posted on September 26, 2000 08:59:55 PM new
Hello,
My question is for those of you out there who are running auctions for a living. Are there any words of wisdom to instill? How much are you guys making per week? What are common problems encountered? ANY advice would be great...
posted on September 26, 2000 09:19:48 PM new
Don't do it unless you are prepared to work at least 60 hours a week and watch your profit get smaller and smaller as fees for everything go up and everyone takes their own chunk.
posted on September 26, 2000 09:38:17 PM new
Very difficult. As more and more sellers to online, supply and demand shifts- the market has become saturated in some categories, and sellers' profits are getting slimmer per item. As a result, they increasingly use auction tools to bulk list, in order to increase the number of listings, to remain profitable overall. Supply goes up some more, prices drop further.
I can't recommend it as a full time primary source of income for most folks. I DO recommend it for a secondary source of income, to supplement retirement, or to allow a parent to stay at home with the kids, or for folks that don't fit into the traditional workplace mold.
Also a great additional outlet for brick and mortar stores.
posted on September 26, 2000 09:40:16 PM new
Doing it because I have to. There is too much exposure to whims and down time of eBay. Others auctions are viable only for certain categories. You just have no idea if it will be usable in a year to plan anything. There were people doing
big bucks on eBay motors and the whole site was split off and changed. It ruined their business overnight. They had to lay people off and change their whole way of doing business with no real recourse. Stability is nonexistant. A huge retailing competitor may appear overnight as an ally of your auction provider and that's just too bad.
posted on September 27, 2000 02:03:56 AM new
I have been selling full-time for about 6 months, and I work about 50 hours a week plus research and SHOPPING time. I keep the bills paid. I have to prowl thrift shops, auctions and yard sales for a living! I get to buy all kinds of great things and bring them home. I can look at them for awhile and change them off as I get new things! I can think of worse ways to make a living...they pay a lot less too! And, aren't nearly so much fun!
posted on September 27, 2000 06:04:59 AM new
For me, I got some of my best couple of pieces of advice right from these boards from other sellers. Start small to get the feel of it, set up a timeline to deal with winners and slow payers, (forgot who mentioned that, but I copied it off and it is great!), and have fun while doing it. It is alot of work, because what might be hot one week, is cold as a dead mackarel the next. I don't sell full time, but you will find out soon enough that every one in his brother is going to try to claim a piece of the action, so ya gotta have mousetraps in your pocket! It kind of bugs me when the percentages go up a bit at a time, and people say it is just the cost of doing business, but those nickle and dime increases are going to force the sellers to pass it on to the customers and the customers are eventually going to go elsewhere. I love doing EBAY and have met some of the most wonderful people. On a more personal note, I must add....without EBAY I would not have been able to afford radiation treatments for our dog. She is alive and thriving because of my added income from Ebay!
posted on September 27, 2000 07:25:05 AM new
How about those who buy from distributors and sell new merchandise, like computer equipment and consumer electronics?
posted on September 27, 2000 07:44:35 AM new"How about those who buy from distributors and sell new merchandise, like computer equipment and consumer electronics?"
I don't know about others but I'm probably not going to use eBay for such purchases unless there is a TERRIFIC savings, I talking about a BIG difference. I've got to compare the option of driving over to Circut City and getting what I want, or an established web site that sells the same stuff, or eBay where I might get it for the price I want. I'm also going to take into account shipping costs, delays, and possible damage, vs physically picking the item up and returning the item if there is a problem.
I started using eBay to find camera gear for cameras that haven't been manufatured for 30 years, etc. basically a big garage sale where the items are cataloged to make them easy to find. I don't think eBay will be the Sears of the 21st century... but then 30 years ago I thought McDonald's serving breakfast was a bad idea also.
