up an account is as easy as pie. There’s a link on the opening page for Becoming a Member. When you enter the UPC or ISBN, located near the barcode, on any book, movie, game or music medium Half.com will first ask you for the condition of the item. You are then allowed to make comments regarding the item (this is wear you really sell it).
You’ll next be taken to my favorite screen. The one that tells you how much your item is worth. Specifically, the recommended price, the last price your item sold at, the current highest price and current lowest price being asked on the website for your item and the average selling price of your item. You are then asked to enter what you want to ask for your little gem. You post it and sit back and wait for bites.
Half.com is different then Ebay (although it is an Ebay company) in that there is no bidding/auction. The early bird gets the worm. Your asking price is solid and non-negotiable. Half.com will send you a confirmation when someone has accepted your asking price, you respond back that you received notification and you are then responsible for packaging and shipping of the said item. You will have two days to confirm the order. Upon confirmation you then have one business day to mail it. Half.com will reimburse you for shipping at ‘media mail’ rates. On your confirmation the recipient’s name and address are given and you are only out the price of the packaging materials.
What's the catch? Well they do have to make money somehow. Here it is. Half.com will take 5 – 15% of the selling price for your item. The higher the price the less commission they take. For the low priced items I sell (usually between $5 and $10) they only get about a buck, sometimes more, of my money. Half.com will send you a check every two weeks (around the 1st and the 15th of the month) or you can opt for their newly released direct deposit/ACH option.
Buying and Shopping
In all honesty, I have yet to purchase anything from Half.com. Not for lack of trying, mind you, I just never see anything I can’t live without. Their search engine is sharp and I’ve been able to navigate with ease. I guess I just can’t see cleaning out all my “collectables” to be replaced with someone else’s. But, hey, to each his own.
When you buy from Half.com it will come out of your account’s balance, assuming you have sold merchandise. If you haven’t any money in your account, buying items is similar to any other shopping you would do online. You add the item to your “cart” and proceed to check out.
Membership Has it’s Privileges
Here are some of the perks (other then extra spending money in your pocket) that Half.com offers:
--Wish List – Where you can specify the price and quality rating for the item you are looking for. Half.com will send you an email as soon as the item becomes available.
--Pre-Ordering – Allows you to tell Half.com exactly what you would like to buy, so that it will be automatically purchased for you when it becomes available.
--Leave for Vacation Option – When you will no be available to confirm and ship orders you can “leave for vacation” and your account will be placed on a hold of sorts.
--Buyer Feedback – This can be a bad thing as well, I suppose. Anybody that buys from you can leave comments about you on the Half.com website under ‘Seller Info’. If you have a spotless record (like me, thank you very much) and have been given high ratings, people are more likely to buy from you because you can be trusted.
--Price Patrol – This tool is basic software that downloads and automatically installs on your computer. Whenever you go shopping at online retailers the Price Patrol will pop up a small alert box and allow you to check the price at Half.com.
--Affiliate Program – I saved the best for last. As with most online companies nowadays, Half.com will reward you for referring people to their website. For every person you refer to the Half.com website that signs up and becomes a member, you will make $5.
Run, Don’t Walk
Have old VHS copies that you no longer need because you’re giddy with DVD madness? Embarrassed by that Duran Duran CD and want to see it go away quietly? Hate the fact that you spend $20 on a brand new book, read it once and feel like you got robbed? Never feel quite as powerful as when you’re making money selling “junk” at a garage sale? Half.com is for you!
Backed by the all mighty Ebay they can be trusted. Supported by people like us they can rule the buy and sell universe.
Be sure to check out my super inventory at: http://www.half.com/account/functions/view_seller.cfm?seller_id=58527
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
JulAnn1217
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Location: Elk Grove, CA
Reviews written: 61
Trusted by: 27 members
About Me:
Mom of one 11 year old son, married 13 years, love animals, dancing and music.
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