What is the best selling technique you use

[gregthree]

I am a long time eBay and eCommerce seller and am like everyone else, tired of selling more to make less.  eBay makes sound like if they increase your fees and tell you to promote your product for 8% that I can just recover that by increasing my price by 8%.  

These questions are based on a a set of products that have direct competition against the same sizes and brands.  No difference between sellers.  

My questions are what technique have you found to be the most useful. 

1.  Run a markdown on your products to get a jump in interest in the rankings and then hope you get some carry over after the sale ends.

2.  Do you use the promoted listings and leave your list price alone or increase a little to help in covering the additiona fee.

3.  Just lower your price so you are the lowest price.

I hope to get some good info.  Selling in what has become a very crowded market.  Profit margin is tight and need to maximize my advertising.

[myfrugalboutique]

I sit here wondering the same thing. I used to do well with a percentage markdown, not now. Best offer always generated interest. Promoted listing I have never been sure about..I am no help, and look forward to others answers. 

[monster-deals]

My best practice is that I become ever more choosy in what I source.

[coolections]

It really all depends on how fast you want to move your inventory. I would think since you sell only tires your best bet is to take a hard look at your competition and compete with that. IMO sellers get to fixated on what everyone else is "asking". Obviously the lowest price typically wins. Even looking at the lowest price sometimes may not work as those sellers may be in the same boat as you. You have to list at an equivalent, or close to the actually "sold" prices. I sell in over a dozen categories and some things even at the current lowest price I cannot get a sale. Example: I can check 12 currently listed items and the lowest asking price is $50. Checking sold items, the highest a person is willing to pay is $40.

[gregthree]

I understand that.  I guess my next question to you is how do I get the listing to be seen.  Will promoted listings get it seen or a better price.

I have been selling on eBay and other sites since 2004.  The more people believe they can make a living on ecommerce by drop shipping, the more saturated a market gets.  I have seen sellers on here selling tires and toilet paper in the same store.  If asked a question about that tire they are selling, they would not have an answer.  Why, because they have a source and just list the warehouse like other drop shippers.  

Anyway,  I got crushed over the few years with Covid because inventory for me was difficult to get.  I need to rebuild my eBay store and wont to know the best way without losing every dime.  Yes, I am older and old school and need to learn and understand the new ways of doing marketing.

[monster-deals]

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@gregthree wrote:

The more people believe they can make a living on ecommerce by drop shipping, the more saturated a market gets. 

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Drop shipping is a yeet quicker than almost any other. 

[inhawaii]

I find it odd that someone with 34,000+ feedback is asking for advice, but here goes.

Sales techniques.

I don't do either #1, #2 or #3.

I price my items so that I will make the profit margin I want to make.

Sometimes they sell quickly - and I may raise the price.

Sometimes they don't sell quickly - and I may lower the price.

Promoted listings.

I don't use promoted listings and i'm getting along just fine.

[krazzykats]

I get looks, but few sales. 

I will list an slightly different product than my competitors and only use promoted for a listing here and there hoping it gets an interested viewer to look at my other items. 

I have a few like items at volume discounts and a few on sale. 

I am creating bulk lots of like items. 

The majority of my items have no promotions or are on sale.

[gregthree]

Whats wrong with asking how others are getting along.  

[maxine*j]

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@gregthree wrote:

Whats wrong with asking how others are getting along.  

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Nothing wrong with asking, but I don't think many (if any) of the regulars here sell tires, and strategies for selling one type of merchandise do not necessarily work for another. 

To answer your question, I never did any of the three things you name (markdowns, promoted listings, offer lowest price) but I didn't sell tires, or anything remotely related to them.

Of course, you can always study Completed Listings for tires that are the same as yours, or as comparable as possible, to see if that's instructive.    What tires sold?    For how much?    What title, descriptions, keywords, etc., did the successful sellers use?  What were their photos like?   What were their shipping and handling times?   Were they running promotions?  What sort?  You can think of other things to compare.

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[dbfolks166mt]

     I don't do any of the things you have listed. The best thing I do with regards to selling is diversify across multiple platforms and base my pricing on the fees/costs associated with those platforms/venues. EBay now constitutes less than 20% of my sales.