New to Ebay and feeling like a school leaver
Hello Ebay community / veterans!
I have just opened a store and Im wondering if anyone has any advise in terms of how long it takes for people to trust you enough to make a purchase whilst you dont have any ratings yet. I feel like a school leaver scanning the job classifieds where every position states "experience required"
I know I know..... perhaps an impossible question to answer but Im feeling a little low.....
17 comments
elementaltreasure
OP2 years agoGlad we have cleared that up 😂🤣😂
luckythewinner
·2 years agoYour issue may be partly do to demand rather than trust.
A search of active listings for Smokey quartz aegirine returns 125 matching listings including yours for $185.
But a search of sold listings for Smokey quartz aegirine returns only 5 purchases, and they were all under $30.
elementaltreasure
OP2 years agoThank you so much for this! I had no idea one could view sold listings until now. Had a look at a few other minerals and its definitely the cheaper ones that sell. My focus is on high end specimens. I used to bulk wholesale and the ones that I am listing are the top AA / rare pieces. This is food for thought.... perhaps I am on the wrong platform... OR.... I just need to keep at it until I find the right clients.
I tried Etsy first but honestly its just so full of glitches and issues.... which I found surprising considering its size and the amount of people using it. I gave it my best but Etsy and I cant seem to play nicely. The final straw was having my shop suspended with no particular reason given (just a generic email from them with multiple possible reasons.... none of which I was guilty of) No way to speak to a human there either (despite their slogan being "keep ecommerce human") After three weeks my store was reinstated with an email apologising for the inconvenience as it was closed in error..... by then I had already started setting up my eBay store.
I might not be moving any mountains on Ebay (yet 😅) but one thing I really am moved by myself is the incredible support I'm finding on the community forum... many thanks to you all!
ckimodog
·2 years ago@elementaltreasure
Hello and welcome!
Your stones and crystals are just gorgeous. Nice work on the photos. However I would sort of keep an eye on your prices as there are similar ones on eBay and their prices are somewhat lower than what you are asking. Another thing is to make sure what ever country you ship to will accept these thru customs. I would look into that factor as well because they can be denied and that could be a problem.
Use your social media apps to network and share your listings. It's at the top right hand side of your listing page where it reads "Share" What ever social media you use, attach your listings to them and let em fly.
Wishing you much success with your new shop.
Happy Selling
elementaltreasure
OP2 years agoThank you so much! A lot of what is driving my price is the shipping.... I'm honestly considering removing "free shipping" and listing the item at its price with the shipping separate...
jerseyboymusic
·2 years agoWhat's a "school leaver"?
Just curious
mtgraves7984
·2 years ago@jerseyboymusic
It's what we'd call a "dropout" in the US.
elementaltreasure
OP2 years agoNo no...... it means someone who has just finished school and has no work experience. Hard to find work without experience 🙂
mtgraves7984
·2 years ago@elementaltreasure
So... here, we'd say a 'graduate'. There's nothing left to do besides leave school... 😂
retro_entertainment_collectibles
·2 years agoYou've problem right from word go being in South Africa.
Many nations and definitely the USA have import restrictions that likely may apply to what you're selling, Stones, Rocks, Sand, Soil, etc. must be able to prove to for example the US Customs Authority that they are completely free of organic matter and potential pathogens.
fashunu4eeuh
·2 years agoHello @elementaltreasure and welcome.
Don’t be discouraged. It can take a few months to get established on eBay, and it has only been about two weeks so far for you. Your listings are good, and if one’s items are well-priced and in demand, the sales will follow.
I agree with the other poster, you need to include more details about the items in your Item Specifics too. It may seem redundant to repeat descriptors in the title, IS, and Description fields, but each plays a role in Search Engine Optimization. Include things like size, color, gem type, weight, etc.
In addition, just food for thought—unless you are planning to list a lot more than the current 28 listings, opening a store may not have been a necessary expense. Sellers can get up to 250 free listings a month without a storefront.
Be sure to keep abreast of what your competition is doing. Make note of the most successful sellers in your field for comparison.
For example, i see many who sell similar items have listed their choice of category as Collectibles> Rocks, Fossils & Minerals>Crystals & Mineral Specimen> Crystals which is slightly different than yours. Sometimes that small difference in category can improve sales. (Just something to experiment with.)
Your shipping time may work against you as an international seller. Shoppers usually want fast shipping, but you can compensate for this by offering better customer service and/or value for money, for example. And whatever you can do to improve shipping times will be to your benefit. You might consider having one-day handling, for instance.
Wish you much success, and please come back anytime you have a concern.
elementaltreasure
OP2 years agoThank you so much for the feedback. Ill definitely put more info in the description. I read somewhere that the title was the most important part so I neglected to put more detail in the description. I had a wholesale website in the past and realised then that clients buy from photos and rarely read descriptions and these two bits of information gave me what seemed a valid excuse to be lazy 🙂
Thanks for the feedback on the category too!
Shipping.. I exaggerated the length of time because Id rather under promise and over deliver but it has been niggling me as a negative
caldreamer
·2 years agoSuggest you list a few "cheap $1 dollar items" (just to get feedback). Also, I suggest you fill out all "item specifics" that apply to your product (this drives EBAY search engines).
Your gemstones are awesome and I wish you well in your selling journey.
elementaltreasure
OP2 years agoI wish I could, see my reply above, my minimum shipping cost starts at $50...... South African Post Office is completely defunct and courier/air is crazy expensive from here
soh.maryl
·2 years agoYou probably listed with F/S from South Africa hoping to attract buyers. But, are you aware that, if you do sell something, and the buyer decides it's not as described, you, the seller, will be paying for the return shipping if you want it back?
Plus I'd go with the suggestions from other people, either list a few lower-priced items to start with, or perhaps do a little buying yourself to establish a little bit of feedback.
slippinjimmy
·2 years agoYou have some nice specimens and good listings.
To get some attention it would probably help if you had some lower priced listings, small pieces where the shipping isn't too costly for you. Buyers might be more willing to take a chance on a $25 item rather than a $100+.
Sales will come, it takes time, there is a solid market but the turnover rates are slow.
elementaltreasure
OP2 years agoThanks so much! My problem is that Im looking at a base price of around $50 to ship the smallest item/weight. This is restricting me to more expensive pieces to make the shipping worthwhile (for both customer and myself)