Should I wait until May 1st to open store?

[bluhousredeck]

I am a new seller.  With all the changes coming up on May 1st, as well as all the problems Canadian sellers are reporting re: .ca vs. .com carts, I am wondering if I should wait the 4 days until May 1 to open a new store on .ca.  Are the issues in any part due to the new big change coming?  Or is that irrelevant?  If I open a store today, will I get messed up when things change May 1?  Any advice is welcome.

[pocomocomputing]

You are a new seller and have listing limits on the new account which last for months. Do not get a store because you will not be able to use the 150 free per month. Most likely the new 20 free fixed price + 20 free auction listings with a non-store starting May 1st will be enough for your listing limits for the next 2-3-4 months until you have a proven seller history.

Read about eBay listing limits here to find your listing limits.

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/sellinglimits.html

[bluhousredeck]

Thanks for your reply but my issue is not with my selling limit which is at 150.  Also, I plan to get it bumped up to 250 if possible to fully take advantage of the 'free' 150 fixed price listings and additional 100 auction listings for basic store coming into effect May 1.

What I really want to know is if anyone has any information that relates to cart issues between CA and COM sites, or the like which might cause further problems by opening a store prior to May 1, or alternatively might be resolved because there will be some awesome new format rolled out on that day.

Because I am new, I don't seem to see ALL the announcements, or maybe I just don't know where to look for them. 

For instance, I was happily listing along, then suddenly i could no longer list in US $.  I didn't know why until I saw the post this morning regarding the fact that Ebay made an announcement regarding this change.

So, I am wondering if anyone has any other info I am not aware of specifically regarding May 1st store change issues.

Thanks again!

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

any information that relates to cart issues between CA and COM sites

The cart issues have been going on for months, if not years. This will continue. Do your customers normally buy multiple items? If not, the cart problem will not concern you. Maybe once a year or so.

then suddenly i could no longer list in US $. 

Most newbies are using the simplified Sell Your Item form. You need the Advanced form which includes the choice of currencies.

[pierrelebel]

" I plan to get it bumped up to 250 if possible to fully take advantage of the 'free' 150 fixed price listings and additional 100 auction listings for basic store"

If I may be candid: slow down.

One must learn to crawl, walk and run in that order. 

Looking at your current listings (all auction but one) the majority show a shipping charge higher than your selling price.  Is this how you plan your business. Have you considered "free shipping" for domestic buyers?  Do you know how that could save you on eBay fees?

You really need to learn the marketplace.

To list in US$ or Cdn$ - what are the advantages of both - what are the fees

To ship within one day or take more time - what are the advantages

To accept return after 14 days or 30 days - what are the advantages

To open a store on eBay.ca or eBay.com

Learn to market your products.

For example : "RARE! VINTAGE 1940'S TALC FOR MEN TIN - NEVER BEFORE SEEN!" should most definitely include the name of the manufacturer in the title (Aywon). Nobody ever search on eBay for "never seen before' (those words are meaningless in a title) but someone may be looking for "Aywon".

You have a few books listed.  Could they be mailed much cheaper using "first class" mail within Canada (under 500g and less than 20cm thick)?

There is no need to rush into this business venture.  Take your time, Learn how to proceed.  Do not worry - eBay will still be here in a month or two.

[pjcdn2005]

I'm curious how you got them to give you a 150 listing/month limit. As a rule, even those who have been selling here for years are limited to 10 or so listings/month when they start a new/second selling account.

[bluhousredeck]

Thank you very much.  Very good answers.

[bluhousredeck]

Looking at your current listings (all auction but one) the majority show a shipping charge higher than your selling price.  Is this how you plan your business.

Thank you for your comments.  I have young children, and a night job that take up the majority of my time & I do not consider this a business.

My main objective is to get rid of 'stuff' from my parents' estate that I salvaged from their home after the 2013 flood.   Since they are still alive and kicking and could really use the money now that their home is gone, I am simply trying to supplement their pension.

Have you considered "free shipping" for domestic buyers?  Do you know how that could save you on eBay fees?

No, I haven't considered "free shipping", nor do I know how that could save me on fees.  Could you please explain?  I have already been burned on shipping fees a couple of times.

You have a few books listed.  Could they be mailed much cheaper using "first class" mail within Canada (under 500g and less than 20cm thick)?

I will look into this.  But according to my research, if you send books without proper boxing, wrapping, they are likely to get very damaged.

Nobody ever search on eBay for "never seen before' (those words are meaningless in a title) but someone may be looking for "Aywon"

Excellent advice - Thank you.

There is no need to rush into this business venture.  Take your time, Learn how to proceed.  Do not worry - eBay will still be here in a month or two.

I understand this advice.  However, since my parents are 86 and 82 respectively, with some moderate to severe health issues, they may not be here in a month or two.

[bluhousredeck]

I simply called the customer service number listed for people wanting to increase their limit.  The rep asked me quite a few questions about why I wanted/needed my limit raised and after I explained my situation, she allowed it. She raised it to 100 at that point.  Then about a week ago, I received an email from eBay telling me that they increased my limit again by 50.  That is how it went from 10 to 150.

She also took some time to look over my eBay history...of which there isn't much.  I don't have another eBay account, nor do I want one.  I would find that terribly confusing if I was selling things with more than one account.  I believe I mentioned this fact as well. 

Also, I have been a member a lot longer than I have been selling things for.  I did a lot of watching and researching before I felt confident enough to actually start selling.

I hope this helps.  Cheers!

[pierrelebel]

"nor do I know how that could save me on fees.  Could you please explain?"

You need to play with numbers based on the value of your items, the cost of shipping and the percentage shipped outside Canda (on average.

When you list on eBay.ca and offer "free shipping" domestically, you only pay FVF to eBay based on the value of your item.  You do not pay fees on the shipping charge, even when you charge buyers for shipment to the USA or overseas.  This only works if you list on eBay.ca

If listing on eBay.com, then USA becomes the "domestic" market and it would be difficult to justify including the shipping charge in your price when shipping from Canada.

There are so many things to learn about selling on eBay.  It is not as easy it it seems.

Most book sellers, selling low priced books, try shipping by first class mail domestically (if under 20mm thick) and light packet when mailing to the USA.  Too much protection costs so much that no buyer will ever buy the item.

[bluhousredeck]

So what I am hearing is this:

I should list on ebay.ca, offer free shipping domestically, and build the actual shipping cost into the price of the item I am selling; thereby avoiding paying the shipping portion of the FVF (I just figured out what this acronym means), even though I will still charge when shipping Overseas or to the US. 

Also, when shipping thin books that fit through the 'slot of doom' (20mm/2cm) send through 'First Class Mail' also known as Lettermail: Non Standard and Oversize.

10% IS quite a bit to save on shipping charges.

You are very right that this is not as easy as it seems.  I hear people say things like "just throw it up on eBay, and see how much you can get for it." all the time.  I don't think these people have ever actually done this, and are talking out of their ass.

I think I need a book on how to sell on eBay for Canadian sellers.  Do you have a recommendation?

Thanks again Yoda!

[bluhousredeck]

I meant:  "even though I could still charge when shipping Overseas or to the US.

[pierrelebel]

"offer free shipping domestically, and build the actual shipping cost into the price of the item I am selling"

That would be too easy!

You will need to determine how much of the actual shipping charge you are willing to absorb for domestic sales without pricing yourself out of the market.

The reality today - and it is difficult to accept for many Canadian eBay sellers - is that the majority (about 55%) of all listings available on eBay.com offer "free shipping". 

Including the full cost of shipping domestically into the selling price may backfire as the price may appear too high to many potential buyers.  Canadians are competing on a worldwide platform although out shipping costs (Canada Post) are generally much higher than experienced by our competitors south of the border.

"book on how to sell on eBay for Canadian sellers"

Unfortunately, no such thing.  By the time a book is written, proofread, edited, printed and distributed, the information is out-of-date.  Your best bet is to invest some time daily (fifteen minutes, maybe more at the beginning) reading all the discussion boards on eBay.ca.  You will learn a lot.

Keep in mind that everything suggested by posters on these boards (including from me) do not necessarily apply to your business.  And yes, it is a business.  You are listing goods for sale in exchange of money from the buyers.  That is what a business is all about.

Good Luck

[femmefan1946]

You have a few books listed.  Could they be mailed much cheaper using "first class" mail within Canada (under 500g and less than 20cm thick)?

I will look into this.  But according to my research, if you send books without proper boxing, wrapping, they are likely to get very damaged.

 Unless the books are valuable first editions most people are buying them to read. I use a poly envelope to mail my paperbacks and a single sheet of bubblewrap and poly envelope for hardcovers. My main concern is water damage, not the odd bump.

Some sellers of more difficult titles do use more packaging. and build the cost into the asking or shipping price.

The biggest problem with shipping cost is choosing the service and the rate. I don't think tracking is necessary for most books, although tracking is built in to many package services. But book readers tend to be pretty calm and capable of understanding terms of sale. If you were selling in the electronics or video game categories, tracking would be vital.