Does Using Your Cell Phone Help You with Your eBay Business?

[getitright1234]

Does Using Your Cell Phone Help You with Your eBay Business?

I recently had an eBay poster attempt to mock me for using my cell phone to conduct some of my eBay business.  I know I have seen other Sellers who proudly use their cell phone as a tool to aid them.  Below is a list of what I do with my cell phone.    Do you do the same and please share if you have more to add.  

1.  Prompt response to buyers’ messages when you the Seller are out and about, away from your desktop/laptop.

2. Prompt response to buyers offers when you the Seller are out and about, away from your desktop/laptop.

3. The prompt creation of shipping labels, label that can be emailed to a copier center for print, and only pay 5-ten cents per page for labels, rather than using and paying the high price of ink and/or a printer.  

4.  Immediate Research items while in stores, auctions, estate sales, garage sales to determine should I buy for resale. 

5.  The immediate creation of a listings, all while having breakfast, lunch or dinner when away from your desktop/laptop.

6.  Taking pictures to download to my desktop/laptop.  

So, if you got a Cell phone and you are not using it to do any of the things listed above:  to run or enhance the running your online business, then you are not keeping up with the times.    The efficiency aspect is a WIN WIN! 

[gracieallen01]

---

@gracieallen01 wrote:

---

@myjunqueyourtreasure wrote:

---

---

Remember the days of freedom where if you weren't at home or work no-one knew where you were?

---

Yes!  And kids nowadays wonder why we dinosaurs bemoan the lost 'good old days'. 

---

People wonder why so many bars were named 'The Office'.  "Hi honey.  I'll be late, I'm still at the office.  I just thought I'd call before they shut down the switchboard." 

[bigdeals.etc]

---

@dinpavent0 wrote:
I think some of the old school sellers / buyers choose to only use their computer just because they don't want to change with the times or some ppl just don't trust doing things on their cell phone. To each their own. For me , its great and works great for me.

---

Well that and also (for sellers), we like to be able to separate home from office. Before ebaying full time I used to work as an engineer in construction. One thing I hated about that career is that (like many other careers), it requires you to be tied to your phone and basically be on call. Because million dollar project decisions can't wait for you to finish your dinner with your family. I don't want to live like that.

So now I have my eBay business. Which many buyers perceive to be a 24/7 gig. But it isn't to me. With my sales volume, I can get notices and messages literally any time of the day. I once had a domestic buyer call my business line at 3am... 3AM!!! If I don't push them aside and into a neatly packed 6 hr/day, 5 days/week time block (yes that's about how much I work ), I'd go insane as I value my personal time. I don't want to show my kid that my work is more important than him by always having to pull my phone and "taking care of work." I've read somewhere (and believe) that in your business there is literally very little that can't wait a day or two... although you may initially think it's super urgent. Yes, it may make your business stumble a bit... but it won't be a business killer. If a buyer moves on because I don't respond to them during the weekend, then so be it. And I want it to be my own choice to waste my weekend time to answer a buyer message or respond to a forum post 

That brings the next point already brought up by @castlemagicmemories . Daily messages I get that need responses or action by me is about 10-12% of my daily sales on average and 0.2% of my entire items/variations in my store. So I don't get that many real messages in a day. I think this might be due to my listing content. I figure if anyone is getting a message/sales ratio of 25% or higher, there's probably something in your listings that is causing that and can be fixed. You can say that it may vary greatly by product category... but I'm in clothing (one of the categories that many believe yield the most messages).

[castlemagicmemories]

Someone told me once that I needed a phone so they could have access to me 24/7.  My response?  You don't need access to me 24/7.

[bigdeals.etc]

---

@castlemagicmemories wrote:

Someone told me once that I needed a phone so they could have access to me 24/7.  My response?  You don't need access to me 24/7.

---

Sounds like something my mom says to me all the time.

[goodluckselling]

---

@castlemagicmemories wrote:

Someone told me once that I needed a phone so they could have access to me 24/7. 

---

Who do they think they are?  GOD

[castlemagicmemories]

Mother knows best!  

[azjustin]

Nothing ingratiates a buyer more than a response on a Sunday afternoon from your phone.   Even if it's just a "Yes".

Nothing calms an irate buyer better than an immediate response from your phone.   Even if it's just a "Yes".

Keep an interested buyer, interested, with a simple response from your phone, even if it's just a "Yes, I will give you more information later."

Letting a buyer know that their item will ship the next day (the evening before) will get you a lot of "cha-chings".  You won't hear as much if you're only using your computer, or any at all.

The biggest thing I've noticed is that if I can accept offers almost immediately, they get paid for the same.  Wait 4-8 hours, UPI almost every time.  Guessing that I'm catching the buyers as they're still shopping, which wouldn't be possible if I'm away from the puter.

I use my phone for the legwork on eBay and it pays off 10x over.  Computer takes over the heavy lifting for listings, labels, revisions, etc., especially pictures.  I would never, ever, ever, use my phone for listings.  Way to much room for errors.

Not knocking the other eBay members who don't do this, and don't get me wrong: I would much rather have my silence and peace than eBay on my phone.  My wife and I are 100% self employed, and we currently support two very well paid employees (5 and 7), in addition to the people that help run our business.  

Good luck, hopefully this helps.

[dinpavent0]

Exactly in agreement. That was my point as well. Listings def for the computer, but a quick response, or able to answer an offer quickly, more than likely a sale and its paid right away over 95% of the time.

[dinpavent0]

I can totally understand your side of it for sure.

[getitright1234]

---

@baantiques wrote:

---

@getitright1234 wrote:

Does Using Your Cell Phone Help You with Your eBay Business?

I recently had an eBay poster attempt to mock me for using my cell phone to conduct some of my eBay business.  I know I have seen other Sellers who proudly use their cell phone as a tool to aid them.  Below is a list of what I do with my cell phone.    Do you do the same and please share if you have more to add.  

1.  Prompt response to buyers’ messages when you the Seller are out and about, away from your desktop/laptop.

2. Prompt response to buyers offers when you the Seller are out and about, away from your desktop/laptop.

3. The prompt creation of shipping labels, label that can be emailed to a copier center for print, and only pay 5-ten cents per page for labels, rather than using and paying the high price of ink and/or a printer.  

4.  Immediate Research items while in stores, auctions, estate sales, garage sales to determine should I buy for resale. 

5.  The immediate creation of a listings, all while having breakfast, lunch or dinner when away from your desktop/laptop.

6.  Taking pictures to download to my desktop/laptop.  

So, if you got a Cell phone and you are not using it to do any of the things listed above:  to run or enhance the running your online business, then you are not keeping up with the times.    The efficiency aspect is a WIN WIN! 

---

I could not run this business without it.

It allows me to do almost everything I can do at home while I'm NOT at home.

The biggest help is in listing.  I can enter stuff into my Shopify store, take pictures, and move it all over to Ebay.  I recently bought an iPad for this purpose because the little screen was straining my eyes too much.

---

I 100% agree with you!

[chapeau-noir]

I find them handy for communication and quick research on the road. Beyond that, maybe I have two left thumbs, but they're too cumbersome for me to do much business on - I use a PC.  When our internet was down for a period of time and I had to use my cell phone for everything, I was dismayed at how difficult it was to do much of what I needed to do.  It was fine for answering questions and the like, but doing a listing - ugh.  What I could have done in a flash on a PC took way too much finagling on a phone. Since I've been using a phone since 1998 it's not like I'm not used to them.  The ability to research, though, means that the phone has paid for itself, so it's definitely very handy for that!

If i were selling casually on a social media site it would probably work fine - there are some good apps now for refining images and the like.  The camera is pretty good for a budget phone, too.

A lot is helped by having a blue tooth keyboard to use with one, though.

[stumblebumble]

I see that all the time when my spouse and I go to lunch at our fav little bistro. No one talks to each other anymore. My smartphone is usually in my purse and that is where it will stay. I could not be bothered with eBay when I am dining out. He doesn't even carry his. We enjoy each other and conversing. People have become rude and obnoxious and cannot even look to cross the street or get their heads out of their phones when in a grocery store, a check out line, at the movie theater when a movie has already begun. It is pathetic.

[getitright1234]

I remember coming home one evening and I was unable to get my desktop computer to come on.  I tried everything and was unable to get the system back up for 2-3 days.  

My cell phone saved my eBay business.  I was able to check my sales, print shipping labels, respond to buyers messages,  and respond to offers.  Yeah, I could have gone to the library, but with my phone I was able to remain at home, not having to use a public computer. 

Because I promptly respond to offers using my phone, I believe my prompt responses has helped me get more offers, therefore more sales.  

eBay is my primary source of income, and my lifestyle allows me to use my phone whenever I choose to do so.....

...all in the name of bring self-employed. 

I am very thankful to be proficient enough to use my phone to conduct 80%85% of my eBay business.  I often try to find new ways to use my phone to either generate income or to save money.  

When I worked elsewhere and was doing eBay,it was during my breaks and lunch hours I was doing eBay work.  It is/was great to hear the cha-ching sound while on a job or just bring out and about.  The cha-ching sound and seeing my phone help me generate income is motivational to me.