eBay

richard1rst · ‎07-06-2023

This is not meant to be sarcastic. I am genuinely looking for information, opinions and guidance. I do not have any social media accounts.

I have seen posts on these boards from sellers saying they get results from their social media posts. Yet I have to wonder - doesn’t a searcher, first, have to know that you HAVE a social media page? That would seem to limit the audience. Otherwise how do they find your listing?

Substantially all of my eBay listings are indexed on Google. According to eBay’s metrics (with the understanding that it varies from month to month) somewhere between 40% and 60% of my eBay page views come from Google search, not eBay search.

According to available statistics there are about 4 Billion people worldwide with internet access, and about 96% of them default to Google when they are looking for something. How many people typically access a specific social media page?

Seems to me if I am on Google I already have the question of exposure covered. Which makes social media accounts more work to reach the same people?

I realize that people use social media accounts to keep in touch with family and friends. I have no interest in that. The older you get the smaller your circle of family and friends becomes to the point that a personal phone call is much more preferable.

For me the Internet is a place to find things I am looking for and to sell things I have.

So, again I ask, in light of the above - do I gain any advantage by having a social media account?

I am open to convincing arguments.

chapeau-noir · ‎07-09-2023

@richard1rst wrote:
@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
@nuclearomen OK, got ya. But let me ask you this then...IF you WERE looking for a way to drive traffic to your ebay business from outside ebay, are you saying there are better , more effective ways, than social media?
And if so, what would they be?

And therein lies the rub. I also have an independent web site on which I can offer anything I want as well as items that eBay prohibits (CSA products, for instance). And I only have to pay Paypal credit card processing fees. And my site is fully indexed on Google.

So if I am going to set up anything to drive traffic somewhere (I shouldn't really have to complete that sentence should I?)

It's the difference between active and passive advertising channels - any site is going to be 'fully indexed' on Google unless the site admin is committing some kind of egregious offence (like eBay did with their thin content and garbage redirects back in the mid-teens) - it's how you set up your SEO and work with what is basically Google's search and new analytics platform (Google Analytics is out). So optimising that is well and good.

However, if you want to actively drive more eyes to your site, rather than waiting passively for people to search for you, then social media can help. What attracts people is good content because it connects with their various interests, and that's where you can use social media - not just hawking items but giving value added. For instance, I do pretty well with Pinterest, but I never simply post stuff with 'this is what I have and it costs this", but I add a bit of background - the Kashmiri embroidered coat I was selling I added a few sentences of background on the type and tradition of embroidery. My Vic-Ed stuff got a bit of background about the style at that time, etc. etc. Unfortunately, almost all of my boards were lost in a huge hiccup Pinterest had some time ago (though I really needed to clean them up anyway).

I sell on Poshmark which is considered a social media selling site, and have over 120,000 followers, and have tiny store there - I struggle to keep over 120 items listed, but I've sold 35 in the last couple of weeks. I have to keep at it, sharing my items, keeping new items coming, offering content in my descriptions rather than just three words so that it hooks people in with common interests, etc. Granted, it took four+ years to get to this number of followers, but it wasn't exactly a labour of Hercules to do it, though it did take perseverance and consistency - there's no such thing as coasting, really.

So it depends upon what mix one wants, if any at all.

When you dine with leopards, it is wise to check the menu lest you find yourself as the main course.

#freedomtoread
#readbannedbooks

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chapeau-noir · ‎07-06-2023

People search on google, but they interact on social media. To grow networks and gain more exposure, one would go where people are interacting.

When you dine with leopards, it is wise to check the menu lest you find yourself as the main course.

#freedomtoread
#readbannedbooks

kalyoth · ‎07-06-2023

In regards to ebay advertising - No. ebay pays google to advertise. You pay ebay at some point selling. That's covered.

In terms of social media in general: pro's & cons galore. I believe social media to be the social decay of modern society because it guarantees & reinforces there are no rights to privacy in the world. Information overload is a mental illness with physical debilitation as well. The blue light exposure alone carries suspected physical damage & cancerous effects.

For selling on ebay - ebay does it for you.

jewelbiz · ‎07-06-2023

I’m on Instagram and I love it.

Don't be disappointed when I tell you I am not there to make sales.

Sometimes I do & that’s a bonus.

I just really love communicating through my photography which is what Instagram is about.

I also love the way people reach out to me.
I’ve managed to attract approximately 1100 followers from all over the world and I get a great deal of pleasure learning about them in the Instagram way through their words and their pix.

Sometimes I am following someone’s bicycle trip with them through Austria or a beautiful formal wedding down South with their family…

ittybitnot · ‎07-06-2023

@richard1rst

There are various ways to use social media to promote your eBay sales. For instance, on F.Book you can join groups where like minded people share their hobby, information, etc. There are also groups that are buy/sell. Some of these will let you direct buyers to your eBay listing, others will not. Your posts are likely shared with your friends and family as well. You can make a "page" and ask others to "like" it, but now if you want a F.Book store, it is required that you use THEIR payment provider only.

It won't take you long to figure out that those platforms provide SELLING OPPORTINITIES as well. No managed payments platform necessary, no fees (unless you unwittingly sign up for their "offer shipping" program on Marketplace) or invoice by the Pal. I used to direct such things to my Etsy store. I worked real well, got lots of views and sales until I figured out I could SELL without directing someone to Etsy to pay (where I pay fees.) Now, instead I use the opportunities to direct buyers to my own website or offer to send a PayPal invoice for items to be shipped. I live in a rural area, so I rarely get a request to pick up an item. Cash only exact change when it occurs.

As @chapeau-noir suggests, there are PEOPLE on social media sites and venues. Why not use it as a selling tool?

yuzuha · ‎07-06-2023

@ittybitnot wrote:

There are various ways to use social media to promote your eBay sales. For instance, on F.Book you can join groups where like minded people share their hobby, information, etc. There are also groups that are buy/sell. Some of these will let you direct buyers to your eBay listing, others will not.

Exactly. For example, I'm a member of a group that's dedicated to people who play crane games. We post links to our stores where we sell our wins, and sometimes people will post classified ads seeking a particular prize so people who have won said prize can reach out to the person if they have one to sell. I've made a whole bunch of sales that way.

luckythewinner · ‎07-06-2023

do I gain any advantage by having a social media account?

Generally speaking, success in social media requires you to develop a following and then market to it effectively.

I have no idea whether YOU would gain an advantage by having a social media account. And I doubt anyone else here knows either.

I know someone who makes custom jewelry who has thousands of followers and she sells a lot of items as soon as she posts them on social media.

But I have no idea whether you or your items are interesting enough to attract a following.

chapeau-noir · ‎07-06-2023

@jewelbiz wrote:
I’m on Instagram and I love it.

Don't be disappointed when I tell you I am not there to make sales.
Sometimes I do & that’s a bonus.
I just really love communicating through my photography which is what Instagram is about.
I also love the way people reach out to me.
I’ve managed to attract approximately 1100 followers from all over the world and I get a great deal of pleasure learning about them in the Instagram way through their words and their pix.
Sometimes I am following someone’s bicycle trip with them through Austria or a beautiful formal wedding down South with their family…

That is one of the real pleasures of social media, and I believe the best reason for it to exist!

As for using SM - despite the fact that I've used it since the beginning (back in Live Journal days) - honestly, I still see it as a choice when it comes to selling on marketplace platforms, as they already have a presence there. Depends on what you want to do with it.

When you dine with leopards, it is wise to check the menu lest you find yourself as the main course.

#freedomtoread
#readbannedbooks

richard1rst · ‎07-06-2023

Thank you all for your comments. Interestingly many of them had nothing to do with selling as such, but the benefits of joining like minded groups and just making contacts. Some of you may have seen the pictures of the antique cars I own mostly because I had nowhere else to post them.

With the general slow down in sales I have more free time on my hands. Being a retired custom woodworker, furniture and cabinet maker I plan on gussying up the house I have been in for 20 years. And boy do I gave some original designs I can't imagine you have ever seen. While I will be doing it for my own amusement part of me wants to shout “Hey look what I just did”. Seems like SM is that outlet.

I still have one stumbling block maybe someone can help me with.

I do not have an account with Etsy. Yet I can access their site and look around to my heart’s content to see IF I want to join. The same is true for those who do not have an eBay account. It seems I can also poke around on Pinterest before signing up along with some other sites.

But it looks like there is not a “Preview before you buy” opportunity on Instagram or Facebook. Or did I just miss it. Since those seem to be the biggies, and mentioned above, I would like to know what I am getting into BEFORE I get into it.

Thanks again.

chapeau-noir · ‎07-06-2023

There's no big deal to simply creating an account (Facebook owns Instagram though you can sign up separately), and you actually won't be getting into anything you don't want to just by looking around, or fiddling with it for a while.

ETA: I think Instagram would be a good fit for your woodworking and custom carpentry as it's quite visual.

When you dine with leopards, it is wise to check the menu lest you find yourself as the main course.

#freedomtoread
#readbannedbooks

chapeau-noir · ‎07-06-2023

I forgot to mention, for chat you will probably find some common interest groups on Facebook. Before I quit using it, I was active in several vintage groups and a fixed-gear cycling group.

When you dine with leopards, it is wise to check the menu lest you find yourself as the main course.

#freedomtoread
#readbannedbooks

redmodelt · ‎07-06-2023

Most all the Facebook pages I follow are car/train related and then there is Calvin and Hobbes. I also help manage our club's page. I don't spend a lot of time on my own page, no pictures of what I had for dinner or that sort of thing.

Facebook is not just one big chat board, there are lots of clubs and specific groups. Some groups are public and some are private.

Maybe sign up and find a group that is into the same hobby as you, try it out. You can close your account if not to your liking.

mn467462 · ‎07-06-2023

You don't. And social media is basically like giving yourself another full time job. You have to put it hours of blood sweat and tears, before you see a single dollar. And even after all that effort, success still isn't guaranteed.

If you don't have a social media, let me explain it to you like this. Just like with anything else in life, there's a top 1% who make a ton of money. And the rest make nothing, and are just wasting their time. So many people have sacrificed their mental health trying to play the social media game. Even people who were successful at it.

richard1rst · ‎07-06-2023

@mn467462 wrote:
You don't. And social media is basically like giving yourself another full time job. You have to put it hours of blood sweat and tears, before you see a single dollar. And even after all that effort, success still isn't guaranteed.

If you don't have a social media, let me explain it to you like this. Just like with anything else in life, there's a top 1% who make a ton of money. And the rest make nothing, and are just wasting their time. So many people have sacrificed their mental health trying to play the social media game. Even people who were successful at it.

Interestingly, your comment (and another by @kalyoth above) reminds me of an old joke told by Jay Leno eons ago:

Did you know that 75% of Americans are on Facebook. Do you know what they call the other 25%? PRODUCTIVE.

I still find it funny.

slippinjimmy · ‎07-06-2023

@richard1rst wrote:
“Preview before you buy”

"Buy"? You don't buy or pay anything for a facebook or instagram account.

FYI - Some facebook account are fully public meaning that you don't need an account to view. Those are mostly business accounts using those services for marketing purposes.