Canadian seller

Few years ago as a Canadian seller I was making sales daily . I decided due to lose of job was to try selling again on ebay.ca I have alot listed and noone is buying even though I am offering a lower price than everyone who listed same item and I even tried higher item and offering free ship so why is everyone selling thier items and I'm not getting any bites .. are other Canadian sellers experiencing the same problem ..no sales ???
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Re: Canadian seller

Auctions are mostly a waste of time especially for common or low value items.

 

Your fixed price listings have only been up for a few days.

 

DVD's are almost dead and your shipping within Canada on them is CRAZY high (you can send as oversize letter instead of Parcel and knock off $10).

 

As far as the doll/toy stuff, I don't know pricing on these but if you have been comparing with prices on active listings that does not reflect the pricing on ones that have actually sold.

 

The Yellies for example, not a lot listed, not a lot actually selling, most of the sales are from US sellers to US buyers and most of them are sub $10 with free shipping so very difficult for you to attract US buyers.

 

For the type of stuff you are listing it will be slow to gain traction and if you want to generate some sort of regular income you will need hundreds of listings at a minimum.

 

 

 

 



"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 2 of 10
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Re: Canadian seller

CDs and DVDs are no longer behind the counter in thrift shops as they were five years ago.

Not enough interest for shoplifters.

I'd suggest weighing and measuring them, then adding the cost of LetterPost /Oversize  to your asking price and  selling them with Free Shipping.

DON'T PANIC!

Free Shipping just means the cost of shipping is included in the asking price.

Which is cheaper - A $12 DVD with $4 shipping or a $16 *DVD with Free Shipping?

 

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CUSTOM CHARGES THAT MAY APPLY.

This is true, but could I suggest eBay's boilerplate wording?

  • Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.

It is less negative. And don't use ALL CAPS, which is considered rude.

 

You have missed the Christmas season which is best for children's toys (less so for adult collectibles) but the pandemic is keeping many people cooped up at home, and the PM just closed the airports to tropical flights. So those that do have an income are shopping.

 

Your feedback is good, even if it is not recent selling FB. So that's good.

You know that your customer's cleared payment will be Held against your performance, but parcel rated items will be tracked which helps a lot with that.

 

You can ask every 30 days to have any listing restrictions removed or changed. Mention to the clerk that you were selling up until 20XX, it may help.

 

And yes, Auctions are basically dead.

When those you have live close, relist them as Fixed Price/Immediate Payment Required.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Well, actually I'd go for $15.99 because: marketing, but even better would be to sell on dotCOM at $12.99USD with Free Shipping.

Message 3 of 10
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Re: Canadian seller

Your prices need to be cheap to sell to fellow Canadians and even cheaper to sell to Americans. My pricing strategy is to undercut ALL of my competition. There are times when I simply can't compete with US sellers, so I just cater my Canadian buyers looking for cheap shipping, and no customs or global shipping hassles.

You also need product strategy. Shipping your products by lettermail can keep you competitive, so try to mostly sell lower priced items you can throw in a bubble envelope with a $1.94 stamp. Simple, quick, cheap.

My listing strategy is LESS IS MORE. Have good pictures showing your item's condition, and if the condition, size, and quantity are reflected in the description, don't include anything else. My theory is some buyers are turned off by the "I'm not responsible", "You may be charged", "Shipping delays" - or any other mumbo jumbo they are in denial about. Ebay's listing takes care of all the other important stuff. Most of my descriptions just repeat the listing heading. Most people are visual. They want the photos, not an essay to read! Some may disagree, but that strategy has worked well for me.

You may want to widen your sales reach. I personally don't sell outside of Canada and the US anymore. Too many missing packages, and tracking is very, very expensive. I've used ChitChats before, but shipping times can be long.

Good luck - give it time to pick up! Now isn't the best time to gauge success... strange times...
Message 4 of 10
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Re: Canadian seller

As a previous contributor  said, the Christmas season for toys for kids has passed, but people still purchase birthday gifts. Just a mention that things like the 3 wedding dolls you have listed, maybe suitable for a collector, but most people wouldn't buy 3 for a children's gift. You can sell individually and offer combined shipping cost.

Message 5 of 10
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Re: Canadian seller

Thank you for the help but how do 8 sell on dotcom if I have account with dotca I increased prices and offered free shipping where it was possible I will wait to see if that helps
Message 6 of 10
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Re: Canadian seller

Thank you so much for your help
Message 7 of 10
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Re: Canadian seller

Check delivery eta for USA, ebay is telling your usa buyers it will take 21 days cpc Expedited Parcel. 

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Re: Canadian seller

how do (I) sell on dotcom if I have account with dotca

You can sell on any eBay site worldwide.

Just go to the site (easiest is to go to the URL at the top of the page and change ebay.ca to ebay.com). Then hit Sell and off you go.

 

There are some differences when you do not list on dotCA.

  • You will be listing in USD. This is a feature not a bug, since most Americans are confused by having any other currency mentioned.
  • Remember to allow for currency exchange. (Today $9.99USD is $12.79Cdn).
  • You MUST ship to the USA (well, duh) but shipping to Canada is optional.
  • You will be using Flat Rate Shipping from an International Location. This is where Free Shipping might come into play.
  • If you give a shipping cost for a specific country, your listing will show in Search there.
  • If your item must travel by Parcel, the rate will vary with destination, making Flat Rate less useful. 

 

Message 9 of 10
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Re: Canadian seller

DVD TV seasons can still do quite well, they just don't sell overnight. I did $3500+ in DVD sales last year.

 

I tend to struggle with toys unless they are vintage and can't easily be found. Most can't go lettermail and it very difficult to compete with US sellers who can ship First Class for ~$5.

 

I notice OP is selling various Yellies toys but you can get these cheaper brand new on Amazon so that is always going to be tough.

Message 10 of 10
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