grayowl
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posted on April 7, 2001 02:45:16 PM
MARCH EARLY SELLING WELLL LAST TWO WEEKS DOA.
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kurtfrome
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posted on April 7, 2001 03:44:48 PM
I was doing well closing most auctions with sales until this week- I still have the same number of hits but few buyers.
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quickdraw29
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posted on April 7, 2001 04:03:39 PM
I know your post is just a general inquiry about sales, but I feel it's a good time to say that if your sales are low you need to change what you are selling or step up your efforts to sell what you do have (i.e. lower prices, promotion gimmicks etc). Have you known anything that doesn't go through a boom/bust cycle?
I have noticed a change in buying patterns, and that is something you always have to be prepared for in a world full of flux.
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grayowl
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posted on April 7, 2001 04:08:32 PM
WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST I SELL?
HOW DO I SPOT THE CHANGE IN BUYERS AND WHAT PEOPLE ARE BUYING?
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nowwhat
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posted on April 7, 2001 05:32:20 PM
grayowl ~ The best way to find out what's selling is to look at closed auctions.
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MAH645
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posted on April 7, 2001 06:00:58 PM
Sales are slow for me right now,I need a week off anyhow,I'm going to Fla for a few days.The Flea Market just opened back up and its been a mad house.Right now is a great time to catch yards sales.
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PAINSS
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posted on April 7, 2001 06:06:32 PM
BELIEVE ME EBAY IS SLOW.UP TO A MONTH AGO I COULD HARDLY KEEP UP WITH THE SALES.THE LAST TWO WEEKS SALES HAVE DROPPED OFF 75%.I SELL ITEMS IN 11 DIFFERNT CATAGORYS SO ITS NOT THE ITEM,OR THE PRICE..I USALLY HAVE THE LOWER PRICE THAN MY COMPETITION.BELEIVE IT , OR NOT THE STOCK MARKET HAS A LOT TO DO WITH IT.JUST HANG IN THERE.
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tomwiii
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posted on April 8, 2001 02:54:02 AM
Oh! No! I just stepped in a big pile of flux!
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gravid
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posted on April 8, 2001 04:18:37 AM
Not only are my sales off the little business I work for here in town part time laid me off Sat. - said they don't have any work in sight for a couple months. The other place in town that would have been happy to have me work for them is off about 70% of their usual business and the fellow even sold one of his surface grinders. The economy looks BAD.
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keziak
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posted on April 8, 2001 04:48:04 AM
Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed a strong trend against early bidding.Most of my stuff sits without bids until the end. I don't know if that's a general trend across auctions or a result of my using higher minimum bids now. If I end up re-listing at a lower price, I usually get a bid immediately, which I assume is someone who had seen the auction at the higher and was waiting for a price drop. ; - )
keziak
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oldapostle
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posted on April 8, 2001 04:51:11 AM
I was told two years ago that ebay generally slows down when the
weather gets nicer.
So far it is has generally been true.
I focus on-line in the winter and off-line in the summer.
Not excepting the stock market or the economy theory.
I can remember several years back when we where suppose to be in
a recession.
One of my best years off-line.
Having said that:
I don't focus on any one area.
When high end stuff is dead the everyday stuff moves and visa versa.
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paintpower
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posted on April 8, 2001 04:51:31 AM
I wonder if the slow auctions could have anything to do with people waiting to see how much money they will have to dole out for their income taxes? I know I'm not buying or bidding quite as much right now as I usually do until my CPA brings me my tax information.
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mikeselis
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posted on April 8, 2001 10:09:56 PM
I personally noticed that people seem to be slow to outbid me. I can bid on an item on day 1 of 10 and not get outbid until day 8 or 9. A lot of the auctions I had bid on have ended at the opening bid.
If you want to make some money, try to sell items when people need them. Sell office supplies in the fall as school starts.
Sell hats and gloves when it starts to get cold in the north.
Sell used VHS/DVD movies in Jan because people just got a new VHS/DVD for X-mas.
If you read an economics textbook you will learn that there are such things as substitutes and complements. Subsititutes are such things as VHS or DVD. Complements are such things as VHS tapes, DVDs.
Another example would be when people are buying computers, ie X-mas, they tend to buy software, a complement, within days of X-mas. Think about this, AOL's busiest weeks are right after X-mas.
Right now if I was a seller I would be looking to try to sell pool toys, baseball equipment, camping gear, and other seasonal items. I've been getting bargains on summer things because people are not buying them yet, but sellers have already began to list them. They will probably reach peak prices when schools are getting out. I'll get the best bargains around early Sept as people are selling all their seasonal stuff.
Look at what people are buying right now. That will show you what the demand for items is. You'll already know the price.
BUY AN ECONOMICS TEXTBOOK IF YOU MUST.
I know that I could double my income just by selling all the old stuff at my house at the right time. Every item on Ebay has a season in which it will sell for much higher prices...
[ edited by mikeselis on Apr 8, 2001 10:12 PM ]
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oldapostle
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posted on April 8, 2001 10:36:37 PM
Mikeselis I like your comments.
However, I only sell Antiques and Collectibles.
My feeling is that people can't or choose not
to go out hunting for their Antiques & Collectibles
when the weather is not perfect.
I do very well for about 5 months in the winter on-line.
As spring arrives if falls off.
My off-line business takes off ( crazy )at the end of April till about the end of June.
There is a little slow down during August but not to bad.
And then in the fall before the bad weather is approaching I have another
( sort of the end of the season ) boom.
Until I went on-line the winter was slow except right before & after Christmas.
What does your economics book say about Antiques & Collectible.???
I have to admit your comments made me think.
I am buying any ways ( customers homes, Auctions, Flea Markets, Yard Sales)
and these seasonal items can be bought cheap off season.
However, I have selective buying habits for what I deal in.
Made the grey matter spin again.
Thanks Mikeselis
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thepriest
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posted on April 9, 2001 04:54:56 AM
good topic...thanks...
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ck4me
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posted on April 9, 2001 05:19:26 AM
IT's really sloooww. It has never been this slow before in March since I have been watching or selling on Ebay. The heavy hitter's are still there if you have top end merch, but the lower and middle of the road buyers are not buying as much, or spending as much for it.
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mikeselis
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posted on April 9, 2001 05:30:36 AM
I don't really know what my textbook says about any industry specifically. I feel that sales of Antiques & Collectible would be a function of people's incomes. As people's incomes increase they have more money and therefore can spend more on Antiques & Collectible. Because a lot of people now think we are in a recession the sales of Antiques & Collectible products can be expected to be poor.
However, when peoples incomes are decreasing they money has to go somewhere. Somebody has that money, but they may not want to spend it. As I say, just go to your library and read up about supply and demand. There are situations where supply and demand are completely unrelated and that is what a book can explain.
My advice for you is to make an annual schedule for what type of sales you plan to do. In the winter you can decided to only sell online. In the summer you can sell only in person. Planning correctly will result in a more stable income. Money in person is always better because it improves cash flow. (You have the money as much as 10 to 20 days sooner).
It is all planning. This is what people have paid me to do. Personally I would do it for free, which is what I have just done. I like the problem solving aspect a lot more than the money...
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celebrityskin
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posted on April 9, 2001 05:35:47 AM
Currently 137 Auctions..... 565 bids.
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eventer
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posted on April 9, 2001 06:35:35 AM
It's a lot in the category in which you sell. In one of mine, as I was listing last night, the BINS were rolling off the other end.
In another, I can't give it away. Until it picks up, I'll list in the hot category & hope the cold one will pick back up.
I think diversification is a key...IF you can. I sell in many categories & can shift around to the ones who are still selling & wait out the decline in the others.
If you can, try looking for areas in which to diversify. If you have winter seasonal items, look for something to carry you through the spring & summer.
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escandyo
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posted on April 9, 2001 06:39:28 AM
If you have not read the post about the index/search, you might want to take a look there.
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redskinfan
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posted on April 9, 2001 07:02:03 AM
I've been looking for bathroom wall pics & decorations in a soft lilac color and haven't been able to find any  I like lilac...sigh
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GirlStuff
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posted on April 9, 2001 07:11:11 AM
There are a lot of people on spring break vacations right now plus spending money on Easter Bunny loot!
I haven't been buying online much because I've been redecorating, painting and spring cleaning trying to get rid of JUNK.
But maybe I'll check out my favorite collectible auctions. I guess this is what you would call a buyer's market! 
My auction are slow as well. A few of my BINs have ended, other's wait until the day the auction ends. Usually my sales are at around 95%.
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oldapostle
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posted on April 9, 2001 07:11:31 AM
Thanks Mikeselis
I have been keeping records for many many years.
The only thing for sure is that there is no pattern.
God I wish there was, it would be so much easier.
The turn around is not that fast in this business. ( average)
Sometimes I think everybody gets together and decides to sell the same month.
Most old stuff at the very least needs a good cleaning,
or full restoration.
The secret for me, is to buy when available at my price.
Not unusual to sit in storage for one to six months.
Have tried it the other way.
Only buy when inventory gets low.
Doesn't work for me.( have to buy to high )
I have never found a way to stabilize the businesses income.
I have high fabulous times ( like a farmer at harvest time ) and then the lows.
You just get use to watching you money like a farmer.
I will have to get one of those books.
Not so much for what I am doing now.
But for the other things you mentioned earlier.
Never stop learning.
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dontturnmein
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posted on April 9, 2001 11:07:28 AM
My sales nosedive whenever Ebay's indexing stops working.
Guess what?????????????
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Empires
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posted on April 9, 2001 11:14:10 AM
March = Nose Dive! Stock up 2.00+ go figure.
Be like the ones doing so well, just switch your description. Add B.S.  and watch the sales soar.
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PayingFast
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posted on April 9, 2001 02:53:35 PM
Hi everyone, I'm new at AuctionWatch. We have seen the starting of this week to be very slow compared to last week. It probably is a combination of taxes due and the slowing of the economy.
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zoomin
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posted on April 9, 2001 05:24:19 PM
>>IS EBAY SLOW WITH NO BUYERS OR IS IT JUST ME?<<
My response is similar to keziak, the bids are coming in, just later. I can have zero bids for five days on an item that would have been bid on 7-10 times a few months ago. I'm closing at around the same FV, though.
The Good News is that my DeadBeat ratio has dropped back down (thank goodness ~ waaaay too high maintenance filing all the eBay docs!)
In my main categories, I think my bidders are just getting more auction savvy and sniping or using software.
>> Fashion conscious goes hand-in-hand with technology awareness? <<
whouda thunkit!
It makes me tense to watch my items this way but it puts the same money in my pocket!
only ZOOMIN here 
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mostlyclassics
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posted on April 9, 2001 08:29:45 PM
As I discovered to my chagrin last year, bidders and bids seem to dry up from about April 1 through April 20. (Remember, the economy was still booming at this time last year.) I suspect it's a combination of 1) school's out and people take early spring vacations and 2) the Tax Man lurketh. I sell in a collectibles-type category, postage stamps and postal history for collectors.
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