posted on September 24, 2003 08:51:26 AM new
I know I should be able to figure this out....but, for some reason I'm having a brain fog. I just opened an eBay store this month. My question is...if I want to direct people to my store from an auction of similiar items.....do I have a lower price in my store for this item? Higher? or the same? What do people usually do? Thanks for your brain power.....
posted on September 24, 2003 09:18:51 AM new
That question is frequently posed on the OTWA boards.
All ebay store items are fixed price BIN items. Most sellers markup the item slightly since they now have the luxury of waiting for right customer at 5 cents per month ( no matter what the BIN price is ) as compared to 30 cent to $3.30 insertion fees every seven days. ( based on starting bid )
Almost no sellers have a lower price that the regular ebay auction of the same or similar item and many have the same exact price as their regular ebay auction.
The ebay stores are very good for items that did not get bids on the regular auction. You can gamble on relisting on the regular auction or merely place it in the store at 60 cents per year. ( .05 x 12 months )
-------------- sig file ----------- Most costume jewelry is unsigned. After all, the vast majority of it was made to be worn a few times, then discarded. It wasn't made to be durable. --- The Fluffster
posted on September 24, 2003 10:02:45 AM new
In my store, I put the prices at what I'd like to get for them~at least 100% markup but upwards of 400%. Since I buy wholesale and sell a smidgen below retail, I have no trouble getting people to buy them at the stated price.
In my auctions (which I look at as purely advertising), I list groups of items together and start the bidding at HALF the price I charge in my store. For some reason the bidding on my auctions ALWAYS exceeds the price for the individual items in my store.
My thoughts are that either the bidders have no idea that the items are available in my store OR they are happy to pay more to have the convenience of getting everything in one bid. Any thoughts?
posted on September 24, 2003 10:04:20 AM new
If your store is successful, you have the option of not running auctions until you catch up on your workload. I lay off the auctions when the orders become overwhelming and start them back up when I see it tapering off.
posted on September 24, 2003 03:45:25 PM new
Very good information, thank you...anyone else have an opinion? Right now, I have listed as fast and furiously as possible and have had very little thought into the pricing. I appreciate all the advice I receive on this board.
posted on September 24, 2003 04:35:06 PM new
This is what I do under a seperate selling ID. I sell a lotion that I manufacture myself, so supply is unlimited. I list about 25 of them in my store for a month which costs 5 cents. I have the fixed price at $1.00 less than my bin ($11.99). I tell everyone in my auctions that I have the item for $1.00 cheaper than my auction BIN (auction starts at $9.99 with a BIN of $12.99). That drives everyone to my store and there they see all the other lotions and other items that I sell but don't list on ebay.
I have had the store for less than a month - started when Vendio started supporting them, and have made about 15 store sales. Only 3 or 4 of those were for the item at auction. My thought is that I can sell it for less since I don't have to pay an insertion fee.
[ edited by ihula on Sep 24, 2003 04:35 PM ]
posted on September 24, 2003 07:31:00 PM new
I approach my store from a different angle - I opened it about 6 months ago and only had a couple of sales/month.
I decided recently to promote the store with a link in my listings and added "bargain" and "combine shipping" near the link.
I only sell postcards and the ones listed in my store are ones that were listed, relisted and not sold. The postcards listed in my store have slightly reduced prices from the auction opening price. It always takes the RIGHT buyer to sell a postcard, so the ones in my store are still nice cards - just ones that have not found the right home yet.
My plan is to convert the store listings to auction items when/if FLD comes....I will also list them after giving them a little rest.
After adding the magic word "bargain" I have had increased activity - I've sold 10 items in the last 10 days - 4 to the same buyer tonight!
The key to selling items in your store is getting people to look. EBay doesn't help much, so you have to take the initiative and find ways that will work in your market.
posted on September 25, 2003 12:05:40 PM new
It's probably illegal but you could mention specific store-only items in your auction listing. Such as a postcard with a North Carolina scene is listed at auction but also you mention that you also have certain other North Carolina scenes on postcards in your store. Now the regular ebay search engine picks up the store items indirectly. Ebay has made it nearly impossible to report minor violations anyway.
-------------- sig file ----------- Most costume jewelry is unsigned. After all, the vast majority of it was made to be worn a few times, then discarded. It wasn't made to be durable. --- The Fluffster
