eBay

van4653 · ‎10-27-2022

I have over 200 items listed, but rarely do they get looked at.. with the outreach of Ebay, they should at least be getting views. Cannot afford to do a store yet, and at this rate, never will. I offer some free shipping. I keep relisting and adding new listings. Ebay will only let me cancel an "order" when someone doesn't pay and out of the little I've sold, I have had a couple of those lately. I tried to ask a representative when I called on another issue, and the guy just said I have to do my own promoting. I have added my seller ID to my shop advertising. But Ebay is supposed to be advertising.. all I ever hear in this part of Iowa is about Ebay motors which sounds like Ebay owns everything in it... I have a wide variety of items, and I check if things are selling before I list anything... what do you think??

dbfolks166mt · ‎10-28-2022

Here is the thing. I probably would not have purchased it in the first place. I passed on one at a garage sale back in the spring for $3 without even looking it up.

If I had already bought the thing, I would take my whatever was left of my $12 and know not to ever buy that particular item ever again. I generally avoid glass and ceramic stuff entirely unless it is in the original box or I absolutely know it is good. Too labor intensive and too slow moving for too little money.

I am a pretty high volume seller with fast processes. My time in something like that would be closer to 10 minutes not 30 but that still isn't great. My hourly keeps increasing as I keep getting better at what I buy in the first place thus continually increasing the quality of my worst purchases.

Pretty much the same here. I tend to avoid lower value items these days but also have a $ cap on what I will list on eBay due to the risk. I also avoid fragile items as much as possible too much risk in shipping. You must be very efficient. I cannot print off the label and package the item in 10 minutes and that doesn't figure in my time for going to garage and/or estate sales where sometimes I find nothing, or the amount of time I spend taking pictures and posting the item.

onefootflipper · ‎10-28-2022

@dbfolks166mt wrote:
Pretty much the same here. I tend to avoid lower value items these days but also have a $ cap on what I will list on eBay due to the risk. I also avoid fragile items as much as possible too much risk in shipping. You must be very efficient. I cannot print off the label and package the item in 10 minutes and that doesn't figure in my time for going to garage and/or estate sales where sometimes I find nothing, or the amount of time I spend taking pictures and posting the item.

I did some time doing ebay and new product listings for a decent sized internet retailer before the doctor chopped my leg off and I went full time ebay. That really got me a good look at how larger operations function. My photo time is fast. I use a mounted document camera that is always hooked up so I can photograph small items as part of the listing process, while larger items I have a dedicated photo spot for that is right next to my desk.

I bought the same model thermal printer my old employer used, use the same sort of inventory system, and keep every sort of box and packing material around to ship fast, all in dedicated areas. This IS in my house, but the entire basement is a dedicated stockroom and the entire former living room the listing and packing area.

When I did it more as a hobby everything took me 3 times as long.

playwithitagaintoys · ‎10-28-2022

Since none of this will sink in, here you go...

Running Auctions on dime a dozen junk at full retail starting price is exactly what you should keep doing. You are absolutely right, the problem is eBay not advertising enough and It's search engine cheating you. It has nothing to do with preschool level understanding of supply and demand.

earthdreamer · ‎10-28-2022

@dbfolks166mt I'm with you on the auctions. They work well for me on the pre-owned items.

Currently I have bids on 7 auctions out of 18 running, and one auction has 104 views, which I think shows that the auctions definitely attract interest.

My BIN pre-owned items barely get a view, even though they are listed for almost as low as my auction starting prices.

van4653 · ‎10-28-2022

why are all the responses an attack on me??? Do you have the word hack:// on your drop down boxes when you list and answer Ebay specifications?? why is it on mine??? I have to list for close to what I can afford to sell an item for... I just saw an item sell for a penny, free shipping?? Suppose they got visibility and took a hit.. ?? I am fairly well educated on merchandise and such... 20 years with a shop and doing shows.. just took up Ebay to help when Co Vid shut most every way we had to sell.. you don't know me, so how can you just sit and judge like that. ?? If my listings aren't even on the radar when an item type is looked for, it doesn't matter what the price is.. no one even sees it at all...

onefootflipper · ‎10-28-2022

Best to luck with all your endeavors van4653, I wish you well in all you do and have nothing more to add at this point.

calicorecordsandcds · ‎10-28-2022

It is very difficult to sell items I would recommend that you look into what items you have and start auctions at the absolute lowest you can go minus 10% on 15% of your items those less likely to sell. When starting you have to first get people to look and low prices do just that. Also let ebay work out shipping for you this means a little more work but, package and weight and measurements of each item so ebay can calculate shipping. You can always choose a cheaper method when you ship if one exist, be mindful of your time lines though!

People that say auctions don't sell are FOS you should ignore those people. However, if you choose to do the buy it now just add it to your auction. All buy it now should be your lowest price, pick some items that you are ok with slight loss or breakeven price choose those items that are probably going to be very hard to sell.

I hope you do well I looked at your items and you have some nice stuff

v/r

gunz

simply-the-best-for-you · ‎10-28-2022

@van4653 wrote:
why are all the responses an attack on me??? Do you have the word hack:// on your drop down boxes when you list and answer Ebay specifications?? why is it on mine??? I have to list for close to what I can afford to sell an item for... I just saw an item sell for a penny, free shipping?? Suppose they got visibility and took a hit.. ?? I am fairly well educated on merchandise and such... 20 years with a shop and doing shows.. just took up Ebay to help when Co Vid shut most every way we had to sell.. you don't know me, so how can you just sit and judge like that. ?? If my listings aren't even on the radar when an item type is looked for, it doesn't matter what the price is.. no one even sees it at all...

Perhaps b/c you came seeking advice & then are arguing with all the advice. Though I did not see any attacks on you, but people here get tired of being asked for advice & then told why they are wrong or that the OP knows best. Many of the sellers here have well over 2 decades of experience & why post if you don't want advice?

If you're priced too high, your visibility will suffer, that is part of the algorithm. There is a sweet spot range your prices s/b in relative to others selling the same thing. Also, you were told pages ago how to get more visibility without changing your prices. Simply promote your listings. But it will cost you. Many sellers promote their listings now, so you're competing with people who do & you will not get more visibility than those who promote. It's the whole point of promoting.

This one goes to Eleven - Nigel Tufnel

Simply-the-best-for-you Volunteer Community Mentor
eBay Seller since 1996

this*old*attic · ‎10-28-2022

You made me nostalgic. My 2 best were a vintage negligée bought for $3.50 and closed at $600-something, and a vintage Disney circle skirt bought for $20 and sold for $1000. I miss the old days. Sigh.

Ah, we’ll. Adjust and move on. LOL.

this*old*attic · ‎10-28-2022

I understand the dilemma, but people don’t like auctions anymore. They only work for really rare items and not even always then.

Plus, items I clicked into had cheaper listings advertised.

And the gallery pics need much work. They don’t even fill the available square - either crop to square, use the square (pano?) feature when you shoot, or learn how to stitch two or 3 pics into a square. There are free phone apps for that. People won’t even click into a listing if the gallery doesn’t catch their eye.

See the pic I inserted? No one would even click in if it was just a skinny shot of the dress.

this*old*attic · ‎10-28-2022

They see your items on a search return page, depending on the strength of your titles (which also need work). You used “bank” twice in one, and left “tin” out of at least one of those listings. And don’t use “rare.” No one searches for a rare.

We are trying to suggest folks scroll past and don’t click in. And the problem is fixable.

this*old*attic · ‎10-28-2022

That’s a listing violation. You can’t sort of imply an item is maybe something when it’s not.

calicorecordsandcds · ‎10-29-2022

ignore the attacks, I gave you some good advise. here is more. Take a few days figure out what can sell for the most profit in your inventory and what can sell for the least or at a loss. Sell the stuff that is low profit or possible loss really cheap like I said earlier. I know it is a hard pill to swallow but, it will drive sales and people to come look at your stuff. You should try to be very competitive with like things but, if you have something that is not listed it is about how you list it that may help you sell it. i.e. title! Rare items need to be listed as Rare items, collector items listed as collector items.

Based on what I have read that you said. I think you need to do some homework on the items, and what they sell for and how available they are. Also make sure you are in the right category for each item. If they are collectables list them as such.

You do need to look very closely at your pricing. This does not mean give it away but, you may need to lower some of them. It is time consuming!

femmefan1946 · ‎10-29-2022

why are all the responses an attack on me???

They're not. It's more a case of Tough Love.
Posters are assuming you are an adult and willing to take advice from your peers.

Sometimes we have stuff and we want money

Is it better to continue to have the stuff you don't want and not have the money you do want or to turn the stuff into whatever money you can get for it?
Then turn that money into stuff that you will find profitable.

But the point of selling is to get money.

Remember that when you lose money on a transaction, you have a tax deduction.

chapeau-noir · ‎10-29-2022

@van4653 wrote:
why are all the responses an attack on me??? Do you have the word hack:// on your drop down boxes when you list and answer Ebay specifications?? why is it on mine??? I have to list for close to what I can afford to sell an item for... I just saw an item sell for a penny, free shipping?? Suppose they got visibility and took a hit.. ?? I am fairly well educated on merchandise and such... 20 years with a shop and doing shows.. just took up Ebay to help when Co Vid shut most every way we had to sell.. you don't know me, so how can you just sit and judge like that. ?? If my listings aren't even on the radar when an item type is looked for, it doesn't matter what the price is.. no one even sees it at all...

There are people here with an aggregate centuries of selling experience trying to help you, and you just.will.not.listen. You just keep crying that your items are not being shown. They are being shown, but are not selling and we're trying to help you understand why that may be.

Ugh - why bother.

Hell is empty. And all the devils are here.