posted on September 14, 2007 08:04:47 AM new
Well, how is everyone doing for September? I am almost dead in the water as well as my 2 clients IDs? I have looked at some of my friends past sales where most are struggling at best.
Mama
posted on September 14, 2007 08:28:26 AM new
Things are pretty much back to normal for me after a disastrous June and July. I took a small vacation at the end of June to visit family in Oregon but worked through some of it - I still can't figure out why sales were at a two year low during those months!
I am taking advantage of the month-long listing sale. I have been listing a lot this month (college tuition to pay and two cars need major work) and listing some of the better cards I got this summer but held back because of slow sales. I hate to say it, but I think the gallery view DOES improve sales - not sure whether it would be enough to justify using on a regular basis though.
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posted on September 14, 2007 10:13:08 AM new
Neglus: I saw a huge jump in hits when I started using Gallery for almost all my items, a couple of years ago (or more?). There was a big difference. I'm sure, though, that it depends on what you're selling.
With the gallery, sometimes I don't show the whole thing; I might show a very interesting part of the item, or a major closeup, anything to grab attention. E.g. I sold a matchbook cover with a 1940s pinup (not very risque). Rather than use the whole picture for the gallery, I showed the pinup. (Sold for more than I expected, since there are pinup collectors out there.
You probably do all of this already, pro that you are!
June sales were very slow for me and an occasional week this summer was slow (like last week). But in between, sales were pretty good. I have a hunch that the national economy is affecting some eBay items--things that aren't essential, say. People are worried about losing their homes, or they've been wisely listening to the TV gurus who are telling us to quit buying "stuff" we don't really need.
That said, the collectibles I'm selling are selling--and doing fairly well. Who knows!
_____________________
There is more to life than increasing its speed. --Mahatma Gandhi
posted on September 14, 2007 03:39:23 PM new
I've been sick most of Sept. and have been very slow in listing - mostly relists and sending store items to core. Still, sales have been steady. Wonder what kind of a month I would have if I were in top form?
posted on September 14, 2007 04:17:32 PM new
I always use gallery but have listed more with the eBay special. So far this has been my best month in a long time. I have been starting most of my auctions at $9.99 so nearly everything is selling and bringing better than normal prices.
posted on September 15, 2007 05:43:10 AM new
July and August were actually pretty good; September is seeing lots of watchers, but not necessarily translated into bids. What I am finding is that buyers are much slower to pay -- many more checks and MOs "in the mail" than normal. Since I always did gallery and started at 9.99, it's hard to see any impact of those features on my sales.
posted on September 16, 2007 03:10:08 PM new
Listed eight collectibles as (high value) Fixed Price during the last discount day on eBay UK. Have sold five items for a combined total of £870; three to the EU, one each to UK and Australia. Used Gallery (which is discounted on UK site) and 10-day listing (also free) to get at least two weekends of exposure.
posted on September 16, 2007 05:19:10 PM new
Yes,lets stop beating around the bush,it is dead-too much competition from higher gas,higher utilities,higher mortgage payments,higher credit card interest,higher food bills .
If crude stays above 70,wait till winter comes and you are not going to like your heating bill when it comes in the mail.
Come early 2008,a few billion dollars worth of adjustable mortages will be adjusted upward(again)!
Ethanol is such a xxxx,before we see a dime in saving,we will see our food bill going through the roof!
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Lets all stop whining !
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posted on September 17, 2007 07:45:59 AM new
Well now if you aren't a friggin' ray of sunshine. My last two months have been the best I have seen in awile.
posted on September 18, 2007 08:51:17 AM new
My July and August were great but September has been slow. Partly my fault as I took a vacation. Trying to gear up for the Fall when things always take a little up tick.
Beth
VintageAds4U http://stores.ebay.com/vintageads4uonline?refid=store
posted on September 18, 2007 10:40:07 AM new
I'm getting more store sales this week than auction sales. It is a lot slower than last week. I am trying to get caught up on sewing my diaper bags.
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posted on September 30, 2007 01:04:17 PM new
September has been the best month I've had since Ebay started playing with things!The last month I broke $2,000 for the month was April of '06. This month is hitting in the upper $2,000, both auctions and store. Hope it continues!
posted on September 30, 2007 03:08:08 PM new
I am seeing a very bad trend in my categories-
item starts at 9.99,some would get bidded up to over 50 dollars,some ended at 9.99 or some ended at 20 ,all these items are now getting either no bid or ended at 9.99.
I have never seen it so bad since I start selling,well how long ago is that,1997??
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Lets all stop whining !
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[ edited by hwahwa on Sep 30, 2007 03:09 PM ]
posted on September 30, 2007 03:53:36 PM new
"Ethanol is such a xxxx,before we see a dime in saving,we will see our food bill going through the roof!"
It's so true! Shame it will only make food prices go higher without helping the enviroment at all. Most people don't know that the process to turn corn into ethenol burns coal! As for Ebay, I think it may depend on what you sell. I sell used auto parts so many are buying to replace what they need to keep their vehicles on the road instead of the higher retail/ body shop rates. My full time trade is an auto body tech and the shops out here in AZ are real slow.People are holding on to their deductibles and not getting repairs done unless they have to.
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posted on September 30, 2007 04:36:47 PM new
"And who might be to blame for the boneheaded ethanol fiasco?"
Must be the _________, the __________ wouldn't be so stupid.
Fill them in any way you want, one's no better thatn the other.
posted on September 30, 2007 08:03:51 PM new
People are holding on to their deductibles and not getting repairs done unless they have to.
*
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not just cars,but people as well.
People are not cleaning their teeth on regualar basis or getting their check up.
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Lets all stop whining !
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posted on October 1, 2007 08:41:58 AM new
I did fairly well with my lower-end stuff in September, getting many more hits by using Gallery on everything. (I use Gallery 80% of the time anyway.)
This past week, with some odd pieces and low-end ones too, I had the odd experience of 16 items with many many hits, only 1 bid, until this morning (12 hours from auctions ending). Never had seen that before. Woke up to 6 or so items with bids on them; I guess there were lots of lurkers waiting to pounce. . . .
_____________________
There is more to life than increasing its speed. --Mahatma Gandhi
posted on October 1, 2007 08:57:28 AM new
I'm glad Sept is over. Strange month. I've had 3PITAs this past month, slow bids till the end and my monthly gross is down about 25%.
Looking forward to Oct.
posted on October 1, 2007 08:58:04 AM new
No,I am not a dental hygenist,just a customer .
But it is known fact,in a recession,people do cut back on dental visits.
(I gusss we all try to hold on to our dollars as long as we can)
posted on October 5, 2007 08:13:05 PM new
401(k) Loans: At Your Own Risk
Borrowing Rises a Bit Despite Long-Term Danger
By JILIAN MINCER
October 6, 2007; Page B2
Despite potential tax and investment consequences, more individuals have been borrowing from their 401(k) plans or taking hardship withdrawals in recent months, some retirement-plan providers say.
Not all plans have seen jumps, and more-comprehensive statistics won't be available until next year. But a number of plan providers that follow month-to-month patterns, including T. Rowe Price Group Inc., Hewitt Associates and Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., have seen a small but noticeable uptick.
TAPPING YOUR NEST EGG
• Most 401(k) plans allow investors to borrow money from their accounts and repay it plus interest.
• About 20% of eligible 401(k) investors have a loan against their retirement account.
• Advisers recommend against borrowing money from a 401(k) account because of lost compounded interest and large potential tax bills.Many in the field expect more 401(k) borrowing in 2008 as consumers struggle with tighter credit and potentially higher mortgage payments.
"I don't think it's a groundswell, but it's enough to be noticed," says Rick Meigs, president of 401khelpcenter.com, which provides information on 401(k) plans.
To be sure, the indications are preliminary, and some big providers, such as Fidelity Investments, say they haven't seen any increase in 401(k) borrowing. About 20% of Fidelity 401(k) investors have a loan, a figure in line with the industry.
Even those firms that are seeing increase in 401(k) borrowing aren't sure what to ascribe it to, though financial advisers say it could be due to the effects of the credit crunch and slumping housing prices.
"A few years ago, the buzz was about borrowing from a 401(k) to buy a second home," says Jeff Carbone, a financial adviser in Cornelius, N.C. "Now it's people looking at their 401(k) because they've extended themselves on their homes and credit lines."
Most plans allow borrowers to take money out of their 401(k) accounts to pay tuition, purchase a residence, pay medical or funeral expenses, or to avoid eviction or foreclosure. Borrowers must repay the loan plus interest, which is typically set at one or two percentage points above the prime rate.
While plans vary, the most you can borrow is the lesser of 50% of your vested balance or $50,000.
Employees usually must repay money borrowed for a mortgage within 15 years, and money used for other purposes within five years. If you fail to pay back the loan on time and are younger than 59½, you're subject to regular income tax and an IRS penalty tax of 10% for early withdrawal.
Though borrowing against your retirement nest egg may seem tempting, it could significantly reduce your savings at retirement and create an expensive tax bill if you can't repay the loan when it is due.
Tom Foster, a national spokesman for Hartford's retirement plans, says that he considered borrowing from his 401(k) when he was saddled for more than a year with an extra mortgage, but decided against it.
"Most Americans see this as a panacea, but instead it erodes time in the market and adds a new payment," he says.
Even a person who pays such a loan back on time, and therefore avoids the 10% penalty, is getting taxed twice, says Bill Arnone, a partner at Ernst & Young LLP -- once when repaying the loan with after-tax dollars, and a second time when the money is withdrawn at retirement.
People who take the loans also lose out on potential retirement earnings while the money isn't invested.
Should you lose your job, the costs could be even higher. Borrowers who are fired, laid off or quit typically have to pay off the loan within 90 days, or face additional taxes and penalties, says Stuart Ritter, a financial adviser at T. Rowe Price.
David Wray, president of the Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America, a not-for-profit association of companies that sponsor plans, expects that higher payments on adjustable mortgages will have people "looking for ways to make up that gap," and "a significant number of people with 401(k) plans are going to be affected."
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