eBay store

[cristina1918]

I am am small seller, currently I have about 100 listings, however I have a lot of drafts saved because I run out of free listings.

At what point will be a good idea to open a store ?

Currently I been getting 200 free listings on promotions, and I been using those, but not everything sells in that month and then the automatic re-listings take my majority of the 50 free listings for the month.

Also it is true that opening a store decreases your sales ?

[gwzcomps]

Might be a good point to open a lower tier store if you are running over 100 listings. You also get discounts on final value and listing fees depending on your store tier.

Opening a store shouldn't decrease your sales.

[gr8clark]

At $7.99 it's worth a try for a month. Given what is going on and the recommendations to stay home, I decided now would be the best time to finally give the store upgrade a shot just a couple of days ago. I've had a ton of stuff set aside for listing eventually if I ever ran out of stuff from sourcing but now I've hit my seller limit.

You can pay month to month at $7.99 per month which is just added to your invoice and if you give it a shot and decide you don't need the increase you can always cancel it and downgrade back to where you are now.

[southern*sweet*tea]

A basic store gives you 250 fixed price in all categories and 250 auction listings in clothing and collectibles, so a potential 500 total listings.

A month to month subscription is $27 or $28 I think, and a year contract is $22/mo. I have the yearly contract.

With a store you get quarterly shipping supplies, the ability to run sales and markdowns and the ability to use the vacation setting. Fees are also a little lower (except for books and other media).  There are probably other benefits, I just don't use them so I can't speak for them.

You could try a basic store for a month or so, and if it doesn't work out you can always cancel. Just be sure to choose the monthly option, not the yearly contract.

[ittybitnot]

At what point will be a good idea to open a store ?

When those items start regularly SELLING.   Check your sell through rate.  If it is decent, then a subscription might be of value to you monetarily.  Otherwise, you simply pay ebay money every month whether your items sell or not. 

[chapeau-noir]

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@cristina1918 wrote:

I am am small seller, currently I have about 100 listings, however I have a lot of drafts saved because I run out of free listings.

At what point will be a good idea to open a store ?

Currently I been getting 200 free listings on promotions, and I been using those, but not everything sells in that month and then the automatic re-listings take my majority of the 50 free listings for the month.

Also it is true that opening a store decreases your sales ?

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That's an urban myth.  

You also don't have to allow listings to automatically renew - you can decide if you want them to roll over or not. I end things every 30 days routinely if I decide they need work, have been listed for too long, too many views without a bite or otherwise need some attention.  You can end some and replace them with those drafts you have ready go go, for instance.  It might be something to work with if you haven't.

I agree with the basic store.  The more good stuff you have listed, the more sales you have, which is why waiting for 'free' isn't often a good idea unless one sells very low priced items (some smalls, media, etc.  - I wish they had a micro fee category for smalls). 

[cristina1918]

Thank y’all for suggestions, I think I might open a basic store shorty , I will wait to get more listings done. I realize that I can’t wait all the time for those promotion listings.

I also slowed down now with everything going on , and I am selling mostly vintage items, witch are not a necessity for most people.

[chapeau-noir]

This is a really strange time right now - if you haven't, you can make your next step to experiment with the listings, both live and draft, you already have and decide if you want to change the mix of those, end some, start some new ones and the like.  See how that goes.

New listings are ALWAYS good - they keep the eyes, especially with vintage (I've sold a lot of vintage). 

I suspect in a month or so we'll know a lot more about what's going on. 

[bimm_corp]

Be careful. If you open a store you are unlikely to get any further free listing promo offers. I have never received any since I opened a starter store. With stores, you only get what you pay for. I'm fine with that as I don't intend to be beholden to eBay for any reason. I pay for my listings and don't expect something for nothing.

[femmefan1946]

Or you could double the number of listings (Free 50 or Store Subscription) by putting listings on eBayCanada.

There are some caveats.

You have to ship to Canada.

You have to list in loonies, but your listing shows in US dollars on dotCOM Search and in both currencies on the actual listing.

You will be using Flat Rate Shipping from an International Location (in this case, from the USA) so this does not work will if your items require a service that includes destination with weight and dimensions to calculate rates.

But if you like something for practically nothing,  try it .

[nuclearomen]

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@cristina1918 wrote:

I am am small seller, currently I have about 100 listings, however I have a lot of drafts saved because I run out of free listings.

At what point will be a good idea to open a store ?

Currently I been getting 200 free listings on promotions, and I been using those, but not everything sells in that month and then the automatic re-listings take my majority of the 50 free listings for the month.

Also it is true that opening a store decreases your sales ?

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it all depends on how many listings you feel you need or will use in a month time with a store, there are different tiers and each require different costs. I always tell people start small, lowest tier and if find you need more then move to the next tier... especially right now where the economy is dumping and sales will most likely be less for many sellers... point being is test the store waters before diving in head first. 
However, don't believe everything you hear. Sales are YOU make it, having a store doesn't decide how many sales you get or don't, that's dependent on many factors like items, price, shipping, return policy, market, economy etc... but having a store can help in various ways, such as amount of allowed monthly listings, small decrease in FVF's... look over the store tiers and decide what is best for your business.  

[chapeau-noir]

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@bimm_corp wrote:
Be careful. If you open a store you are unlikely to get any further free listing promo offers. I have never received any since I opened a starter store. With stores, you only get what you pay for. I'm fine with that as I don't intend to be beholden to eBay for any reason. I pay for my listings and don't expect something for nothing.

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I have a store, have had a store for ? 15 years, and am just now working on a listing promo offer.  I also get promo offers several times a year.

[bimm_corp]

Nary a free listing promo in 2 years. I"m content with no freebies.

[nc-daydreamer]

You have gotten some good advice, however what others may have forgotten to remind you of is that your drafts will self-destruct 30 days from creation if you don't use them to list. So don't get caught without a back-up. 🙂  I noticed you said that you have drafts, don't want you to wake up one morning and they are ll gone without some kind of warning.

I also agree that a small store would likely benefit you.  Good luck.