posted on December 29, 2002 06:12:44 PM new
I'm just trying to see how many auctions at a time do powersellers list. What kind of closing rate do powersellers achieve..
I have been running online auctions(part time) for over 10 years now. In 1 month I'm making the big move of opening a retail store and am thinking of also listing auctions on ebay on a full time basis.. I have used ebay off and on and the one thing I learned was you cannot make money on ebay listing 10 auctions here and there. I feel for Ebay to be productive for me I have to have 50 or more auctions always going but The big listing fees scare me.
posted on December 29, 2002 06:15:14 PM new
I list between 600 and 1300 auctions a month and have about a 90% sale rate. the key is treating people well and developing a good repeat base. not much different than a B&M store. lots of luck
posted on December 29, 2002 06:56:50 PM new
Ebay's fee's are cheap compared to what it cost to open a retail store. Where I live good retail space rents for $7-$11.00 per square foot per month with a 2 year lease. For that kind of money you can run alot of auctions.
posted on December 29, 2002 07:13:02 PM new
I only list ten auctions a week. My Power Seller status shifts from Silver to Gold, back and forth, depending on how many days are in the month. I list only twice a week, the same days each week, for 10-day auctions.
My sales rate is close to 100%. My average sale per month is normally between $120 and $125. My average cost remains consistent at $25.
I don't use Auction Watch. I designed my own template and I give lots of clickable thumbnail photos. I have a loyal customer base.
That is all the effort I want to give it. I do other things with my life other than sit in front of the computer, such as focusing on my growing investment portfolio, caring for an invalid husband, engaging in my hobbies and interests, and so on. In other words I have no desire to list thousands of auctions at $1.00 because it is a lot of labor for not enough return.
posted on December 30, 2002 06:15:40 AM new
ebay fee is not cheap,you can run auctions for 10 years and no one knows or care who you are.
if you have a store,you build brand name.
of course the margin should be higher in a store as you need that to offset the fixed expenses .
if you have a successful business,after ten years,i would bet you can sell it for a sum.you cant say that with your ebay business/
posted on December 30, 2002 07:11:16 AM new
hotcupoftea,
I only list ten auctions a week. My Power Seller status shifts from Silver to Gold, back and forth, depending on how many days are in the month. I list only twice a week, the same days each week, for 10-day auctions.
My sales rate is close to 100%. My average sale per month is normally between $120 and $125. My average cost remains consistent at $25.
////////////////////////////////////////
to be a gold seller ,you need 10k sales,unless ebay has revised it.
[ edited by stopwhining on Dec 30, 2002 07:13 AM ]
posted on December 30, 2002 07:23:59 AM newhotcupoftea - I was wondering about that also. How do you retain Powerseller status with under $150.00 sales per month? I thought the numbers were substantially higher to maintain the Powerseller status.
"Be kind. Remember everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Harry Thompson
posted on December 30, 2002 07:55:36 AM new
wgm,
i think she means she lists 10 items per week and each sells for 125-150 dollars and the cost is 25 dollars.
so in a month,it is roughly 40 items x 125-150 dollars,thats her sales,her cost is 25x40.
so her monthly sales is 5000 dollars which is not enough to qualify as gold.
posted on December 30, 2002 12:19:20 PM new
stopwhining, you are correct. For some reason I was thinking Gold is $5,000, but I just went and took a look and it is $10,000.
What I mean is I appear to gross an average of $5000 a month, give or take depending on how many days of listings I have in a month. My gross for Oct, Nov, Dec is over $15,000.
I do not aspire to Gold Level if it is $10,000, not that I aspire to any level, because the level of business I do right now is my comfort zone. No way I want or can do $10,000 a month when caring for my dying husband is my first priority.
The best business advice I can give other sellers is to be an expert at what you sell, know your market, and focus on analysis of your own statistical data without worrying about achieving Power Seller status.
posted on December 30, 2002 01:22:29 PM new
REWASKO:
I am a powerseller...when I sell. I have been known to take months off at a time. I own retail stores and websites. Ebay is a good way of getting rid of old stock...and meeting interesting people.
Retail for me is more profitable than ebay by far. I have had women come into my store and spend thousands at one time. I have never had that happen on ebay. I do have many ebay regulars though.
I sell upscale and designer apparel to college girls and women aged 18-45. I have unique items and my stock is constantly updated. If something has not sold in my stores (retail and web) after 30 days (rare) I take it off the racks or off the site. I eventually get around to listing it on ebay.
Retail space prices depend on where you live and what you need. In this economy you should be able to bargain for good rates. Even in more desirable areas.
If you are going to accept credit cards, shop around for a processor, they are not all the same.
One thing, I do that has really paid off for me is, I survey my customers constantly about their needs and wants.
Ebay fees are not cheap. If you sell enough you can end up paying as much as your monthly lease.
posted on December 30, 2002 02:13:26 PM new
I'm confused. I thought you needed a feedback of at least 100 before you could be a powerseller. hotcupoftea has 17, shop4shoes 4. Is there a new program?
posted on December 30, 2002 02:27:56 PM new
they may have more than one ids for buying and selling.
i agree with prior thread,easy money is over on ebay,in fact deflation is the word on ebay.
may be you pick up something for a song,but what kind of bid are you getting to cover all the efforts of finding it,listing and shipping and leaving feedback.
thats right,have a store and dump what you dont want around on ebay.
ebay is doing a find job fostering that image-a cyber flea market.
posted on December 30, 2002 05:46:23 PM new
dautcom, hotcupoftea is not any of my ids on eBay. I sell under one id, buy under two more. When I created the id of hotcupoftea on AuctionWatch, I had no idea there was a corresponding id on eBay (which appears to not have been used since September 2001.)
I would not dream of posting messages to a public board with my eBay selling id and potentially endangering it.
posted on December 30, 2002 06:30:46 PM new
dautcom, it is foolish and impractical to post to this board and use your selling id. I have 4+ years invested in my selling id, and no way will I jeopardize my id and feedback.
Look to the eBay boards. Most of the posters there use specially created ids to post messages.
When you use your real id on any board, eventually you will gain the attention of the looney toons who will create havoc to your eBay business. I am certain long term users of this board can entertain you with lots of stories of what has happened to others on this board who foolishly used their selling id on eBay Outlook.
There are a lot of very mean and nasty people on the internet who find it a challenge and a delight to creatively disrupt the lives of eBay sellers and cause them financial loss and emotional turmoil. I get enough of it with my ten auctions a week, without posting to public boards with my selling id and inviting even more attention by undesirable individuals.
posted on December 30, 2002 08:34:39 PM new
shop4shoes.....
My..MY..MY.. now we get a little nasty... I didn't see hotcupoftea having a hissy fit. They just explained where they were coming from and I have nothing but the highest respect for someone like that. So lets play nice. If I hurt your feelings I'm sorry.
posted on December 30, 2002 08:55:28 PM new
shop4shoes, you asked the very same question dautcom did. I am always amused at the way that some people read this board and interpret how things are said.
posted on December 30, 2002 08:58:12 PM new
There are a lot of paranoid people out there. I have used sanmar for 5 yrs' & have no problem letting anyone know it. I list anywhere from 5 to 25 auctions per week. I am a bronze P/S, really don't care a SHXXT if I keep it or not. I feel that a good poitive feedback is worth a whole lot more. I try to sell quality items, i.e. china & collectibles. I buy at estate sales & auctions. What I buy & sell depends on what is availble at any given time. I try to keep back some items to put on when I come upon lean times. I have been in the retail side & won't go back due to my age.
[ edited by sanmar on Dec 30, 2002 09:03 PM ]
posted on December 30, 2002 08:59:01 PM new
To all concerned.... I am posting under my name.....nothing to hide... love to keep this up all night . But it's midnight here on the east coast and it's time for all good little kiddies to be in bed. Have a good evening... To those who don't care, sorry I cluttered up the board. nite nite.
nite again
[ edited by dautcom on Dec 30, 2002 09:01 PM ]
