New with tags items...do I show the price in the listing pictures?

[rustictrollop]

Need some advice on this one.  

I'm preparing some Christmas items to list and the items all have the original price stickers affixed to the sealed packaging showing where the items were purchased, and what the retail cost originally was.  I did not actually pay anywhere near the retail cost.  I see other Sellers with the same items for sale at near retail cost (completed and sold listings).  Because I paid next to nothing and want to liquidate them quickly for much lower,  is it a good or bad idea to post pictures showing the stickers?  I don't really want to remove the stickers...but do I need to if the items actually sell? (I will put NWT in the listing title if I don't need to remove them).   I'm kind of baffled that people are buying these things at almost retail here, plus expensive shipping, when this stuff is available at every major craft store.

Your advice is greatly appreciated.  Thank you!!

[luckythewinner]

As long as the price on the sticker is higher than your selling price, I cannot see a reason why it would matter to a buyer.

[rustictrollop]

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@luckythewinner wrote:
As long as the price on the sticker is higher than your selling price, I cannot see a reason why it would matter to a buyer.

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It's definitely higher.  My reasoning was that a potential Buyer would be happy to know they are getting a great deal.  The other Sellers, not so much.  But I guess that's not my problem right?  

[yuzuha]

I always show the price just to show buyers that they are in fact paying either retail price or slightly less and that I'm not marking it up at all.

[duggmills]

Are you thinking that others selling similar or the same items you have are getting closer to the "retail price" of these items and that now you can raise your selling prices closer to their prices? Consider :

If these are Christmas items like tree ornaments or decorations that buyers would  buy and receive in the next ten days.  Keep in mind the closer it gets to Christmas, the number of potential buyers diminishes exponentially because their trees are already  up as are decorations. . Those who already  have those items listed have an advantage over your not-yet listed items.  Those who's items are nearest the end of their listings  are in the better positions to sell.

If these are items that would be purchases as gifts you have a bit more time to deliver.
And if they don't sell, you can relist them after the holidays which is not the case with ornament and such as they will be worth almost nothing Christmas Day. You'll have these collecting dust until next year.

If your're selling cosmetics and hair care items, many of those buyers may be impressed with the stickers attached (hopefully) showing them there are saving money.  That is, unless if these are Salon exclusive products which usually carry outrageous prices and are generally less known brands that can't be comparison shopped at Walgreen's. The upside if they are Salon exclusive is , most buyers don't  not know what the true market value of these anyway, so the stickers may or may not be of value. But then you're probably not doing business with Boeing anyway.

And if the stickers look generic without the name of the retailer ie.  a Salon, some may assume you made up the price stickers.

Keep in mind individual price stickers on a product tells people these may be old and outdated stock because these days products don't have price stickers since the are scanned at the register.

Whichever you decide to do, you'd better list the stuff tomorrow. The goods aren't going to appreciate if they don't sell.

[chrysylys]

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@rustictrollop wrote:
I don't really want to remove the stickers...but do I need to if the items actually sell? (I will put NWT in the listing title if I don't need to remove them).

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You know that refers to manufacturer's hang tags/labels and not store price stickers, right?

[rustictrollop]

@duggmills

You've made so many excellent points, and I appreciate all your insight.  The items are village accessories which could be used for Christmas or other hobby projects...I noticed that some Sellers have them listed as a hobby/craft item and not specifically Christmas.  When I used to have a Christmas village years ago, I would pick up accessories on Boxing Day when they were deeply discounted because the village would stay on display until the New Year, and I'd just add the new items in.

I do realize that certain items that are time sensitive for Christmas need to be listed asap.  My listings are ready to go, I just wanted to check in here first.  I'm sure though that there are many people who don't celebrate Christmas that are on eBay just looking for bargains with the glut of pre-Christmas listings.   Or doing their Boxing Day shopping ahead of time because of all the deals being offered here right now.  The one advantage of having a 30 day listing is that people who go hunting for the post Christmas deals for items they can put away until next year, will have something to compare with...that is store prices vs eBay prices.

The one advantage to listing items that are Christmas related, is that they do tend to go up in retail price each year, while this is more of a level playing field.  Does that make sense?  These particular items are more expensive a year later, at the retail level, so they may still interest someone who collects, and possibly puts away such things.  I'll be happy to make a few dollars on things I don't need and no longer want to keep storing.  My prices will be lower than the ones already listed so that hopefully they will sell quickly to someone who might want, or need them either this year or next.

Thanks for taking the time to leave your advice.  Much appreciated!

[yuzuha]

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@duggmills wrote:

If these are Christmas items like tree ornaments or decorations that buyers would  buy and receive in the next ten days.  Keep in mind the closer it gets to Christmas, the number of potential buyers diminishes exponentially because their trees are already  up as are decorations.

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I disagree with this-- the two B&M stores I work in both sell Christmas ornaments/decorations and people buy them all the way up until Christmas.  Even if they've already got their tree up, they still may be on the lookout for ornaments to add to it while it's up. 

[annadryl]

I work in a very large independent thrift store and we almost always leave the original price tags and stickers on with our lower price tags near them. We also get a lot of Goodwill didn't-sell's and we leave their stickers (they're expensive for a thrift store) on there too. It give customers a sense of the  "value" versus what they can get it for now here. Of course our price has to be much lower.

The only exception would be the occasional super-old NOS stuff still tagged with vintage pricing. Of course the original price would look nice, but with inflation being so much... our customers don't usually put two and two together. Ebay buyers seem to fall in with that same crowd, if not worse.

Good luck over the holidays!

[rustictrollop]

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@yuzuha wrote:

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@duggmills wrote:

If these are Christmas items like tree ornaments or decorations that buyers would  buy and receive in the next ten days.  Keep in mind the closer it gets to Christmas, the number of potential buyers diminishes exponentially because their trees are already  up as are decorations.

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I disagree with this-- the two B&M stores I work in both sell Christmas ornaments/decorations and people buy them all the way up until Christmas.  Even if they've already got their tree up, they still may be on the lookout for ornaments to add to it while it's up. 

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That's what I was thinking, because I do the same thing.  Don't most people keep their decorations up until the first week of January anyway?  Some cultures (Ukranians) also celebrate their Christmas in January as well.  Many people sell ornaments all year, particularly to the crafters who make their items months before Christmas (I know I did).   There's a town North of where I live that is famous for it's Christmas village and a dedicated Christmas store, similar to Frankenmouth in the U.S..  Their business booms during the Summer when all the tourists come up for holidays.  I'll give it a whirl anyway.   Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  And if someone wants something in a hurry, they can always pay a bit extra for express shipping.  I've seen that on some listings already.

[myboardid]

As a permanent, year-round seller of Christmas goods, I have to strongly disagree with dougmills about the selling of Christmas decoration merchandise.  It is wanted and "needed" by village collectors and decorating enthusiasts all the time.  I sell it every month of the year.  Demand slows down after Christmas but doesn't stop, my only truly "slow" month is April.

As to price tags, I generally do not think it is a good idea to leave them on.  People who collect already know the prices, people who don't buy these regularly really don't care.  The term "new with tags" means the hang tags, manufacturer's tags, not the price tags. 

[rustictrollop]

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@myboardid wrote:

As a permanent, year-round seller of Christmas goods, I have to strongly disagree with dougmills about the selling of Christmas decoration merchandise.  It is wanted and "needed" by village collectors and decorating enthusiasts all the time.  I sell it every month of the year.  Demand slows down after Christmas but doesn't stop, my only truly "slow" month is April.

As to price tags, I generally do not think it is a good idea to leave them on.  People who collect already know the prices, people who don't buy these regularly really don't care.  The term "new with tags" means the hang tags, manufacturer's tags, not the price tags. 

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Thank you so much for your input.  And for clarifying about 'new with tags'.  My items have the store stickers with the MSRP on them, and they're stuck on really well.  I didn't want to alter or damage the original packaging in any way trying to remove the stickers, as the items are listed as 'in sealed, original packaging'  and unused condition.  Some people like the item they purchased to be pristine as it helps remove possible doubt that it may have been handled and thus altered in some manner.

[clothescloseouts4u]

There are avid collectors out the who purchase Christmas items all year, and I mean ALL YEAR. It's amazing! LOL!  Keep your items up for sale the year long and you likely will sell them. 

[chrysylys]

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@myboardid wrote:

As a permanent, year-round seller of Christmas goods, I have to strongly disagree with dougmills about the selling of Christmas decoration merchandise.  It is wanted and "needed" by village collectors and decorating enthusiasts all the time.  I sell it every month of the year.  Demand slows down after Christmas but doesn't stop, my only truly "slow" month is April.

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There are entire communities set up on the basis or heavily focused on it  (Frankenmuth, MI for example).

[rustictrollop]

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@chrysylys wrote:

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@myboardid wrote:

As a permanent, year-round seller of Christmas goods, I have to strongly disagree with dougmills about the selling of Christmas decoration merchandise.  It is wanted and "needed" by village collectors and decorating enthusiasts all the time.  I sell it every month of the year.  Demand slows down after Christmas but doesn't stop, my only truly "slow" month is April.

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There are entire communities set up on the basis or heavily focused on it  (Frankenmuth, MI for example).

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That's what I had mentioned in a previous post....Frankenmuth, MI.  We have a dedicated, year 'round  Santa's village at a very popular resort town north of where I live here in Ontario.  The Summer tourists flock there in droves and the Christmas decoration store in town is always packed with people buying unique supplies (at jacked up tourist prices of course).  Similar situation with selling summer clothing during the winter....there are always folks travelling to or living in warm climates, so bathing suits and summer apparel does in fact sell all year.

Bracebridge (Muskoka), Ontario, Canada is known, and advertised as "Santa's Summer Home."  He ditches the heavy suit of course, and hangs out in the village wearing more appropriate summer attire.   The foreign tourists love it, as do the kids of course!