posted on April 1, 2002 07:22:05 AM new
I just need to vent! It seems like everybody but me is making money & I am doing all of the work. First of all, e-bay took 450.00 this month for fees, then auctionwatch will take another 50.00, then UPS seems to be making quite alot of me....not too mention all of my sources for where I buy my materials & merchandise. I must be doing something wrong to only make a profit of 1300.00 when I sold almost 4,000 on e-bay last month! Anybody else need to vent!
Sick of all of the bloodsuckers!
posted on April 1, 2002 08:53:11 AM new
It depends more on the actual time you spend doing auctions. If you can make $1000 in 10 hours, you're doing great.
I found that trimming the fat from auctions is a good way to save money. Economize. If you're paying $100 to list Featured auctions and netting $120, you might want to consider listing without the extras. Third-party services are helpful but expensive. Try adding new products or reworking your ads.
Direct bidders to your About Me page where you can describe and link to your product lines. Offer discounted shipping on multiple items. Make it easy for your customers to purchase multiple items. Use "Make A Personal Offer" if the bidding goes high.
Like you, a while back I realized I was spending too much on extra features. When sales were hot, I didn't mind spending an extra $1 for a "great gift icon." Not worth it any more. LOL
Check out my new ad template. It's attractive and I've made an effort to direct bidders to my About Me page. There's no jumble of third-party advertisements either.
posted on April 1, 2002 09:38:10 AM new
>>...It seems like everybody but me is making money...
It sometimes seems that way to people who are unemployed, too. Of course, it's not true. Neither is it true that everyone but you is making money.
I have a list of about 50 dealers whose auctions I follow regularly, because I want to learn everything I possibly can. Some are fabulous professionals, some are mediocre tinkerers, and some are downright offensive. What I've found is that perception is everything.
For example, there are many sellers on eBay offering pure crap at high prices, or great stuff at ridiculously low prices, but there are fewer in between. Many of the high/low dealers have hideous presentations, incomprehensible terms of sale, emotional rants about how they won't do this or that, trite post-9/11 "God Bless America" java graphics, and so on. These people come and go and don't appear to do any better than anyone else.
There are also people who regularly put up Dutch auctions selling CD's, DVD's, electronics, tourist-shop-type junk and everything under the sun in mass quantities, often paying $99.00 for a feature. Their presentations have plenty of "Wow's" and hype and unreadable purple fonts and long-load-time graphics. The vast majority I've followed have done a little better than break even. Their turn rates are usually 10% or less. And conversely, some sellers just go to the eBay "List-Your-Item" page, type one sentance and attach no photo, put in a ridiculously high opening bid -- and sell the item! Go figure.
On the other hand, most regular sellers having decent items at reasonable prices, a coherent presentation that doesn't make you want to leave as soon as you start reading it, describe their wares completely, accurately, and truthfully, and whose terms of sale are simple and sensible, generally do well for the long term. Their turn rates are in the 30%-50% range. That's where we are now.
Sometimes simple, subtle things (like keywords in your description or paying .25 for a Gallery image) can make all the difference. But, if they do not, drop them and move on to something else. A $9.95/month eBay storefront can be helpful, too, especially if you're in the $4000/month range. One sale a month usually covers it.
Bottom line: The old-time values still apply. What still sells in America is instant gratification, which means it is the seller's job to make it as easy as possible for sales to happen, and to give the customer what they want whenever possible, but at the lowest possible cost to yourself. Few dealers who start out planning to become power sellers achieve it -- the real power sellers discover it after the fact. We're not a power seller yet, but we may become one -- we're trying hard.
My unsolicited two cents is to find out, to the penny, where your money is going and address that first. Cut out everything you absolutely don't need. Then, ask 3 people to critique your auctions for you, and really listen closely to their remarks. Then, find eBay sellers who are already doing what you want to do -- see what they do well and what they do not, and learn as much as you can before making decisions. Experiment whenever possible and go where the action is. These are all free things you can do and any one of them can really boost your sales.
Sorry, this was way longer than I had planned. But, it's often that way with some seller's auctions, too. It's always the little things that get you...
posted on April 1, 2002 12:11:31 PM new
First off my view is "bdunique" comments are pretty much on the money. I would add that sell through and percentage of profit is pretty much the key. If you are selling mostly (over 1/2) in one eBay category. I suggest you go to hammertap.com and down load the free trial version of "Deep Annalist" It will bump you against your fellow like type sellers and you will learn how well you are doing in the pack and then you can snoop the other better sellers and look at what they are doing to improve there sales. Hammertap says that they will soon expand this program and if they do I may buy it but not yet as I don’t see the value. One good look is all you need in my view.
