posted on April 15, 2003 02:48:30 PM new
Well, last week I was a bit down about 9% but this week looks really grim. The only idea I can find is that people are gearing up to mail their tax money out today.
Or might be that the weather is a bit nicer than has been all year and more people are outside gardening, exercising, etc.
Any thoughts? How is everyone else's sales?
posted on April 15, 2003 03:23:37 PM new
I only listed a few things this week, all relists. guess what?, they aren't selling this time eithe straight to the yard sale box after the sales end.
posted on April 15, 2003 05:48:04 PM new
I haven't listed for three weeks precisely because it's tax season--and also we took a car trip in the middle of that time period. But I've got a bunch starting this Sunday p.m.
I heard commentators on one of the cable news shows asking where all the stock-market players were this week, surmising only that the war news has them distracted. They never thought of tax season! Seems to me, if you're figuring and paying taxes, the last thing you might want to do is spend money on the !%@##$ stock market!
posted on April 15, 2003 05:57:47 PM new
good point, Roadsmith
I agree with the stock market idea. I was surprised to learn that my father (getting ready to retire) told me that at this point with the fall in the last 2 yrs, he would have been better off to have put the $ into a savings account at the local bank. That is so sad.
posted on April 16, 2003 05:13:24 AM new
This is the same as comments I have heard for years at the antique shows. Based on the auction I was at last night, tax time did not seem to be interfering.
If sales are bad:
1. Weather was too nice, people spent the day in the garden.
2. Weather was bad, people wouldn't leave the house.
3. Economy is bad, people won't spend.
4. Tax season. People sending money to IRS.
5. People where a bunch of yahoos and wouldn't know a good item if it bit them.
If sales are good:
1. Weather was so nice people wanted to go out.
2. Weather was so bad, people came because they were desparate to get out of the house.
3. Economy is bad, so people buying antiques rather than investing in market.
posted on April 16, 2003 11:18:53 AM newDamariscotta, too funny! (also, too true - it's like you were standing around at the shows taking notes!)
I got lucky - had a few bidders get into a bid-off Sunday night on a widget I had basically listed to get rid of. The loser The loser emailed me within seconds to ask if I had another - when I replied that I had two more, she said she'd take 'em both at the closing bid price. First bidder paid Monday via Paypal, I just got the MO from the second bidder (who's done business with me before) today. Made my week!
Other than that, however, I might as well be auctioning frozen slugs with extra slime ... I have, at last count, 6 bids between 23 current auctions, nine ending today. (Usual sell-through is about 80 percent.)
posted on April 16, 2003 11:52:07 AM new
Damariscotta, very valid observances about the excuses people make at live auctions. The sellers say the same things at swap meets.
posted on April 17, 2003 03:44:37 PM new
Of the nine auctions that ended yesterday, only three had bids! This is completely unprecedented for me. From now on, I'm taking tax week off.
posted on April 17, 2003 05:52:45 PM new
What if the problem was not 'Tax Week' but maybe something instead like a generally poor economy or 9 to 10 million items on ebay with few buyers or the novelty of ebay was wore off? We can only hope it was tax week. Only one in four tax filers pays anything and the other three get a refund.
posted on April 17, 2003 08:26:03 PM new
I'm lovin' it. I've had 100% sellthrough for the last week and a half.
I thought tax season would cause some slowness in payment remittance, but they're coming in almost faster than I can keep up.
--
"I'm thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said `I drank WHAT?'"
posted on April 18, 2003 08:10:38 AM new
I've never been a full-time (or even really big-time) eBay seller, so I do occasionally take a week or even two off from time to time. Sometimes I truly don't have anything to list, and sometimes I'm consumed by the seasonal demands of my day job. I've never noticed a significant slump in sell-through after one of my "vacations," but I never really analyzed it, either. Probably should, but it won't change anything.
I'd guesstimate that about 30-40 percent of my customers repeat at least once (the ones who bid, paid, received, were pleased and came back) and about a dozen or so that have become "regulars." When they want a particular item, they'll just email me... in fact, a couple of them have become somewhat problematic, wanting me to sell things off eBay that have already been listed and have bids.
The way this week is going, a few of those guys would be welcome right about now ... I'm on track to have my worst week ever.
[ edited by msincognito on Apr 18, 2003 08:16 AM ]
straight to the yard sale box after the sales end.
First bidder paid Monday via Paypal, I just got the MO from the second bidder (who's done business with me before) today. Made my week!