Would Like Input On Selling Market

[scredence2005]

Hello, I am new to this forum but need some input.  I have been an Ebay seller for 20 or more years, took a break, now back selling.  I find I am in an entirely new atmosphere from the "good old days" where there were many, many daily sales and you didn't have to lower prices continuously to make a sale and you actually made a profit.  Before, I would get up at 3 a.m. to wrap and package sales and have 10 to 15 USPS boxes scheduled for pickup.  Now. I don't make that many sales in a week!  I am dismayed at the new buyer's market.  If items are over $20 they won't buy.  This was not a problem before and I still always check active and sold prices on items to price mine accordingly.  I have been back a year and this is a constant situation.  I can see the virus effecting sales, of course, but our economy was fine until recently but buyers are very tight fisted now.  One problem with this is to try and keep shipping on the correct amount as a mistake on shipping will zero out my tiny profit (if there is one).  Any thoughts, helpful hints, opinions?

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

I have stopped selling for now as "Beer thirty" comes earlier and earlier! Seriously, the deliveries are just terrible right now, read the horror stories on this platform, I've been lucky to have such good buyers but many have not, my advice right now is to continue reading the ebay forum, don't ship outside the states and NO electronics or fine jewelry, use only priority mail and take it slow, you've been away for a long time...whew your in for a "wild ride friend!" best of selling to you!

[dhbookds]

Yep, things have changed in 20 yrs.  I, for instance,....... well, let's not go there......

At one point, you could sell pez dispensers and make a mint......now......not so much.....  Ebay once was the only place in town........now......not so much....  buyers aren't looking for "fun" as much as what they are specifically looking for.....Collectibles still sell, but so does alot more "stuff" that most of us would never think of buying 20 yrs ago.  The basics are still true.......you make the profit when you buy.....but the markets change and those items can end up not worth what you paid for them.  So research is the key, selling NOW (my opinion) rather than holding waiting for the markets to go is may be the way to go. Lots of stuff sells for over $20...so I'm not sure why you make that dividing line..... and a number of sellers are doing as well as or better than Xmas sales recently, apparently due to the shut ins....  Not every seller, of course.......

As to your shipping problems (?) not sure what you mean.......if you weigh and measure and use calculated shipping, you should have no problems. Ah..... I see you are using Fedex......which does have its problems according to people on these boards.   You might try USPS, if you can, I've never been burned there except a couple of times when I've made an error in inputting the info.........

[coolections]

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@scredence2005 wrote:

If items are over $20 they won't buy. 

You've sold over 50 high ends glassware items in the last 40 days alone. Almost every item sold for $20. Maybe your expectations are too high. Also those items have lost demand compared to 20 years ago. Many of the people who bought that stuff have either retired or died. If you can barely make a profit then you will have to accept that fact as when the demand drops so do the prices.

[chapeau-noir]

ETA: This was for the OP.

I'm like one of those boiled frogs - things happened gradually down through the years so I don't notice too much save that auctions are pretty much a losing proposition and we're at a race to the bottom in some categories (fashion being one).  Beyond that - eh - I don't see any wild rides, just some annoyances.  Just read the updates and become familiar with any changes - that's very important - getting stuff piecemeal here isn't going to give you a good picture.  The returns SNAD procedure sux, though - be certain you're familiar with that.

The annoying issue coming up is managed payments - but that's something most selling sites have now.

[scredence2005]

What is a SNAD please?  I might sell some nice things but they don't come cheap. And, yes, there are othersites now.  It is a different world.  Thanks for the input.😎

[vrie39]

You have to be a lot more creative to make a buck nowadays, all the old tricks people used to use, well everybody knows them even the buyers so they're worn out and done.  Best I can tell you is specialize, and become intimate with the products you are selling.

You can not just "buy low" and "sell high" anymore, that won't work.

You have to actually KNOW your product (and I mean you have used it extensively, not you looked on google and "oh ok I get the idea") it mostly boils down to this, intricate intimate knowledge of what you're dealing in.

[chapeau-noir]

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@scredence2005 wrote:

What is a SNAD please?  I might sell some nice things but they don't come cheap. And, yes, there are othersites now.  It is a different world.  Thanks for the input.😎

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This is a good overview:  https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/selling/start-selling-ebay?id=4081

SNAD = significantly not as described, when a buyer decides that something is not what the seller sold them/described.   It's a tough area when it comes to returns.

[scredence2005]

I had NO IDEA there was so many different tools to listing.  I have been doing it the same old way for 20 years.  Also the photo thing sounds nice as I have an old camera and am NEVER happy with photos.  I don't have an android or cell phone or smart phone though so will have to contact Ebay for help with photos etc.  I shouldn't say this but I have never had a complaint that I recall on description of item sold.

[gamersbaystore]

Its definitely getting harder to sell higher priced items. I just sold a game today for $60 that's been up for sale for almost a year now. Meanwhile, the ones that are $10 sell no problem. Consumers have been ultra tight with their money the last year or so though.

You have a lot of really nice stuff for sale. That's also likely a pain to pack, expensive to ship, and harder to make a profit from given all the costs of doing business here.

But your sales look really good, so I take it its just the profits that are a problem?

If you want to charge more and convince buyers to pay more, you need to increase the competition among buyers on your listings. The best way to do that is to invest in more product and list more.

Its the whole reason I have over 500 movies for sale, every new listing brings more traffic, and more potential buyers. Then I offer volume discounts, like buy 2 get 1 free, which drives sales.

The more watchers items get, the more sales that follow too, at least for me anyway.

Having percentage off discounts really can help to drive sale too, but it also drives down profits.