posted on October 30, 2001 06:26:11 PM new
I wonder how many other sellers here are thinking about giving ebaY up.I will probably be done by years end.
With over half mill in sales and over 6000 transactions its no longer fun and its a pain trying to keep up with what sells these days.
I do not mind the Paypal,Billpoint or ebaY fees etc.But I hate the low bidding and lack of bidding.It just not worth it for the small amount that sells anymore.
I hate to be so negative but this was not the way I wanted it.I expected my business to grow and develope a good following.
I expected competition but also expected an increase in bidders with it.I got the first but not the second.
Wiered thing is that some of what I sell out side of ebaY sells incredibly well.
I think I may use ebaY as a buying source and sell what I get in the B and M sites.
There are some great items coming up for sale at auctions in Europe that have done very well in times past on ebaY.But not anymore in fact I would be afraid to go after them these days.
Sept 11th did not help but this trend started before then.I wonder how much further things can go pricewise before the bottom levels out on ebaY.
I can diversify into many areas but none are doing well on ebaY anymore.Yet prices are higher at the source of supply.
posted on October 30, 2001 06:47:27 PM new
Adrian, I agree with you. I've noticed the downward spiral for the last 2 years now. I'm really suprised that ebay even has the number of listings that they have. I'm sure a lot of the old time sellers have quit, but there must be plenty of new ones to take their places.
The whole internet seems to be dead as far as selling goes. Maybe the internet fad is over?
posted on October 30, 2001 07:07:11 PM new
kiawok
Its a free country you can say what you like.
Yeah I have been kind of in this mode for a while hanging in there expecting it to maybe level off.But it does not it just keeps on dropping.
Just wondering where the hell the bottom is as it can only go so far before it stops.
Will it ebaY items sell at a 1.00 and thats it.
I am not new to here or ebaY,I wanted my business to grow not die.I am not stupid or misguided.
But it does annoy me when items seem to no longer have the selling power they once did.
Yet ebaY continues to flaunt its continued growth etc. Just wish I new where it was.
So what words of wisdom do you have and what real experience do you have selling on ebaY.
Mind you for the past 3 years I have been able to work from home.My wife does not work and we home school my son.I hate to see that end at least the part being at home.
But thats just the way it is and I have to deal with it.
Well if it ever improves which at somepoint it should I will know where to go to get what I need to get right back into it.
Time to face reality once and for all its over for me.
posted on October 30, 2001 07:12:39 PM newAdrian, I forgot what you sell, but my items have been selling like crazy and at high prices. I can't list them fast enough - literally.
Since my items are vintage, I do about half and half with BIN and 7 day auctions. Those that I know what price they usually sell at, I put on BIN. The others, that I'm not sure what they'll bring, I let ride. If I list a block of 10 auctions a night, by morning almost all of those I put on a BIN are gone.
I won't reveal exactly what I'm selling because it took me a couple of months of research on eBay to figure it out. A few months ago Reddeer gave me the best advice by telling me to do just that - research, find my niche and stick to it.
I find most of my items at garage sales and thrift stores. Some at auctions and estate sales too, but not as much. The selling prices for my items at these places are very reasonable. As an example:
Paid $10, sold $197.50
Paid $4, sold $31.
Paid $3, sold $26.
Paid 50 cents, sold $171.
Paid $10, sold $577.
Paid $31.50, sold $390.
Paid $6, sold $81.
Paid $5, sold $25.
Paid $1, sold $57.
Paid $4, sold $31.
Paid $1.50, sold $46.
and on and on...
There are still people out there with plently of disposal income, and they are not hesitant to spend it. You just have to figure out what they are buying.
Just returned from a three-week vacation paid for entirely by only six months of my eBay sales. Can't beat that.
My "words of wisdom" would be to take your high end items that are no longer doing well on eBay, and move them in some of the large B&M auction houses. You keep stating that these same items fetch far more in RL auctions, so why not capitalize on that?
I've been selling on eBay for close to 4 years, and still get top $$$ for many items that would sell for next to nothing locally.
Could I sell them for more in a specialized B&M market, sure I could, but I make more than enough to keep me happy with the profits I make on eBay, and the best part is NO MIDDLEMAN.
I've sold items in some of the larger B&M auction houses, but I don't like the % they charge, or the fact that they control the sale.
posted on October 30, 2001 07:30:02 PM new
Cripe red, I take a 5-week leave of absence and you transform. I love it! Good to see you, or should I say good to hear ya?
Anyway, thanks for your advice. All it took was a little work and it certainly paid off.
I've been checking occasionally at your auctions, because you sell a couple of items I want to own one day. But those buyers with the disposal income have much more than I can spend. One of these days I'll be sporting some gorgeous "shaggy" Canadian footwear - bought from kiawok!
posted on October 30, 2001 07:44:24 PM new
I'm doing fine. Although the ending prices aren't as high as they were two years ago. My profits are still pretty impressive. I do enjoy the luxury of sleeping all day and working at the wee hours.
But I would certainly quit if the profits weren't there or if I got to the burn out stage. Just thinking of a 9-5 mid level office job gives me the thought of burn out!! Perhaps it's just me, but I would scrounge every wholesaler, thrift store within 100 mi, and the scummiest flea and live auctions before I headed back to the "real world".
My time is my own, I can drink on the job, bathe when I want to, and pay my bills. I'm quite happy! Although a bit eccentric I suppose.
posted on October 30, 2001 07:55:44 PM new
Fishbowl - Exactly! The beauty of this job is I can work at my own pace. If I want to sell like a madman, I can, and if I don't want to, I don't have to.
posted on October 30, 2001 08:00:41 PM new
Kiawok.
Thanks understand.I am with you that the B and M charge too much byt way of percentage.
Thats what has held me back from using them.
Plus I have to wait so long for the right auction to come up that specialises in what I sell.
I still manage to sell a few thousand dollars a month.But not like I used to do.
Like Brie49 I did have a niche market in fact a number of them.But found after a while others got into it and the prices went down and I had to look for another one.Gets tuff after a while.
But like you I research for months sometimes but you have to stay ahead of the game.
This is not a hobby but a means to make a living so hard to keep going.
My wife would be glad to see me quit as she is sick of seeing me sit at the computer all day long.Or at some point during the day from the time we get up till we go to bed.
Part of my problem is I have really bad back problems and I am not that old and it gets very uncompfortable sitting at the computer.
Tried different chairs see the chiroprator weekly just about.Helps a little but within a few days I feel liek jumping off a bridge because of the pain.
Anyway I am going into real estate as the market though slow everywhere else has not slowed at all here.I just have to get a licence and I already have Century 21 offer me a job.
So hope all goes well for everyone else.
It was good while it lasted.
Adrian
The trick for me was to never "specialize" in anything. I'll sell anything that I think I can make a buck on, and the more unusual the antique or collectible, the better it does on eBay. If one area I sell in goes soft, I simply quit buying that item for resale, and/or flog it locally in an antique mall, or at a local auction.
I certainly have changed my selling MO over the years, and have learned to adapt to the ever changing market. Not just on eBay, but locally as well.
posted on October 30, 2001 08:30:29 PM new
Adrian aren't you the one who sells pages from bibles? Maybe that market has run dry, try something else, I thought you posted quite a while ago that you got a real job selling pools or something? what happened to that? I think I have read quite a few of your "sky is falling" posts in the past. I have been selling since 1996 and it has changed but I still get good prices for most things I list, no complaints here but I also will sell anything I can make a buck on, you have to be flexible, but then again I would never go looking for old bibles, I would think that was a very limited market
posted on October 30, 2001 08:35:29 PM new
Imabrit, have you tried a massage therapist? (I think I spelled that wrong, but you get the idea). My back was killing me-mostly from sitting at the computer for long hours. I tried everything and then a friend suggested the therapist. It has done wonders! I'm not talking about one of those "feel good and relax" rub downs-I'm talking about someone that knows how to find the "hot spots" and trigger points and work them out. It hurts at first, but helps so much in the long run.
I apologize to everyone else for getting so off topic. It's just that these treatments have helped me so much, I wanted to pass it along.
posted on October 30, 2001 08:41:26 PM new
That's comforting to know EG. I'd hate to think all those brilliant post by moi, and to moi, would be erased forever from AW history.
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