eBay

ignatia · ‎11-03-2018

I have had listings live on eBay for three consecutive months now, and have had only one sale. I recently followed a number of suggestions I received here on the forum to get more views and sales, and am working on them. However, with the listing adjustments I am working on aside, my listings are not bad at all and are very much in line with other listings I see in the same category.

Is it "normal" at three months, to have had only one sale? Surely it can't be or no one would be left here to sell.

ignatia · ‎11-04-2018

@penguins_dont_fly wrote:
To a non-practitioner, it just looks like n00bspeak.

I get it--people who pick will always find their reasons.

I don't know what noobspeak is, which is fine, please do not enlighten me on that

If you want a broader audience, you must appeal to everyone. Crystals are not just for mystical purposes, they are also collected by geology fans and just for good-old decorative purposes.

This is part of why I took metaphysical descriptions out of my listings. I have been working on this. Rome wasn't built in a day, howerver, much was done within Rome each and every day.

misfitfun · ‎11-04-2018

Not naive but may not see it.On mobile descriptions are on a seperate tab and less likely to be read.Users go by the title and pics so you need to use them w that understanding and put all info you can in the title

A ruler in pics helps w people who are more spatial than mathmatical.You are going the lowest common denominator.Just because you do or understand something doesn't mean others do

This is a user to user board not eBay employees.
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When people show you who they are, believe them

reallynicestamps · ‎11-04-2018

Since you are shipping from Canada, and I'm sure worried about the rotating strikes like all of us, perhaps you should consider moving to Small Packet Shipping instead of Tracked Packet?

On a less than 250g item this would cost you $8.78 Cdn (~$6.76US) instead of $17.90 Cdn (~$13.78US).

You can't track SP, but it is as fast as Tracked.

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

I'm looking at your most expensive item ($64.99). Basically, tracking is your protection against false claims of non-delivery. It doesn't move anything faster.

It does give nervous buyers the warm fuzzies, thinking it gives them some sort of protection. It doesn't.

On your less expensive items, it makes sense to use Cookie Jar Insurance (self insurance) to cover the cost of (very occasional even rare) cases of fals or delayed delivery.

It comes down to who your customer is. If she is entitled and basically dishonest, tracking becomes essential. I wouldn't ship electronics, gaming equipment, designer purses, sneakers, reborn babies or horsetack without tracking, but I ship stamps with much higher values than your items without tracking because philately is a handshake business.

On PO Boxes. I really don't understand your antipathy. Last night in an attempt to stay awake until my show came on TV, I looked at the last dozen invoices I had processed on Google Maps. None had mailbox addresses, but two were of storefronts which very likely had a mailbox business (one was actually a UPS ).

You may get more specific help on mailing from posters at eBaydot CA, the Canadian site.

reallynicestamps · ‎11-04-2018

I have great reservations about shipping internationally for two reasons. First, there are customs restrictions ... some of the items I carry are costly, and to stand the chance to lose big due to a customer not bothering to check into customs restrictions, seems too large of a risk to take.

It is the customer's responsibility to know customs restrictions for his own country.

You are not required to ship everything everywhere.

You can restrict shipping to any country, even entire continents, and your restrictions can be on all your items or on just one.

Again, I've been selling by mail order for over 35 years, and have never found international shipping or customers to be a problem. I don't ship to India, Israel, Russia or Saudi Arabia because of their poor postal systems.

peterpan081883 · ‎11-04-2018

Are the items you are selling in high demand? I would find a person who is selling something similar and “watch” their item to see if and when their item sells.

reallynicestamps · ‎11-04-2018

@ignatia

Canadian sellers pay GST on eBay fees.

So if you sell something for $10, your eBay fee would be $1.00 plus 5 cents GST. (All numbers in loonies.)

sharingtheland · ‎11-04-2018

@ignatia wrote:
@buyselljack2016 wrote:
What I can say is that there is no need for a "fancy/or any other template".

Photos, and facts is what the buyer needs to see.
Yes, everyone has an opinion. Mine is that listings are their absolue ugliest, when there is no template. No template is not an option for me. However, people can stop responding as if I am daft, no need to say how to change a g*ddamn*d template.

Ya know, I've got to stick my nose in here. For the most part you've had an argument to rebut any advice given.

A very large majority of the people who are trying to help and give advice have sold things here in the last three months; you haven't.

Sherry

=^.^= =^.^=
( ) ( )
" " =^.^= " "

reallynicestamps · ‎11-04-2018

TeSserAct^Th13rt33n>

I am a magician, that is my username combined with a success spell. You again, are the first one to say this.

Apparently putting it in your title has the opposite effect.

Move it to your Description.

ifyouloveit · ‎11-04-2018

I sell healing crystals on another platform. You need all the keywords you can get in your title. Chakra, Reiki, Crystal Healing, Healing Stone, Point tip, generator, wand, tower, obelisk, etc. The market is oversaturated with overwhelming competition from China.

Your store name needs to be gone from your listings, it is irrelevant. Don't make up any words that are not used in gemstones or crystals. Like Tangerine. You are literally going up against hundreds of thousands of listings, key words are all you have in this category.

Also, your prices are way too high on eBay for this market. You're in a category where the buyers are very savvy, have access to all the same items you have from China and India with free shipping. You may catch the occasional newbie with your prices if they fall in love with a particular piece, but that just doesn't happen here.

Look at prices on SOLD items similar to yours. See how they write their listings.

Hope this helps.
(Seasoned healing crystal dealer)

ignatia · ‎11-04-2018

@reallynicestamps wrote:
Since you are shipping from Canada, and I'm sure worried about the rotating strikes like all of us, perhaps you should consider moving to Small Packet Shipping instead of Tracked Packet?
On a less than 250g item this would cost you $8.78 Cdn (~$6.76US) instead of $17.90 Cdn (~$13.78US).
You can't track SP, but it is as fast as Tracked.
https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1
I'm looking at your most expensive item ($64.99). Basically, tracking is your protection against false claims of non-delivery. It doesn't move anything faster.
It does give nervous buyers the warm fuzzies, thinking it gives them some sort of protection. It doesn't.
On your less expensive items, it makes sense to use Cookie Jar Insurance (self insurance) to cover the cost of (very occasional even rare) cases of fals or delayed delivery.
It comes down to who your customer is. If she is entitled and basically dishonest, tracking becomes essential. I wouldn't ship electronics, gaming equipment, designer purses, sneakers, reborn babies or horsetack without tracking, but I ship stamps with much higher values than your items without tracking because philately is a handshake business.

On PO Boxes. I really don't understand your antipathy. Last night in an attempt to stay awake until my show came on TV, I looked at the last dozen invoices I had processed on Google Maps. None had mailbox addresses, but two were of storefronts which very likely had a mailbox business (one was actually a UPS ).

You may get more specific help on mailing from posters at eBaydot CA, the Canadian site.

I am aware of the pricing on mailing, and my choice of pricing is based on logic and reason as it pertains to my own circumstance. Stones are not like stamps. Certain kinds if dropped for example, can shatter. I cannot always send things in small mailers.

As well, I only have a small fraction of my items listed, and thus one does not yet get a true overview of what I sell. Many of items are larger and more expensive. In the case of small items, as often as I can get away with it I want them very well wrapped, and need to cover the costs associated with that. In cases where it is not necessary to wrap to such a degree, of course I will not, and will refund accordingly.

I will send orders tracked when they need to be tracked, and will send them otherwise when I feel no need to. I have sold one item so far, and it cost over two dollars more than what Canada Post's rate calculator said it would, so I will not rely on their estimates. It was an item that could be sent in a bubble mailer with little padding, which is rare. Most cannot. Based upon my one singular sales experience, to reduce shipping would be reverse logic.

As for PO boxes, as I said before, I have reasons for this.

You overlooked where I asked you how to see page impressions. As I said, I looked it up, and both descriptions of how to find that information were wrong.

ifyouloveit · ‎11-04-2018

PS: It is of no value in crystal healing to tell them how beautiful you think it is. They don't care what you think. They want to know what Chakra's that crystal or stone is used for, how to use it, etc., They will make up their own mind based on your listing description and photos.

I would consider changing your ad to sound more positive. You start off with a disclaimer that says what you think it looks like via size and what they see may be different. Put this at the end, and say it a more positive way. Photos are enlarged to show details, and put the measurements first at the front of your listing.

Example: 62 grams, 25MM (1 Inch) top quality grade A clear Quartz point.
Beautifully formed Clear Quartz Natural Healing Point, mined in Brazil. Clean sides, razor sharp point tip, excellent blah blah blah.

Keep YOU out of your ads and write them for the buyer. i.e., Rose Quartz helps you in your ........journey, whatever, not I think this is gorgeous. Again, take you out of your ads, including your store name. There are a billion items on eBay, no one is going to remember your store. Not when there are crystal stores here that sell tens of thousands of pieces with thousands of followers.

They want to know what it is supposed to do for them, what Chakra's it is good for, how to use it (say good palm stone, grid, chakra work, jewelry wrapping), give them ideas.

And lower your prices or offer more with the listing. Way too high for eBay. Hope this helps, I have sold hundreds and hundreds, it my main line now, just not here.

penguins_dont_fly · ‎11-04-2018

@ignatia wrote:
@penguins_dont_fly wrote:
To a non-practitioner, it just looks like n00bspeak.
I get it--people who pick will always find their reasons.

I don't know what noobspeak is, which is fine, please do not enlighten me on that

If you want a broader audience, you must appeal to everyone. Crystals are not just for mystical purposes, they are also collected by geology fans and just for good-old decorative purposes.
This is part of why I took metaphysical descriptions out of my listings. I have been working on this. Rome wasn't built in a day, howerver, much was done within Rome each and every day.

Respectfully, you came to the boards wondering why you have no sales.

I am not "picking", I am trying to make you understand how some buyers may see your listings and be turned off by certain things, causing them to hit the "back button" and buy from someone else.

It's great that you are working on it and have a willingness to change ... and I will step out of this conversation ... in a second....

Fancy templates and gimmicky writing do not make sales here. What does is:

Good Titles with accurate, searchable keywords
Plenty of good, clear, well-lit photos of the item from all angles
Accurate Item Specifics
A clear, concise and readable description that gives all of the information necessary for a buyer to make a decision without having to search 2-3 pages of extraneous information.
Reasonable Shipping prices

Approximately 50% of all buyers on eBay use a mobile device to shop. And that number grows everyday.

I posted the link earlier, but I will repeat myself ... there are some very knowledgeable and helpful HTML/CSS folks over on the Tools and Apps Board who can and will help you make your template mobile friendly.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Tools-Apps/bd-p/tools-apps-db

penguins_dont_fly is a Volunteer Community Mentor
Buying and Selling since 2013

ifyouloveit · ‎11-04-2018

PS Crystal Healing is not a niche market, it's a huge multi billion dollar a year, worldwide obsession right now. They are even starting to bring them into stores, I saw crystals angels at a store yesterday. It used to be niche, hasn't been for a long time.

pjcdn2005 · ‎11-04-2018

You mentioned a couple of times that shipping costs have nothing to do with views but if someone sees a high shipping cost in search, they won't click on your listing which means no view. Plus, those who search by lowest price plus shipping may not click on your items if they are near the bottom of the page.

I realize that those of us in Canada are handicapped in some ways because our shipping costs are high but that's something we have to work around. Also, if I were you I would consider shortening your handling times and/or using standard shipping from outside the US instead of economy. I list with standard outside of the US with 2 days handling time and rarely have any problems with that.

buyselljack2016 · ‎11-04-2018

@ignatia wrote:

@buyselljack2016 wrote:
What I can say is that there is no need for a "fancy/or any other template".

Photos, and facts is what the buyer needs to see.

Yes, everyone has an opinion. Mine is that listings are their absolue ugliest, when there is no template. No template is not an option for me. However, people can stop responding as if I am daft, no need to say how to change a g*ddamn*d template.

Your listings, your store, your choice, but are you selling a product, or are you selling your template?