posted on February 24, 2001 07:46:56 AM
I have been a loyal purchaser from ebay for a few years now, and they always seem to have what I want, and I heard stories of people quitting jobs to move onto the wonders of ebay and I would read stories of people reselling items for 500% profit, so i decided to give it a try for myself....of all the items i have ever placed for bids, only one has ever been purchased...is it all its cracked up to be? am i not just tapping into a hot market on ebay? could you guys check out my auctions from OSTERBEITER and see what i could be doing wrong? prices, image quality, selling pitch etc...
any suggestions would be highly appreciated because its frustrating to see these bid fees pilling up with little return
posted on February 24, 2001 08:03:25 AM
Some of your pics aren't very good. Other are better. I'm guessing the better ones are scans? I would stick with scans.
Maybe you aren't getting the bids because your feedback is (0). You said that you have been buying for years. Don't you have an account with a higher feedback rating? You may want to use that account to sell. My sales seem to be doing good, a littel slow, but still good. My friend is also a seller but she is new to ebay. Her feedback is only (2), and her sales have been reeeeeeely slow. Out of 32 auction she has only had 4 sales.
posted on February 24, 2001 08:47:32 AM
I agree with luv my 2bears, I would be hesitant to buy from you simply of the sunglasses and zero rating. The sunglasses indicate you recently changed your ID. One other thing that I noticed, on the beanie auction (jake and wiser) they are not in the ty beanie category. Getting them in the right category can make a difference. There is a category for ty beanies, it's even broken down into retired, current, bears, etc. So, at least for that auction, it's not getting to the right audience.
posted on February 24, 2001 08:50:50 AM
what is andale?
yes the better lookign ones are indeed scans..its really crummy with a 79$ webcame bought off ebay ironicaly....i do have an account with better feedback, its just that me and my partner in this venture created this account solely for selling...so its not having to do with my prices or anything?
do you have any tips that can attract bidders so i cna begin to gain a reputable sn?
posted on February 24, 2001 09:02:28 AM
Hang in there! Bids are down some now so don't give up.
I also think the zero feedback may be a problem. My stepfather wanted to start selling on eBay and I told him to bid and build up his feedback first. It does help.
I don't see Andale in your listings, maybe the person meant the image host you are using. As someone stated, some pics are nicer than others but you can fix that problem with future listings.
Just build up your feedback and don't give up. Good luck.
posted on February 24, 2001 09:03:09 AM
Panterjake -
I agree with lovmy2bears - a zero feedback is hard to sell from. I would recommend using your buying account to sell from now on, and setting up a new buying account. It doesn't matter if a buying account is zero feedback, but it does matter if a selling account is.
Also - many buyers don't like the L@@K!! and the AWE@SOME!!! or CHE@P!! to the title (me included) - that could be reducing the numbers looking at your auctions. Put words in the title that folks will search on - none of those words add any search value to your auctions.
Example - GAMEBOY DOUBLE PACK L@@K!!! - instead of the look, you get much better search value by putting the name of each game in the title. i.e. GAMEBOY~DOUBLE DRAGONS, CASTLEVANIA LEGENDS. Many buyers search by title only, so it is best to have as much relevant info in title as you can fit in.
Make sure ALL of your auctions have pics (i.e. you have one there for a spoon with no pics) - most buyers will not buy sight-unseen.
Make sure ALL of your pics are good - some were difficult to see any details in.
Check for and eliminate spelling errors in your description - there were a few.
Some sellers say that IPIX is not the best for picture hosting as the pictures are not too clear - I don't know that for a fact as I don't use them. Others who have may wish to add their comments here?
Be careful of saying you will accept cash by mail - I worry about sellers who only accept cash or MO as those are often the only two types of payments accepted by unscrupulous sellers. You may wish to add an online payment service (there are many) - I prefer to buy and sell with Billpoint.
Also, suggesting they send cash is not good - I discourage it as cash has a tendency to "go missing" in the mail. If a buyer says they are sending cash, I tell them not to, and if they do it anyway, it is totally at their own risk.
Your "Buy It Now" prices are MUCH higher than your starting bid - I don't think this is a good idea. Most will then wait until the end to bid to get the significantly lower price, and will not use the BIN. If you are not using a reserve, start the bidding at the minimum you would take for the items, and don't set BIN a lot higher - ie you have a $5.00 start bid with a $20.00 BIN - this may turn buyers away. Thoughts from other sellers?
posted on February 24, 2001 09:07:21 AM
I do not bid on any auctions that use Andale. I have used it a couple times and each time there were problems. The one that really burned me was when shipping could not be combined on more than one auction because they were set up individually on Andale and could not be changed. That was it - no more bids on Andale auctions. !!!!
posted on February 24, 2001 09:13:50 AM
1. Many people don't bid until the last minute, so your current lack of bidding activity might not mean anything yet.
2. You seem to be uncertain as to shipping charges in certain auctions. I quote: "shipping will probably be only be $2" Buyers want a more definitive statement so as to avoid hassles later.
3. You severely limit the types of payment you will accept. Cash or money orders only. Personally, I wouldn't bid on your auction unless you'd accept a credit card or personal check.
4. Yes, your pictures are pretty bad, very grainy and blurry.
5. Also, you are setting your BIN price in certain cases to be 3 times what your opening bid is. That indicates you are trying to get people to look by setting up a low price, but by making your BIN so much higher, you might be turning some people away. I would never choose to automatically pay 3 times the opening bid. I'd bid first and take my chances. A couple of examples here: Opening Bid $5 BIN $20 - OB $5 BIN $11 - OB $5 BIN $16 These are taken directly from your auctions.
6. On your spoon auction, there is no picture and absolutely no mention of size. Yet, you want to charge $4 shipping and handling without buyers even knowing how big it might be. I once shipped a collectible spoon and no way did it cost near $4 to ship.
Buyers want multiple payment options, good pictures, sizes when warranted, facts without a lot of hype, and a BIN price that isn't ridiculously higher than the opening bid. They also want to know the exact shipping method used. I don't believe any of your auctions say First Class, or Media Mail, or Parcel Post, or Priority Mail. People want to know they're not going to get stuck paying several dollars in handling charges. Packing material don't cost that much.
But I do have to say that your zero feedback wouldn't deter me personally. You're opening bids are all low priced. And I like everyone else here was once a newbie and I started selling with zero feedback and I personally had no problems whatsoever. I sold for several months before I started buying so I can't understand this consensus that it's the zero feedback that's hurting you.
posted on February 24, 2001 09:17:06 AM
Hi panterajake,
I agree that the no feedback/sunglasses may hinder your bids.
I know a seller that started with no feedback last year. I directed him to Auctionwatch and he uses them for his picture hosting and he also uses the templates.
His auctions immediately had more of a professional look and it gave him a good start and he built feedback very quickly.
posted on February 24, 2001 09:21:37 AM
Hi, I agree with what's been said so far. The first thing that would put a flag up for me is a zero feedback, but you want cash or money order only. For me MO are an added expense the best I can do where I live is .85. I think if you accepted checks and an online service you would see a difference. Clear pictures also a big thing, take the games out of the cases, scan a close shot with better resolution. It will load as quickly on small items if you edit out the unnecessary surroundings. I myself did 'market research' before I started selling (that's what I told my husband) and bought about 20 things over a month or two, by then the sunglasses were gone and I had my yellow star. Last year everything I put up sold, this year it is slower though much more stuff to search through. I remember e-bay had about 4 million listings when I started, now it's over 5. I can't help but think that has something to do with it, along with the economy etc... Sorry so wordy!!
The counters he uses aren't from ANDALE - they are HONESTY counters - but Honesty has merged with Andale so they advertise for Andale.
I have Honesty counters in all my auctions that look identical to his and it doesn't hurt my bids at all.. so I don't think that the counters are the problem...
And I do agree with some of the other posters here on what the reasons could be for the lack of bids:
(1) Actually *suggesting* cash is never a good idea... it makes the buyer very leary - and with 0 feedback it makes you look that much more suspicious.
(2) The pictures are blurry and not very good. And on most things people would like to see more than 1 picture of each item - closeups and details are what sells your items.
(3) If you say $4 Shipping - state HOW you will be shipping that item. Priority Mail? First Class? Media Mail? The buyer wants to know.
(4) Give more details in your descriptions - measurements, colors (if applicable), etc.
(5) Make your titles more informative. In some of your titles you only have a few words. Fill up that title line with key words on that item that people will do a search for.
These are just things I had to learn along the way. Best of luck to you!
[ edited by ExecutiveGirl on Feb 24, 2001 10:33 AM ]
posted on February 24, 2001 01:12:56 PM
Panterajake
I have a suggestion that will save you some money (ebay will hate me for this).
You have two auctions that start at $10.00. If you had started those at $9.99 instead, you would have saved .25 cents each on the listing (insertion) fee. This can make a big difference in your fees paid if you list a lot over the course of months or a year. Here's a table of how the listing fee breaks down.
$0.01 - $9.99 cost to list $0.30
$10.00 - $24.99 cost to list $0.55
$25.00 - $49.99 cost to list $1.10
$50.00 - 199.99 cost to list $2.20
$200.00 and up cost to list $3.30
This doesn't include extras like Reserve or Gallery, just the basic ground level fees.
So you can see that it makes a lot of sense to list at $9.99, $24.99, and so on, rather than $10.00 or $25.00.
[ edited by loosecannon on Feb 24, 2001 01:21 PM ]
posted on February 24, 2001 01:48:30 PM
I agree with the grainy pictures. What type of digital camera are you using? I suggest using auction watch or some other auction service to host your pictures. The IPIX don't look very good.....
I do beg to differ with all of you who say you don't like Andale. Thankfully you are in the minority. I use it and I think it's great and 99% of my buyers do too. If they don't like it, they often email me personally and I deal with them via email. I don't force ANYONE to use the service if they don't want to, all they have to do is ask. I can't believe that anybody would be so small minded to pass up something they really wanted without even asking if they could go not deal with Andale because they don't like it. Seems pretty small minded to me. But it's your loss, not mine, my sales are fine without you.
posted on February 24, 2001 03:05:56 PM
I use Honesty Counters but do not use ANDALE for anything. When I click on my counters page to see all my counters there is no mention of Andale - it all says HONESTY.
I had to LOL about the 0 feedback explanation , I ALWAYS change mine when it gets over 150 or so. I find that nothing helps my sales more than a 0 and sunglasses. Buyers think they are getting in on something new I guess.
Just checked out your stuff.....looks like you have scared uo a few bids by posting here....hmmm......good idea!
posted on February 25, 2001 06:51:34 AM
I think having "0" feedback and sunglasses does not hurt a seller. Having those things and a poorly written description,TOS, pictures and such is what hurts. I always cringe when I see and auction and all that is stated is "Junky item.. buyer pays by cash or MO" No mention of anything. This is what sets off the red flags.
If a new sellers has taken the time to provide a decent description, TOS, post a nice picture etc. then I would feel safer dealing with them because they took the time to learn how to sell and be professional.
I get more nervous when I see bidders with "0" feedback and they are bidding on thousands of dollars worth of stuff. I never dissuade them from bidding or treat them poorly, I just want to be prepared for the worst. Luckily I'm usually more prepared then hit by a deadbeat. And I always love being the first person to leave a new buyer their first positive feedback.
As far as staring auctions low and setting a larger BIN, I thought that was the idea of a BIN. Start an auction low so people look at and say "WOW this is a great item, I better BIN so I'm sure to get it." I would rather list something that is known to get a high figure at a low price with a BIN that is in line with what it normally sells for and get looks at it then list something for a price that no one looks at and have to pay a higher listing fee.
Just makes sense to me.
I don't use the BIN feature that often, but when I do there is always logic behind the start and BIN price.
posted on February 25, 2001 07:24:15 AM
"As far as staring auctions low and setting a larger BIN, I thought that was the idea of a BIN. Start an auction low so people look at and say "WOW this is a great item, I better BIN so I'm sure to get it." I would rather list something that is known to get a high figure at a low price with a BIN that is in line with what it normally sells for and get looks at it then list something for a price that no one looks at and have to pay a higher listing fee."
When I am out there looking around for a specific item and I see it listed at $5.00 or a BIN of $25.00 I will usually start the bidding at $5.00 in the hopes of getting a good deal before the end. This holds true especially if the item is something that 10 other sellers are selling. I would rather stand my chances at bidding for it than just going with the BIN. If it is something I have been checking around forever for and "voila" there it is I would probably use the BIN if the price were reasonable. Unfortunately many of the single listed items I am looking for would either have way too high of a BIN or none at all. I have succesfully bid on many items that were listed with a BIN and I have wound up getting them for up to $40.00 less than the original BIN price. That success ratio has me putting in the minimum bid instead of the BIN bid in 95% of the deals.
I do think Ebay should allow the BIN to remain in place after people like me come along and make that first bid. That would encourage more people to go for the BIN as the bidding continues. That could help both buyers and sellers. As a seller I would like that a lot although as a buyer I do enjoy getting that item for well under the BIN price!
posted on February 25, 2001 08:24:23 AM
justbijou -
I should add that some of the items I have listed with the BIN, do not get the BIN price, and I'm fine with that. My logic behind using the BIN is that if I am selling an item that say averages $200 on eBay and I bought the item at a yard sale for $2,I'd start the bidding low say $9.99 and use a BIN of $125. That way if it sells for the opening bid only I still make a profit. If I start it low and get looks and a bidder knows that the item usually gets $200 and sees a BIN of $125 they can use the BIN to save a possible $75 via bidding and also start the process of getting their item sooner. Either way it is good for me, the seller, or the bidder who would get a better deal than bidding against others.
I have found that when selling on eBay, some research and thought needs to go into how an auction is done. To many sellers just come up with random numbers that make no sense. I try to start my items so that
1)I make a profit even it it sells for the opening price
2)So that a buyer will be getting a good deal
The sellers who fail and complain are usually the ones that are uneducated about their product or are just plain greedy.
Pricing for an auction is similiar to pricing in a retail store. Give a miniumum price that makes a profit after costs and also offers value to the buyer.
As I said before, I don't often use the BIN feature, but when I do it is a thought out process.
posted on February 26, 2001 11:32:10 PM
just a footnote,inorder to get a goodfeedback right off try buying some cheap items on ebay and pay fast and email fast,that will always get you a great feedback as a buyer and will always help you as a seller to,a better picture of your auctions will help you, a sugestion,get a sony disk,it costs 500.00 but well worth it and write it off in your taxes as a busines item.and try to make your auction freindly,buyers appreciate it and the extra humor always brings a laugh and a bid sometimes.but you can't please everyone,check what other sellers are selling their items for,try to price yours the same,if yours are priced higher your not going to get many bids unless it happens to be one that is rare,and make sure you have them in the right catagory,hope this helps,howddyyyall
