posted on February 25, 2003 11:57:18 AM new
1) I'd say there are actually more buyers out there now... they just aren't actively buying non-essentials right now.
2) There is undoubtedly more sellers. Last year this time there were about 7 million listings... Now, there are about 10 million listings.
3) The economy in general is in a very unstable state. As a result, consumers are not spending.
The best time of year for sellers on eBay is probably November and early December.
posted on February 25, 2003 12:08:51 PM new
There is no generic "best" time of the year. For many, Christmas is very good, for me, it is really bad. If you sell items that people buy for themselves, I find that tax time, and Christmas is generally not that great.
I think there are more buyers and sellers on ebay. Sometimes certain categories receive more competiion than others. With more competition, sales will go down.
Finally, as the last poster indicated, the economy is pretty questionable (Where I am is the worst unemployment in the country) and the war talk probably has people less in a buying mood.
From my perspective, I am pleased with things. My online sales are going well, but you never know how quickly things can change. I am glad that this is not my full time job.
posted on February 25, 2003 12:27:26 PM new
If you go to the main "Browse" page on Ebay, and add the total number of auctions in each major category, you will find that there are over 9.6 million auctions running. So you have plenty of competition, which may or may not be in the category you are selling in.
I have found lately that my sell-through rate is directly linked to the apparent threat of war. Every time the reports on the media indicate war is imminent, my sales drop drastically. Once it seems like we won't immediately go to war, bids pick up. This is on the same items I have sold successfully over and over.
I agree that the best time to sell is during November and December simply due to the Christmas gift buying frenzy that goes on.
External factors will influence the buying public throughout the year, though. It isn't necessarily that the economy is bad, but buyers BELIEVE the economy is bad, or that they must be cautious because of what they hear in the media.
Due to the fact that the media seems to indicate we are going to war soon, I have dropped running any auctions until things calm down war or no war. A nervous public (obviously not all of them) is out buying duct tape and plastic sheeting, hoping it may save their life, not thinking about their next Pez dispenser or Beanie Baby. (NO, that's not what I sell. I use those sarcastically.)
I have discovered as well, there are more and more sellers who have come on board who don't make a profit and either don't know or don't care. They sell at a very low rate and charge actual postage. They do not take all the expenses into account and may be doing it "just to have something to do". Their low prices hurt sellers who are actually trying to make a living. Of course, as a buyer, I'm all for getting the lowest price I can. It's gotten harder to make a buck as a seller.
So my answer to your question is "YES" to all three in your multiple choice.
1. Yes, more auctions
2. Yes, more sellers
3. Yes, something else
Good luck,
Patty Pritchett
[ edited by meadowlark on Feb 25, 2003 12:29 PM ]
posted on February 25, 2003 01:39:03 PM new
Here's a great site to see the current number of auctions on eBay. Also, it goes back to previous months and years...I think back to 1998.
posted on February 25, 2003 09:31:59 PM new
I took several months off from selling (Nov., Dec. & Jan) because it was the slowest time for me (I sell pre-owned clothing). I guess people want new things for Christmas gifts, not pre-owned. Anyway, I started selling again this month and I noticed that people are still bidding, but they are waiting until the VERY LAST MINUTE to place their bids. Some are sniping the auctions, which is nothing new, but it seems like there is just more of it now. It can be intimidating to a new seller because they'll wonder why no one is bidding on their items, but if you wait it out for the full auction length, you may get some decent bids.
posted on February 26, 2003 08:03:16 AM new
Meadowlark states:
I have discovered as well, there are more and more sellers who have come on board who don't make a profit and either don't know or don't care. They sell at a very low rate and charge actual postage. They do not take all the expenses into account and may be doing it "just to have something to do". Their low prices hurt sellers who are actually trying to make a living. Of course, as a buyer, I'm all for getting the lowest price I can. It's gotten harder to make a buck as a seller.
This is a sellers worst nightmare!Its atleast my worst nighmare.It is the biggest problem with sellers have.Not the economy.I am sooo sick of it!I dont get it,I really dont.
How and why the hell do these people sell ther items for such a cheap price?They sell there items cheaper then I get them from my supplyers.Now that is as cheap as it gets.Where do these people get there items from?They seem to have a large quantity of them becouse the same sellers keep relisting them.
The only thing I can think of is they buy large quantities from there supplyers and then they sell it for cheaper then they bought it for just to have something to do.Like a hobby.If thats true then that is pretty pathetic and sad.
My items sell out real fast untill they start listing there items.Thats why I try to get my whole inventory sold within the first 3 days,becouse after 3 days they usually follow right behind me and list all there items for .99 when they should be listing them for $20.00 and above.
posted on February 26, 2003 09:20:42 AM new
Bigcitycollectibles,
Sad but true! I don't know where your competitors are getting their stuff, but it might even be the same place.
For some individuals who have a separate source of income, selling "successfully" on Ebay is a status thing. They can tell all their friends they have sold XXXX number of items and have XXXX feedback. They "appear" to be successful, but many are actually selling below their own full expense, maybe way below it.
I had run auctions successfully in the past, a few years back selling closout office supplies and computer peripherals and components. I didn't LIKE selling that line of merchandise, but I made money. That was back when fees all around were much lower and AW was free.
I decided last fall to get back into running some auctions while recovering from an auto/pedestrian accident (One guess which of those two I was) and looked around for a way to sell items I like to shop for myself.
After hours of researching Ebay and a blinding flash one day while I was out shopping, I found that a half-dozen small sellers were buying fabric and home decor at Wal-Mart and reselling it on Ebay. Some had as many as 200 items running at any given time. And if the item doesn't sell, you can take it back for a full refund (except now Wal-Mart won't take the fabric back anymore). They didn't all sell the same stuff and "appeared to be successful".
I copied exactly what they were doing, tacked some extra shipping on, and was dismayed 8 weeks later later when I added up all the costs vs. income. I had a great sell-though rate, and mostly only operated in November and December. I ran 50 or more auctions per week.
I was frugal and didn't use all the extra features and services the other sellers did. My conclusion is that many sellers aren't tracking their expenses well at all, or they would quit. I figure some of them may have continued selling in the same manner from the time the fees were lower, bidders were willing to pay more, and there were more bids.
Needless to say, I dropped all that like a hot potato and moved on. Now I sell "Artist Offerings" of my own design and will open a website in May. I majored in art, after all! What was I doing selling Wal-Mart stuff on Ebay?
I test marketed the "artist items" in December on Ebay and had rave results. No more trying to buy cheap and sell high with merchandise for me anymore. Someone will always come along and sell it cheaper, whether they are making a profit or not.
It seems that everyone's jumping on the Ebay bandwagon. There's always going to be amateur sellers in a lot of the categories that will undersell serious sellers. And buyers have shown they don't care, as long as they get a good deal. Ebay is price-driven, and will remain so. As more "hobby sellers" move in, the prices will drop. No longer have they just been underselling the serious sellers, they have already begun underselling each other.
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any way to "weed them out". And a buyer on Ebay, I'll buy their below-cost stuff in a heartbeat. As a seller, my advice is to find something to sell they can't copy.
It's looking like those who can buy and sell in great volume and those who don't care (or don't know) if they make a profit are going to be the only sellers left on Ebay.
I'm sure it's been said before, but one has to find a niche, make it successful as long as it's profitable, and move on quickly when it isn't any longer. Even in a brick & mortar business, one has always had to keep on their toes to stay ahead of the competition.
posted on February 26, 2003 09:50:39 AM new
Good posts here. Something to remember is that even in the real world, the market changes and what might work could change almost instantly. My father once operated a small chain of retail stores based on a product, and did pretty well. Very quickly, this caught on, and some of the larger discount stores (like Price Club and Costco) started to sell this item, and there is no way to compete with something like that. Within a year, the market outside these large operations just died.
If you are selling on ebay and the market becomes to crowded or impossible to make a profit, it is time to move on to something else that is profitable. I've purchased things that look like a sure thing, only to have the market drop out. I don't ever think anything is a "sure thing" anymore...
posted on February 26, 2003 11:07:56 AM new
I think it could be argued that the lower sell through rates are a natural course for a maturing market and the general economy really hasn't had that great of an effect - but it has had some effect.
I know I don't bid anything on eBay anymore without first doing a search on the whole site for like items- even if I think the price is below market. Even "unique" and "rare" items are turning up whole pages of the same item.
posted on February 26, 2003 12:08:24 PM new
Im through with Ebay anyways.Fees are way to expensive and to many hobby sellers selling at prices well below wholesale.
I think I will just stick to our Yahoo! store.Business has always been good.
posted on February 26, 2003 02:16:14 PM new
It seems to me as times are getting tougher with so many people losing their jobs they are also getting hungry. Right now they seem to be coming out of the wood work selling anything they can on E-Bay for whatever it will bring. I will have the same problem at the Flea Market next month when it opens,the place will be so packed with sellers,you won't be able to move. But then after they have gave everything away and been a real pain in the ass,you won't see them anymore. But it sure makes it hard for you to sell your stuff,because they really kill the market.It will probably get alot worse on E-Bay. I think you have to really keep an eye on the listings and try to sell your stuff only when the prices are fairly good.
posted on February 26, 2003 06:48:01 PM new
More listings doesn't mean more sellers. I
am not two people this year, but I am listing
more items than I did at this time last year.
---
"Cannot say. Saying, I would know. Do not
know, so cannot say". -- Zathras (Babylon 5)
posted on February 26, 2003 10:01:45 PM new
Noticed the same thing. Can not imagine where or how they are getting the merchandise and able to sell it at the price they ask. One thing I have seen that sort of bothers me, is sterling put up for less than its metal value. Can see this happening once in a while, but over and over?
posted on February 26, 2003 11:53:29 PM new
Couldn't agree more with the above posters about the weird phenomenon of sellers working what appears to be full time hours for a less than minimum income on eBay. I've noticed this for a few years and it seems to be coming more prevalent.
I hate to say it, but the only way I can figure out how these sellers survive economically is that they are supported by a spouse...in other words, they are bored housewives (or househusbands)...who are on eBay for pin money or the experience of having a pseudo job.
Hats off to them....but not so good for the rest of us.
posted on March 1, 2003 10:07:32 PM new
I agree. I just noticed that a particular seller started selling 1 month ago. They are selling an item that is just hitting the market Monday. The retail value is $27.95. They are starting their bids at $2.99 with a BIN of 15.99 and they have listed about 40 of this same item. So I don't know -either they hijacked a truck or they don't care if they make any money.
posted on March 2, 2003 06:33:06 AM new
your wholesalers could be selling on ebay too,they just dont want to tell you.
employees sell company products as they get discount,seconds and closeout or simply steal it.
some need cash to pay off the cc bill so they are willing to sell at any price to get some cash in.
you can get large lot of sterling silver jewelry for little if you dont mind some pieces are broken or ugly or just plain boring.
some have access to dealers who deal in distressed containerload of goods arriving from china,there are more of these cases as retailers go under and importers dont want the goods anymore.
buying up the remaining inventory of retial stores which folded and bid on auctions of what they have in storage.
lot of possibilities of where these goods come from,once the supply diminish,goods will be harder to source.many overseas suplliers are licking their chops as they lose money shipping these containers.
credit will be tightened,accounts will be placed on cash basis or a bigger deposit will be requested,stay tuned.
