Any advice to returning seller

[aengus]

Hey folks, I've been selling on and off for about ten years--in spurts. I have a full-time job and this business is to supplement my income. Is it just getting too hard on ebay from me to try and grow my business? Should I open a store here or somewhere else? Should I use a different listing service? Postage is a pain on paypay with smaller items that can go cheaper first class... I use vendio, paypal and ebay and with Postcards, the rate of return isn't always high. What little I make is being chipped away. I still have tons of cards to unload. I love checking them out, researching them and then selling them. It's not the only thing I have in stock, but it's what I like the most and what I have some knowledge about. Just curious how you would advise someone.

[aengus]

Oh and then to boot I got my first negative feedback from someone who bought shoes that didn't fit--argghhh. I need positive feedback to bring me back up I guess. I had 100percent for ten years...

[dmhcollectibles]

Aengus, you'll have to make up your own mind regarding whether you think ebay is worth it or not. But I will tell you that several of the larger postcard sellers that belong to this group no longer sell on ebay, myself included. We have moved on to more profitable channels, including our own websites and other third-party venues. Good luck, and let us know what you decide. --

---

Contact me about how to get free shipping for postcards you buy!

[allotment]

Hello aengus, As mentioned above, only you can decide. It's different for everyone. There's a lot of gloom and doom about eBay at the moment, some of which I share and some of which I dont. I hate some of the recent eBay changes. Most of all I hate the constant dribble of change, it's disruptive to both buyer and seller. But It's not all bad... While some sellers have found success by moving on from eBay, others have tried the change and have failed. It's different for everyone. I list a few hundred postcards for eBay auction every week, more than half sell first time through, many with multiple bids. As far as I can see other sites offer MUCH lower selling costs but fail to deliver on the % of items sold, that could of course just be that I've failed on other sites where others have succeeded. So, if I were starting (or starting again) then ..eBay would be a PART of what I'd do. I'd make sure that it wasn't my only venue. eBay is expensive for sellers and the constant fee and policy changes are a real irritation, the time and the costs of dealing with those changes need to be factored in any decision you make on eBay vs the rest. ..I'd avoid opening an eBay store if my listing volumes were going to be low (stores/shops are now an expensive option here in the uk). ..I'd try auctions. Auctions continue to work well at all levels of volume if you have good quality items. Go gently and work at establishing a good solid reputation. You need high star ratings to ensure good visibility on the site; give honest descriptions, pack well, deliver swiftly and provide good customer care and (via the inevitable ups and downs) you'll get there. With auctions, if things don't work out then you've not taken any great risks. If they do work then you have a platform for growth. ..I'd certainly look at the other sites (take a sample of sellers and look at their sales per week to get an idea of how well it might work) & I would try a few auctions on them. ..Building your own site is very much easier than it used to be and the operating costs are remarkably low. However as with everything else it's all about traffic. If you can work out how to get your buyers to your own site then thats great. Good luck and, as mentioned in the previous post, please tell us how you get on... Linda

[aengus]

Thanks All... Appreciate the advice. I'm working on this part time... Can't afford to go full time and PCs are only part of what I tend to sell. What do you think of Vendio? Do you use listing services? And what of Vendio's stores with built in waddya call it, planting your store name on google, etc. I'm brain dead today and still at my "real job" I have a website on bluevoda for some horse stuff I sell and really never completed the job nor did I figure out the e-commerce part of it. Do you suggest any web hosting sites? Thanks so much for all advice!!

[usa.55]

this is probably late in the game..lol go with inkfrog it's a flat rate everymonth whereas vendio takes a percentage of your sale just like ebay and then paypal Also free is the auctiva not sure if I spelled it right. -- -- Edited by ms.ads at 11/16/2008 7:47 AM PST

[aengus]

Thanks. I'm going to keep Vendio and try Auctiva for my next listings.

[markomundo]

I use Auctiva and I am happy with it. I can post a lot of images with the auction (no additional money, eBay makes me laugh with this .10 cent image promotional fee, like storage is the CHEAPEST thing about the web, they should give you at least TWO images gratis (of course always two with postcards) and sometimes my vinyl LPs take 4 pictures. You can also schedule when the auction begins for no charge, also something eBay should do for free. For the .03 cents eBay charges for the store, it's not a bad deal. I leave them in their for a while and they often get some hits. Doesn't seem as many as before, maybe because of all the wacky search parameters and rankings eBay has been applying.