is it worth selling on ebay any more?

[jordana7222]

I have been selling scrapbook items and collectibles and sterling silver for about 8 years give or take a bit and know the scrapbook industry is not what it used to be but also think generally selling on Ebay has taken a drastic down turn due to various circumstances and would love to hear other peoples thoughts.  I find I still buy items on Ebay however do use other on line sites.  I also found I lost faith in Ebay as a fair marketplace for Canadian seller and definitely had issues with paypal holding money.  Needless to say my outlook has changed.  Fortunately I am not one who has to rely on Ebay for money, just extra pocket change and now not so much.  I used to have an Ebay store, sell about 1500 a month and was ok with that now much less listings and very few sales.  So what do you thing now, where do you shop or sell on line, where is your faith in Ebay, Paypal thanks for input.

[Anonymous]

Hi.  I see that you limit shipping to limit places, why not use "worldwide" to ship your items to?  Or is there reasons why you don't ship to USA?

[reallynicestamps]

and definitely had issues with paypal holding money. 

It is an annoyance that eBay instituted the 21day Hold on customer payments for occasional sellers like yourself. It is reasonable for newbies and also for sellers who have begun having difficulty. This is intended as a Buyer Protection policy.

Apparently you can speak to Customer Service about this, especially since you have been around for several years.

[pierrelebel]

"would love to hear other peoples thoughts. "

Here goes the opinion of a retired stamp dealer, someone with substantial experience dealing in a "dying" industry.

"...and know the scrapbook industry is not what it used to be..."

That's life.  Some trends come and go. There is still a market for scrapbook supplies but it is very competitive and the "high end" is more a face-to-face market.

"...had issues with paypal holding money..."

That was over two years ago after you received three negative feedback dealing with "some customers mostly non english speaking ".  When you raised that question on the board at that time, a respected and experienced member explained why this temporary measure was taken by PayPal. 

She also suggested you revise part of the description of your item reading "You will recieve all that is in the pictures.  Some items may be substituted with items of same theme, retail price and function" which may have been the cause of the problem.

Over two years later and I notice today that your listing still state: "You will receive all in the pictures although we do have a right to substitute items with similar items. "  Frankly, if I were a potential  buyer of these products, I would hit the back button.

It is not easy to sell on eBay.  It never was and it is much more competitive today than ever. Potential buyers have so much choice on eBay and outside eBay and their level of expectations is much higher today than years ago.

"where do you shop or sell on line, where is your faith in Ebay, Paypal thanks for input."

I still sell a few thousand dollars a month from my remaining inventory on eBay.  I understand the changes made by eBay in response to the ever changing marketplace and have adapted my policies accordingly (offering "free shipping" for example). Although it is no longer owned by eBay, PayPal is still the method of payment selected and trusted by most buyers.

Good Luck.

[mr.elmwood]

My sales are up. My sales are directly proportional to the effort I put in.

Any and all advice, that I receive, I implement. The more I implement change, the better my sales do.

It is easy to sit and point fingers, blame externally. Pierre's and my views are not popular. Why? We work at it every day. This is a job, just like burger flipping. You have to show-up and work at it every day.

[sylviebee]

I think scrapbooking is still kicking and will always have a market.

However, one can buy materials form China for pennies and the Dollar store, for, well, $1 or so with no shipping costs.

How can a Canadian eBay seller compete with that and make money?

I see you're selling stuff off in lots and getting out of scrapbooking and I think that's a wise choice.

There are numerous other areas to explore which would be more profitable.

[cumos55]

OP lives in Rivers Manitoba, about  35 km northwest of Brandon in western Manitoba.

Brandon is not a big source of inventory.   For me Brandon is a ... once ...or ...perhaps ...  twice a year trip... looking for books...there and in towns on the way back to Winnipeg.

and then Brandon is about 200 km west of Winnipeg.

Compared to Brandon Winnipeg is a super place for finding inventory....  if you know where to look

OP has limited options to find inventory to sell on eBay....

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In order to be a continued success on eBay one must be constantly on the lookout for something new to sell...

Start with a niche...  find complementary inventory  to that niche and continue adjusting...

A seller on eBay must be constantly finding new inventory... for without new inventory  ... sales will die...

10 years ago I  sold everything  and anything other than books.... and then gradually moved to books where now  I sell only books....  If I found the right inventory... I sold it

A lot of old inventory has been sold through a local auction.... at very good prices...

How about a storage locker,   associated with my apartment  where I live, that  is full of Lego... Today it is themed Lego that sells... Bulk Lego... that which I have...  is rarely found if at all ...at retail

One has to be focused on finding that which will sell on eBay...

I used to sell sheet music and music books....  Sheet music was good but not a super value at $5 to $10 each... good-bye sheet music  and music books

Then came a decision with respect to books relating to hockey.....  I got rid of every single... well almost all books relating to biographies of the old-fogeys of hockey... those guys that played in the 1970s  and 1980s..  now I sell selectively.. Books about hockey in general

... and the most interesting aspect of getting rid of the old fogeys... is that so did everyone else that sold these same books..on eBay

Gretzky never sold for me... Tretiak  is the opposite, a super sale always....  and then  Barilko

A measure of success on eBay... or with selling anywhere....  requires persistence.

Right now  I walk into a place where books are selling at my price... I find IT.. or is it THEM..

and then sometimes  it is almost as if ... They are calling out to me..  Come Get Me

[rose-dee]

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@mr.elmwood wrote:

My sales are directly proportional to the effort I put in.

[...] The more I implement change, the better my sales do.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Last year, and in all the years prior, I would have said without reservation that this was true.  

This year something has happened to make that mantra no longer work (for me at least).  In fact, I've put more effort into my store, and made more changes in the first 6 months than I usually do in an entire year.  I've also hung onto my TRS and other seller parameters.  And I show up to work usually 7 days a week.  The result: lower sales.  Huh????

I seem to recall an old saw from Sherlock Holmes (I'm paraphrasing): "When you've eliminated the obvious, then what remains must be the answer".  

I realize you weren't referring specifically to me, but it does bother me to see the idea of external factors as a market influence being dismissed completely.  Looking for external factors, for me at least, isn't merely lazy finger-pointing, but logic.  I'm looking because I'd like to understand (and in some cases because I believe they are very much in error).  If I can't change those factors, I may be able to work around them.  And if I discover what they are, and realize I can't work around them, then I have to accept a lower level of success and/or find other alternatives.  

I would think the above approach applies to a lot of experienced eBay sellers in the "discretionary purchase" categories.  However, I do agree that the OP has a number of things to look at to increase his chances of success. 

Pierre is a long-established presence on eBay in a category with a worldwide collector base, and (as he's said) older buyers who are careful.  You are selling items that people need.  I think these factors make a difference in the ability to maintain or increase sales during an otherwise difficult time.  Add some extra effort, and you can both outdo those of us who are selling purely discretionary or "luxury" items.  

[jordana7222]

Will double check supposed to be world wide.

[jordana7222]

Yes I agree with what your saying and I did sell only what was in picture until my stock of exact product sold out. So I would not do a complete new listing. The difference is I used to have pics to show different color of same item and it confused people they thought they were getting everything mostly because could not read. I stopped that. Thanks for input I will just keep selling my lots to liquidate my stock and take the huge financial loss. That's business and I just need to not be concerned of the loss.