posted on August 25, 2003 04:05:18 PM new
A few years ago I could sell 95% of my collectables on ebay ,some with hugh profits. The ones I did not sell I could email the last bidder and usually sell it right away. Many times I could sell other items I had, by email to ebay bidders which would surpass the items I sold on auction. I was making good profit and ebay was too. But two things happened Ebay upped it fees and restricted email traffic between buyers and sellers. The other downfall was the turn around in the economy.
Now if I list items for auction on ebay, I will do good to sell 25% of what I list and 5% of what I relist and most items go for minium bid. There are no wild bidding. My insertion fees are higher than my FVF. When my profits are added up I rarely make a profit. Yet I am selling the same thing I was selling 2-3 years ago. My inventory is good stuff and usually sold in past years.
Now if you have heard how that a lot of people have made big profits on ebay, this was true a few years ago but it is not now. The people that sell on ebay now, are in denial of these facts and refuse to give up, yet eventually they will learn before ebay eats them up with fees. Quit before it is too late. Do not let these decepitive ebay cheer leaders lead you astray. All the people that has quit selling on ebay have left this board. That is why only the eternal optimist are left to sucker people to spend their their hard earned money on ebay fees. Now lets hear from the ebay cheerleaders?
posted on August 25, 2003 04:09:32 PM new
yes, please quit.....I couldn't agree more...Of course, I hope you are my competition. Just kidding... I do not know what you sell, but I have an 85-95% sell through. While its true I have to lower my prices, work harder to sell, I am still making a profit. It just takes a little more finesse now.
posted on August 25, 2003 05:04:32 PM new
I don't know how many times there has been 'slow times' on ebay, and someone will come and say, that you can't make money on ebay any longer. But they still are and will. Personally, I don't do ebay for my living, but I still see people that do.
Its all cyclic. It will get better, then get bad again, then better.
Art Bell Retired! George Noory is on late night coasttocoastam.com
posted on August 25, 2003 05:16:20 PM new
dbest is always negative about ebay. dbest keeps telling us all to list only once a year when ebay has FLD, otherwise we can't make any profit.
AuctionAce recently stated on another thread that it was always hard to sell on ebay. So I don't take serious any comments made by those two.
I remember the days of ebay when I could list anything I wanted and have bids by the next morning. I remember the days in my shop when everything sold itself and all I had to do was take the money.
Things have changed. The economy is down and costs to do business have risen. Now I work harder each day in my shop but I've learned many new techniques and business is fun again because there is a new challenge to selling.
Last year some were whining on these boards about ebay and how it sucked. I sold all winter and spring and it didn't suck that much for me. My website did okay also. This weekend I looked at things I wanted to buy on ebay and many sellers seemed to be doing really well.
When I look at some auctions I can tell why sellers may be whining. Some don't know the first thing about selling or they are trying to sell the wrong product.
posted on August 25, 2003 05:19:55 PM new
Servus Firemans Hipboots...paid $5...worth $100+
Vintage Yamaha Snowmobile Helmet..Paid $6 Worth...$50-$75
Riddell Giants Football Helmet....paid $2...worth $40-50
Olds Ambassodor Trumpet W/case....paid $5....worth $100+
Atari 2600 System and 45 games....paid $10....worth $60-$100 or more if I wait till December
Box Of TCR Slot Car Track, Cars and parts...Paid $5 worth...$50-$100, again...seasonal item
Each item came from a garage sale last Friday & Saturday mornings. An excetional but somewhat common weekend.
Thats how you make some money DBEST....expand your querry and open those eyes up!
posted on August 25, 2003 05:32:02 PM new
dbest I commend you. You are the first honest seller I have seen on these boards. Most B==l S==t and say they are making millions. Keep the honest post coming.
posted on August 25, 2003 05:36:03 PM new
Hey NA, I wouldn't BS you...your my ....you know the rest. You also sound like a narrow minded miserable quitter. Do a little homework and watch the old bank acout growwwww....
posted on August 25, 2003 06:00:47 PM new
OK Micmic66 let us see your ebay ID so we can see all your profit items you are selling. Don't cheerlead, show us! Where is your profits? Until we see the proof you are in a state of denial. You should be proud to display the items you are selling and the great profits. You need to wake up.
Kiara- you can be head cheerleader. Do you work for ebay? Give us you ID so we can see what you are selling.
Max40- No it is a broad line between profits and no profits. Simple as that.
Everyone must remember that the sellers who have quit ebay and have faced the facts no longer post on this board, because they have no need to. They have gone to other areas of business. the only ones left are the cheerleaders who are in denial. Wake up
posted on August 25, 2003 06:05:26 PM new
DBEST, You are right about the poor sales and prices on ebay antiques. I have been with ebay for years and have sold thousands of items. All my items are antiques and collectibles. In the last 2 years the prices have dropped big time. My sell through rate has dropped by around 25%. I personally know 6 very good antique dealers that have stopped selling on ebay all together. If just I know of 6 good dealers that have stopped selling I wonder just how many good dealers have stopped selling. Remember this when the good dealers leave so don't the good buyers. I now list only low priced items the better stuff I take or ship to live auctions around the country. GOOD live auctions are doing very well. In the antique part of Ebay if you see any cheerleaders those people know very little about the antique business. They are fools selling junk at junk prices and giving rare stuff away for nothing. The smart dealers are buying their rare stuff and laughing all the way to the bank. The poor want-a-be "dealers" will never learn it takes more than ebay to be a GOOD ANTIQUE DEALER.
posted on August 25, 2003 06:13:56 PM new
DBEST, howbout you post your email, I see it, you edit your poetry, remove and I send you my list....sound fair?
posted on August 25, 2003 06:14:05 PM new
I don't work for ebay. I wish I did because I'd change lots of things.
And I'd never be so silly as to show my seller ID on these boards. Besides, I never list auctions during the summer. When I do sell on ebay I mostly choose antiques and collectibles. It's a tough market but there is money to be made.
Some items do much better on ebay than in my shop. Others do better on my website and others do best in my shop. These days I don't think it's wise to choose just one venue for selling.
Just because ebay is bad for some of you it doesn't mean that it's bad for everyone.
posted on August 25, 2003 06:15:26 PM new
What is an antique? Not what was antique about 5 years ago. Those buyers are long gone and it's now time for the Baby Boomers to enter the market and thats not stuff from the 20's 30's & 40's. More like late 50's and then up from there. I will bet you not one will want a Roseville vase or sterling silver. Give them Pilgrim glass and plastic that is what they are used to and that's what they want. Notice what Micmic posted. Not really antique's but Eames era.
posted on August 25, 2003 06:15:49 PM new
you tree huggin hippies are full of crap sales are down and you dont have to be a professor to determine that.
posted on August 25, 2003 06:16:48 PM new
dbest,
Not sure about the crap you try to sell, but I can say I do quite well. I do adjust for different times of the year though. This time of year is generally quite slow as many people take vacations with school being out and would rather be outside enjoying what ever they are doing instead of being in front of a computer. This time of year, a seller must find more of the need items instead of the want items to survive the stretch or quit selling until the favorable Christmas and mid-winter selling season. I personally do the first. I am real careful on what I list during this time of year as to never list what I consider a marginal item and stick to the sure fire hits. Even this time of year they will tend to be 50% sellers. Even at that, I do make a decent profit. Now I am not saying I am getting rich off of ebay this time of year, but it does pay for a lot of extra's I wouldn't be able to afford without the income. If you want to quit ebay, then great. That means less competition for me to sell my items. But to say that everyone needs to wake up as there are losing money by listing on ebay, is simply an irresponsible statement to make.
You can lose money if you are not careful, but simply put most sellers are careful and have something you do not. A brain.
posted on August 25, 2003 06:17:45 PM new
dbest, your eBay business is failing you because you're complaining instead of thinking of ways to improve and adapt your business to current conditions.
posted on August 25, 2003 06:25:11 PM new
I almost take offense to this jackass. I did my work. For nearly two years I scoured ebay, looking at completed items and searching every kind of item and keyword I could dream off. I have trained myself and I am proud of it. Bragging??...NO. When I get it shoved you can read about it on this board. I leave the house with confidence, confidence I have earned. I have 100's if not 1000's of items tucked in my memory, when I see one I buy it. I rarely if ever get burned, but it happens. I am proud to say I can leave the house with $25 hit 20 gatage sales and come home with some change. I expect to make a few hundred each weekend , sometimes much more. If I don't. oh well, I will next time. I will quit, like YOU, when this system is no longer possible. I dont expect to retire anytime soon. Sucks to BE U!
posted on August 25, 2003 06:28:57 PM new
Sun818- I am here to warn the new ebayers not to be decieved in to thinking they are going to make a profit on ebay because the chances are they are not. Let them know the truth, only specialized stuff will sell and not that good. Let them know that all the good things they heard about ebay was yesteryear not now. Tell them the truth they will proably lose money.
posted on August 25, 2003 06:36:16 PM new
micmic66- you are wonderful, great you are selling, hope you make a million, keep up your hard work. I do not mean to offend you. You are one in a hundred. But what about the other hundred that has quit, lost money, lost energy, discourage? Ebay has lead a many down to false hope. Tell the new ebayer how hard it is and tell them the truth about others who have quit.
posted on August 25, 2003 06:37:55 PM new
I have been on eBay for 5 1/2 yrs. I have done very well over all. This summer has been very slow, but I don't think that it is either my sale items or price, I think it is the economy that has been the factor. I will just keep on doing my thing.
posted on August 25, 2003 06:41:01 PM new
DBEST....why do you say I am 1 in 100?? My brother does the exact same thing and so do lots of other people. I DO NOT go to auctions....I DO NOT go to eatate sales....I DO NOT have an add in the paper. I go to GARAGE SALES. Thats it. I pay no overhead, I pay a fraction of what something is worth and I turn a great profit. Some days are tougher than others, but in my case if you come home with nothing you spent nothing. BTW, where do you get your informantion about "hundreds" of people loosing money?
posted on August 25, 2003 07:03:11 PM new
I'd like to throw my two cents in the pot here.
I think there is a slump in collectables that was inevitable to happen sooner or later with ebay. What was once rare and unusual, you now can find two, three, maybe more listed.
So yeah, takes a little extra maneuvering with timeing, watching and listing.
Secondly, there is an influx of people now on computers that were, as jack says, left in the dust for some time before. (These include flea-marketers that hadnt been computer literate, but have always had merchandise and collectables to hawk and have come to the internet and ebay and find its not so difficult to put up an auction.) It also includes a lot of lower income people, who are just now finding out about shopping on ebay. So it works both ways,as pro and con.
Then, there is the economy. Everything is much more expensive. You really cannot deny that. On ebay, I think, people expect a deal -- or why should they buy it 2nd hand, or even new if they can go and get it and be done with it?
It is harder for resalers as anyone who is seller OFF ebay, can check what the going prices are and base their price on that and unless they are cash starved if they dont get it, they can sell it on ebay themselves. (Or at least they can take that chance.)
I went to two sales this weekend. One lady had some interesting glass pieces. Asking 30.00 for each of them. Granted, it might very well go off on ebay at that, but there was no way I could buy it and resell it. Another lady had some Joan Rivers and other Jewelery, which I dont even know what that catagory is like, but I imagine they have their followers. She also was asking 20-40 per piece! So yeah, you can get things at garage sales, but I dont find too many people getting rid of "treasures" at rock bottom prices. They either cant afford to do that, or are smart enough not to.
posted on August 25, 2003 07:08:37 PM new
I do agree with some of what has been said, and some I do not.
I know ebay is a "auction" format, but some of the sellers that are my competition are starting bid prices at distributor prices BELOW WHOLESALE COST, and then have a high inflated shipping amount.
Some / Most buyers will look only at the starting price, and don't factor in the shipping amount.Not all but some will.
These sellers list in high volume, so they make their profit on the shipping.Sorry but to me they are scum.I don't mind competition, it motivates me to do a better job, and rethink my selling format.
As for ebay as a whole, with sellers like I mentioned above, it is no wonder that many sellers are losing money and leaving ebay.Ebay was at a time, a great way to sell items and make a good profit, now those profits are less, still a profit just not as much.
I for one am not leaving, just have to do some different ways to sell.I am also thankful for our B & M store, as we are still doing pretty good in that area.Love it too, as we are only open 3 days a week.
[ edited by sun818 on Aug 25, 2003 04:32 PM ]
I wish I did because I'd change lots of things.
