Switching from seller to eBay store
I have been contemplating a switch from seller to creating an eBay store. Seems simple enough, but can't find out if my current listings will cross over to my store. Has anyone else made this transition and give me some guidance? TIA!
23 comments
mel*s_ell
OP5 months agoI appreciate all the insight you all have given. I would say at this point the cons outweigh the pros. I am retired but still work my old job a couple of times a week and do not need the huge cash flow. That being said, I am going to focus on listing as many items as I can making as much profit as I can. I figure when I can manage a larger inventory, I can revisit this. Thank-you so much!
shire123
·5 months agoSound reasoning. Good luck.
meme6253
·5 months agoYou really don't have that many Listings currently, But if you are planning to list a lot more items, Then it would probably be worth your while, But currently doesn't seem worth it.
1richdoug
·5 months agoJust did a quick math of first 3 months this year; let s give u an ave of 60 more for march= 300 gross sales, minus say 60 in fees only. That leaves a net of 240 for 3 months. If, we take 180 from net sales, that leaves a profit(only ebay fees, not item costs) of 20 a month ! One sale was 100 in the 3 months. IMO, you need with 80 listings, at least 5-10 that are min 50.00 to buy. Currently you have one listing at 45, not close to 60 to cover store fee. Find more listings to sell in the 5-15.00 range. I remember in 18, selling 3-4K a month; said, i need an anchor store at 400 a month, not the 60. WRONG ! I quickly realize, why an extra 340 for same amount of listings? also, check what others are selling and profits in your categories. The math has to work; 15 sales at 10 bucks =150= minus 50 for item cost at 25pct(max u should buy and sell) and fees= 100 profit minus 60 for store, leaves 40.00 net. You cannot sell 15 items from 80 lists a month. Get to my magic number of 500, by investing(buying) in more product. List something every day, always replacing stuff sold.
shire123
·5 months agoI see lots of mentions of the 250 free listings per month as sort of the break point for whether to have a store or not.
But another really important break point is if you have over $3000 in sales per month, the decrease in the FVF's pays for the store subscription. (at least at the basic store subscription level).
funfactorychannel
·5 months agoDepends if your going to be semi serous to serious seller, because your growing your store vs pinching pennies. I never recommend that you pinch pennies to the point that it hampers your growth. Getting a low price store is a starting point for your ebay growth. If your just a casual seller, I wont recommend getting one.
A store even at 100 listing is worth it as it gives you more options. It won't give you more traffic but lower fvf plus sales options and at basic level get some ebay boxes. You May want to start with a starter 7.95 and test the waters. You can grow and learn all the aspect of the stores. Especially when creating categories.
Both basic and starter are just one less meal at restaurant or one less starbucks a month.
cheech2021
·5 months agoWhen I switch to a store I took in consideration also of receive a $100.00 in store discount annually to buy shipping supplies, tape, etc. Last quarter I did not need anything, but I bought the 6 rolls of tape for $25.00 (now it went up $) and re sold them and picked up a few dollars. The way I look at it a $100.00 in savings is another $8.33 a month that comes off my monthly subscription fee and get to become a Top Seller for more of a discount offered. Heck this month there's no fee's on the first 25 sales in fashion, and home decor, so I ran sale till the end of March on fashion and home decor. NOW that offer is nice I sell something for $10 buck, $25 bucks, I make $10 buck or the $25 bucks. So good luck with your store, have fun!
mel*s_ell
OP5 months agoNow a discount on shipping supplies and other incentives is appealing! Food for thought...
1richdoug
·5 months agoBeen here about 10 years now, selling off my sports collections. Basic economics are- 60 a month for my store. This was and is only meant another retirement annuity. You must have had to buy low- example a .25c card, i sell for 4-6.00; a 5.00 cost years back, will sell today at 15-25. Know everything you can about your product! That is my # 1 rule. Treat it as a stock market. sold most my star cards before 2022, 3-4K monthly; now, very happy with 4-500 ! If store costs 60 a month for 50K plus listings, i like to sell like around minimum 300 monthly. Ebay gave me my categories, i never had to do anything on that. I like 120 lists on each page. IMO, Until , you reach say maybe 500; then decide on a store! You must make 4-5 times the cost of a store fee. Not knowing your age or goals, it s difficult to give advice; only from my experience i can help. Sure, lots of write-offs-fees, cost, expenses. I am retired on approx 40K, simply selling and allowing others to collect. so i don t deal with any taxes paid. the 720 store fees, will not help much on taxes, IMO. So, figure you recent income from sells and do some simple math ! good luck always
cambriachick
·5 months agoI have a basic store at $7.95 a month and I feel it's well worth the money. I think the categories are helpful to shoppers. If they see a piece of copper they like, they can go straight to my store category and check out my other pieces. They don't have to wade through my posters, etc. I also think running sales is a useful tool.
Because I run about 250 listings, however, I must check my account daily to see what is due for relisting. If an item has been up for 3-4 months, I end it to make room for new items. Then I relist them a later time. I list new items every week. This works well for me.
aeparts1
·5 months agoUnless you are going to start listing a lot more items, like 250+ per month, you don't need a store.
mamacassidy
·5 months agoWhat are you looking to get out of a store?
You currently have only 78 listings and 16 sales within the last 90 days.
Are you just wanting a storefront? Are you wanting to run sales and use coupons?
At this point, I don't think you need to pay a monthly fee for a store yet, but that's up to you.
mel*s_ell
OP5 months agomamacassidy, I would like to increase traffic for the items I have (if in fact a storefront helps this) And agree- I don't have a lot of sales.
I appreciate your observations- I might need to hold off until I can get more listings up.
kensgiftshop
·5 months agoA store subscription will not get you any more traffic.
mel*s_ell
OP5 months agoThat is good to know Ken- I really might not be worth it for me then.
fern*wood
·5 months agoThe math may not make sense if you keep a low number of listings, but if you have things you can list, it will open the door. I only had around 250 listings until the basic store gave me a bazillion more free listings. Now I have over 2000 listings with my basic store. 😬
soh.maryl
·5 months agoHave never had a store, did list a long time ago, and now am just a rare shopper.
However, from the knowledge I've gained on here, it seems like a store is only practical if you can keep a certain minimum # of listings up all the time. I assume that you feel you can do that.
reallynicestamps
·5 months ago@mel*s_ell
A Store is only economical if you have more than 300 separate listings.
Until then the monthly subscription will be greater than you would pay for the 250 FREE listings plus the other 50 listings.
You do get a lower selling fee.
You can organize your store into sub-categories.
You get a quarterly coupon for discounted, branded shipping materials.
If you decide to opt for a Store, go for the monthly subscription until you are sure you want to pay the subscription fees.
shire123
·5 months agoJust did the same thing this week. Yes. All your listings are in your store but under an "other" category. There will be no categories at this point.
Now you can create your own categories (if you want). The tutorial shows you exactly how to do it. I'm at that stage right now trying to decide on categories. My store is pretty tiny with only about 250 listings so I'm not sure I need other categories at this point.
The only reason I made the switch to a store is for the lower FVFs. I am at a high enough sale level that the FVF decrease more than pays for the store subscription (basic)
mel*s_ell
OP5 months agoshire123, I can see your categories on the left side of your store. I now need to decide if this is the right path since I have less than 100 items right now. Of course, gives me the oppportunity to do a little more shopping! 😉
shire123
·5 months agoInteresting. I had never actually looked at my store until your prompt. Yes, indeed. I see the categories. Makes me wonder if I even need to create more????
kibble-net
·5 months agoYour listings won't go anywhere. The only difference is you now have a store layout with custom URL, and a monthly subscription fee (that will undoubtedly save you on insertion fees).
mel*s_ell
OP5 months agoThank-you kibble-net for your quick response!