Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

I've been on eBay as a buyer for 10 years now and decided to begin selling in January.  I've had some success as a seller and kept my 100% positive feedback rate.  I always listed my items in US$.  To this day, I've listed 80 items, some still active.

 

What I don't understand is why, since June 8, I didn't make any sale.  I would blame the shift to CAN$ but people seem divided on the subject.  Another thing I'm having problem with is that I don't get many visitors/watchers, even for high ticket/rare items.  I never experienced a "bidding war": all my sales were sold with 1 or 2 bids.  I even have some items that I listed in January and February that are still active.

 

I looked on the web for tips and tried to use them: I've tried to end listings on sundays or mondays, I've tried 0.99$ listings... nothing works.

 

I post high quality pictures, my listings are simple and I make sure there are no errors, I don't overcharge on shipping, my feedback is 100%... what am I doing wrong?

 

I've been quite disappointed these past 2 months, any help would be greatly appreciated 🙂

 

 

Luke

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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay


@paradrox wrote:

I've been on eBay as a buyer for 10 years now and decided to begin selling in January.  I've had some success as a seller and kept my 100% positive feedback rate.  I always listed my items in US$.  To this day, I've listed 80 items, some still active.

 

What I don't understand is why, since June 8, I didn't make any sale.  I would blame the shift to CAN$ but people seem divided on the subject.  Another thing I'm having problem with is that I don't get many visitors/watchers, even for high ticket/rare items.  I never experienced a "bidding war": all my sales were sold with 1 or 2 bids.  I even have some items that I listed in January and February that are still active.

 

I looked on the web for tips and tried to use them: I've tried to end listings on sundays or mondays, I've tried 0.99$ listings... nothing works.

 

I post high quality pictures, my listings are simple and I make sure there are no errors, I don't overcharge on shipping, my feedback is 100%... what am I doing wrong?

 

I've been quite disappointed these past 2 months, any help would be greatly appreciated 🙂

 

 

Luke


I know it can be very discouraging when you first start to sell and it seems that no one is looking or buying.   And, of course, the summer months do tend to be slow.

 

I don't know a lot about the type of items you're selling, but they look to be attractive items for the sports-minded.  On the positive side, you are including several pictures of each item and using all the characters allowed on the Title line.  In your description, you are also describing the condition of each item very well.  You could probably lose the "Payment" section of the description.  It sounds a little harsh and could turn some people off.  My experience is that most people pay within 48 hours, and if they don't pay within four days, you can file an unpaid item claim.  Moving to Buy it Now listings with Immediate Payment Required would eliminate all the nonsense related to impulse buyers and late payments. 

 

Auctions simply are not as popular as they once were and most sellers have moved away from them.  If you have a lot of inexpensive items that you don't want to pay to list, an occasional promotion for auction listings might be of benefit, but otherwise I would recommend BIN.  For an item that you've listed for $9.99 (auction) or $15.00 (Buy it Now), perhaps you might want to split the difference and list it for, say, $12.99, or the lowest price you would be happy with.  You would then be able to list it for a longer period of time for the same price and wouldn't have to constantly be checking your listings to see if there's a bid.

 

I have to agree with others that your shipping is, in some cases, high.  A pair of sneakers are heavy and would indeed warrant a $16.00 charge for expedited shipping within Canada; however, some of your items look like they could be sent by lettermail within Canada for $2 or $3 or Light Packet to the U.S. for $5.70 (incl. tax).  An example is the AND1 Headband.  I can't tell by the picture what the thickness is but if it's 2 cm or less, you could easily send it in a bubble envelope for $1.85 or $2.95 within Canada and $5.70 to the U.S.  Even if it's thicker than 2 cm, it couldn't weigh very much so expedited parcel within Canada would be in the $10 range and between $10 and $11 for Small Packet Air to the U.S (500 g or less).  The same applies for the socks.  I wouldn't waste my money on Tracked Packet U.S.A. for items with a value of less than, say, $40.00, since rarely do they get lost.  That same headband sent Tracked Packet will cost between $15 and $16, so that additional $5 to $6 for each small item quickly adds up and the savings will more than cover the occasional lost item.

 

Some inexpensive items that weigh a lot, like the duck tape, simply aren't suitable for sale on eBay because of the shipping cost.

 

I hope you don't give up because it can take a while to learn what works best for you, and even long-time sellers are constantly changing the way they do business, sometimes because of eBay policy changes and sometimes because their sales have decreased.  Please don't hesitate to come to this Board with your questions.  I've been selling for 10 years and still come here for advice on a regular basis.

 

Good luck!

 

 

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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

Your sports related items would tend to appeal to a younger crowd.

 

Have you considered using Fixed Price listings instead of auctions?

More than 80% of eBay listings are now FP. Even on auctions most sellers use Buy It Now to appeal to the impulse buyer.

And younger buyers are shopping on their phones. Are your listings reading well for those customers?

 

Since your items are bulky, you probably are better off listing on dotCA and having Calculated Shipping.

But you are allowed to list on dotCOM in USD, with the drawback that you have to used Fixed Rate shipping there.

You might experiment with using dotCOM making shipping Fixed Price by massaging rates to find a mean that is acceptable to you.

You could even (Don't Panic!) go to Free Shipping-- which would mean taking that averaged shipping and adding it to your asking price.

 

For example,

Your Botranger jersey has a BIN of $52.99 and would cost me $17.53 in shipping or $20.67 if I were in the USA.  What might happen if you listed it at $69.99 w/Free Shipping to Canada? Or $69.99 w/ $3.50 shipping to the USA? Or $74.99 with Free Shipping domestic and $0.00 shipping to USA?

And now do that thought exercise again in US dollars for dotCOM listing.

Message 2 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

Starting in June.15-Aug.15 is Holiday mode for most people and sales are traditionally slower during the Summer months. 

 

People are busy with vacations, summer festivals and camping just to name a few...

 

Auctions have gone by the wayside with about 80% of eBay Sellers using GTC Listings and 30 Day Fixed Price Listings.

 

If your going to use "auction" format for your listings you better have a huge following of buyers if you plan on getting decent prices. 

 

Summer for me has always been the time to "buy" when most people aren't shopping online and you can stock up on inventory and re-sell it during the Fall and Winter months. 

 

You can also increase your sales by increasing your inventory, I suggest you list 500+ items because having 80 listings isn't that many to begin with, especially if you want to consistently sell throughout the Summer months.

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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

"What I don't understand is why, since June 8, I didn't make any sale"

 

I looked at some of your items.  Would you purchase a roll of "duck tape" for more than $21 (including shipping?

 

I would not nor would most potential buyers.  We can all go to Canadian Tore, or Home Hardware or Walmart or whatever and get one for less than half the price.

 

Or a Haynes manual for $25 (including shipping)?

 

Or a pair of Adidas socks for $34? (including shipping)

 

The problem is your pricing - including shipping. 

 

Look at your listings as a buyer.  Would you buy at those prices (including shipping)?

 

Good Luck

Message 4 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay


@pierrelebel wrote:

"What I don't understand is why, since June 8, I didn't make any sale"

 

I looked at some of your items.  Would you purchase a roll of "duck tape" for more than $21 (including shipping?

 

I would not nor would most potential buyers.  We can all go to Canadian Tore, or Home Hardware or Walmart or whatever and get one for less than half the price.

 

Or a Haynes manual for $25 (including shipping)?

 

Or a pair of Adidas socks for $34? (including shipping)

 

The problem is your pricing - including shipping. 

 

Look at your listings as a buyer.  Would you buy at those prices (including shipping)?

 

Good Luck


What Pierre and Femme say.

 

Your prices are very high.

 

Try looking at our listings on a mobile device. All that text (War And Peace) in the description is a back button. Your pictures need a lot of work.

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Message 5 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay


@paradrox wrote:

I've been on eBay as a buyer for 10 years now and decided to begin selling in January.  I've had some success as a seller and kept my 100% positive feedback rate.  I always listed my items in US$.  To this day, I've listed 80 items, some still active.

 

What I don't understand is why, since June 8, I didn't make any sale.  I would blame the shift to CAN$ but people seem divided on the subject.  Another thing I'm having problem with is that I don't get many visitors/watchers, even for high ticket/rare items.  I never experienced a "bidding war": all my sales were sold with 1 or 2 bids.  I even have some items that I listed in January and February that are still active.

 

I looked on the web for tips and tried to use them: I've tried to end listings on sundays or mondays, I've tried 0.99$ listings... nothing works.

 

I post high quality pictures, my listings are simple and I make sure there are no errors, I don't overcharge on shipping, my feedback is 100%... what am I doing wrong?

 

I've been quite disappointed these past 2 months, any help would be greatly appreciated 🙂

 

 

Luke


I know it can be very discouraging when you first start to sell and it seems that no one is looking or buying.   And, of course, the summer months do tend to be slow.

 

I don't know a lot about the type of items you're selling, but they look to be attractive items for the sports-minded.  On the positive side, you are including several pictures of each item and using all the characters allowed on the Title line.  In your description, you are also describing the condition of each item very well.  You could probably lose the "Payment" section of the description.  It sounds a little harsh and could turn some people off.  My experience is that most people pay within 48 hours, and if they don't pay within four days, you can file an unpaid item claim.  Moving to Buy it Now listings with Immediate Payment Required would eliminate all the nonsense related to impulse buyers and late payments. 

 

Auctions simply are not as popular as they once were and most sellers have moved away from them.  If you have a lot of inexpensive items that you don't want to pay to list, an occasional promotion for auction listings might be of benefit, but otherwise I would recommend BIN.  For an item that you've listed for $9.99 (auction) or $15.00 (Buy it Now), perhaps you might want to split the difference and list it for, say, $12.99, or the lowest price you would be happy with.  You would then be able to list it for a longer period of time for the same price and wouldn't have to constantly be checking your listings to see if there's a bid.

 

I have to agree with others that your shipping is, in some cases, high.  A pair of sneakers are heavy and would indeed warrant a $16.00 charge for expedited shipping within Canada; however, some of your items look like they could be sent by lettermail within Canada for $2 or $3 or Light Packet to the U.S. for $5.70 (incl. tax).  An example is the AND1 Headband.  I can't tell by the picture what the thickness is but if it's 2 cm or less, you could easily send it in a bubble envelope for $1.85 or $2.95 within Canada and $5.70 to the U.S.  Even if it's thicker than 2 cm, it couldn't weigh very much so expedited parcel within Canada would be in the $10 range and between $10 and $11 for Small Packet Air to the U.S (500 g or less).  The same applies for the socks.  I wouldn't waste my money on Tracked Packet U.S.A. for items with a value of less than, say, $40.00, since rarely do they get lost.  That same headband sent Tracked Packet will cost between $15 and $16, so that additional $5 to $6 for each small item quickly adds up and the savings will more than cover the occasional lost item.

 

Some inexpensive items that weigh a lot, like the duck tape, simply aren't suitable for sale on eBay because of the shipping cost.

 

I hope you don't give up because it can take a while to learn what works best for you, and even long-time sellers are constantly changing the way they do business, sometimes because of eBay policy changes and sometimes because their sales have decreased.  Please don't hesitate to come to this Board with your questions.  I've been selling for 10 years and still come here for advice on a regular basis.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Message 6 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

To date, I listed 3 items with Fixed Price, but didn't think this would be popular.  I still thought that eBay stood for auctions!  I had the same dilemma about BIN, wasn't sure if it was a good idea to include this option with the auctions.

 

Thank you for the examples and the idea of free shipping.  Yes, I was always against free shipping, since I don't do volume or operate an eBay Store, but the logic behind your examples is interesting.

 

I'm glad all my listings are ending tomorrow, I'll surely do some adjustments.

Message 7 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

I never thought that summer and vacations could affect so much the selling.  Good to know!

 

I can't really list 500+ items, I just don't have that many things to sell!  (lol)

 

Besides, to maximize profits, I try to list during eBay's free promotions and those usually are restricted to 20, 25 or maybe 50 items for a given period.

Message 8 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

I know that some prices seem high, but usually those are for items that are not available in stores, collectibles/vintage items and things related to fan clubs (for artists, like the duck tape) or "fanatics" (shoe collectors).  I know that some people are willing to pay high prices for certain items that seem trivial to others and I had success in the past with a few good sales. 

 

Also, at first I didn't charge extra for handling (to cover the packing supplies) but when I saw that I was losing money when I did a sale (with the cost of the envelope/box and eBay's cut), I started to include a 1$ or 2$ handling charge in the shipping price.  Is it a good idea to do so or should I remove the handling charges and increase the price of the item instead?

Message 9 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

I did view my listings on my phone and I don't really understand what you mean by:


"All that text (War And Peace) in the description is a back button. Your pictures need a lot of work."

 

What is the problem with my pictures?

Message 10 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

Suggesting 500 listings was just an example, to clarify just increase your inventory, the more items you have for sale the more items you will sell...

 

Stay away from listing items like "duck tape" that can be easily be purchased by everyone locally.

 

Also adjust your shipping costs so they reflect a more realistic price... a pair of socks are not going to cost 15.00 to ship.  

Message 11 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

Thank you very much for your comprehensive answer and many tips.  I'm glad to see that so many people answered so quickly, I should've come here sooner!

 

Since my listings are ending tomorrow, I will remove the Payment section, as you recommended.  And probably stop listing in auction format.  Should I offer a Return Policy?

 

As for shipping, I agree that for the headband example the shipping is wrong, I calculated it with a plain enveloppe and stamps but listed it with Standard Parcel.  I'll modify it.

 

Concerning the shipping options, I always used "Regular Parcel" for Canada and "Tracked Packet" or "Expedited Parcel" for USA, depending on the weight.  I chose those options mainly because they were the cheapest AND offered tracking.  Am I mistaken by thinking buyers always want a tracking number?  If not, I'll seriously consider using "Small Packet Air" in the future.  And for items weighing 1kg or more, what would be the best option in your opinion?

 

 

Message 12 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay


@paradrox wrote:

Thank you very much for your comprehensive answer and many tips.  I'm glad to see that so many people answered so quickly, I should've come here sooner!

 

Since my listings are ending tomorrow, I will remove the Payment section, as you recommended.  And probably stop listing in auction format.  Should I offer a Return Policy?

 

As for shipping, I agree that for the headband example the shipping is wrong, I calculated it with a plain enveloppe and stamps but listed it with Standard Parcel.  I'll modify it.

 

Concerning the shipping options, I always used "Regular Parcel" for Canada and "Tracked Packet" or "Expedited Parcel" for USA, depending on the weight.  I chose those options mainly because they were the cheapest AND offered tracking.  Am I mistaken by thinking buyers always want a tracking number?  If not, I'll seriously consider using "Small Packet Air" in the future.  And for items weighing 1kg or more, what would be the best option in your opinion?

 

 


Yes, you should offer a return policy; however, keep in mind that whatever your stated policy, eBay could and often does override it; they are extremely generous towards buyers who claim item damaged or not as described and want their money back ... or file a claim against you (don't be scared off -- these things don't happen often).  I think most sellers use the eBay recommended Return Policy -- 14-day return period, with money back and buyer pays return shipping.  This policy, together with a shipping and handling time of 1 business day can help you attain Top Seller status and I believe it may also give your listings a higher search standing.

 

With regard to shipping, if you print your shipping labels through PayPal, you will get the Expedited Parcel rate for the same price as you would pay for Regular Parcel at the Post Office.  In fact, there is no Regular Parcel option on the PayPal shipping screen.  If you have a Venture One card, which you can register for on-line with Canada Post, you can show it at the postal outlet and get a discount.  You may or may not be using PayPal shipping but if you aren't, I think you will find it very convenient and fairly easy to learn.

 

If you use lettermail shipping within Canada, choose Economy shipping which will allow for a 1 to 15 business day shipping period.  This is important when, or if, the buyer leaves feedback and is asked whether he received the item by a certain date.  And choose Light Packet USA which allows for a similar length of time.  Choose Expedited Parcel instead of Regular Parcel.  Expedited, as you will already have learned, will give you tracking.  Small Packet Air to the U.S. does not.  Lettermail, Light Packet, Expedited Parcel, Small Packet Air U.S.A. are all included in your drop down menu of shipping options.  Most Americans are accustomed to getting a tracking number since a U.S. seller only pays 40 cents or so over and above their postage for tracking.  In your Sold Item column, where it says, Add Tracking, I enter the PayPal receipt no.  Occasionally a U.S. buyer will message you asking why they don't see a tracking number, I simply reply that most Canadian sellers do not ship lower-priced items with tracking because of the high cost through Canada Post and I always assure them that 99% of parcels I ship are received within the time period shown.

 

I rarely ship items over 1 kg to the U.S. but when I do, I choose Expedited which is costly.  For a 1.5 kg item, it would be in the neighbourhood of $23 to $25. I don't know of a cheaper option.  Within Canada, of course, it would also be sent by Expedited Parcel and each additional .5 kg is not a huge increase.  It's the first 500 g that gets the biggest hit.

 

Well, it's 11:30 in Winnipeg and time for bed 🙂  Continue to post any other questions you have.

Message 13 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay


@paradrox wrote:

Thank you very much for your comprehensive answer and many tips.  I'm glad to see that so many people answered so quickly, I should've come here sooner!

 

Since my listings are ending tomorrow, I will remove the Payment section, as you recommended.  And probably stop listing in auction format.  Should I offer a Return Policy?

 

As for shipping, I agree that for the headband example the shipping is wrong, I calculated it with a plain enveloppe and stamps but listed it with Standard Parcel.  I'll modify it.

 

Concerning the shipping options, I always used "Regular Parcel" for Canada and "Tracked Packet" or "Expedited Parcel" for USA, depending on the weight.  I chose those options mainly because they were the cheapest AND offered tracking.  Am I mistaken by thinking buyers always want a tracking number?  If not, I'll seriously consider using "Small Packet Air" in the future.  And for items weighing 1kg or more, what would be the best option in your opinion?

 

 


It sounds like you are doing many things right and the members who have come her have given you plenty of advice already. All I'd like to add is that ebay wants sellers to use tracking, buyers are usually happiest with whatever is the cheapest postage cost. 

 

As for selling, there are slumps. Summertime is one and, depending on your category, you may also see others. I sell toys so I notice a lot of watchers when retail stores do their seasonal inventory restocks but more actual sales between those when certain items may be harder to find. Watchers do not equal sales but they will contribute to your rank in Best Match results.

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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

Oh, and offering the assurance of Returns may help boost sales. Ensure Buyer pays return shipping on returns for reasons of remorse and you may want to consider a restocking fee as well. 

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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay


@paradrox wrote:

I did view my listings on my phone and I don't really understand what you mean by:


"All that text (War And Peace) in the description is a back button. Your pictures need a lot of work."

 

What is the problem with my pictures?


The shoes I just looked at were much better. Clothing was a little lifeless.

 

52% of buyers never read the description. Buyers detest scrolling in the description. Everything you have in the description, does it fit one one window on your mobile device?

 

eBay "best practices", are to repeat the title, maybe about four bullet points, nothing else. No sentences, no paragraphs, no rules.

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Message 16 of 18
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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay

Like the canned information you'd see from the manufacturer on a big retail site.

 

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Many selling issues make me think of abandoning eBay