davidX
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posted on October 4, 2000 01:17:55 PM
I have been selling on Ebay off and on for about 8 months. I have never experienced Christmas on Ebay. I would assume it is busy. Could anyone give me advice on Christmas? how is shipping affected? is Novemeber busier than December? How about January? Christmas cash presents still feeding ebay sales in Jan? I would appreciate any tips or suggestions because I really have no idea what to expect. Thanks.
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macandjan
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posted on October 4, 2000 01:23:41 PM
Last year I got a lot of sales right after christmas - I figure a lot of people got gifts of cash as my things usually people buy for themselves.
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macojero
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posted on October 4, 2000 02:18:18 PM
I always promise 'next day shipping' on my items and found that for 2 weeks prior to and after Christmas.. MAN were the lines horrific! Amended my item descriptions to read something like 'will ship within 2 days of receipt of payment' so it gave me the occasional break from standing in lines with 30 envelopes/packages to mail! Otherwise, biddness was great 
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VeryModern
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posted on October 4, 2000 02:22:24 PM
It is very very good Nov, Dec and January is just as brisk.
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dave_michmerhuizen
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posted on October 5, 2000 02:41:09 PM
listings always drop off before christmas. Many people stop selling, although god knows why. Last year eBay had a free-listing day about a week before the big day. sales had been steady to light up until then, then they took off like a rocket (for my items) and presisted until february. part of it is the drop-off in listings. fewer listings = less competetion = more sales.
ebay: [email protected]
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lotsafuzz
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posted on October 5, 2000 03:18:19 PM
I've found that the trick to surviving the Christmas rush is to be prepared! (I've survived two Christmas selling seasons and I sell 'hot' toys....talk about high pressure!!)
Get your shipping supplies in NOW!
Get inventory done.
Do up some templates so you aren't trying to make up listings while packing 30 packages (that is where mistakes happen).
Talk to your postmaster and let them know you will be doing a lot of business with them. Ask them what THEY need to help YOU get things out. (NOTE: Don't forget to make an extra batch of cookies for your mail people!)
Plan on staying on top of things because when things get moving you might overlook something.
Other things to think about: Consider offering gift wraping for items. I don't charge a fee for this, but have paid other sellers a few bucks to have my gifts delevered already wrapped.
If you think you are getting to stressed STOP SELLING! Set up a cut off date before Christmas and don't list any more auctions after that. Yes, you will miss out on some sells, but it may be worth your sanity.
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nofishing
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posted on October 5, 2000 08:43:59 PM
I had brisk sales last October until Thanksgiving. From Thanksgiving to the big day, things dropped off.
Immediately after Christmas was great--all those new bidders with new computers and Christmas money to spend.
I think the free listing day is December 23--you may want to run 10 day auctions that end after New Years.
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avaloncourt
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posted on October 5, 2000 11:52:03 PM
Christmas on ebay can be a wonderful thing. Last year I was extremely busy from the last week of November through the second week of January. That was my first Christmas on ebay and it was very, very good to me.
Unfortuntely, this year I had a stock of the same items I sold last year but, due to a financial pinch, I had to sell them off early. I didn't get as much as I would have at Christmas time. Quite the bummer. Last year with these items I was able to take a $200 investment on my end and turn it into $2300 on ebay. It won't be happening this year. 
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labbie1
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posted on October 6, 2000 09:36:42 AM
October and Nov until right around Thanksgiving are good. Thanksgiving to about a week before Christmas is brisk. January is very good. Feb. has a bit of a lull. March, April and May are HOT HOT HOT! Boy do I love those! June, July and Aug are dead so I vacation.
This year I couldn't stand it (having auction withdrawls  ) so I listed and August was good for me, but Sept. was dead. Go figure!
Oct. hasn't been as good as other years this year. Crossing my fingers for the next few weeks...
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labbie1
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posted on October 6, 2000 09:36:55 AM
Double post--hmmm...
[ edited by labbie1 on Oct 6, 2000 09:37 AM ]
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yuper592
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posted on October 6, 2000 10:23:53 AM
Last Christmas was my first as a seller, and was I ever in for a surprise! I ran myself ragged and was TOTALLY unprepared for the influx in sales. Add that to a house full of out-of-town company and you have a recipe for disaster. I came through okay, but will be much more prepared this year.
Make sure you are stocked up on shipping supplies. You may also want to think about stamps.com or some other online postage service to avoid the long lines at the post office. These two things alone will relieve sooo much stress! If you sell multiples of the same item, be sure you stay on top of your inventory. You certainly don't want to deprive someone of that Skate Board Shannon Doll that you thought you had an extra of. I went through that last year, only I was on the buying end and I was not a happy camper!
Good luck and I hope you enjoy your first holiday season! If nothing else, your bank account will enjoy it
Michelle
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