Need advice ...

[chariot_badges]

I have a personal family emergency developing that will affect my store operations, and I need some help with damage control.   I'd be interested in any experienced sellers advice on this.   

If you needed to 'shut down' a store for six months, how would you do it?   Obviously, it's not an 'on vacation' thing (turn it on for a day then off for a long period to reset ....?) So, if you had to shut down your store for six months ... how would you do it to mitigate loss ...?

I want to come back to this when this has passed ... and it will, but I don't want to have to deal with repairing carnage ... unfilled orders, eBay shutting down the site ... all that ... NOooooo.  I want to come back to zero ... not below zero.

And, speaking of that (and this is must a matter of curiosity, I don't want this to consume your answer ... there's a lot up there that I really need to know): what can I expect when I do come back?   Will I 'start over' with zero?   What will my 'selling' page look like in six months?

PS: I am willing to pay the store fees to keep it open for six months ... if that makes a difference.

[vintagecraze50]

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@chariot_badges wrote:

I have a personal family emergency developing that will affect my store operations, and I need some help with damage control.   I'd be interested in any experienced sellers advice on this.   

If you needed to 'shut down' a store for six months, how would you do it?   Obviously, it's not an 'on vacation' thing (turn it on for a day then off for a long period to reset ....?) So, if you had to shut down your store for six months ... how would you do it to mitigate loss ...?

I want to come back to this when this has passed ... and it will, but I don't want to have to deal with repairing carnage ... unfilled orders, eBay shutting down the site ... all that ... NOooooo.  I want to come back to zero ... not below zero.

And, speaking of that (and this is must a matter of curiosity, I don't want this to consume your answer ... there's a lot up there that I really need to know): what can I expect when I do come back?   Will I 'start over' with zero?   What will my 'selling' page look like in six months?

PS: I am willing to pay the store fees to keep it open for six months ... if that makes a difference.

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You really need to call ebay and ask them what happens when you have to do something like this. Not sure I as a seller could answer that question. I am sorry for whatever you are dealing with that caused this. 

[buyselljack2016]

@chariot_badges 

To get beyond the 30 day time away I use the out of stock (OOS) function and set quantity to zero.

All stay live but not searchable. Not purchasable.

Note: I do fixed price. No auctions.

If left on OOS for an extended time (6 mo) eBay will end them. So that it does not happen, every so often you can increase the quantity  for a bit, and then go back to zero.

[dhbookds]

The Out of stock method may be best............I see you can have 0 quantity for 180 days before ebay ends the listing. 

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/creating-managing-listings/multiquantity-listings-listing...

I was going to suggest finding a listing program that would "keep" the 1400 listings you have, until you're ready to relist....  I use 6 bit, but there are cheaper ones I think.......  I would not try to juggle the time away thing or keeping them inactive in Seller Hub....because, they are only kept for 90 days (?).....and as glitchy as ebay is, I just don't trust them. 

Sorry for the problems......but life does intervene sometimes. 

[dhbookds]

The more I think about this........the more I think you ought to look into listing programs to store the listings.   Ebay could come and change that 180 days and you wouldn't know anything about it, as I doubt you will be watching the changes they make.  No one can predict what they will do.......or what changes they will make......so you may be faced with having to make changes in the listings before you relist, but a listing program probably would make it easier.......

You should do the Out of stock thing also........and if that works, fine.  But you have some security about having the duplication in another place also.....

just my thoughts

[chapeau-noir]

I'll chime in with using a third party listing program, also, to archive your listings. I'm due to shut down for an extended period of time, too (four months, at any rate) and if I didn't have so few listings, would absolutely use a 3rd party lister (6 bits has a good rep) - as it is I'm just copying them into directories. For your amount of listings, any money spent for maintaining the lister would be more than recouped in your not having to deal with lost listings and the like. eBay can be a bit wonky.

What happens when you come back is if you keep paying for your store, your name and template will remain. You may have a payments hold when you come back but it probably won't last long as you'll be up and running again.

Good luck with that family emergency.

@chariot_badges 

[inhawaii]

Put your store on away.

Take care of any outstanding orders.

You're good to go.

[lakefor94]

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

@chariot_badges 

To get beyond the 30 day time away I use the out of stock (OOS) function and set quantity to zero.

All stay live but not searchable. Not purchasable.

Note: I do fixed price. No auctions.

If left on OOS for an extended time (6 mo) eBay will end them. So that it does not happen, every so often you can increase the quantity  for a bit, and then go back to zero.

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I think I remember @slippinjimmy saying that OOS can be used for 5 months so I suppose at the 6 month mark they are ended. 

If they are ended, then they stay in ended listings for 90 days, is that correct?

[chapeau-noir]

That won't work for six months, though. Suspending a store for that long is a whole other ballgame. I'm in the midst of the same thing. I'm not trusting to flipping the switch on the away setting, either, even though it would be easier. I've had eBay lose 20-30 of my listings in a matter of months, and I don't normally have a lot running.

[lakefor94]

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@inhawaii wrote:

Put your store on away.

Take care of any outstanding orders.

You're good to go.

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Only good for 30 days at a time.

[frodobagginskennedy]

I use inkfrog as a third party .  THey have levels for [pricing as to how many listings you have.

As for what happens when you come back.  ALl of your numbers are the same.  You might (will) have a hold on your funds for 30 days on any sales.  They will look at you as a new seller.  

[sin-n-dex]

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@chariot_badges wrote:

I have a personal family emergency developing that will affect my store operations, and I need some help with damage control.   I'd be interested in any experienced sellers advice on this.   

If you needed to 'shut down' a store for six months, how would you do it?   Obviously, it's not an 'on vacation' thing (turn it on for a day then off for a long period to reset ....?) So, if you had to shut down your store for six months ... how would you do it to mitigate loss ...?

I want to come back to this when this has passed ... and it will, but I don't want to have to deal with repairing carnage ... unfilled orders, eBay shutting down the site ... all that ... NOooooo.  I want to come back to zero ... not below zero.

And, speaking of that (and this is must a matter of curiosity, I don't want this to consume your answer ... there's a lot up there that I really need to know): what can I expect when I do come back?   Will I 'start over' with zero?   What will my 'selling' page look like in six months?

PS: I am willing to pay the store fees to keep it open for six months ... if that makes a difference.

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I'd end listings if closing for 6 months (or more than the 30 days). I have auction software that saves my listings, so I would organize that as such to be able to put the listings back up when this passes, and I'd make sure I get all orders shipped before taking down listings.

C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@dhbookds wrote:

The Out of stock method may be best............I see you can have 0 quantity for 180 days before ebay ends the listing. 

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/creating-managing-listings/multiquantity-listings-listing...

I was going to suggest finding a listing program that would "keep" the 1400 listings you have, until you're ready to relist....  I use 6 bit, but there are cheaper ones I think.......  I would not try to juggle the time away thing or keeping them inactive in Seller Hub....because, they are only kept for 90 days (?).....and as glitchy as ebay is, I just don't trust them. 

Sorry for the problems......but life does intervene sometimes. 

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SixBit works for this purpose, but the lowest cost membership is $29.99 a month.

For me $29.99 is worth it to have my listings and database saved offline, so if something happens on eBay's site, I have backups of everything listed (and can make new listings even if I'm not ready to make them live right away).

C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@lakefor94 wrote:

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@inhawaii wrote:

Put your store on away.

Take care of any outstanding orders.

You're good to go.

---

Only good for 30 days at a time.

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Pending on how long it needs to be live before you can set it away again, if you can fill the odd order that might slip through, then that would be the easiest thing to do. It depends on the circumstances on why you have to be away. If you're out of the country away from inventory, that doesn't work too well. If you're just lacking in time to do eBay but can fill one or two orders once a month, then doing the away and turning it on and off might be OK.

C.

[slippinjimmy]

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@lakefor94 wrote:

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

@chariot_badges 

To get beyond the 30 day time away I use the out of stock (OOS) function and set quantity to zero.

All stay live but not searchable. Not purchasable.

Note: I do fixed price. No auctions.

If left on OOS for an extended time (6 mo) eBay will end them. So that it does not happen, every so often you can increase the quantity  for a bit, and then go back to zero.

---

I think I remember @slippinjimmy saying that OOS can be used for 5 months so I suppose at the 6 month mark they are ended. 

If they are ended, then they stay in ended listings for 90 days, is that correct?

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For reasons I have yet to understand some OOS listing are renewed 5 times and ended on the 6th month anniversary date, a few of mine have been renewed 6 times and then ended on the 7th anniversary. I don't recall ever having any that didn't go at least 5 renewals.

When they are ended, they can be found in Ended Listings for the usual 90(?) day period.