otteropp
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posted on March 26, 2010 08:47:46 AM
Has anyone been making any special preparations for the change from Stores format to fixed price format?
I closed my Store and let all my listings run out on one ID. I am just going to see which way the wind blows.
On my other ID I have been listing over the month some items every day directly into Stores format at 3 cents. So I shall have some that I won't be charged the new price for immediately. I shall continue this until March 30th.
We are leaving for Oregon on April 6th for a month and will take just one category of our Inventory with us. Everything else has finished or will be cancelled from our Store this week. I upgraded from a Basic Store to a Premium Store and also took full advantage of the 10 cent Fixed Price since it was announced and have to say we have done quite well with it.
I also set up a Store at E-Crater in preparation but have not listed anything yet. I have also been looking at setting up my own website but as this is just a major hobby for us I am not sure if I want to spend the time on a website.
We will be interested to see what happens over the first month and what Technical problems there may be.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 26, 2010 09:12:54 AM
Well, first off... WELCOME TO SUNNY AND WARM OREGON! lol.
Over the last few years I have gone from listing tons of items at auction, to just a handful.
I am considering:
Shutting down eBay all together and selling through my website and other venues.
If I should fall in line with eBay's new fee structure and start paying their "monthly membership fee" by opening a store, how will I manage this and is it worth the headache of managing another thing in my busy life.
Do I need these things? Do I even need eBay? I've actually sold more off of my website this month than what I've sold on eBay... and it cost me next to nothing other than paypal fees. the funny thing is that I don't even really have a shopping cart set up for the items I have sold. I wonder what will happen when I set that up!
[ edited by shagmidmod on Mar 26, 2010 09:14 AM ]
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on March 26, 2010 10:13:40 AM
Well, first off... WELCOME TO SUNNY AND WARM OREGON!
It was actually pretty nice when I was in Eugene last week. Both sunny and warm.
When all is said and done (and an awful lot of things have been said and innumerable nasty things done) eBay is useful for easily turning odd things into cash. I'm selling a 14k gold opal and diamond bracelet that's missing a stone. I suppose I could remove the stones and sell it to a gold buyer or pawnshop but that's too much work.
fLufF
--
Free shipping earrings all over the U.S. and Canada since 2008.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 26, 2010 10:27:11 AM
i agree... if your transaction goes smoothly. there are too many factors that can negatively affect sellers now.
about 8 years ago I remember a seller tell me that the key to succeeding on ebay wasn't what you described to people in a listing, it was what you didn't describe. his philosophy was the less you say the less likely you will have problems.
i have always kept that in my mind when I describe items for sale. i couldn't disagree more to those assumptions. that seller was kicked off eBay shortly after b/c of too many dissatisfied buyers.
it was sellers like him that led us down this road.
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CBlev65252
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posted on March 26, 2010 11:45:15 AM
otteropp - It's going to take some analyzing on your part. Old fomat vs new format. Old store level vs. higher store level. I went with the higher store level because it only increased what I pay slightly. I like having my store because of all the things I sell for other people and the variety of items. I've had items go through auction twice, sit in my store for 6 months and then sell for twice what I had them listed at auction for. It was worth sitting there for 6 months at .03/mo. The lower end store would end up costing me way more than the higher level store what comes with more exposure.
Here's another idea I use to save on money and increase exposure. I have a 501c(3) and I'll sometimes donate a portion of my profits to that non-profit. Usually 10%. eBay then deducts 10% off my fees (the percentage you donate is the percentage taken off your fees!). AND, I get a tax write off. Comes in handy at the end of the year. PLUS, you get more exposure from eBay. Just another thing to think about.
Cheryl
http://www.youravon.com/cherylblevins
Now you can buy Avon from me from anywhere in the world.
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otteropp
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posted on March 26, 2010 06:20:58 PM
Cheryl,
I am the type of gal that loves to break down Stats and work with them. When all of the changes were announced I read everything they were going to change.
I have not received any Fee discounts because I am not a Power Seller and because of that I am also not a Top Rated Seller ( even though I treat my customers like gold dust). I just don't do the volume to qualify however I will under the new rules.
I took one day and looked at the number of Auctions I had running, the number of Fixed Price and then the Store items. I also took into account the Basic Store cost. I worked out my fees at that moment in time.
I then calculated what that identical mix would cost under the new fees and of course, Store Inventory at 3 cents now became Fixed at 20 cents so overall it was a 42% increase.
I moved on to calculate the same mix if I switched to a Premium Store and the increase in fees would be *ONLY* 33%. Mainly due to the decrease in Fixed Item Fees down from 20 cents to 5 cents.
I can't use the Donation idea as we are in Canada...whole different rules regarding Income Tax etc.
So...that's how I arrived at my plan. Any other ideas or suggestions are welcome.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 26, 2010 07:24:08 PM
i looked at the numbers as well. your best bet is to mostly ditch eBay and do your own site. use ebay as a tool to get the word out about your own site. it doesn't take rocket science for buyers to realize you're on the web. you'll be surprised just how much better it is.
i just had a brief discussion with my girlfriend who is my business partner and we are in total agreement on ditching eBay. if they don't want good sellers, then let ebay get cluttered with .99 listings of junk where buyers realize it isn't worth the trouble to return ship it for a refund or exchange. that is the only way to guarantee you won't get buyers returning items.
cheap items that people buy, but cost more than it is worth to ship it. INAD problem solved. ironic, this is how most chinese sellers are getting away with selling useless garbage. bidder receives defective $5.00 item that cost $5.00 to ship. contacts seller, seller says i will gladly refund your payment if you return it to me. buyer coughs up $5 to return it whether they do so with or without a dispute. buyer, now smarter after getting burned once realizes it cost more than it is worth to do so... then end.
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hwahwa
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posted on March 26, 2010 08:18:53 PM
Shag,
You may want to do some research on how individual web sites fare ,what kind of budget do you have in mind for paying search engines to bring you traffic,and you must know just because someone click on your site,it does not mean they are going to buy.
The problem with one site/one store is that inventory get stale and people are fickle,Ebay is very exciting in the sense every second of the day there is someone or someones from any part of the world listing something,always something new and it changes every day.
You can log on in the morning and then log off to go about your business,come back in a few hours and you find new items!
And then there is this mentality of getting it at the lowest price possible and gamemanship,and you dont find them in a fixed price store.
I recall many Ebay sellers said they are going to open their own store and then end up coming back to Ebay.
Just curious,what kind of inventory turnover do you have in your store?
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
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eauctionmgnt
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posted on March 27, 2010 06:11:37 AM
I dumped selling on eBay about a year-and-a-half ago. I haven't gone back... and I don't plan to. I don't even shop on eBay much any more, and look to Amazon and other individual sites now. My shooting star account on eBay will likely just remain as a dormant statistic that eBay will use to fluff up their numbers for their shareholders.
I discontinued one line of merchandise, and focused all my efforts on my vintage advertising at my own website. I did have the site started for about 1-2 years before I ditched eBay. It helped to build up a bit of traffic... but then, I realized that I could actually get more value for my money with search engine optimization and other techniques than paying eBay listing fees to try to draw bidders to my own site.
My site is much more profitable than I ever was on eBay. Plus, I can sell banner ads on all my pages... and make extra money that way too! (much better than eBay getting that revenue!). Also, In all the time I've had my site... I haven't had to deal with any policy changes or fee increases.
I say GO FOR IT! It does take a bit of time to get everything set... but the sooner you leave eBay, the happier you'll be!
******************************
Vintage Paper Ads
http://www.vintagepaperads.com
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amber
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posted on March 27, 2010 10:43:29 AM
I think my fees are going to be a lot higher. I sell about 99% of my items in my store. I put quite a few items in fixed price, but only one sold, for some strange reason, my store items sold a lot more. As far as I can see, instead of paying $9.95 a month for a store and 3 cents a listing, I am now going to pay $49.95 and 5 cents a listing, plus lose my store referral credit, which for me is big.
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hwahwa
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posted on March 27, 2010 11:12:48 AM
what do you sell?
Some are happy selling on AMZN,with a 39.95 pro merchant account,they pay no other fee until the item sells.and they can have 40,000 items.
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
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amber
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posted on March 27, 2010 12:23:10 PM
I sell mostly craft items, low cost. I don't think Amazon is an option for Canadians, I know Yahoo stopped letting Canadians list several years ago.
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hwahwa
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posted on March 27, 2010 12:43:22 PM
If you have a premium store,low price items should be 3 cents .
Premium stores are good if you have many high priced items
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
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otteropp
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posted on March 27, 2010 01:21:29 PM
I think that the 3 cent Fixed Price is only with Anchor Stores. The Premium Store is 5 cents.
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hwahwa
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posted on March 27, 2010 01:42:21 PM
I just tried listing a 9.99 item and it is 3 cents,a $150 item is 5 cents for premium store.
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
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hwahwa
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posted on March 27, 2010 02:45:05 PM
My question is what Ebay said-that the store items will have the same search exposure as the auction style items?
if you just go to that category and browse the listings, instead of searching,would you find the store items ?
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
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amber
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posted on March 27, 2010 02:53:53 PM
I thought the new rates didn't start until the 29th.
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otteropp
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posted on March 27, 2010 03:38:04 PM
Yes, you would find the Store items because they will all be considered Fixed Price and will be found in Search. There will be no such thing as a Store Inventory Listing.
You can still list a Store item right now for 3 cents...the new prices do not go into effect until March 30th.
It will be then that the Fixed Price listings in a Premium Store will be 5 cents.
If you retain a Basic Store then Fixed Price will cost 20 cents.
An Anchor Store will cost 3 cents.
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merrie
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posted on March 28, 2010 06:33:57 AM
I'm sticking with the basic store, but eliminating any dead wood and either donating it or trashing it!! Bye Bye.
I will NOT start an auction below a $1.00 unless it is a really hot commodity.
I have been ending some of my store inventory if it is due to rollover in the next week and relisting it in my store so it will still only cost me 3 or 5 cents for the next month and then I will reevaluate their worth. I have also put a bunch of stuff in the FP for a dime that is ending on 3/30.
I am not willing to put seasonal items in auctions at this time of year.
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hwahwa
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posted on March 28, 2010 08:07:52 AM
Amber.
The new rate applies if you open a store during promotional period.
I open a premium store on March 14,so far I have sold 24 items from my store!
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
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amber
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posted on March 28, 2010 08:22:53 AM
hwa hwa: I already had a store, but I transferred to a premium store about 3 weeks ago, I wasn't charged the new rate yet, I guess that will start on Monday.
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merrie
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posted on March 28, 2010 09:13:43 AM
Actually the new fee structure starts on 3/30 which is Tuesday.
The 10 cent special on FP ends tomorrow, Monday, the 29th.
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otteropp
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posted on March 28, 2010 12:14:43 PM
Merrie,
Sounds like you have been taking the same track as me except that I have moved to the Premium Store. I will see how that goes for 3-4 months and if it is not worth it then I will downgrade to Basic again.
I also have been ending Store items and relisting them so I will get the extra time at 3 cents.
I am also preparing for my vacation so have let all except one category finish out it's time. It is actually pretty good timing as while we are away for April I will be able to watch what is happening in Sales as well as the expected technical glitches that are bound to happen when they 'throw the switch'.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 28, 2010 01:58:44 PM
when speaking with an eBay rep this week, I told him that the new free 99 cent listings would likely just clutter eBay with tons of low end stuff and that in my business I simply can't list an item for 99 cents to take advantage of it. He seemed to think, or at least wanted me to believe that starting something at 99 cents will create bidding wars. I laughed at that assumption. The math doesn't work unless you are selling something in very high demand that thousands of bidders are looking for at any given time.
If I list a vintage lamp worth $500 on eBay and started it at 99 cents, the chance of it reaching even 1/3 of its value is low because there likely isn't more than 10 serious buyers at any particular time looking for it. Case in point, look up Martz lamps on eBay. You won't find many for more than $100 on eBay with no buyers, but you'll find many of the same ones on other sites priced at $300-1000. eBay has become a stigma for higher end collectibles. People prefer buying directly from the seller, especially if the seller is organized better than just listing it on eBay. Anyone can do that.
Whether eBay wants to admit it or not, "bidding wars" don't happen much any more unless it is so rare. I don't consider a $200 ipod starting at 99 cents and getting 25 bids with a final price of $180 a bidding war. I think of it as bargain shoppers paying discounted pricing.
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hwahwa
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posted on March 28, 2010 02:27:43 PM
The official Ebay word is 'stimulate ' bidding.
And where does a good seller find 100 items to list at 99 cents every month??
I look around the house,I dont have anything worth my time to list at 99 cents,and waht about shipping?Can we recoup the loss from charging high shipping?
No,a message will come up from Ebay saying 'ATTNETION Dear seller,it seems your shipping fee is too high --------"
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
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merrie
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posted on March 28, 2010 02:29:01 PM
shagmidmod: I agree. I would never think of listing a high end item at .99 unless it is the current rage, like Zhu Zhu pets before Christmas or a Coach purse  !!
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ladyjewels2000
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posted on March 29, 2010 03:01:16 AM
I only have one store left (out of 3 ID's) and I moved everything to BIN during the 10 cent special.
I think I may close my store tomorrow and wait to see if store sells go up or down over all. I can always re-open it later.
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CBlev65252
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posted on March 29, 2010 08:35:49 AM
Since upgrading my store, I have noticed an increase in sales. I'll have to wait and see if that was a fluke or if it will continue.
Cheryl
http://www.youravon.com/cherylblevins
Now you can buy Avon from me from anywhere in the world.
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pmelcher
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posted on March 29, 2010 01:05:20 PM
I dropped my store when the price went up either the last time or the time before and don't plan on getting a new one. I am doing O.K. but don't plan to list any of the 'free' 99 cent type auctions, I can't afford to let things go that cheap and it does happen. I will plug along and see if I can ride these changes out, I really WANT to like eBay. I like the Vendio board, all of you have been so helpful.
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pixiamom
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posted on March 29, 2010 08:00:53 PM
Thanks for the nudge, Otteropp! I upgraded my store and was going to trudge on as usual until I realized that if I ended the 2,500 listings that would renew in the next 7 days now and relisted them today, I would save $50 in listing fees. I also had 600 unsold listings from core waiting to be listed in my store, why pay $.05 per listing when I can relist them today for $.03? It took me 2 hours total, well worth the effort.
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