Recommended Sales Conversion Rate to Upgrade Store

[drinkwine1204]

Was wondering what would be considered a good, healthy sales conversion rate before upgrading my store level. Am considering an upgrade but don't want to get in over my head on costs/fees. Any help appreciated. Hope all are seeing good numbers for their efforts in these changing times. 

[gwzcomps]

I personally don't see the store subscription as anything more than bulk buying listing insertion fees.  Once I get to the point where I list enough items I would upgrade my store to the next relevant tier.

[therogue-trader]

I only pay for a store subscription if the money saved on fees is enough to pay for the cost of the store subscription since I don't have a need for all the extra 'free' listings that come with the subscription

[chapeau-noir]

Store upgrades for me have more to do with amount I'll be listing and amount of current listings in my store than conversion rate, because that has little to do with store level as it has no inherent impact on visibility - a bigger store only means more sales because there are more items on offer.  A store has other benefits, however, that may change with store level.

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/run-your-store/subscriptions-and-fees.html#m22_tb_a1__2

There's also a table somewhere (I tried to find it) that calculates the break point for number of listings before it makes financial sense to upgrade/downgrade.

It's unlikely that you'll get in over your head - you can always do month to month rather than yearly subscription.

[drinkwine1204]

thanks to all who responded. I have definitely outgrown my current store level. Month to month upgrade is a safer way to go, I agree Chapeau, but the yearly cost is an attractive carrot. You have helped me decide my next action going forward. Thanks again for your time & experience. 

[onlinecentral]

Every seller beyond the novice level is paying listing fees.
I have 412 current listings, less than usual, and you have more.
I pay $59.95 a month for a Premium Store with a yearly commitment.
Method 1 is to just pay the $59.95 and focus on your business, etc.
Method 2 is to jump through lots of hoops, hope you get free listings and waste a lot of time to cut listing costs.
Time is money and the difference between $21.95 and $59.95 monthly is $38.00 dollars.

You mention a conversion rate.
I look at the percentage of inventory that is sold in a period of time.
Here are my numbers.
412 listings and 598 sales in the past 90 days of RadioShack merchandise and used auto parts.
A 145% conversion rate with Buy-It-Now and many units per listing.
Some buyers purchase more than one unit so the 145% should really be inflated to 220%.

Here are some examples where the sellers need to go back to the drawing board and sell different items in other categories.
915 listings and 51 sales in the past 90 days of rustic country kitchen items suitable for a century home. A 5.5% conversion rate and 54 month supply.
5,474 listings and 45 sales in the past 90 days of 45 RPM vinyl records. A 0.8% conversion rate and 364 month supply.

Looking at the number of your listings and sold for 90 days, you are on the right track.

Message 6 has a spreadsheet to help choose store levels.
Store Level Spreadsheet
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Store-Level-Advice/m-p/30947684

Seller Center Subscriptions and Fees > eBay Store subscription levels
https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/run-your-store/subscriptions-and-fees.html

Choose a Store subscription
https://www.ebay.com/sub/subscriptions

[drinkwine1204]

thank you so very much for your thoughtful reply. The spreadsheet is very helpful. Yes, our time is worth something, as since I work all day at another job, time is very limited. Great advice, thanks again for your insight.

[chapeau-noir]

You can work with month to month for a couple of months before committing to a yearly subscription - once one has signed up for the yearly, you only have that signup month to decide if you'll cancel or keep up with it before being hit with a cancelled sub penalty, so it's worthwhile being certain.

[drinkwine1204]

I like the way you think.  I worry about the higher monthly fees during the "slow times" of the year. Thanks for taking the time to reach out to me.

[dhbookds]

I would not jump to another tier until I am paying that rate in extra listing fees......  and can sustain the inventory/time requirements to continue.

[chapeau-noir]

Yes ^^ When GTC came in, it was a real money saver for me.  My sales didn't diminish at all, and I found that actually just listing once a month (GTC is just a string of 30-day listings) instead of all of these little 7 and 10 day listings, saved me $$$. I went from a premium to a basic store, just paying for some extra listings each month, far less than that $40 difference between Basic and Premium for a bunch of listings I didn't need anymore.