eBay

mpawlowski · ‎05-22-2013

Having been a seller and buyer for 16 years (before 1997 beenie toy craze), I am at witts end regarding recent transactions.

1. I wonder why my high bid (with at least 6 others bidding) will win an item at $50, and months later I can't get a bid of $5 for it. This is quite common and has in these last years prompting one to velieve that some sellers must have other IDs or persons purposefully bidding on their items to jump the price. How else does this re-occurence happen? Why did the demand for the same item suddenly disappear?

2. In addition there is too much of a growing trend to expect to buy an item for $1 when it is worth $100. Perhaps it is the sign of the true-economy and the irrelevence of non-necessities. But right now it ain't worth selling for how little you get. Fees and postage sometimes exceeds the value.

3. Then there is the expectancy that many people have that they do not have to pay for their purchases within five days. That is insulting to most buyers.

Good luck to all, and thanks for the memories.

dipmicro · ‎05-22-2013

Imagine going to two stores to buy something. You go to Sears and find a nice vase for $14.99. Great deal, you think.

Now imagine going to Dolarama and finding the same vase for $4.99. What a ripoff, right ? It should be $1 or at least $2, but $5 ? Seriously ?

Ebay has become Dolarama.

brandeentertainment · ‎05-23-2013

I have notice auctions are not even close to what they used to be but i expected that .. Auctioned 2 of the same cinderella blu rays first one sold for $27 2nd one only sold for $16 ..

this time around i had over 500 auctions at one time and there seems to be alot more bidding going on so I am excited to see the outcome ...

recyclemikey · ‎05-23-2013

I think that it's pretty obvious that ebay is pushing out the mom and pop seller. people that hit flea markets or yard sales or auctions and try to sell unique items. Instead they are hitting China hard and trying to get their business.

the fact that now sellers have to pay a FVF on shipping?!?!?!? Even if we charge the EXACT amount for an item sold? now we have to lose 10% on shipping?

These guys are crooks and I've taken my business elsewhere.

goodbye ebay. you suck.

reallynicestamps · ‎05-24-2013

1. I wonder why my high bid (with at least 6 others bidding) will win an item at $50, and months later I can't get a bid of $5 for it. This is quite common and has in these last years prompting one to velieve that some sellers must have other IDs or persons purposefully bidding on their items to jump the price. How else does this re-occurence happen? Why did the demand for the same item suddenly disappear?

Well, you mention the Beanie Babies. When we sell impulse items and unnecessary stuff, then we will be at the beck and call of fads and trends. (In DD's Grade Three class photo, every little girl was accompanied by her Cabbage Patch Doll. Every single one. )

Then there is the Micawber Effect. If there are 6 buyers for an item and only 4 available, the price will be high. If there are 6 buyers and 6 items, the price will be reasonable. If there are 6 items and 2 buyers, the price will be low.

2. In addition there is too much of a growing trend to expect to buy an item for $1 when it is worth $100. Perhaps it is the sign of the true-economy and the irrelevence of non-necessities. But right now it ain't worth selling for how little you get.

True. Not all items are worth selling by mail order. Low value/bulky items are profit killers.

Fees and postage sometimes exceeds the value.

Since fees are a percentage of the selling price, that would be illogical. But shipping costs are based on dimensions and weight, not on value.

3. Then there is the expectancy that many people have that they do not have to pay for their purchases within five days. That is insulting to most buyers.

EBay does allow sellers to start Unpaid Item Disputes four days after the listing ends. Some sellers have this set to open the Dispute automatically, but most still do it manually. Some sellers, especially in those few categories where personal cheques are common as payment, allow much longer. It is the seller's choice.

pjcdn2005 · ‎05-25-2013

Stamps...when the spring update went into effect a seller could start an unpaid claim after 2 days. It still has to stay open for 4 days.

cumos55 · ‎05-25-2013

Each seller has to understand that eBay changes with each annual/semi-annual update and Canada Post makes adjustments in January of each year.

Paypal has been relatively static over the years.

eBay, Paypal and Canada Post is where every seller starts.

Most important consideration for any sellers is what they choose to sell on ebay...

Ten years ago almost everything will sell on eBay..

Things have changed and low price high shipping cost items may not longer be a viable option for selling on ebay..Selling locally makes sense..

Perhaps to key to any small business is to develop a niche... and be a small seller on eBay with a big presence.

Find that invetory that will sell ... Business plans are constantly being adjusted....and sometimes one has to get rid of the old and start new....

Business must adjust to the times... and sometimes it can be very painful... and it is the same for large, vary large and small businesses as well...

cumos55 · ‎05-25-2013

How many remember the following

Eatons', Dominion Stores, Woolco, ... and more... each of these business bit the dust... and a company like Eaton's did so after 100 years in the business... Zellers locations were taken over by Target.. Woolco locations by Walmart...Kresge who?

The selling environment is constantly changing

Visit your local shopping mall... Where are those "old" stores...What happened to them... or were they born with a new inventory and a new presence...

Sometimes the world can cave in very quickly and unexpectedly...

The same applies to all, and I repeat... all sellers, on eBay.

There are two big factors...Canada Post and eBay itself.

Sellers, small, smaller and big must adjust... And sometimes the big sellers disappear very quickly...

How about Blockbuster Video rental.... They got busted by the internet.

Beany Babies were a hot item until eBay came around... and the people found they can buy a ton of Beany babies very cheaply on eBay.... Shipping was low cost...

McDonald's Collectble toys... where should one sell them..

Where should one sell... what? that will always be a business question....

Where?, and if not on eBay. where? That is the question....

eBay provides a venue to sell on the internet...

eBay does not target a specific group of sellers.... They cannot afford to do so.... In many ways eBay makes its money one penny at a time...

A seller on eBay must change in relation to the venue, and in relation to Canada Post and other mail delivery services.

and ... Finally something no business has control of the exchange rate.

... Imagine a US dollar valued at $1.40 Canadian... nice option... and that was about 10 years ago. $14.00 paid to Canada Post was $10 to a US buyer

The best any business can do is "Go With the Flow"... and make adjustments.... and if not... start a new business more appropriate for the venue....

The only thing good about banging your head against the wall... Things are not going well.. is it feels so good when you stop...

Take a trip to Tim Hortons... Medium coffee three cream (or whatever), a nice sweet treat and start new... Think about it ...Tim Horton the hockey player, played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, then Buffalo Sabres... died in a car crash on the 401, and left a legacy of coffee shops, throughout Canada and almost on every corner in every city... and Robin's who?

cumos55 · ‎05-25-2013

Today 99.9 % of what I sell is books

Ten years ago , my first year on eBay. I did not sell a single book.

But I do remember seller vintage slot cars... Aurora from the 1970's ... Cleared close to $400 dollars, in that one week mainly because I hit it right... Strombecker.. also

Lego .......Triang trains, Canadian marked trains... thousands of dollars in sales... just not there today...

Pottery, artwork, art glass... and more

Constantly adjusting to the availability of inventory... and for me... space to store inventory....

carlitguy · ‎05-25-2013

Take a trip to Tim Hortons... Medium coffee three cream (or whatever), a nice sweet treat and start new... Think about it ...Tim Horton the hockey player, played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, then Buffalo Sabres... died in a car crash on the 401, and left a legacy of coffee shops, throughout Canada and almost on every corner in every city... and Robin's who?

Actually he died in his Pantera on the QEW returning to Buffalo after a Leaf's game on a Saturday night. They towed the car back to Toronto on a trailer and placed it in the parking lot of the CIBC across from MLG where my best friend's dad was the manager. He took us down to see it and I took a piece of the car as a memory of Tim. I often wonder what I did with it?

cumos55 · ‎05-25-2013

A piece of Tim Horton's car... priceless

goodnotes88 · ‎05-26-2013

As some of us say, it is the economy. No one wants to bid at month end and also the summer is not good for selling on Ebay, everyone's on holidays.

Also you buy something for $25.00 you only get the same for it, then Ebay takes out almost $3.00 plus the Paypal fees plus the stamps and on top of that the buyers open dispute saying they did'nt get the item, U can't win here. It is getting bad, I am hoping to quit soon. U can't make a profit anymore.

i*m-still-here · ‎05-26-2013

1. I wonder why my high bid (with at least 6 others bidding) will win an item at $50, and months later I can't get a bid of $5 for it.

Going to real life auctions and observing the winning bids would probably take the mystery out of this for you.

One day an item can close at several hundred dollars and the next at $2.

No kidding!

It all depends on who is attending on that particular day.

It only takes 2 bidders to drive the price up, and if the second one is absent that day the item closes at the opening bid.

cumos55 · ‎05-26-2013

Live auctions...

A good auctioneer can play a very good bidding game.....

You have to know what to look for.... and you can see it better if you stand beside the auctioneer...

I have worked many an auction.....

cumos55 · ‎05-26-2013

Auctions on eBay were very good 10 years ago.

People came here every week to see what was avaiable for bidding

Today it is is fixed price, BIN, and people visit once a month , and even less often.

How many times a year do you visit a local mall?

However, I will check each and every local auction, new inventory each sale... where there may be something I want to buy...

Some sellers still sell at auction on eBay... but they know what to sell and how to list it to get the best possible price....

The key to auctions is knowing what to sell at auction....be very selective

and in turn... the starting price.

Everyone on eBay get 50 free listings each month.

Upload 50 listings each first of a month... fixed price, BIN.... retail priced.... and pay eBay only when the item sells. I know of several people who do this or plan to do this because of this 50 free listings....

However, if you want to do this you must be very selective of what you list.....

cumos55 · ‎05-26-2013

When I took items to sell at a local auction I estimated what the total, that l I may get, would be... Something one learns is that the bidding crowd can be very unpredictable when it comes to bidding

Some items sold for more than the estimate and some for less... and in the end I was close to my estimate for the total of all sales on that day.

As a seller at a live auction one never looks at the price received for one item... unless it is very good, because that makes up for those items that sell for less than estimated.

and ....Above all I never bid on my own items... Some consignors do...bid up the price..... but then they may take something of their own home, and pay a commission on that piece.