eBay

keziak · ‎12-22-2022

One of the worst problems in my business is my inability to keep on top of listing. I spend a great deal of time on processing mail and scouting. I list on Amazon, ebay store and ebay auctions. I want to resolve to solve this problem in 2023 but if I knew how, I'd already be doing it. I was able to get a lot listed on Amazon this month because I curtailed Ebay listing. But I'm not ready to give up on Ebay.

I tried one approach: getting up extra early and listing first thing in the morning. But that just led to greater exhaustion in the evening so I wasn't able to list then. I'm 62 and while in many ways I kick butt just as I've had for decades, I am more easily exhausted. Between my business labor and my heavy work sorting books at multiple libraries, I work heavy and hard.

I could try skipping my afternoon nap but see previous paragraph.

I tried raising my minimum price on Amazon and ebay store but somehow I have just as many books as ever (I still often list auctions at cheaper prices, could work on that).

Long story short: any tips out there for keeping on top of listing? Am I missing something? I don't feel constitutionally able to hire someone to do it.

ms.rodriguez* · ‎12-22-2022

Lord, you are working too hard. I would not skip the nap. I need it too or I just simply have a hard time functioning. The only thing that I can tell you is to rest when tired and eat well. If you can't list as much. Perhaps list 5 items instead of 20. Somewhere you will have to list less whether it's here or Amazon if you are very tired. Can you get a relative or friend to help you with the lifting or perhaps taking the packages to the post office?

stainlessenginecovers · ‎12-22-2022

On eBay- Don't do auctions-they run out in 7 days so therefore very time consuming to 'relist' etc. if they don't sell and or you have to keep on top of them at the 'end' if they are 'no reserve' and then keep track of who paid/who didn't. All listings Buy It Now with Immediate Payment Required. (which are 'good till cancelled and stay up for 30 days at a time)

This way, you just check your Seller Hub for 'Items ready to ship' which would be any item that sold.

You'll want to use a reason of 'but I get more action on auctions'- don't matter. You can view 'active items' and see a 30 day 'view' on items once or twice a month- then lower prices of those with no views, 1 view etc.

simba6 · ‎12-22-2022

Cut back on lower profit items. List fewer items but ones that make more money for you.

fern*wood · ‎12-22-2022

Scouting? I guess that means looking for more books to buy?

The saying goes something like it feels so much better once you stop hitting yourself in the head with the hammer. You stick with books which are heavy, you can't get the listings done, yet you keep buying more so the piles never go away, you feel you don't make enough money, and yet you have stated many times you don't need the money.

I'd say most of us have complaints & issues to deal with (some similar) and will stop hitting ourselves in the head with that hammer eventually.

keziak · ‎12-22-2022

I have a helpful son in the house who carries a lot of the heavy boxes and mail up and down stairs for me, so that's a blessing.

keziak · ‎12-22-2022

Without stirring up the auction vs. Fixed Price argument, with what I sell I make a lot more money on auctions (mostly lots). I do sell some things out of my store but not that much in the greater scheme of things.

keziak · ‎12-22-2022

so true...I am compulsive about scouting which I am sure I have droned on about. I think to myself there must be a way to get the stuff listed. I have a friend who is a much bigger seller; he says he just comes home and lists the stuff right away. (he's out of books though which tells you something!).

I have important goals for what I make. At this time of year I give money to various charities and I want ample funds to invest. Our son is autistic and I obsess about him having enough money so the trust fund never feels adequate. So that's where I stand on money.

Still want to hear what others do on this issue! List right away? Designate days devoted just to listing? Be more productive when working on the computer/ less distracted? Something like that?

stainlessenginecovers · ‎12-22-2022

Buy it Now listings are NOT just in your store- they show just as often as Auctions and 80% of items are sold that way. Many don't want to 'wait' for an auction to end and 'guess' what they are going to pay. It would easily save you over 50% of your time.

Also note- if you need a nap, you need a sleep study and a breathing machine. I'm 160 lbs and got one 20+ years ago when only 'overweight' were going to the studies (it takes 1 night, covered by Insurance, your local Dr. can prescribe it be done). Anyway, I was getting less than 15 minutes a night 'REM' sleep and after a 10 hour workday at 40 yrs old, I needed a 'nap' when I got home from work.

Since the machine- I haven't needed a nap the past 20 years and have just as much energy at 4pm as I do at 8am.

creativecrisis · ‎12-22-2022

I'm also a one-person operation, and I work on the assumption there's a limit to how much one person can do. Within that constraint, there are lots of options. For example, you could dedicate a certain amount of time daily (or weekly ) to listing. You could decide not to source any more books until you list what you have on hand. You could develop a listing template (if you haven't done this already), and just change relevant details when creating a new listing. You could temporarily stop listing on the least profitable platform until you get caught up. You could list whatever you feel like, and stop beating yourself up because you're not listing more.

theteamsetguy · ‎12-22-2022

There are services like Auctiva that allows you to list your inventory on multiple platforms at the same time. It also keeps tracks and removes items that sell instantly so you don’t end up selling items you don’t have in stock.
The costs for the services are very reasonable in my opinion.

golfingaddict · ‎12-22-2022

Is someone can't handle the listings, shipping etc and continues to buy, at what point does it become hoarding?

My suggestion is to quit buying until you are caught up.

And once you are caught up, do as your friend does. Buy what you can get listed in a day or week or whatever goal you set. Then don't buy again until those are listed.

Another suggestion:

For at least two weeks, keep track of how much time it takes you to ship, process mail, list, answer emails, chat board, Rearranging product. Anything that you do in the course of a regular day.

Then write a budget. Not monetary but time.

9-10am Packing orders.

10-10:15 coffee break

10:15 -12 listing items

12-1 lunch break

1-2 rearrange stock, pull orders for next day

2-3 Nap

Ok, so you get the drift.

You have had a similar complaint for a few years now. You really need to get a handle on this. The new year is a great time to change things up. Hire someone that specializes in helping people get organized. The suggestions might surprise you. I would also suggest downsizing your "books" until you can get it into a manageable system.

Just because you can buy it does not mean that you can get it sold.

Those piles won't sell until they are listed.

So many self employed people do not realize that they need to treat this work as a job.

Set hours, set schedule, set goals, do what is manageable.

keziak · ‎12-22-2022

Again, don't want to stir up the auction vs. fixed price controversy. For what I sell the bulk of sales are from auctions, not Fixed Price. When auctions end unsold I often move the lots to the store and some of them eventually sell that way but not in such a way as to support the bottom line.

I had a sleep study once but years ago and they said I am a good sleeper but I snore.

keziak · ‎12-22-2022

I'm not beating myself up about it though I can maybe see that it sounds that way. I am thinking globally about how I run my business and what to tweak or more. For example, I sort books for a library that is a round trip of an hour, plus time working there, so it adds up to real time and there are days I come home with few or even no books. I do that twice a week. I go that often to help keep the donation area cleaned because it's a high-traffic place. But I could use those hours for other things.

There are 1 or 2 days a week I am not working at the libraries (mostly) so maybe in the New Year I'll resolve to make those days all about listing. Doing that today when I'm not reading this board. I'll need to figure out how to not process orders though which is tricky. Most of the time all the mail takes up the whole morning if not more.