How to list your phone so it sells

[jsowers]

This phone sold so quickly that many of you may not have had the opportunity to see it. It appeared last night and got bought early this morning. It's a moss green soft plastic 500U. Dennis Markham, our fearless moderator, was the seller. He sold it for a friend who was clearing out a few phones. We could all learn a lot about how to properly sell a phone from this auction.

http://tinyurl.com/6xa7oyh

Be sure to click on "See full description" to read about the phone. Dennis took some great pictures and revealed every tiny flaw on the phone so nothing would be a surprise to the buyer. He wrote some about the 500U and how it operated. I thought he got an excellent price for it. He also fixed up the phone a little before he sold it, to make sure it was first class. And that, as we know, is the way Dennis does things.

ebaY Listing Description:

For your consideration is this very nice Western Electric Model 500 P/U rotary dial telephone.  It appears to have been manufactured in early June of 1959.  The housing is dated 6-4-59 and is soft plastic (Tenite).  The handset and caps dated 6-59 are also made of  Tenite.  All parts appear to be original issue with the exception of the cords.  Both are Koiled Kord replacements.  The handset cord is NOS and was installed for the first time on this telephone.  If you look closely at photo #6 you will see a collage of the dated parts.  If there are any that you cannot see, please contact me for details.

I am selling this phone on behalf of a friend that has been collecting telephones for over forty years.  He is thinning his telephone collection.  There will be additional phones listed in the near future.  A Reserve has been placed on this auction to protect the seller's investment.

If you are a collector of this type of telephone you already know that one does not often see a "Mushroom" phone phone in this color.  The plastic shows no sign of UV discoloration.  There are no cracks, chips or breaks in the plastic.  The handset ear cap has some darkening which I believe is from hand oils and cosmetics.  There has been no sanding or refurbishing of this phone by the current owner.  I cleaned and polished the plastic, including the finger wheel prior to taking the photos. The phone was connected to the telephone line and has been tested.  It is in top working condition.  The dial is working as it should, the phone rings loud and strong and the lamp feature works perfectly.  Included with this auction is a Western Electric transformer.  It is currently connected to a "biscuit jack" and ready to plug-n-play. 

Looking at the associated photos you will see the lamp working in both positions.  When the handset is placed on the cradle and the light switch is vertical, the lamp does not illuminate.  When the switch is turned to a horizontal position the lamp burns dimly.  Once the phone is lifted off the cradle the lamp illuminates the dial brightly.  This phone was designed to be used along the bedside for night-time use.

There are a couple of things that should be pointed out regarding this fifty-two year old telephone.  One foot pad has some light rusting under the Neoprene pad.  The rivet has no rust.  The other three pads are in great shape as you can see.  There is some brown staining on the inside of the housing next to the rubber ringer mount.  This is from years of out-gassing by the rubber mounting pad.  Lastly, there are two small nicks in the plastic---they are close together.  One on the right lower corner of the phone and the other just to the left of that one.  They are shown in photo #10.

Shipping will be via USPS Priority Mail.  I will safely package this phone in the 12X12X8 sized box that ships by weight.  I approximate the weight of the packaged telephone to be about six pounds.  I can package the phone in the cheaper Large Flat Rate box but prefer the extra room the other box provides.  For a phone of this value why take a chance on shipping to save a couple of dollars?  Of course if you are in the Detroit, MI area, local pick-up is no problem.  Shipping will include insurance for the sale value of the phone.

If someone outside of the U.S. is interested in this item, please contact me BEFORE bidding for a shipping quote.

Should someone use the Buy It Now feature, shipping will be free.  This offer will not apply to a sale outside of the United States.

If you've been wanting to add a nice soft plastic Moss Green 500 P/U to your collection, this is an opportunity to pick up a very nice example.

Again, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me before bidding for clarification or for additional photos.  I have accurately and honestly described the condition of this telephone.  This item is used--it's fifty two years old and sold AS IS.

[LarryInMichigan]

Great job!

Larry

[bingster]

Very nicely presented, Dennis (and I'm not a bit surprised that it is).

[Dennis Markham]

Aw shucks, thanks guys.  I guess from buying a lot of phones I know what information I want to know before I buy and try and cover all those bases.