03-07-2017 03:26 AM
I'm so glad that eBay decided to always screw with the community of sellers that helped build their business in the early years. I'm moving on from here and going down the "river". The whole TRS thing is the straw that broke the camel's back. They are going to continue doing this with every passing year and every passing update. Sales and profit just keeps going down for small sellers like us on here. Meanwhile, a little readjustment of my business model on another site and I make about 3x the sales, 2x the profit, and takes about half the work. I would like to thank eBay for helping me move on to greener pastures. I will mostly be using this site to sell my junk from the river that gets returned to me. Good luck to all of you sellers who plan on staying here!
03-07-2017 03:35 AM
Good luck on the other side. Ebay is doing fine and will continue without you as there a millions here and millions to follow.
03-07-2017 03:36 AM - edited 03-07-2017 03:37 AM
@crusading_angel wrote:I will mostly be using this site to sell my junk from the river that gets returned to me.
Oops, posted too soon. I guess you are not leaving. OK, but you have to remove those 252 items first.
03-07-2017 03:37 AM - edited 03-07-2017 03:39 AM
@crusading_angel wrote:I'm so glad that eBay decided to always screw with the community of sellers that helped build their business in the early years.
{snip}
a little readjustment of my business model on another site and I make about 3x the sales, 2x the profit, and takes about half the work
Congrats on finding "A" venue that doubles your profit. It sounds like eBay was the wrong choice to begin with. I did not have the same success selling there.
03-07-2017 04:10 AM
That's the plan. Although if you take a look at the listings you'll see that about 230 of the 252 listings are cheap $5 posters I bought for cheap to resell. Had about 450 to start. I use to have more inventory other than the posters, but I've either sold them here/elsewhere or discarded them. Pretty much not adding any new inventory other than what I noted.
Also to the other poster, yeah you're right. This was probably not the best platform for me to start out with.
03-07-2017 08:24 AM - edited 03-07-2017 08:28 AM
Most of your items are $4.99 shipped
-ebay fee .50
-paypal fee .44
-shipping $2.77
Gross profit = $1.28
That doesn't take into account the cost of item and time spent to pack and ship, the cost of the packing matierals and box\envelope. You said you bought them cheap so your profit is probably less than a dollar per poster. 60 cents maybe?
The river or here, what really is the difference. Why bother with either?
03-07-2017 09:07 AM - edited 03-07-2017 09:08 AM
@crusading_angel wrote:That's the plan. Although if you take a look at the listings you'll see that about 230 of the 252 listings are cheap $5 posters I bought for cheap to resell. Had about 450 to start. I use to have more inventory other than the posters, but I've either sold them here/elsewhere or discarded them.
Ok so you've just admitted to selling mostly kitsch, so cheap in fact you threw some away. And now, the fact these items aren't selling is ebay's fault?
Let me put it another way...
After what you just said I didn't even look at your inventory.
I promise that's not because ebay is "hiding" it from me.
Good luck to you
03-07-2017 10:59 AM
@crusading_angel wrote:I'm so glad that eBay decided to always screw with the community of sellers that helped build their business in the early years. I'm moving on from here and going down the "river". The whole TRS thing is the straw that broke the camel's back. They are going to continue doing this with every passing year and every passing update. Sales and profit just keeps going down for small sellers like us on here. Meanwhile, a little readjustment of my business model on another site and I make about 3x the sales, 2x the profit, and takes about half the work. I would like to thank eBay for helping me move on to greener pastures. I will mostly be using this site to sell my junk from the river that gets returned to me. Good luck to all of you sellers who plan on staying here!
How did you go about getting permission to sell on a closed category in Amazon?
03-07-2017 11:59 AM
@ahaynekk-0 wrote:
@crusading_angel wrote:That's the plan. Although if you take a look at the listings you'll see that about 230 of the 252 listings are cheap $5 posters I bought for cheap to resell. Had about 450 to start. I use to have more inventory other than the posters, but I've either sold them here/elsewhere or discarded them.
Ok so you've just admitted to selling mostly kitsch, so cheap in fact you threw some away. And now, the fact these items aren't selling is ebay's fault?
Let me put it another way...
After what you just said I didn't even look at your inventory.
I promise that's not because ebay is "hiding" it from me.
Good luck to you
Why do some sellers still think that if they list it, it will sell, even if it is garbage?
Maybe when ebay first started, but not now.
03-07-2017 01:34 PM - edited 03-07-2017 01:35 PM
Why do some sellers still think that if they list it, it will sell, even if it is garbage?
Alot of sellers don't look around to smell the roses. In the past, yeah, sellers could sell books, dvd's, used clothes, cd's,etc. Now it's a different environment online. I pay only $6 each month for shampoo from Target on their Subscribe&Save. They sent me the wrong type of shampoo. I asked them if I could just dispose of it and they just send the correct one or refund if not in stock. After all, it was THEIR fault, not mine. They said sure!!! You know, on ebay I would BE FORCED TO SEND that incorrect item back to the seller wasting my time, energy, packaging securely and then traveling to/waiting in a 1-hr post office line---this is the type of EXCELLENT UNCOMPARABLE SERVICE that the other websites give that many ebay sellers can't match!!
03-07-2017 01:51 PM
As long as I have known the EBay forums I have seen these posts. Posts by sellers who think that if their sales are not making it on eBay that ebay must be doomed. Ebays imminent demise has been reports over and over by sellers who feel they have been ruined by ebay, had ebay intentionally hiding their listings so they get no sales, removing their listings, you name it.
Yet somehow there are still successful sellers on eBay. We have a been seeing am upswing in the numbers of new ebay users, which is promising and we certainly hope that continues.
The fact is, as an online seller anywhere you must constantly adapt to an ever changing selling environment. If you feel another venue is a better fit for you, then great, you made the right choice for you. That does not mean the rest of us are doomed. If you are certain of you numbers selling on that other venue then you would be far better off than most folks I know selling there. There really is no magic venue
03-07-2017 02:03 PM - edited 03-07-2017 02:04 PM
Agreed. I sell so much here it's stupid. If sellers don't adapt and alter their business model to change with the times they will fail.
I finally took a break for my business. Decided to sell some old clothes and shoes around the house that have been collecting dust for years. Thought I woudn't move a thing. Surprisingly I've sold $554 so far. But I'll tell you. I feel for the clothes sellers. Sheesh. The pictures, the measurements, the wrapping, the looking for even the smallest flaw for every darn piece, the whole thing. Who in the world has time.
03-07-2017 02:08 PM
@fuzzyfurball wrote:Why do some sellers still think that if they list it, it will sell, even if it is garbage?
Alot of sellers don't look around to smell the roses. In the past, yeah, sellers could sell books, dvd's, used clothes, cd's,etc. Now it's a different environment online. I pay only $6 each month for shampoo from Target on their Subscribe&Save. They sent me the wrong type of shampoo. I asked them if I could just dispose of it and they just send the correct one or refund if not in stock. After all, it was THEIR fault, not mine. They said sure!!! You know, on ebay I would BE FORCED TO SEND that incorrect item back to the seller wasting my time, energy, packaging securely and then traveling to/waiting in a 1-hr post office line---this is the type of EXCELLENT UNCOMPARABLE SERVICE that the other websites give that many ebay sellers can't match!!
The excellent uncomparable customer service from many, many, MANY ebay sellers goes far beyond that - the correct item would have been shipped in the first place.
And from sellers of simple commodities like that, I'm sure you would have received the same answer over a 6.00 bottle of shampoo - keep it and another one will be sent. At least for the first time that is claimed.
But can you buy an authentic 1800's anything at Target?
03-07-2017 02:23 PM
What d-k said. I've sold a lot of shampoo and if I sent you the wrong $6 bottle, there is no way I'd spend $6* on shipping to have you send it back to me on top of the $6 I have to spend to send you the correct bottle. I'm suddenly down $24 in shipping.
*The $6 for return shipping is assuming you know how to securely pack a bottle of shampoon in a PFRE that I would most likely have to send to you and hopefully you don't listen to someone at the post office who tells you to use a LFRB. On my dime.
Yeah, I've been around that block a few times. My stuff like that goes boating on a river now.
03-07-2017 02:31 PM
And from sellers of simple commodities like that, I'm sure you would have received the same answer over a 6.00 bottle of shampoo - keep it and another one will be sent. At least for the first time that is claimed.
Believe it or not, i had a package of perfume come from a large TRS seller which was splattered all over the package leaking!! I asked not to be forced to return it but they wanted it returned so I had to yes, waste my time/energy returning it!!
But can you buy an authentic 1800's anything at Target?
You got me there, but then, I'm never in the market for anything pre-2017!! I'm pretty sure most buyers are not chasing after the next 1800's item either -)