Is it beneficial to move the items not moving to a Clearance section?

[cambriachick]

I'm thinking of moving the items that have been sitting for a long time into a Clearance section.  Of course, that will take them out of the regular section in which they belong.  For instance, a vintage vase would be removed from the home Decor section of my store and moved into the Clearance section. But then if someone is looking for a vase in the Decor section, they won't see it.  Any thoughts?

[slippinjimmy]

I presume you are talking about your own Store Categories......

You can list items in two of your Store Categories, one would be the usual Cat the other a special Clearence Cat. There is no charge for this.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/store-categories.html

[dtexley3]

never mind, didn't read close enough

[cambriachick]

Hey awesome,

Thanks

[keziak]

A long time ago I used a second account (non-store) to list 99-cent auctions which were basically clearance. I stopped because it was a  hassle to maintain two sites. 

It's an interesting idea, how would you promote it, put a message in your other listings to be sure to also check your Clearance section?

[retrose1]

On the other site, I list items that are damaged at a really low price and put As Is in the title.  They sell like hotcakes.  I could see the OP doing the same thing using Clearance instead of As Is in the title.

But doesn't a store come with a markdown program?

[keziak]

One benefit I could see about a Clearance area is that you could put items there at a price until they sell. With MM you have to repeat the process of putting the items on sale every month. (unless they are GTC?  not sure)

Over the past few months I have run an experiment on the River listing low-price books.  But they rarely sell and higher-price books sell well. Maybe low-price stuff just is too glutted in the market.

[mistwomandancing]

Occasionally I've dumped clearanced out stale merchandise by simply using a new listing title:

Example:   LIQUIDATION CLEARANCE SALE:  Ashtray Sands Hotel Casino VTG

There are a lot of shoppers who make it a point to go through the clearance racks wherever they shop, and often will buy something because the price is low.. that they wouldn't have given a hoot for when the price was up at the starting $$$.  This works to help sell the tired merchandise here too, and brings the money back into our hands so that we can spend it on new exciting fresh stuff that is sure to stimulate sales!  (That's what I always tell myself about new inventory when I pick it up.    Ever the optimist.) 

But, you have to be willing to give that merchandise a truly low clearance-level price to go with the enticing promise.  If you're willing to price it to get rid of it, you can almost always get it moved out.  You should always be able to recoup your investment and cover all your expenses, and often STILL tuck a wee profit bit into your pocket too. 

[sharingtheland]

I have "Clearance" as one of my store categories.   Many times I'll have an item in two other different categories so I will have to take the item out of one of them and put it in Clearance.

I'm usually guilty of not going waaaaay low in the Clearance category; need to rethink that.

[mistwomandancing]

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sharingtheland wrote:

I'm usually guilty of not going waaaaay low in the Clearance category; need to rethink that.

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That was my hardest thing to make myself actually DO.  I kept having to repeat to myself:  This effort is to get RID of the stuff.  This effort is to get RID of the stuff!!!!!   lol

I will not sell at anything that will make the final bottom line a loss.  I'd donate instead.  But if the price is low enough, you can sell nearly everything at just enough to cover your costs plus a tiny bit...

[stitchesandseamsct]

I believe the direct answer to your question has been given, and I want to offer an alternative/in addition. Take the time to sit down with your items that arent selling, and rebuild JUST the descriptions. Don't lie, I know there's only so much you can change, however instead of saying 'Vintage Vase" say "vintage flower vase" "vintage floral vase" "vintage candy jar" I know im sure these arent exactly relevant, but be creative because in doing this, you almost create an entirely new product! (dont forget to add a few dollars to the price too!)

[swenson8781]

Here's my thought on that, as I recently did just exactly that in my store...

I sell clothing.  So first, I often use Markdown Manager, it reindexes my listings (due to price decrease), and always seems to 'jump start' a few sales.  So my thought was the same as  yours, I'd take the listings that are older, and I really want to move, and put them into a 'clearance' category in my store.

They didn't sell any more or less.  And the problem is this, IMO.  Every now & then I will sell some of those items (when not in a 'clearance' category), as selling on here has always been a game of patience, esp for clothing.  Prob nowadays for most items.

So, when items are in a category titled 'clearance', what does that say to a buyer?  Esp if they are only seeing it for the first time.  It doesn't say 'buy me', I'm just what you've been looking for.   Instead, it says 'I've been sitting for awhile and no one has purchased me yet'. So unless your prices are really, really rock bottom for the clearance category, my opinion is don't degrade your items with that title.

Others might have a different view.  But on here, initial impressions (photos, description, price) are everything, and we only get one opportunity to make that first impression.  

[cambriachick]

Thanks for all the input.  I am rethinking the Clearance angle and might just rework my items with new titles and maybe some new pictures.  I use MM all the time, for better or worse and my prices are very reasonable.

I can always try the Clearance section at a later time.

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@cambriachick wrote:

Thanks for all the input.  I am rethinking the Clearance angle and might just rework my items with new titles and maybe some new pictures.  I use MM all the time, for better or worse and my prices are very reasonable.

I can always try the Clearance section at a later time.

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In addition to maintenance, if you really want to use the idea of Clearance ... Instead of "Clearance", try something like "Deals of the Month" ...

Rotate stuff in and out of that (Secondary) Store Cat and Run an Sale only on that cat ... with a percentage that is higher than you would normally do.

Or ... Run Promotions "Buy 2 Get 1 Half Price" "Buy 3 Get 10% Off" ...and so on.

Promotions Manager is a really flexible tool and too many sellers ignore it, IMO.