Selling in variations Vs selling single items

[anytime-buys-official]

Has anyone sold anything in variations on eBay? And if so, do you find it that you sell more items as if they were a single item, or in variations?

Just wondering what others' experiences are, and if I should go back to listing single items, or make a separate account (1 for single cards and another for variation listings).

[this*old*attic]

I just put up my first variation. It’s getting good traffic but no sales yet.

[rfmtm]

You can use the same account to do singles and/or variations.  Remember though, it is against ebay policy to do "choice" listings of unrelated items using the variation option.

When I have more than one of the same item, I do a single listing, and also put it in a variation listing if I have one it is related to.  Another good option is to offer quantity discounts and combined shipping.

[eleanor*rigby]

This is another copy/paste of someone else's question on another website:

Selling in variations Vs selling single items 

[oneblindcat]

I block sellers that have too many single items that have no differences, as they clog up my searches. For example:

A seller who sells batteries for digital cameras may have one model of battery that fits twenty cameras, and will list it twenty times, once for each camera that it fits. If they have many different models of batteries, that could take a hundred or more listings.

I can remember one seller who took up almost an entire 200-listing search page with multiple listings for just a few batteries. I no longer see any of their listings.

If you have just a few items with variations such as color, size, etcetera, then multiple listings won't be very annoying, go for it.

[kensgiftshop]

@anytime-buys-official 

Cards should have their own listing and not listed as a variation.

[teltuooutlet]

We only use variations if we have a lot of a similar item. Like socks that are the same but in different colors. 

The issue we have found with variations is that it is hard to manage the listing without ensuring you have not changed anything that affects the quantity of items you have left. Meaning, we have in the past made updates to a listing with variations and when saving it the quantity went back to the original quantity and did not take into account the ones we sold. Maybe just a glitch, but one we didn't notice until AFTER one of the items sold and we realized it was one we already sold and shipped. 

So basically, if you use variations just be careful when you make any updates that you check all of the details before submitting the changes.

[iart]

When I see items like this for sale I usually find it fun to click around the options. But I don't ever seem to actually buy.

[inhawaii]

I've experimented with this a lot. 

I wish i had a definite answer for you. 

Some of my products sold better when listed separately.

Some of my products sold better when sold as variations.

No rhyme or reason.

Generally rule of thumb for me is ...  when i can, i'll make it a variations listing.

One listing for 10 variations counts as one listing.

Ten separate listings count as ten listings.

Good luck!

[inhawaii]

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@oneblindcat wrote:

I block sellers that have too many single items that have no differences, as they clog up my searches.

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Someone was here just last week asking how to block a seller. 

[oneblindcat]

In advanced search, you can block sellers. I do that, then leave the search tab open so that I don't have to do it again.