Done with .ca & Cdn $$$

[007steveb16]

Not sure if I feel bad or liberated about this but I'm done with .ca. I'm in the process of transitioning all my listings over .com into US dollars.

Things are not the same since the forced change to CDN $$ on .ca.....it's changed, my sales have tanked and I think I've waited long enough for things to get better.

I've already seen promising amounts of sales on the limited amount of listings I've switched over so far so I believe this will improve things in the long run. Loving the listings suggestions tool on .com and have already quickly sold items with it usage.

If I turn out to be wrong about all this then so be it but I have to make this change...I HAD to do something.

As eBay is now my secondary source of income I'm feeling a lot more comfortable than when we had to choose the switch to CDN only or go to .com last year.

Curious to see what 2017 brings!!

[reallynicestamps]

Good luck with the new system.

DVDs and CDs are good products to sell using Flat Rate shipping, so the change to dotCOM and US dollar listings should work for you.

I've been using dotCOM for most of my non-parcel listings and frankly I'm not really seeing a difference.

I still have a lot of dotCA listings (mint postage , Canada /Newfoundland collectible stamps and covers) and the main difference I notice is an uptick in overseas purchasers.

Hmm-- I wonder if the GSP (spit, spit, spit) has increased the number of overseas browsers and by unintended consequence been good for Canadians, who are comfortable with shipping internationally and not enrolled in the detested program? Cui bono?

[cooltoycars]

I'm selling more now with the Cdn listings that I ever did with US listings. Keep in mind that you MUST ship with a tracking number if listing on .com. Good luck with that!

[recped]

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@cooltoycars wrote:

I'm selling more now with the Cdn listings that I ever did with US listings. Keep in mind that you MUST ship with a tracking number if listing on .com. Good luck with that!

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That must be an "Alternate fact".

[reallynicestamps]

you MUST ship with a tracking number if listing on .com.

Nope.

If you don't ship with tracking, you will lose any Item Not Received disputes. That is true on any eBay site.

But.

If you are registered on dotCOM you need to use tracking to get Top Rate Seller status.

If you are registered on dotCA, tracking is not an important metric for TRS. Even if you do most of your listing on dotCOM.

In lieu of tracking, many sellers use Cookie Jar Insurance, adding a few pennies to each listing and putting those 'insurance premiums' in a virtual cookie jar. If there is a claim, including Not As Described claims which are not covered by tracking, refunds come out of the Cookie Jar.

Many sellers believe they make money on Cookie Jar Insurance, because the PO is very good at what they do and because most people are honest.

[musicyouneed]

I don't think you will ever convince anyone on this board that believes sales are just the same if not better using the Canadian $ that sales are better using the US $.  

Each seller has to work it out for themselves and list in whatever currency $ works for them.  Some sellers are stuck with the Canadian $ on .ca because of shipping.

I list using both currencies but prefer US $.  

There have been quite heated discussions about this very issue on the boards and I have come to the conclusion that you have to do what works for you as a seller and list on whatever site and use the currency works for you.  

[snoopwiz]

That must be an "Alternate fact".

Spoken like a true Minister (Ministress?) of Propaganda. 

[rose-dee]

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@007steveb16 wrote:

As eBay is now my secondary source of income I'm feeling a lot more comfortable than when we had to choose the switch to CDN only or go to .com last year. 

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Interesting to hear this, I take it you mean you're listing on another site?  Or did a rich uncle pass away?

I have to wonder how many sellers (like you -- and me) eBay has driven away to find alternatives as insurance against eBay's decision-making, site issues, and policies?  

There have been three major factors that sent me looking elsewhere.  Had those three things not occurred, I would have continued to focus my business primarily on eBay.  Simply put, from my perspective this site is fine for supplemental sales but is no longer the best place to grow my business. 

[007steveb16]

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@rose-dee wrote:

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@007steveb16 wrote:

As eBay is now my secondary source of income I'm feeling a lot more comfortable than when we had to choose the switch to CDN only or go to .com last year. 

---

Interesting to hear this, I take it you mean you're listing on another site?  Or did a rich uncle pass away?

I have to wonder how many sellers (like you -- and me) eBay has driven away to find alternatives as insurance against eBay's decision-making, site issues, and policies?  

There have been three major factors that sent me looking elsewhere.  Had those three things not occurred, I would have continued to focus my business primarily on eBay.  Simply put, from my perspective this site is fine for supplemental sales but is no longer the best place to grow my business. 

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I meant I have a full-time job and eBay is secondary.

[lady.stark]

I am in the process of doing the same thing: switching all my items to eBay.com  I have been a TRS since I began (which means more than 100 transactions per year). Now I'm at only 52 in the last year. My sales have tanked a lot to say the least. I will probably loose my TRS in the next evaluation. Hopefully, changing currency will improve my status.

[Anonymous]

On ca, should be with tracking number if going to USA!

[westernstargifts]

Last year my store was on vacation for most of the time between May and the end of October.  When I reopened it in November sales were very slow.  I switched all of my listings gradually to .com.  Sales are the absolute worst I have ever seen.

So what is happening?  Buyers leaving eBay?  Suddenly not interested in my products?  Trump?  Buy American?

I am not sure what to do at this point.  I stuck my neck out and purchased a lot of new stock.  If it doesn't sell here I will have to get more heavily into the craft shows again.

[ypdc_dennis]

Top 5 Visitors to eBay.CA

72.6% Canada

8.6% USA

2.5% China

1.8% Japan

1.1% UK

Top 5 Visitors to eBay.COM

36.4% USA

31.3% China

2.6% Japan

1.8% UK

1.8% Russia

Source: Alexa

Of course visitors don't mean they'll actually become buyers.

...

As for eBay.com it's fighting for buyer $$ with the well Primed A-river...

-..-

[recped]

Of course visitors don't mean they'll actually become buyers.

Nor does it provide any insight into the location of the items they buy. As a buyer I visit both .ca and .com but I rarely purchase anything from sellers located in Canada or the USA.

[ricarmic]

It is worth noting that those are general eBay statistics.

I sell on .COM and given about 25% of my sales are to Canadians it means in my (stamps) category the numbers must be markedly different than the general ebay ones.....

[westernstargifts]

Thanks for the stats.  But if I list worldwide, with shipping cost displayed, buyers can find me on both sites.  So it shouldn't matter on which site I list, other than the currency.

I have listed hundreds of auctions in the past 5 weeks and have sold about 3 items from those auctions.  I have never seen this before on eBay.  Although auctions items do not have good sell through rates I usually have an increase in FP purchases when I list auctions.  That has not happened recently.  There are very few views and watchers are becoming a rarity.

The River is going to lose my business if they don't soon ship the artwork that I first purchased on Jan. 18. (mentioned in another thread).