Tips for Selling Bows on eBay

Awhile back in 2015 I posted about buying antique longbows and recurves.

In 2016 I purchased several more bows via eBay. Some more antiques, including a wooden compound bow, a Bear Grizzly Static, and an Archery Craft Toronto flatbow.

One of the things I noticed while browsing bows is that some sellers do a really horrible job at taking photos of the bow, describing it, and it consequently discourages people from bidding on a bow due to lack of information / lack of quality photos.

Thus, here are some tips for anyone looking to sell a bow on eBay (or other websites).

#1. Accurately describe the bow.

• Year of manufacture.
• Manufacturer
• Model type + any numbers.
• What condition the bow is in. eg. "Shoots like new, just a few scratches."

 #2. If you don't know, admit that you don't know.

Even better if you do some research and say something like "I think it from the early 1970s, but I cannot be certain."  At least then you are being honest while still providing the potential buyer with needed information. If they want to narrow it down with their own research, that is up to them.

#3. Photos, Photos and High Resolution Photos

Don't forget to show the bow's vital stats.

If you plan to sell a bow on eBay you really need lots of photos. The more the merrier.

• High resolution.
• Use something that makes a good background so it easier to see details.
• Front and back of both tips.
• Front and back of both limbs.
• Front, back, and 2 side views of the riser.
• 4 views of the entire bow from different angles, including one which shows the bow's stats.

16 photos total. Minimum.

On eBay 16 photos is basically the bare minimum if you want a good price. Bows that don't have all the above and/or poor resolution don't sell for much because people refuse to bid on bows where they cannot see the details.

#4. Describe any problems with the bow.

Be honest and list any cracks, major scratches or problems with the bow (eg. Twisted limbs). People get points for honesty and even a bow with problems can still be sold to a collector who just wants it for wall decor.

If you hide any faults with the bow the buyer may demand their money back and return it, so it is best to be honest from the beginning. Otherwise you could end up losing money on shipping and not actually sell the bow.

#5. Do NOT add extra keywords. That only annoys people.

Some people on eBay describe a bow by adding extra keywords like recurve, compound, hunting, longbow, etc to describe a horrible bow that they are just trying to get attention for. It is super annoying when you as a buyer is looking for a particular topic and some jerkoff has flooded the search results with cheap bows made in China that don't even accurately describe the bows they are selling.

Super annoying.

#6. Mention anything else you are including with the bow as a "package deal".

So if it is coming with arrows, a sight, bowstring, spare bowstring, any extra goodies make a list of everything that is coming with it.

#7. Find out the shipping costs for all parts of the region you are willing to ship to.

So for example, if you are only shipping to people within North America, confirm the cost of shipping your bow within that region. Then list the cost on eBay. If the cost varies, mention that the cost may vary based on location, but include a range to range estimate of the cost.

Note - If the shipping cost is ridiculous, many people will refuse to bid at all. So shop around for a good courier which offers a decent rate. Browse eBay to sell what other sellers are using for couriers and this will give you a better idea of who has the best prices for shipping.

#8. Set a reasonable starting first bid price.

eBay is an auction website after all. You need people to bid on an item by being interested in its potential price. The more people who get interested, the more likely they are to have a bidding war.

The price of a particular item, if there are multiple bidders, can skyrocket suddenly in the last half hour. Especially the last minute as many bidders will try to outbid each other and swoop in during the last minute to claim an item.

But that will never happen if the original minimum bid is too high. Too high = no bidders = your item doesn't get sold.

A good way to guess a good starting bid is compare what other archers will say they bought a bow for at a garage sale. If they bought a bow similar to yours at a garage sale for $60, then that is a good starting price for bidding.

#9. There is always the Buy It Now and Best Offer options.

Another thing eBay has is an option for sellers to list a Buy It Now price.

Eg. $200 or best offer.

That means people can still bid on the item, but it has a maximum price. If someone really wants it badly, they can click Buy It Now and just pay the full price.

Or if the seller selects a particular setting which allows for Best Offers, buyers can submit a best offer price, which the seller can then choose to accept or reject.

This way if you want to guarantee your bow gets sold for a minimum price, you can list your ideal price and if anyone gives you a good offer that you like then you can choose to sell it for the lesser amount.

Buck Fever

What vegans don't understand about hunting is that "Buck Fever" is better than an orgasm. Your whole body shakes from adrenaline and pumping hormones. It is the most incredible experience. Compared to that, nothing vegans can offer has even the slightest comparison of sheer ecstacy.

Most non-hunters probably have never even heard of Buck Fever. Let me explain...

In the moment before successfully shooting an animal it is normal for a hunter to get a surge of adrenaline. Then, once it is dead, and you have successfully killed it your body gets pumped full of adrenaline and positive-feeling hormones. So much so that many people report shaking from excitement and a feeling of ecstacy.

That feeling is incredibly addictive. It is a drug similar to Runner's High that marathon runners / exercise addicts get, but so much more potent because of the adrenaline combo.

It is also sometimes said that the bigger the game animal and the more anticipation involved, the bigger the release of adrenaline and hormones. Thus hunting big game animals isn't just a matter of ego or attaining more meat, it is also an addiction to the chemicals your body releases.

Over time as hunters become more experienced the Buck Fever will lessen, becoming less potent. It will still be there, but your brain will have learned how to cope with the rush of adrenaline and you won't shake as much.

This is one reason why rifle hunters might be tempted to try bowhunting or even spearhunting. The rush of adrenaline is said to be greater when trying a more traditional and challenging method of hunting. If they are chasing the feeling of their "first time" then trying a new hunting method will be like popping their cherry all over again.

Depending on geographic regions and languages there might be other names for Buck Fever. Buck Fever is pretty specific to hunting deer too, but the concept is often used to describe the same feeling after successfully hunting many other types of game.

Even fishermen report a similar feeling when catching a truly big fish that they had to fight to reel in. So the feeling is not restricted to hunting land mammals.

Back to my initial statement vegans will never understand a hunters need to hunt. The need to acquire your own food rather than relying on farmed meat or vegetables, to take responsibility for that aspect of your life. The need to hunt "the old fashioned way" as if it is a calling, a force of nature and fate that wants you to preserve part of human heritage. And lastly vegans will never understand the love of eating meat and being an omnivore. Food is like a religion. People have very strong feelings about it. And people don't change their 'food-religion' just because some other people want to convert them.

"Until vegans find a way to grow bacon on trees I guess I will keep being an omnivore."

Chris Pratt and Bowhunting

Actor Chris Pratt is into bowhunting and he waxes like a romantic poet when talking about the process of hunting.

Nor is he the only celebrity who is into bowhunting. There are quite a few out there. Like the following examples

Bo Jackson (Celebrity Athlete)

Karl Malone (NBA Basketball Player)

Brett Keisel (NFL Quarterback)

Ben Roethlisberger (NFL Quarterback)

Matt Hughes (9 time UFC World Champion)

Randy Couture (UFC Fighter / Actor)

Miranda Lambet (American Country Singer)

Justin Tuck (NFL Player / Super Bowl Champion)

Paul Ryan (American Politician)

Chipper Jones (MLB Baseball Player)

Blake Shelton (American Singer)

Donald Trump Jr. (Professional Moron)

Jennifer Lawrence (Actor) - Although it should be noted that Jennifer Lawrence only did squirrel hunting.

NOTES

Now you may have noticed something. Most of the celebrities mentioned above are from occupations where hunting (and bowhunting) would be more accepted. Many celebrities who are into rifle hunting / bowhunting tend to stay quiet about their interest in such activities because they are afraid of backlash from fans.

For example:

Singer Madonna (yes, that Madonna) hosts rifle pheasant hunts on her estate, but tends to stay quiet about it because of protests from animal rights groups.

Actress Eva Longoria, actress Eliza Dushku, singer Avril Lavigne, duchess Kate Middleton, singer Miranda Lambert are just a handful of female celebrities who hunt (usually with rifle) but tend to stay quiet on the topic because they don't want to upset the "PETA people".

TOTALLY OFF TOPIC...

And really it comes down to the idiocy of people who are anti-hunting, who are apparently okay with people eating beef hamburgers, bacon, "chicken fingers", but don't know where their meat actually comes from. Complete hypocrites. They get all upset about celebrities who hunt, but meanwhile they fill their bellies with beef, pork, chicken and wear leather / fur regularly.

And then there is the vegans - who avoid meat and all animal by-products entirely, but somehow still wear leather jackets, leather purses, leather boots, etc - and pretend that they are somehow saving the planet with their "animal friendly ways" of only using animals for their skin.

And then there is the food vegans eat - mostly flown in from South America, Africa and other parts of the world on cargo planes. They think they are saving the environment, but all they are doing is buying foreign food transported on planes that spew greenhouse gases, handpicked by poor people who are paid peanuts, while making the corporations who sell "fresh organic produce" rich while local farmers here in Canada are ignored. If they were serious about "saving the planet" then they should start by buying all of their food locally (both vegetables and meat products, grown and raised in Canada) so that they aren't wasting so much greenhouse gases on transporting food from overseas.

"Show me a vegan and I will show you a person who will probably starve to death during a nuclear winter because they won't have access to imported vegetables flown in from overseas."

And the bit about nuclear winter is a real possibility now that Donald Trump is the president elect. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts a nuclear war during the first year of his presidency. In fact, I would be surprised if he did NOT start a nuclear war during the first year.

To anyone who is worried about the same thing I recommend the following:

#1. Learn how to bowhunt both large and small game.

#2. Stock up on arrows, broadheads and archery equipment.

#3. Stock up on seeds for planting crops.

#4. Learn how to garden.

#5. Learn what to do during a nuclear attack. Assuming you survive the initial attacks, you will need to be prepared for what follows.

"Always be prepared." - Boy Scouts Motto