eBay

dove3ducks · ‎01-07-2015

What sold Well ?

2014sportsterguy · ‎01-08-2015

Well since don't have anything use full to do will give my take on year in review,......what sold well were soapstone carvings,good coins,small vintage items,native art re First Nations, automotive vintage parts etc etc.

What I could not sale if my life depended on was books or stamps but they are not my specialty.

reallynicestamps · ‎01-08-2015

Discounted mint Canadian postage-- to eBay sellers who I suppose were shipping hard, since many were repeat buyers.

Don't have any at the moment. Sigh.

decal-fx · ‎01-08-2015

@reallynicestamps wrote:
Don't have any at the moment. Sigh.

That too bad, I'm just restocking my postal cupboards...

cumos55 · ‎01-08-2015

The hack = cyberattack had a negative effect on sales in 2014.

The change in exchange rate US to Canadian dollars also appeared to have a negative effect on the number of sales... Sales were stimulated when prices in US dollars were adjusted down.

The hack had a negative effect on sales... while the increase in exchange rate from equality to about $1.15 Canadian dollar = $1.00 US did bring up the total dollar value of sales for 2014.

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I sell primarily in one category... Books Canadian history and was able to track the effect of the hack... a 20 % drop in number of sales.... while the dollar value of sales expressed in Canadian dollars was lower by about 10 %... The negative effect of the hack was compensated to some degree by the upward adjustment in the exchange rate, as well as an adjustment in prices of items listed and expressed in US dollars.

I was able to verify that the total sales of books in Canadian history dropped 20 % after the hack... going from about 470 books sold over 3 months to about 380 books over that same time period. ... my number of sales per month over May to August were 20 % lower than the sales over January to April, before the hack.

A reduction ... a bulk edit...in prices of items listed in US dollars appeared to have brought back some of my Canadian buyers.... who were looking at prices in Canadian dollars.... This may be more noticeable as time passes..

Today...my prices expressed in Canadian dollars are very much in line with the prices expressed in US dollars before a reduction in prices...

It may take a while for US buyers to see the reduction in US prices....

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Another factor for a 2014 versus 2013 comparison is the fact that there were more US buyers in 2014... US buyers were 20 % of the total number of sales in 2013 and close to 30 % of total number of sales in 2014.... US buyers appeared to have adjusted to my use of tracked packet with tracking and insurance... Small packet ... with insurance ....used to be my preference...

This higher percentage of US buyer may in some part be due to lower number of sales to Canadian buyers... an effect of the higher exchange rate....

Now for 2015 there will be no sales outside the US and Canada..... I could be wrong... but... once I blocked all countries other than Canada and the US, there appeared to be a "stimulus" in views... that may have an effect on overall sales.. Not too sure of this effect that could be hidden or not be there because of all of the other adjustments being made.

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Another reality with Books Canadian history is the total number of books on eBay.... Early last summer, with all the promotions, that number was close to 7800 listings, while today it is less than 5800 listings.... and appears to be very, very slowly dropping since Christmas. Having all of those listings in ...Books Canadian History ....did not stimulate the total number number of sales in this category on eBay over 3 months.

My approach was to add another category of listings ... a new focus... to compensate for any negative effect on total sales due to the promotion listings in Canadian History... appears to have been somewhat successful

My view is that listings during the promotions added very little to the historical value of listings on eBay in my category.... low prices... equated to ... low historical value... Books of any historical value sold quickly, while the remainder just "sat" there.... and took up space on eBay...

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It should be noted that for books... my category specifically... promotions did NOT allow for a sustainable number of listings on eBay.... the number after and before the promotions was about the same....

In contrast......

I have watched two categories where I did sell items years ago... Chalet glass and Blue Mountain Pottery..... The number of listings appeared to be higher due to the promotions... and that number of listings did not appear to drop once there were no more, or less, promotions.

The number listings in Chalet glass may be up because there are more high priced listings... resulting in an overall higher price for Chalet glass sold, as well as a higher number of listings of ... super quality items... on eBay

ricarmic · ‎01-08-2015

Decal! I like your postal cupboards, I may switch my style to yours!!

ricarmic · ‎01-08-2015

Hi Dove! An interesting question!

I live in the "stamp world"

I checked and my 2014 eBay sales were 8% lower than 2013 overall.

However:

- I had an extraordinarily huge one time order from a buyer, biggest ever in eBayland for me in 2013. If that one order is factored out, my sales were flat 2013-2014

-I usually try to take "August off" which I did in 2013. I did not take barely time off off in 2014 (2 kids in college/university). If I had, my sales would be down further

-Sales volume for me in terms of units I believe is higher this year than last, but the average value is smaller. This means more work for less income 😞

As an aside, my sales on the next largest non-eBay online site I use were down 35%, however that particular site was/is going through significant changes, new ownership, and lots of changes there as well.

decal-fx · ‎01-08-2015

It's a Canadian Tire Special and of course I make decals of my own 🙂
Bought it on sale for $19.99 it has cut the time my letter mail processing by 75%, no more searching for stamps to make the correct totals. My surplus small value definitive sheets sit right in the top tray (No trimming)

Mastercraft 60-Drawer Plastic Parts Cabinet PRODUCT NUMBER 58-1087-2

cumos55 · ‎01-08-2015

A large one time purchase occurred in September.

It was a local pickup of 32 books. Manitoba history.....paid as Canadian dollars equal to US dollars...

Buyer was filling in empty spaces in the library he inherited from his father.

A focus on selling one topic... one category ....on eBay is advantageous with respect to multiple purchases...

Multiple purchases do result in a lower cost postage for each item purchased

consoledcat · ‎01-08-2015

At the present, I have 41 listings up and I count 97 watchers. I wish I knew how to turn those watchers into buyers!

I find consumable items sell well, or antique, hard to find widgets. Christmas sales were good, about the same as previous Decembers for me.

cumos55 · ‎01-08-2015

You have to ask yourself.....

Do I want it sold for $105 US?

or... Do I want $105 Canadian? ... which is about $90 US at today's exchange rate

I have made major revisions with respect to my high priced items...primarily those priced at over $25 US

If it was listed at $50 US... dropping the price to $40 US... gives me a sale close to $50 Canadian...

My prices were all set when there was an equality between the US and Canadian dollars... and when the Canadian dollar was valued at higher than the US dollar...

My sales have been pumped since January 1... with a few US buyers included...

For an exchange US to Canadian dollars.... Link to

http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=90.00&From=USD&To=CAD

dove3ducks · ‎01-08-2015

Seems to be the same across the board in many different artifacts .Thanks for updates .

pierrelebel · ‎01-08-2015

"You have to ask yourself..... Do I want it sold for $105 US? or... Do I want $105 Canadian? ... which is about $90 US at today's exchange rate"

Many (maybe most) Canadian sellers agree with your assessment.

I see pricing differently.

From my perspective the marketplace, not sellers, determines the price of an item.

Potential buyers either buy it or they do not. They either judge the price to be of value or they do not. While the currency attached to the price may be a factor of convenience for some buyers, at the end of the day a buyer will make a decision to buy at that price because the value is there.

cumos55 · ‎01-08-2015

The marketplace was telling me that items priced less than $$20 to 25 sold in spite of an effect of the exchange rate .

The higher the price.. the greater the effect on the sale of this item... once a price revision was made..

I have been reading my buyers... what they were buying... and where there appeared to be a hesitation.

The last few days have shown my decision to revise the prices did improve the sale of high priced items

I am also at an age where I have a lot of inventory I would like to sell within the next 3 to 5 years, and then say good-bye to eBay.

dove3ducks · ‎01-15-2015

Thanks

gifts_of_elegance · ‎01-16-2015

I did a bit better than 2013,but not much. I took 10 weeks off, including Dec.6-26 which is usually my busiest time. I did 60% of my business in the quarter after a 6 week holiday. I came home with a completely ruptured Achilles Heel. I could not go upstairs to my office for 4 months. It has been a very stressful year.

michaelbb2 · ‎01-17-2015

2014 sales were 21% higher than 2013. (added more items for sale)

EBay fees are down 8% (upgraded store subscription to reduce fees)

PayPal fees up 23 % (corresponds with increased sales)

Postage costs up 48% ..... 15% for postage increase, 22% for more volume, and a 300% increase in international sales calls for more in stamps per transaction.