Is it normal even for a new seller to have no sales whatsoever? 3 months!

[ignatia]

I have had listings live on eBay for three consecutive months now, and have had only one sale. I recently followed a number of suggestions I received here on the forum to get more views and sales, and am working on them. However, with the listing adjustments I am working on aside, my listings are not bad at all and are very much in line with other listings I see in the same category. 

Is it "normal" at three months, to have had only one sale? Surely it can't be or no one would be left here to sell.

[ifyouloveit]

Do not list auction! You will give it away. The crystal auction sellers are huge mega Chinese sellers with multiple accounts. You will not be able to get your item seen. It will roll off unsold or you will give it away.

China has the healing crystal market taken on eBay. If you seriously want to sell crystals here you are going to have to change your mindset. What another seller is doing isn't going to be helpful to you if they have 200,000 sales to your 15. Your other problem is you are new. Buyers are reluctant to throw high dollars at a new seller. China gets the search engine space here for crystals, period. If you can find a way to get in there, awesome.

[missjen831]

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

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@ignatia wrote:

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@buyselljack2016 wrote: 

What I can say is that there is no need for a "fancy/or any other template".

Photos, and facts is what the buyer needs to see.

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Yes, everyone has an opinion. Mine is that listings are their absolue ugliest, when there is no template. No template is not an option for me. However, people can stop responding as if I am daft, no need to say how to change a g*ddamn*d template.

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Let me post this last question as I make a note to myself not to reply to any of your posts again.

Your listings, your store, your choice, but are you selling a product, or are you selling your template?

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I’d also ask if she really wants help. This is the 2nd thread where help has been quite unappreciated. I’m done too.

[ifyouloveit]

Natural is a huge keyword for crystals. It means it is natural from the Earth, not carved, not dyed, not glass. Selling crystals the words natural, raw, are big keywords. If you are referring to DINO using his name, he's been around forever.

Here are your some keywords:
Raw, natural, quartz, crystal healing, healing stone, healing crystal, double terminated, terminated, DT, chakra, reiki, hand carved, hand polished, Brazil, Madagascar, India (mined at), grams, length, tumbled, generator, tower, wand, point, point tip, skeletal, you know the words, think like a buyer!!

[sam9876]

"I have sold one item so far, and it cost over two dollars more than what Canada Post's rate calculator said it would, so I will not rely on their estimates. "

Canada Post's rate calculator does not provide an estimate.  It provides and exact cost. 

"As for PO boxes, as I said before, I have reasons for this."

But you will ship to Private Mail Boxes, correct?

[cast_3609]

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@ignatia wrote:

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

@ignatia

"I work from desktop, I cannot use a mobile because there is no signal where I am, I write my listings as is logical given my own experience."

You have been given an example of how a listing looks on a mobile device.

You should be able to check your listings by using "mobile-friendly checker" (located on the far right when doing Item description) to see how they appear to those looking.  Many buyers are now using mobile. 

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People keep saying this, but I have been told that all templates show poorly on phone. This is beyond my control if it's true. No one is saying anything otherwise. Is it true or is it not, that phones display all templates poorly?

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REMOVE the template! it's not beyond your control

[kathieskorner]

Very  helpful critiques from someone who obviously has experience in OP's line of business.  Hope the OP either takes your advice or stops complaining. 

[cast_3609]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

TeSserAct^Th13rt33n> 

I am a magician, that is my username combined with a success spell. You again, are the first one to say this. 

Apparently putting it in your title has the opposite effect.

Move it to your Description.

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[ignatia]

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@ifyouloveit wrote:
PS: It is of no value in crystal healing to tell them how beautiful you think it is. They don't care what you think. They want to know what Chakra's that crystal or stone is used for, how to use it, etc., They will make up their own mind based on your listing description and photos.

I would consider changing your ad to sound more positive. You start off with a disclaimer that says what you think it looks like via size and what they see may be different. Put this at the end, and say it a more positive way. Photos are enlarged to show details, and put the measurements first at the front of your listing.

Example: 62 grams, 25MM (1 Inch) top quality grade A clear Quartz point.
Beautifully formed Clear Quartz Natural Healing Point, mined in Brazil. Clean sides, razor sharp point tip, excellent blah blah blah.  

Keep YOU out of your ads and write them for the buyer. i.e., Rose Quartz helps you in your ........journey, whatever, not I think this is gorgeous. Again, take you out of your ads, including your store name. There are a billion items on eBay, no one is going to remember your store. Not when there are crystal stores here that sell tens of thousands of pieces with thousands of followers.

They want to know what it is supposed to do for them, what Chakra's it is good for, how to use it (say good palm stone, grid, chakra work, jewelry wrapping), give them ideas.

And lower your prices or offer more with the listing. Way too high for eBay. Hope this helps, I have sold hundreds and hundreds, it my main line now, just not here.

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With your response I drop out of this thread entirely. I looked at your listings to see why you would be pickng. The very first one has you describing it as "beautifully made" AND "looks great!" Take the YOU out of your listings! 

Where you say about measurements, they are all there in each and every one of my listings. In the one description of yours I looked at, you only mentioned how much volume the item holds, not even what its dimensions are.

For what you said about chakras, this point has arisen at least twice. I took that type of information out, it did not serve eBay's setting (it creates a needless contrast). I am an expert in that kind of information, of course I'd want to share.  The keywords would be useful too.

Maybe my prices are higher than average, but that is the market range I have chosen to work in--it is a viable range that contains most of the top crystal sellers. I do not live in the US or China where selling costs are lower, and I am not going for bargain basement as a niche.

[ignatia]

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@ifyouloveit wrote:
PS Crystal Healing is not a niche market, it's a huge multi billion dollar a year, worldwide obsession right now. They are even starting to bring them into stores, I saw crystals angels at a store yesterday. It used to be niche, hasn't been for a long time.

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What makes it a niche market, is that such a small percentage of people believe that stones have such properties as they do. I felt this needed to be said before I abandon this thread.

[ifyouloveit]

Thank you. I've sold literally thousands of crystals, just not HERE. I cross post a few crystals and stones that are lagging on one of my other accounts here and they actually sell, just sold some Smokey Citrine Points, a huge Ocean Jasper Sea Stone and a Carved Elephant.

The OP I believe has a mind set they do not wish to change. In retail, selling is dynamic. Always changing, always. If you don't cater to what your buyer wants, you lose. OP is trying to cater to OP's desires, creating a name for herself with high priced items you can find all over the Internet. It just won't work here. Period.

I think she wants a store and a 'name' for herself here, to be an expert with a following of loyal buyers. It's not going to happen with crystals on eBay. On the plus side, I have NEVER had a NSAD here with crystals, ever. The buyers I have sold to here have been awesome and sweet.

OP, if you are trying to create a store and a name with crystals here I strongly suggest you rethink that idea. You don't post enough to be a store, you will need to get your listings up into the hundreds to get any notice.

Why not focus on SELLING what you have and making money? There can be no ego involved with selling, it's a barter system, you have what they want, they buy. Customers do not care about your rules, your shipping costs, your packaging, they just want the best crystal they can find at the best price.

Shipping should not cost you so much to send out a single stone. Maybe your packaging can be streamlined? I ship out crystals every day, from fragile single crystal clusters to big towers. Most of mine go out in padded mailers, never, ever had a single breakage. I get them in the same way from wholesalers too, padded mailers for most.

[ifyouloveit]

I don't have many crystals on this ID. I'm trying to help you, I sell hundreds of them, isn't that what you want?

[ifyouloveit]

"Maybe my prices are higher than average, but that is the market range I have chosen to work in--it is a viable range that contains most of the top crystal sellers. I do not live in the US or China where selling costs are lower, and I am not going for bargain basement as a niche."

I'm not picking on you I am trying to help. You are not a top crystal seller, you need to gain some sales. You may not live in China but you are competing directly with them. I moved my crystal business off of eBay. You want instant success, that just isn't going to happen.

Again, not sure what you are looking at on this ID as it's not my crystal selling store, I'm dropping out too, thought I was helping. Meant no harm, I sell what you want to sell and I am very successful at it on another platform, NOT HERE! Again, NOT HERE on eBay, too saturated and near impossible to compete with China.

PS I am not your enemy or the reason your store is failing. Just another seller who wanted to help you, because I DO sell them successfully.

[aproudparent2010]

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@ignatia wrote:

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@joesoucie22012 wrote:

Your putting your store/user name in your titles. Unless you have hundreds or thousands of followers no one will put your store name in eBay search. Try adding key words in title instead of your store/user name to boost your sales or at least views or watchers. Good luck

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I appreciate the suggestion but will disagree for two reasons--first, there aren't any more relevant keywords I could fill that space with in most instances. Secondly, in a niche market, I am certain that people will more surely remember me if I do that. With only useless filler available for further keyword placement, I really feel that placing my user ID there is my best bet 

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Remove your user ID

Peopel can search other ways for your user ID and putting it in your title does nothing for you.

[aproudparent2010]

As a seller with over 55,000 transactions please remove your user ID from your title.

If someone wants to find your items based on your user ID there is other ways to do it.

I sell hundreds of items and I would never put my user ID in my title

[ignatia]

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@ifyouloveit wrote:
Shipping should not cost you so much to send out a single stone. Maybe your packaging can be streamlined? I ship out crystals every day, from fragile single crystal clusters to big towers. Most of mine go out in padded mailers, never, ever had a single breakage. I get them in the same way from wholesalers too, padded mailers for most.

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It's called strategy. In instances where the shipping is higher, it will urge people to consider purchasing mutiple items. This is how to create a setting in a higher end market. 

Your post implies that I do not know better, potential customers may read this, so I stepped in to set the record straight.

@aproudparent2010 wrote:

As a seller with over 55,000 transactions please remove your user ID from your title. If someone wants to find your items based on your user ID there is other ways to do it. I sell hundreds of items and I would never put my user ID in my title. 

If someone wants to find your items based on your user ID there is other ways to do it.

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There are successful sellers that do it, there are successful sellers that do not. It is all but irrelevant.

Know that even though I am not properly interactive with this thread anymore, I will not tolerate personal attacks or any comments unreplied to that potentially make me look like  a yutz.