eBay

bittersweetsymphonia · ‎09-17-2015

Very curious. Was there a business plan involved?

cumos55 · ‎09-20-2015

Selling on the internet is a unique experience...

Because you do not see the buyer..... That face-to-face contact.... that will always help.

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My conclusion is to do the following.

Visit your bathroom... look at the mirror and ask...

"Who am I?" ... answer in a very truthful manner.

How do you relate to people face-to-face..... and if you are negative... how negative... and how can you adjust?

Dealing with people you cannot "read" may not be for "you".

Many come to eBay and do their "thing" and in several instances their thing causes problems....

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On eBay as with any business..... It is not so much knowing what to do...

But more important it is

Knowing...

----- How NOT to deal with buyers? Effective communication is an absolute.... There are many words one can use to say the same thing....knowing the right combination of words will provide a buyer with the best view of you as a seller

There are many ways to say the same thing.... Which combination of words is the best` combination of words??

Words are your image creator

---- What not to sell... Be selective... in relation to the marketplace... whether price... or competitor. or other aspect of selling.

Sell what you know... and know what you sell

---- Pricing.....not too low... not too high... just right!....... There is something called ... Fair Market Value, a price where both the buyer and seller are happy .... The "right" price...

Be flexible.... be careful....and always looking for that some thing new... to sell on eBay...

but.... also looking at what does not sell..... ...and do not be afraid to remove the non-seller from inventory...

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Too many sellers come to eBay with a specific idea... type of inventory to sell..

They do well for a series of months..... and then sales drop off... They have plateaued.... New buyers become few and far between.... you have filled a niche of sales

Their focus was too narrow...

Never stop adding new ideas... new and different... but complementary inventory

Starting a new category is always interesting..... and when it sells.... it is well done.

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When I started on eBay... I kept asking myself... specifically in relation to buyers...

Did I do it right?

Could I have done better?

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And finally ... always searching on eBay....researching what is happening.... How can I do better? a better way of selling

There are "tricks " to selling on eBay..... My secrets for now!

and... never back away from doing something new, and interesting...... and you know when you did well.... If others pay attention and do as you have done....

But how many sellers on eBay pay attention to the reality of eBay?

Pay attention to what is happening, and how can they also do IT....

mr.elmwood · ‎09-20-2015

I paid $2 for a box of loose and packaged John Deere tractor parts yesterday Each will fit in a half a bubble mailer. I am halfway through the box, size of a large cake pan. I am up to $1000 US, full retail.

That is my business plan.

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rose-dee · ‎09-20-2015

I decided from the very beginning to completely eliminate the whole "search and rescue" aspect of buying items to sell on eBay. Although I do have (miniscule) development and manufacturing costs, I have total control over supply of my primary items.

It's an endless supply actually, at virtually no cost but my time, i.e. only limited by the amount of time I have for product development. (I do sell some "found" or "acquired" articles to keep an interesting range of offerings in my store, but they have never been my focus).

I know I'm a bit of a rare bird on eBay, but it was no accident. I planned it that way. I deliberately set out to build my business here in the early days as a creative "manufacturer", and have branched out from there. What you see here now is just a portion of what I do.

And you know what? It was very good to grow my business here for the first few years. Now? My two biggest grievances with eBay currently are that I wish they would just get out of the way of my selling, and leave well enough alone on the site for 12 months running. I could easily do the rest.

femmefan1946 · ‎09-20-2015

I wish there was a better term than "comic books".

Today's comics are nothing like Arche or Little Lulu or even the Superman and Wonder Woman books we read are nothing like the stories we read as children

For example, here are the nominees for the 2015 Hugo Awards (sort of the science fiction Oscars)

Ms. Marvel Vol 1: No Normal written by G. Willow Wilson, illustrated by Adrian Alphona and Jake Wyatt, (Marvel Comics) (WINNER)
Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass and Sorcery written by Kurtis J. Weibe, art by Roc Upchurch (Image Comics)
Saga, Volume 3 written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)
Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick written by Matt Fraction, art by Chip Zdarsky (Image Comics)
Zombie Nation Book #2: Reduce Reuse Reanimate by Carter Reid (The Zombie Nation)

The winner is the only one I would consider giving to someone under 12.

All were excellent stories for grownups. I hesitate to use the now loaded term 'adult'.

Ms. Marvel deals with polite racism and islamophobia. (She's a teenager from New Jersey who chooses to wear a hijab. Biggest shock? Her parents are alive!)

Rat Queens are a gang of mercenaries with healthy sex lives.

Saga is about racism and has a lot of sex.

Sex Criminals is about-- well , gee, guess.

Zombie Nation- I liked it better than the TV show. Pretty gross in places though.

gifts_of_elegance · ‎09-22-2015

@bittersweetsymphonia wrote:
Very curious. Was there a business plan involved?

Not at first. I just decided to sell some items we no longer needed. My cross stitch patterns sold extremely well so I started buying them in bulk for resale. My sales took off like wild fire. Occassionally I treated myself to some Swarovski Crystal and Jewelry.

One day I decided to sell more expensive items. I started with my Swarovski Crystal and Jewelry inventory. I sold, I bought more. For three years I never paid myself. I kept on buying, taking care NEVER to get into debt. Suppliers and sellers started to offer me their items. I spent a couple of hours every day checking what my competition was doing. I found a lot of bargains. When things got slow, I bought even more. I added more categories and brands.

Because I never went into debt, I have the luxury of not being pressured to make a sale. I also spend around 40% of my gross sales on new inventory.

I answer every email, I ship same day, I inspect everything carefully before it goes out, I pack well and do everything to make it the best transaction possible.

Sales is like a ball game. Every day you have to juggle three balls: Yesterday's Business, Today's Business and Tomorrow's Business.

gifts_of_elegance · ‎09-22-2015

I forgot to add: You must love the product you are selling with a passion. If you do, then you can put yourself in the purchasers' shoes and know what motivates them to buy. Product knowledge is also very important.

mr.elmwood · ‎09-22-2015

Plans evolve. Good business plans involve capital investment. I drove down from Dauphin to Winnipeg, staying overnight, harvesting parts in wrecking yards.

I am spending about $400 in two days: gas, hotel, parts, food, beverages, etc. I will come away with $2200 my retail.

A business plan involves commitment. You are either in or out.

The best advice I have ever heard or read is Pierre's: "Know what you sell and sell what you know".

I turned a 30 year hobby into income.

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cumos55 · ‎09-22-2015

Always on the lookout for new inventory....

If I need a break... I visit somewhere nearby... on` the lookout for something.

There comes a time when you almost feel like the books are calling out to you.... Come and get me.... and there they are.

Went to a special charity sale today..... The first five books I picked up were the best I found today...

Two books of value close to $75 to $100 each ... and others of quality... a few duplicates extras.... for inventory after a book has been sold ... one will replace a recently sold book...

All of very good value.....

Ten parcels to deliver to the post office tomorrow morning...

Then an auction tomorrow evening....visiting two places ...on the way to the auction ...... maybe more books to buy...

Thursday is another charity sale..... .. Just around the corner from me..... That sale is always good.... but it will involve a steady effort ... over two days atleast ....as new inventory keeps coming out...

Saturday ... two church sales..8:00 AM and 9:00 AM than back to Tuesday's charity sale for 10:00 AM....A bag of books for $12!!!!

Always looking.... always listing.... and always selling.... well almost always.....selling....

Buying is a weekly plan... every Tuesday... and then an annual schedule... a sequence of major sales over each year

Books ... definitely ...but old habits still pop up occasionally

Over the last year I have found several pieces of artwork... and most recently a most striking stained glass window ( 19 " x 31 " ) with ... NO... damage at all.... very nice design... and quite valuable.... Careful with what I pay for these items...

Sometimes you let it happen.... while other times you make it happen... Go with the flow ... no matter what is happening.

sylviebee · ‎09-23-2015

bittersweet is long gone, but it's an interesting thread to follow.

On eBay I sell two types of items.

One was planned and the other is stuff I've accumulated over the years and it has too much value to donate (for now) but I no longer want it.

The planned stuff is a hundred times easier to deal with and the number of hours I put into selling that stuff is well worth it.

The rest? It's a grind and I'm never quite sure if it's worth the effort I put into listing, packing, etc.

For example, I have quite a few pictures including large Dali prints with some value. I no longer want them, but to me they're difficult to photograph and ship, but eBay is really the only feasible outlet for them. Way too much stuff in my house.

gifts_of_elegance · ‎09-23-2015

@mr.elmwood wrote:
Plans evolve. Good business plans involve capital investment. I drove down from Dauphin to Winnipeg, staying overnight, harvesting parts in wrecking yards.

I am spending about $400 in two days: gas, hotel, parts, food, beverages, etc. I will come away with $2200 my retail.

A business plan involves commitment. You are either in or out.

The best advice I have ever heard or read is Pierre's: "Know what you sell and sell what you know".

I turned a 30 year hobby into income.

You need to adjust your business plan. I looked at your sales for the last month and it was around $2,500 Cdn. (Give or take a few dollars).

You provide FREE shipping so there was no money collected for shipping, leaving your gross income at $2,500 Cdn.

You mentioned that you ship your items in bubble mailers, and that is about $8.00 per item (more if across Canada or USA).

At minimum of $8.00 x 53 items, shipping cost you $424.00

Packaging is minimum $30.00 (that is less than 57 cents per item and that does not cover bubble wrap, tape, styrofoam, boxes, etc) so its a very low estimate.

Lets say you live very close to the post office, so figure minimum $1 a day for gas & car expenses, or a total of $20.00

Assuming you only have a Basic Store Plan and pay a yearly fee, not monthly and at par it will cost you $15.95 a month. (I always paid in USA funds so I don't know if it fluctuates with exchange.)

Let us assume that all your listings are "FREE" and you don't pay any listing fees.

FVF for car parts is 8% which is $200.00 on $2500. sales

PayPal fees are 2.9% ($72.50) plus 30 cents per transaction $15.90 = Total $88.40

Internet Service & Office supplies are a minimum of $70.00

This does not include equipment, furnishings, utilities, repairs, replacements, rent for space.

All these expenses add up to a total of $848, leaving you ($2,500 - 848 = $1652 or with 2/3 of your sales, not counting cost of inventory sold.

If you have purchased $2200 retail, you will have 2/3 x 2200 = $1,467 after expenses.

Deduct the $400 it cost you to purchase, you will have a profit of $1,067 before taxes.

You need to minimize your travelling expenses and to charge for shipping.

Mr. Elmwood, you have a lot of enthusiasm, there is no way that you could not make your business more profitable.

"Salesmanship is a transfer of enthusiasm".

Good Luck!