How many items to list in your inventory right now?
Summary: sreu3058 initiated a discussion about the number of items people have yet to list, mentioning a struggle with motivation due to the 'summertime blues'. Participants shared their own experiences with death piles, ranging from a few dozen to thousands of items. They discussed strategies for managing unlisted inventory, such as setting timers for short listing sessions and utilizing AI tools for photography. Several participants emphasized the importance of organization and expressed similar challenges in finding motivation to list items consistently. Many noted that listing and sourcing are part of a cycle, with varying levels of motivation influenced by personal circumstances and external factors like weather.
Just curious. I have about 25. Had to talk myself into completing just 1 today.
I think I have the summertime blues.
Do you have stacks of product to list?
authentic*vintage
·3 weeks agoEasily hundreds. As always, I acquire faster than I can list. I work full time so I just do what I can. Mainly replace solds each day.
fabrics24
·3 weeks agoI have more fabric remnants than I can count. I haven't even touched the stash of solids yet because the stripes/patterns are the easiest to ID. I'm starting to make remnant lots because I just wanna get rid of as much as I can at a time.
plasticgalaxies
·3 weeks agolol. i would kill for 25. My wife is a reseller and all summer long we garage and estate sale in our area. we have 1K + items to list. maybe closer to 2k. And now because i stay busy on my ebay site and she is on hers, i dont have much time to help her list things. She cross lists of 3 sites so she can only get about 20 listing a day. So i think we have a problem
pickapaper
·3 weeks agoI have literally thousands of items that I can list, in every category except electronics and we still go to sales looking for buys. I usually keep about 600 listings as that is manageable for me. I've been selling on eBay for 28 years and we also have booths in an antique mall. My biggest problems are that I am not an organized person, I easily get overwhelmed and/or sidetracked, and I'm old and don't move as fast as I used to. And now, I'm hesitant about listing certain things on eBay because of all of the shenanigans that go on.
dnsrmpl_2
·3 weeks agoI am reading all your posts and need a lesson on organizing and getting stuff listed hubby is retiring at the first of the year and we’re downsizing from a three-story house to a little tiny one so not only do I have all my eBay stuff to List. I have a whole house full of stuff. I have to find something to do with it’s overwhelming you give me inspiration.
jundedh2012
·3 weeks agoi have around 283, i have a ton of stuff i could be listing
chapeau-noir
·3 weeks agoI have only 40 items down from about 150 and constantly run out of inventory.
I'm hyperactive, so am one of these people who prep and list like a banshee, but inventory is hard to come by here and I keep running out. I kind of wish I could find a job with someone who has lots of inventory who needs someone to do the grunt work - prepping, researching, photoing and listing and needs an Energizer Bunny. I once had a job in a data mine and they asked me to stop sending in so much data because I was blowing their budget.
dnsrmpl_2
·3 weeks agoI wish i had your energy I have literally a ton of stuff to List and I’m bad at photography so it takes me forever
plasticgalaxies
·3 weeks agodo yourself a favor and use Ai for your photos. great at removing the backgrounds and shadows and not changing the item itself. I pay for google gemini. 8 buck a month and saves me a ton of time with pictures. Now i take pictures anywhere and any time of the day even without setting up my lights and booth.
vintage-camerastuff
·3 weeks agoYour photos look pretty good. Better than most.
fabrics24
·3 weeks agoI agree! Great photos, @dnsrmpl_2 !
chapeau-noir
·3 weeks agoI'm practically certifiable, though lol.
sreu3058
OP3 weeks agoWell, this is my slow time of year… if my current inventory was being depleted (sales!)
I would certainly be more motivated to replenish it.
I am still sourcing but that has slowed down, too.
Thanks for the responses, I do find it all interesting!
ligiaco84
·3 weeks agoI have about 67 active listings, 10 scheduled, and an attic full of stuff to list. I also have boxes, bags, and several shelves of things I need to list in my "ebay" room. It is too hot to spend much time in the attic right now, and the heat saps my motivation to do much more than the bare minimum. Come on cooler weather!
catjewels9876
·3 weeks agoOh yes I have a lot to list, even more to the point is my lack of motivation. I am not even sure why because I enjoy getting sales.
I do procrastinate especially about items I am not familiar with, that needs cleaning or not exactly sure what is a good price point.
Here's hoping we all can find our own motivation!
dnsrmpl_2
·3 weeks agoIts nice to know Im not alone❤️
stephenmorgan
·3 weeks agoI have 1660 items listed and have over 12,000 that could be listed. It takes a lot of work and I am not very motivated anymore. Too many changes to keep up with. Every once in a while I may take a few days and list another 150 or so. I don't want to be overwhelmed with too many sales and be unable to keep up.
christworks
·3 weeks agoI always have stuff to list. Our winters are normaly cold, sometimes snowy/icy. Yard sales and estate sales drop off heavily around the second week of October. I buy very, very little in Q4 as a result. It is normally about March before I start buying again, so I always buy more than I list in the Spring and early Summer so I have enough stuff to sell in Q4, and to replinish after Christmas. I'm blessed as I have a very large garage to store things in and a decent sorting method in place. Organization is key.
I've slacked off on listings the past week. I had some back issues after doing two priviate picks back to back. There was a lot of lifting of totes from high places and just a lot of stuff. Sitting at the computer to list was not comfortable. I started back doing drafts a few days ago when plans to start back on pictures yesterday, but I've had some other issues here at the house I've had deal with. I'm hoping to pick back up listing this weekend.
sin-n-dex
·3 weeks agoI have around 1000 things to list... it's not a death pile exactly, about 75% of it is trade dollars that I run for auctions to create traffic in the store. Sales are always good on the weeks I run those auctions. If I'm motivated enough, I might get about 90 listed for auctions starting Sunday.
I have around 250 other things, some of it is in the death pile because there's issues... like I need to research, or more description is required, like some stamps and postcards need some extra work to list. I'm going ahead and listing easy stuff right now, trying to do about 10 items a day to keep it steady.
I lack a lot of motivation, I just try to get an hour or so of actual listing each day... if possible. It kind of depends how many naps are needing during the day.
industrial_sales_nw_ohio
·3 weeks agoLast ten years I have had zero motivation to list items.
I look at the value of items I have listed instead of how many items. Today I have $8,000 listed that is very low for me. In the past I would keep $30,000 to $50,000 listed. My death pile after ten years of zero motivation is huge. I have been only listing easy items or items I know will sell fast. My death pile has 100s of unlisted items thousands of dollars worth.
Recently I have been working at night. 11pm to 8am this has been helpful no distractions. I eat breakfast with my wife she goes to work I go to bed.
keziak
·3 weeks agoI had 2300 when I quit my store. Now it's 80-odd auctions (plus a few fixed price). I had a big problem with that volume. It was very difficult to reprice. I'll give it to Amazon, they make it easy. Not so much here.
inhawaii
·3 weeks agoPart time seller.
About 350 items currently listed.
About 100 more I could list if I had the time and motivation.
onefootflipper
·3 weeks agoI have still have a few hundred metal warhammer miniatures "bits" or parts in a box that I filter in slowly when I have extra time. 25 is nothing at all. Some people have thousands of items in their "death pile".
I use an intake system that limits the amount of space I have to store unlisted, so it can never get out of control.
jdbelt1960
·3 weeks agoI started with about 18 or so items and am now up to 80. I usually list a couple at a time as this is more still hobby versus consistent business to me. Your items are small so won't take much space. List at your leisure and just realize what you can handle.
I see you have stones. I obtained some a while ago and never listed them. I think I will put them out there and see what happens.
dhbookds
·3 weeks agostacks would be and understatement.....
Bet way I've found for me to "get started" is to set a timer to work for 15 min. By the time 15 minutes it is up, I'm in a groove....
tobaccocardyahoo
·3 weeks agoI always have more product to list. And that does not stop me from acquiring more.
When my sales need a boost, I list more.
The goal is not to have too many sales to make Ebay a burden, and not to have too few sales to have me question whether it is worth putting up with selling on Ebay.
Sometimes I just list because it gives me the satisfaction of finding the story to go with the item.
Sometimes I list because I am in a groove and listing similar items at breakneck speed and don't want to stop. It could be years before most of it sells because there are not enough buyers for that many similar items.
onlinecentral
·3 weeks agoA Death Pile is stuff that accumulates that you are simply too lazy to list, or cannot list for other reasons.
dnsrmpl_2
·3 weeks agothank you I was wondering what a death pile was I have a giant one!