I find Ebay the best way to sell online, these days it even beats doing shows.

[godzillafan2020]

I have been a seller and a buyer on Ebay since the infancy of the site. I have many good experiences and a few bad, like any buying or selling anywhere pretty much. I like Ebay much better than Amazon, because I feel Ebay is much better for the average seller to exist on, know matter how much people like to complain. The fees no matter how you add them up are lower than Amazon and if you are smart and manage your selling well, ship on time and safely with tracking, dot all the I's as they say, you wont have too many issues. Other sites I have tried, fees are even higher, time to get your payment is 2 or more weeks, also they can and will refund things on you after months of the buyer having it, no questions asked ( Amazon ). All that said, there is no better way to sell online than Ebay. They run promotions on your items for the fees you already pay at there expense, they give you super easy access to the World to sell your items whatever they may be. Overall I can find a better way to sell anything these days.

[tunicaslot]

OP - good for you - although I would think you're items would sell very well at shows. Glad to see some sellers coming here and letting others know that not everyone is dissatisfied with Ebay - as we usually only hear about the bad things and never the good.

Needless to say - the anti Ebay gang is always calling out we "cheerleaders" because we know that people wouldn't sell here if they weren't making sales.

Some of those have found that their items sell better on other sites - but they don't tell you that they sell their lower quality stuff here and maybe have an 1/8 of what they list on other sites - so of course they'd make more money elsewhere - especially in the over saturated category they sell in.

[swenson8781]

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@godzillafan2020 wrote:

I have been a seller and a buyer on Ebay since the infancy of the site. I have many good experiences and a few bad, like any buying or selling anywhere pretty much. I like Ebay much better than Amazon, because I feel Ebay is much better for the average seller to exist on, know matter how much people like to complain. The fees no matter how you add them up are lower than Amazon and if you are smart and manage your selling well, ship on time and safely with tracking, dot all the I's as they say, you wont have too many issues. Other sites I have tried, fees are even higher, time to get your payment is 2 or more weeks, also they can and will refund things on you after months of the buyer having it, no questions asked ( Amazon ). All that said, there is no better way to sell online than Ebay. They run promotions on your items for the fees you already pay at there expense, they give you super easy access to the World to sell your items whatever they may be. Overall I can find a better way to sell anything these days.

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Thank you for sharing.  My feelings about eBay seem to be a love/hate relationship, but overall more appreciation/love than dislike.  It seems easier to roll with changes & requirements when sales are higher.  And too often, I tend to compare sales from many years ago, to what they are now and view it with dissapointment & frustration if problems arise.  

Since I sell used clothing, I've never been able to sell on Amazon, so I've always wondered what their fees, returns, overall selling process is like.  Thank you for sharing that, it's nice to be given a reminder that even though the sales seem better on there due to their size, the grass isn't always greener 🙂

[retrose1]

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@myboardid wrote:

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@retrose1 wrote:

I just got a pile of money for the weeks sales from another site that is a lot more than what I sold on ebay in a month.  Less fees, fewer problems and no micromanaging.

AND I make more off weekend live shows when i do them than what ebay delivers me in a week.

Just wait OP, the foundation ebay has you build on is quicksand and soon ebay will cut the supports off the rickety bridge you are standing on.

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boloney!

eBay is right for some types of selling, some types of items, wrong for others.  If you sell the right thing, and you do it the right way, you can make money here, and without a lot of hassles.  I've been selling here for 20 years, successfully, have literally made millions in profit over time.  Did it as an honest, straightforward seller providing excellent customer service.  Minimal problems, the few I've had have mostly been from my own errors. 

You can be paranoid, and ruin it for yourself.  As the example above shows. 

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Oscar Mayer back at ya.

ebay changes their demands on how they want sellers to operate every year.  How many posters right now are busily retaking ALL their photos (or looking into other sites) because ebay doesn't want watermarks in them - but as close as a week before the upchuck, ebay CS were advising sellers to watermark their photos.

ebay's foundation is quicksand and there is no seller protections.  That is not paranoia those are the facts.

ebay started out as a place where anyone with just about anything could list it and find a buyer and make money selling that item.  It still promotes itself that way.  ebay does not say upfront that you must list and sell the right way, ebay buries need to know policies deep in the policy pages.   And if a user wants to be a professional seller, knowing what to sell is part of being a professional business person.

If ebay was not set on micromanaging and making sure that the buyers are always right, I would not have moved my merchandise to other places.  I was making money selling on ebay, but more and more I was having problems that were ebay's creation and ebay was forcing me to offer their solutions.   My vintage clothes are sized and fit differently than clothing does now and ebay has made it perfectly clear that even if I had accurate measurements, and perfect description, if a buyer doesn't read it and just buys because the item is cute and finds it doesn't fit - I, the seller that did everything right, will be out money and possibly the item because ebay wants the buyer happy and is making me pay for ebay generosity.  I could keep the good stuff here and sell as much as I do there, but I am not sticking around selling the good stuff so i can lose money doing it, so now I sell the left overs and dregs on ebay and my other stuff is someplace else.

The way ebay is set up, the right things are brand new items being sold by sellers willing to sacrifice their profit margins to stay on ebay.  I just like to point out that there are other options out there that are better than ebay right now.

[tunicaslot]

Although I don't disagree on the micromanaging aspect - it's not only Ebay that does this to stay afloat - so do the other venues and I can post links to both Amazon's and Etsy's boards with the problems sellers are facing here.

Since you admit you sell your leftovers and dregs on here - to keep making references to how better you do "at the other site" rather than here - shows just why you make more money at the other site and don't do as well on Ebay but you twist it in a way to make it seem like Ebay is so bad for all sellers when it isn't.

Your niche sells better on another site and I'm sincerely happy for you. Others have found less stress by using Clist and Facebook and I say good for them. We want sellers to do well and that is why we continue to offer advice - including telling sellers not to sell certain items here.

[retrose1]

One of the other reasons I moved is that within a year and a half, my sales of vintage items on ebay dropped from an average of over $1500 a month down to $5 a month.  The lower it got, the more got moved.

[debupcycles]

That's funny because I've been slowly moving items from another venue to here because they are selling better here. Although I sell other things, I mainly deal with fabric and sewing supplies, vintage and othewise.

[mistwomandancing]

My sales are best here by far too, and I enjoy dealing with my buyers here.  No problems for me.

Some don't do well here at all and seem to rack up a lot of problems, so I can understand them not feeling real friendly toward the site.  For some, another site that works better for them is the answer.  For others, a site that isn't very buyer-protective is a big help.  Lots of places to sell and make money.  But the best for me is eBay.  I enjoy selling here a lot.

[katfreikh_0]

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@mistwomandancing wrote:

My sales are best here by far too, and I enjoy dealing with my buyers here.  No problems for me.

Some don't do well here at all and seem to rack up a lot of problems, so I can understand them not feeling real friendly toward the site.  For some, another site that works better for them is the answer.  For others, a site that isn't very buyer-protective is a big help.  Lots of places to sell and make money.  But the best for me is eBay.  I enjoy selling here a lot.

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Well. I pretty much like all my buyers. On all venues.

Ebay does have some specific advantages that other sites don’t. However there’s also some specific challenges here that I don’t encounter anywhere else.

Those challenges aren’t with “scam buyers” in my category but rather with the Gordian Knot of glitches, unannounced policy changes and the biggest :Decreased visibility.

While lurking on these Discussion boards it’s easy to see who the EBay “cheerleaders” are. It’s not that they are pro EBay, because I am too, but that they refuse to even acknowledge there are EBay specific problems preferring instead to minimize and trivialize the concerns of those who do speak out.

[keziak]

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@swenson8781 wrote:

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Since I sell used clothing, I've never been able to sell on Amazon, so I've always wondered what their fees, returns, overall selling process is like.  Thank you for sharing that, it's nice to be given a reminder that even though the sales seem better on there due to their size, the grass isn't always greener 🙂

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I sell on Amazon (media). There is an aspect about selling there which would make people scream bloody murder if it happened here. I am refering to the flat fees assessed on each sale, in addition to percentage fees. The result is that, compared to ebay, there are no listing fees but much higher fees on sales. Some people here might say that is the way to go, to get the free listings, but back end fees really take a bite.

[godzillafan2020]

Funny, you offer no alternate ideas, just that you possibly think there's a better way to sell in general online. I have been doing this for more than 15 years and worked for 2 descent size companies, and Ebay Sales are much better than any other source.

[lemarcheaupuces]

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@godzillafan2020 wrote:
Funny, you offer no alternate ideas, just that you possibly think there's a better way to sell in general online. I have been doing this for more than 15 years and worked for 2 descent size companies, and Ebay Sales are much better than any other source.

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there are no other "better" alternatives today.

i have done it all.

i sell on other online venues.

i rent a "case" in a Mall.

prior to 2010 i was set up in 8 Malls.

I have done shows, fleamarkets, yardsales, private/by appointment home sales.

every single one has its advantages and its disadvantages.

i had 10k of gold wiped out, out a 1 my locked cases in a mall in Florida.

people would be stealing in front of me at the Flea Market.

stuff being broken'/stolen on a regular basis in Malls.

stuff being rung up to the wrong vendor or just not rung up at all.

Ebay has been 1 of the safest, consistent and most reliable venue overall.

now prior to 2010 Malls weren't bad as well.

but the collectibles and antiques market has taken a hit because of online venues popping up left and right.

i used to make around 30k  a year in 1 mall prior to 2010 with a small space.

i moved away so gave it up.

but the market changed.

sales were lacking.

vendors were leaving left and right.

the owners switched from being "selective" to renting to anyone crossing the door.

they made the booths smaller.

added another 100, 6x6 cases.

they lack in sales but never run out of willing renters.

the last i heard they rack up 150k in rent plus 10% on monthly sales plus credit card fees.

most malls in this area are like that one.

100s of vendors, with 10s of locked cases in each booth, overstuffed with merchandise...

and barely 2 people running the whole mall.

for now i will stick with Ebay...