Greetings fellow eBay sellers! what resources do you find helpful outside of eBay?

[theartofserver]

I've been a long time buyer on eBay, and a serious seller only the last 4-5 years. It's been an interesting journey to say the least. I rarely post here in these forums, but I guess I'm feeling a little isolated these days (not due to pandemic) simply because no one in my personal circle of friends do what I do. So, I thought I would introduce myself and join this community to meet like minded people.

So, my first question to this community is what resources have you found to be helpful to your eBay selling efforts outside of eBay? For example, I've found some YouTubers that I've learned a few tips from like Chris at his "Daily Refinement" channel. Half the stuff he mentions isn't applicable to what I do, but I try to pick out the tips that do apply to me. What are some of your favorite resources to help you as an eBay seller?

[richard1rst]

I know you specified outside of eBay but believe it or not these boards are a tremendously useful source of help and suggestions that relate to exactly what you are doing here.

DISCLAIMER now in all fairness you have to wade through a lot of backwash and meaningless rants. BUT in time you will learn to recognize the names of posters who routinely post rational suggestions.

Ask a serous well phrased complete question and you will receive responses from many posters with valid answers and suggestions. When I started on eBay I had many years of sales and business experience in brick and mortar sales but no internet knowledge. These boards, and the Blog that went before, were an enormous help. BUT you have to be able accept suggestions and constructive criticism with an open mind.

Quite frankly, and I know this will no doubt generate some alternative view points which is fine, but I don’t pay much attention to YouTube videos or other “Here’s what you ought to do” blogs and articles. Outside sites and blogs are looking at a much larger picture. As you have already observed a lot of what is on those sites do not apply here. I can run off a seemingly endless string of things that the “experts” got wrong - repeated;y.

You don’t have to become an expert at it but a good grounding in basic accounting principles is important.

[theartofserver]

@richard1rst thanks for being the 1st response! 🙂 

yeah, I rarely visited these forums and posted here in the past, but i plan to do so more often now so that's why my greeting message. so, i already planned on spending more time here, as you suggested. 🙂

I think in general, every eBay seller probably has unique needs based on their niche (or lack of niche), or the type of customers they attract, etc. So, some business methods may help one seller become very successful, but might not apply to another seller.  I take whatever advice I can get, and process it through this lens. 

[gloryglorygifts]

Welcome to the selling end of ebay! You may want to check out the SCORE website. It is made up of retired individuals from just about every  business and they have many webinars about all kinds of things, from selling online to bookkeeping and marketing. They are an extremely valuable asset to have. Have a look at the Small Business Administration site too. They have lots of valuable information on there from starting a new biz to growing it. Don't discount the Ebay for business videos too. Yes, there are many good videos on Youtube but the info you get from these other sites will help you grow a biz anywhere, not just on ebay.

Good luck to you! 

[earthdreamer]

Greetings!

I'm with @richard1rst , this forum is chock full of helpful advice, and it is the only resource I use. 

So many experienced sellers post here, and their accumulated wisdom supercedes most of the directions I could receive from ebay support staff. 

[theartofserver]

@gloryglorygifts  thank you for that suggestion!

[gloryglorygifts]

You're welcome! Good luck to you. 

[theartofserver]

@earthdreamer thank you for your reply! I love the way you take photos of jewelry!

[earthdreamer]

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@theartofserver wrote:

@earthdreamer thank you for your reply! I love the way you take photos of jewelry!

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Thank you. Unfortunately it does little to impress the propsective buyers. The jewelry market is just too oversaturated, especially with the cheap fake stuff crowding out the authentic pieces. 

[cantonchick]

hello there, keep reading the forum , just read all positive post  LOL , you will learn as you go , read also ebay statute does and don't, keep up with eBay's renewal policy , sure youtube video might be interesting , just work on what you know the best , do not  sell items you have no idea , sell what you know . for sure to be successful you must have consistency in to your work , listing everyday is most important part , I have been doing it for over 20 years now.... do not  worry about competitors , competition is good in business ,  Take care 

[theartofserver]

@cantonchick thank you for your suggestion and advice!

[reallynicestamps]

Mostly the Seller and Buyer boards for advice on how to handle tricky problems.

I also subscribe to AuctionBytes to  hear news about online selling sites other than eBay.

There are a couple of YT channels I watch occasionally, less for tips than to marvel at what kinds of junk people think they can sell profitably.

[theartofserver]

@earthdreamer  you know, I actually have a similar issue in my niche. believe it or not, there are a lot of counterfeit computer parts in my niche. I was an ebay buyer of computer parts before I became a seller, so I was well aware of this issue. what I did was I made a few videos on YouTube explaining how to identify counterfeits from genuine stuff, which is the only thing I sell. that has generated a lot of sales leads for me. there will always be people who rather buy the knock-off cheaper stuff, but there are also people who value the genuine article and willing to pay a fair price for it. I figure, I will never win over customers that are okay with knock off stuff, but I can certainly make it easier for those who want the genuine thing. now i get a lot of customers who contact me  with "I heard you're the person to buy from if I want to avoid counterfeit parts." 

just sharing what has worked for me. maybe it will help? regardless, I appreciate the quality photos. for potential buyers who appreciate quality, I believe everything we do as sellers matters. 

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hello and welcome back!

I have been using Worthpoint for many years, to get an overview of historic pricing. My items are wildly varied so it is useful. (My monthly fee there is low but i don’t know what they charge now for new users.) I also like WatchCount.com and Terapeak as well. 

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Not a complete list by any means. I could add a lot of You Tubers, but I tend to watch them sporadically:

https://www.valueaddedresource.net/

https://eseller365.com/

https://thesellercommunitypodcast.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-selling-on-ebay-radio-show/id1610885063