Q4 Is Almost Here: 3 Questions

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Are you feeling optimistic about Q4, or pessimistic? 

Most sellers have probably been prepping for Q4 for a while now, bit I'm curious---what are you doing to get ready for what is, for most of us, generally the busiest time of the year?

And what would you like to see ebay doing? 

[dbfolks166mt]

     I guess you could say I am optimistic because of pessimistic reasons.  I am not doing anything special for Q4 as I generally shutdown a little before Thanksgiving to enjoy the holidays and avoid the quagmire of issue that pop up before and after the holidays. Logistical issues are bad enough with a lot of carriers, USPS in particular, at the moment and most sellers probably remember the nightmare issues with the 2020 holiday season: INR increases, late deliveries, the USPS backlog of trucks and warehouses full of packages............ Add to that the increase in returns that generally follow the holidays are things I just prefer not to deal with. But then again I am a small seller and do not depend on eBay for a steady income flow. 

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@dbfolks166mt  I've been pretty lucky, even during the worst of the pandemic, I had very few problems....some late deliveries, yes, but understanding customers...and last year went fine, no real shipping issues. So, I'm hopeful on that score (just wish the shipping costs weren't so high).  I also sell stuff that has a generally low rate of returns, so that hasn't been a problem really either. 

But I have to admit, the idea of closing down right before Thanksgiving has a real appeal LOL

[tsme35]

Same here 2020 was a nightmare, almost no issues last year. Then again I sell fishing items so it slows down pretty much for me but curious to see what the USPS rate increases will do, really scared about the one in Jan 2023. No word yet but wonder if it will raise rates or just keep the seasonal increase coming up.

[gurlcat]

I sell used items so I've never observed any kind of difference in Q4.  So no prepping I guess. 

[laststopgeneralstore]

Very excited for Q4 this year, made a lot of changes to my business this year and they are working out very well. Have been sourcing exponentially better inventory than I was this time last year. Right now I'm moving out the old inventory/bad buys & making room for the newer-better inventory. I always love when Q4 rolls around because I'm typically at my busiest from September/October thru April/May.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@gurlcat  Interesting. I sell mostly used and vintage, and Q4 is usually pretty good. Of course, I do try to have used/vintage Holiday decor in my store, and some other stuff that I have found tends to do well for me over the Holidays. Also, I think it is becoming more acceptable to give used stuff as gifts....at one time, very few people would consider doing that, but I think it's become more popular. 

Just goes to show that ebay sellers have very varied business models.

[gamersbaystore]

I'm trying to remain optimistic that this will be a good Holiday season despite all the craziness going on with the economy.

What would I like to see ebay doing? Marketing!

I agree with others sentiments about USPS too, the constant late deliveries and threats of INR's is a serious problem. ebay makes the situation worse with the junk delivery estimates they give buyers.

If the INR garbage gets out of control this Holiday season, I will close my store and do business elsewhere. Not what I want to do, but not willing to shut my business down because ebay isn't working.

[gurlcat]

Yeah I've even tried holiday decorations and stuff, didn't sell, just took up shelf space.  It's possible that some people do buy my vintage items as gifts, but it must be offset by people refraining from buying from me because they're spending all their money on (other) gifts, LOL!  My sales just seem normal, neither high nor low, during the fall and winter, with the exception of 2019 when there was a terrible glitch affecting clothing (that was my main category at the time).  That was horrible, I call it the glitch that stole Christmas, but I mean never mind Christmas; my kid and I almost got evicted!  

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@gamersbaystore  "What would I like to see ebay doing? Marketing!"

I sure do agree with that!  Last year, the first year when I think a lot of people starting feeling comfortable about family and friends gathering for the Holidays, was the absolutely PERFECT time for ebay to position itself as THE site for Holiday traditions---buy from small businesses, but stuff your Mom used to decorate with, and so forth. So many people were really longing for an old fashioned Christmas, and what did ebay's Marketing geniuses do? They did targeted marketing for sneaker heads and the other Verticals buyers, and threw away a really terrific opportunity.

Unfortunately, nothing ebay has said so far this year makes me think this year will be any different. I suspect there will be targeted marketing for the Verticals , but the sort of marketing that would directly benefit the rest of us?  I really, really would love to see ebay push the whole site, especially its core offerings of used, vintage and unusual stuff---just since last Christmas, the competition in these core areas have been taking a real bite out of ebay's already declining share of the market....I don't think ebay can really afford the folly of focusing on the Verticals at the expense of everything else.

I'm hoping to try to finally figure out Social Media, so I can do a little of my own marketing, because I just don't have any confidence that ebay will smarten up. Please, ebay, PLEASE prove me wrong LOL

[gamersbaystore]

Yep, not everyone who comes to ebay is looking for a fancy pair of sneakers or a high end prada handbag. ebay has a better selection of products to offer for the Holiday season than any other platform, yet often doesn't utilize appropriate marketing to push these events.

I'm hoping to start listing more Holiday related products as we move into the fall. We have Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas coming up, and people will shop for related products. I do have some Holiday themed movies for sale, but running low on inventory now.

For me the hardest part is sourcing. But a local antique mall here in St Louis has a lot of Christmas themed stuff, so I just need to dig to see what deals I can find that will turn a profit.

As for marketing with social media, I plan to start doing this more, and have seen some good results from my efforts in the past. I've gotten a lot of sales from twitter over the years, that's a great place to market your products. I'm also looking at my 800+ videos on youtube as a means to push more traffic to my store.

[aprilmoviebuf2000]

In complete agreement with djdaniel.....What would I like to see?  Marketing!

Who can forget the iconic eBay clock commercial? (best in my opinion) Or the "It" ad campaign?  

We need that back.  Not the retail arbitrage electronics, athletic shoes, designer accessories types of ads.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  I applaud sellers who can make it in each and every niche, as long as they are not selling counterfeit drop ship items from China.  

A lot of us though have been around an awful long time, and have struggled with having to compete with the mega overseas sellers that clog search.  We have had to adapt and conform, and play the game in order to even be seen.   We have taken so many items off of ebay and posted them elsewhere, because, well, we need sales.  This has just become a dumping ground for us, and frankly it makes me sad.  Because I love eBay.  I have been here for 22 years as a buyer, 8 years as a seller (2 stores).  This is not our main store or venue anymore......but I sure wish it was.  Bring back the good old days eBay, please....pretty please.  

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@gamersbaystore  Yes, ebay marketing ---outside the Verticals---seems to be , well, let's say, unremarkable.  And as competitors chip away at ebay's position in the used/vintage market, we'll eventually get to the point where anything ebay does is simply too late....I wish I felt a sense of urgency coming from ebay HQ, but I'm not getting that feeling at all. 

I'm pretty lucky sourcing-wise....I have lots of unlisted inventory to list, and fortunately there's still pretty good sourcing around here (especially for a generalist).  I wish I could get to more antique malls--there are a few very near me, but they are more "vendor malls" , heavy on crafts and stuff the vendor picked up wholesale or through retail arbitrage. If I have the time to drive further, there are a lot of good antique malls and flea markets (and thrift shops). Of course, the competition has also increased, and many places, prices have gone up...but as you point out, even antique malls can present us with stuff priced low enough to make some money on it. 

Sourcing isn't my main challenge....getting it listed is my main challenge. That will probably be key for Q4. But I guess the question will be: If I list it, will they come? Or will the buyers for my kind of stuff be elsewhere?   Just keeping my hopes up....but we'll see....

[richard1rst]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

Are you feeling optimistic about Q4, or pessimistic? 

That brings to mind the old challenge:

Is the glass half full or half empty to test whether you are a pessimist or an optimist.

What I see is:

A half a glass of water - period

Or, if you prefer, A glass that is twice as big as it needs to be.

I am neither a pessimist nor an optimist. But I do have absolute faith in my abilities to deal with anything that comes down the pike.

C’mon world - bring it on.

[nuclearomen]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

Are you feeling optimistic about Q4, or pessimistic? 

Most sellers have probably been prepping for Q4 for a while now, bit I'm curious---what are you doing to get ready for what is, for most of us, generally the busiest time of the year?

And what would you like to see ebay doing? 

---

Q4? ...of 2023 right? lol...seriously - i know many who plan by the quarter but I plan a year out, not by the quarter to the next when the next is upon us. I have orders placed on merch that are a year - 1.5 years out from release these days (because manufacturing is literally at least minimum of 1 year waiting period some are even more then that!) But i guess depends on what you peddle for how you plan.