99% Cancelled Order rate

[lions_go_rawr]

Hi Everyone. I just started selling on eBay in December. I live in New Zealand so my postage is expensive ($20 USD). I started selling items on auction starting at 99c each. I've sold about 14 items now, of which ALL  except ONE got cancelled because of excuses like "oh my toddler was on my phone and bid" or "oh, i'll pay in a few days im interested in more of your auctions! (then never pays and ignores my messages"

What's going on here? Why are there so many people bidding and not going through with the sale? is it becuase of my shipping prices (my shipping prices is very clearly stated so I doubt it) + I have free combined shipping.

I really want to get my monthly selling allowance up, but how can I when I have to deal with so many sales falling through? And how come buyers that do this dont get punished by eBay? It seems so unfair.

[janet9988]

List as a fixed price listing..NOT an auction.

Do not allow offers.

Use immediate payment required..

[stainlessenginecovers]

My guess is people just see the .99c auction and not the shipping; then see that it cost over $22 for you to ship me a .99c item- I'm out and will probably NEVER pay you.

What you need to do is this:

List all items at 'buy it now' with 'immediate payment required' as 99c Auctions with $22 shipping will NEVER work, long term. 

I see a 'My Little Pony' you have for 99c on Auction- scroll down and others have it listed (shows on your listing) for $18 buy it now. 

Research what things are selling for (can input keywords, see the search, then click the 'sold' on the left side to see what 'others' have sold things for)

You also need to know that very few people will be interested in paying $20 to ship a $20 item, so either they sell in your country, or they just don't sell. 

[ms.rodriguez*]

Many of them are not reading the shipping fees. Remember, many of today's bidders bid on a  tiny cellphone while doing something else like work or cooking or watching their kids.  Their attention is diverted. They are NOT reading completely.  Goodluck with your sales.  Definitely do fixed price but do not be surprised if many still will give some lame excuse and not pay.

[1786davycrockett]

Starting your auctions at 99c is a sure way to go bankrupt FAST -- very few responses, and you may wind up selling items for only the original 99c.  

DON'T DO IT.

List your items at "Buy it now" prices, with immediate payment required -- and you may have to depend upon New Zealand sales only, since your shipping charges are prohibitive for many international buyers.

Finally, some buyers may be hesitant to make a purchase from a seller with zero feedback -- why not make a few inexpensive eBay purchases on your own, just to get your feedback score to look a bit healthier?

Good luck!

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, have you examined what your competition is doing? Take the listing for “My little pony G4 Apple Jack” for example. If you get just one bid, the total amount of your sale would be $23.15.

Looking at completed listings (using your keywords), i see 201 results. Filtering to Lowest Price, your competitors are selling a slew of them for under $10 total (includes shipping cost). Some offer free shipping with one day handling and estimated domestic delivery in 3 days. Many have generous return policies and of course, no customs charges. 

All those factors are successfully working against you. Under these circumstances, you can clearly see how your competition is thwarting your efforts.

[wastingtime101]

In your shoes @lions_go_rawr, I would be grouping those items into low priced lots of 6 or more, listing fixed price, immediate payment, no offers. I would even consider putting half the ship cost into the item price (or even free ship) so the divide doesn't seem so harsh.

Then offer combined shipping for multiple lots with rules set up to automatically apply the discount in the buyer's shopping cart.

Since these items are readily available in the US the ship costs hurt you so you'll need to price low and work to offset those ship costs.

You might not make much profit for a while, but the initial goal is to get rid of what you have and build up your sales and your listing limits, then you can work your way to higher priced items that are worth the shipping cost.

[lions_go_rawr]

Thanks for the advice and reponses. 

I know getting sales with such high postage prices will be difficult. I've been hoping to get my monthly listing allowance up so when I move to the netherlands in a few months I can continue buying and selling items to make some extra income.

I like @wastingtime101 advice of making little lots containing multiple items. I know i'll likely lose some money that way, but Im sure once I have a higher listing allowance i can start getting people buying multiple items so they can take advantage of the free combined shipping I offer.

Thanks everyone! 

[wastingtime101]

For whatever this is worth @lions_go_rawr - when I buy items from Australia (and I do!) I'm willing to pay the ship cost when the item is something I can't easily get here in the US. Sometimes it helps to think local when you source if your target buyer is in the US. Except ... maybe not when it comes to vegemite. 😂

[dhbookds]

I've been hoping to get my monthly listing allowance up so when I move to the netherlands in a few months

Better check on that.........I'm pretty sure if you change countries you will have to start a new account.......unless Australia and the Netherlands use the same payment processor.

[lions_go_rawr]

I didn’t think of that… if I continue using the USA eBay instead of the .nl version, would it make a difference? I see a few Dutch people selling similar stuff I sell on the USA site. 

[downunder-61]

Probably would have been better to register on ebay.com.au (Australian site)

[dhbookds]

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@lions_go_rawr wrote:

I didn’t think of that… if I continue using the USA eBay instead of the .nl version, would it make a difference? I see a few Dutch people selling similar stuff I sell on the USA site. 

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I hesitate to say.......as am not familiar with all the international rules, but think it depends on the payment processor that's used........which has to be (as I understand it) the one used in a particular country where you are located....  Managed payments in the US is handled by Ayden which is used in some other countries.......  Other countries use Payoneer.......  I know a seller can't switch from one to the other on an established account. 

[maxine*j]

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@dhbookds wrote:

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@lions_go_rawr wrote:

I didn’t think of that… if I continue using the USA eBay instead of the .nl version, would it make a difference? I see a few Dutch people selling similar stuff I sell on the USA site. 

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I hesitate to say.......as am not familiar with all the international rules, but think it depends on the payment processor that's used........which has to be (as I understand it) the one used in a particular country where you are located....  Managed payments in the US is handled by Ayden which is used in some other countries.......  Other countries use Payoneer.......  I know a seller can't switch from one to the other on an established account. 

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No problem when OP moves to the Netherlands, since Adyen is a Dutch company HQ'ed in Amsterdam.

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[soh.maryl]

Are you not cancelling if they have not paid by day #5, using "did not pay" as the reason? 

My first suggestion would be to find something you can sell for more than 99 cents.

Have you figured out how much you would actually net if you did have actual paying buyers?

Also, if/when you do as recommended and cancel, they do get punished.

Another suggestion would be that you do some more reading about fees before listing any more. What good would it do you to be allowed to list more items if they are going to be priced at 99 cents plus shipping?