eBay

11canadianchick · ‎08-15-2022

When I was selecting a seller name in 2011, I knew that I wanted something with Canadian in it. There were so many sellers of DVD's and CD's and I thought that that would give me a bit of an advantage in attracting Canadian buyers. And I've been fairly successful. If I recall, there were several names I had considered but they were all taken, e.g. CanadianGal and some others. So I settled on "11canadianchick".

But the last year or so, I've been wondering if it's still appropriate (I don't know that I was ever a chick ... lol) or if it was ever appropriate. I never thought about the word being derogatory or offensive, but a lot of people may well think so. I guess I thought it was a little clever or a little sexy and I was happy with my sales. However, I've stopped shipping to the U.S. since Canada Post no longer allows a DVD to be sent to the U.S. as lettermail in a bubble envelope so I no longer need to stand out among all the sellers. My sales have dropped off in the last couple of years since I no longer ship to the U.S. but, of course, DVD's become less and less popular as time goes on.

Is it possible to change a Seller I.D. slightly without losing your account? I certainly don't want to start over and I don't want to lose repeat buyers. I don't have tons of them but I have a few. I'm not sure what to do. I would welcome any advice or comments or even opinions on the word "chick".

Thanks in advance for your help.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎08-15-2022

@11canadianchick wrote:
When I was selecting a seller name in 2011, I knew that I wanted something with Canadian in it. There were so many sellers of DVD's and CD's and I thought that that would give me a bit of an advantage in attracting Canadian buyers. And I've been fairly successful. If I recall, there were several names I had considered but they were all taken, e.g. CanadianGal and some others. So I settled on "11canadianchick".

But the last year or so, I've been wondering if it's still appropriate (I don't know that I was ever a chick ... lol) or if it was ever appropriate. I never thought about the word being derogatory or offensive, but a lot of people may well think so. I guess I thought it was a little clever or a little sexy and I was happy with my sales. However, I've stopped shipping to the U.S. since Canada Post no longer allows a DVD to be sent to the U.S. as lettermail in a bubble envelope so I no longer need to stand out among all the sellers. My sales have dropped off in the last couple of years since I no longer ship to the U.S. but, of course, DVD's become less and less popular as time goes on.

Is it possible to change a Seller I.D. slightly without losing your account? I certainly don't want to start over and I don't want to lose repeat buyers. I don't have tons of them but I have a few. I'm not sure what to do. I would welcome any advice or comments or even opinions on the word "chick".

Thanks in advance for your help.

You can update your name at your convenience without losing settings. Limit of one (1) time per calendar month. It's in ID Settings under personal information. if you have a store you can add a note with an explanation for name change at your discretion. (Just make sure you are good certain of the name you are choosing. System will advise if name is taken.)

As a side story, knew someone who chose the name CalGurl with a number (Being from Calgary) for an alias. She did so without thinking of the ramafications attached. Ooopsie. Live and learn.

-Lotz

11canadianchick · ‎08-16-2022

Thanks Lotz. I did google this before I asked on this Board and saw the instructions to go to Account > Personal Settings > change user name. BUT, that option was not in my account settings nor was it available in the account of my other selling I.D. which I've had for 16 years. I don't know why. But I no longer expect to find easy answers on eBay. That's why I reached out on this Board. I'm not a novice ... I've asked and answered a lot of questions on these Boards over the years but usually with my other seller name "jt-libra". I just thought there was some simple step I was missing.

In any event, over the last couple of years, I've thought about selling on Facebook Marketplace. The only thing holding me back was that shipping is not available ... at least not at first. I've watched many videos by people who used to and still sell on eBay and they say that shipping can be unlocked for Marketplace sellers after certain periods of time ... most of them said it took about a year. However, there is a blanket statement on FB that shipping is not allowed in my location (Winnipeg). The fees on eBay have become ridiculous and now they're even charging fees on taxes. I'll still remain on eBay for now but offer the same items on FB. With the price of gas, I'm not driving anywhere to meet someone. They can come to my place, pay me cash and pick it up.

I guess that makes my initial question irrelevant ... lol ... since, if I'm successful on FB, I likely won't keep that eBay account much longer.

Thanks again Lotz.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎08-16-2022

Double checked location of that feature and seemed to be working all good at my end. Only thing I could confirm was 30 days per change. Could be an intermittent problem or something eBay has intentionally done.

One has to be very careful with name recognition/updating on any selling platform. At times though there are very valid reasons for changing. Appears now user name search is exact match only. Same goes for store/seller searches.

Best of luck however you decide.

-Lotz

femmefan1946 · ‎08-16-2022

FWIW - I would avoid any overtly feminine IDs or avatars.
I've noticed that even on these Boards this avatar gets more arguments than posts using another, more masculine avatar. And Ena Sharples is certainly not some Hollywood bimbette.

Perhaps something using Winnipeg as a name?

11canadianchick · ‎08-16-2022

I've always thought your avatar was so cool. I'm sad to hear that you get more flack than a person using a masculine avatar. I hadn't noticed that. I just assumed you got more respect than anyone else on these Boards ... you're very knowledgeable and very helpful.

Winnipeg is a good alternative. I don't have a store so there's no way that I can announce the change, and informing repeat buyers through e-mail seems a little presumptuous. But I think I'll change it anyway. The total number of items sold is less and less each year so losing a half dozen or so from a former buyer won't make a huge difference And I'm simply not comfortable with "chick" anymore. Now I just have to find the link to change it. I don't know why it's missing on both my accounts.

Thanks femme.

pjcdn2005 · ‎08-16-2022

Did you try this link? https://reg.ebay.ca/reg/ChangeUserName

mrdutch1001 · ‎08-16-2022

been there done that regarding eBay user name change... had issues with user name change and eBay support is about as useless as can be when dealing with a well established account that apparently didn't have all the up-to-date security features set in place for which there needs to be a lot of verifcation processes. To make a long story short gave it up for lost cause...simply wasn't worth spending 2 hours on chat for 0 resolution...

Have been there and done that with FB Marketplace as well and initially had some success but definitely not worth it for many item categories, simply no eyes/no traffic/no interest whereas I still get that on eBay and my other 2 selling sites...

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎08-16-2022

@11canadianchick wrote:
I've always thought your avatar was so cool. I'm sad to hear that you get more flack than a person using a masculine avatar. I hadn't noticed that. I just assumed you got more respect than anyone else on these Boards ... you're very knowledgeable and very helpful.

Winnipeg is a good alternative. I don't have a store so there's no way that I can announce the change, and informing repeat buyers through e-mail seems a little presumptuous. But I think I'll change it anyway. The total number of items sold is less and less each year so losing a half dozen or so from a former buyer won't make a huge difference And I'm simply not comfortable with "chick" anymore. Now I just have to find the link to change it. I don't know why it's missing on both my accounts.

Thanks femme.

The biggest plus with a little name change is you keep your feedback and history. For sellers that wanted to get paid in US funds( if they previous sold in CAD) had to create a new account. Sadly a direct switchover is not an option they wanted to allow. A new account would cause delays for payments clearing and limited selling options. Not something I would look forward to.

-Lotz

11canadianchick · ‎08-16-2022

Thanks pj ... in all my links, I never saw that. I'm assuming that using that link doesn't clear your history .... it's not like a "new" user name hopefully.

11canadianchick · ‎08-16-2022

Thanks. I'm interested in hearing about people's experiences on FB Marketplace. Not a whole lot of positive comments so far.

mrdutch1001 · ‎08-16-2022

Have found FB Marketplace great for selling household items, workshop tools,some collectibles/antiques but otherwise it's a no go for any of the other categories for which I list on eBay and my other selling sites...

Have had very little luck with CDs, LP records,etc...as most folks seem to offer those at dirt cheap prices(garage sale prices) and I am not willing to do so as I can get better prices elsewhere....

and then there's the inquiries that basically say/imply "yes I want it but only if you'll deliver" , the "no shows/time wasters",etc.

11canadianchick · ‎08-16-2022

I was wondering about the "no shows". I can see myself getting dressed appropriately, making sure I have a little makeup on, etc. (because that's just the way I am ... lol) and then have no one show up. That would so tick me off.

marnotom! · ‎08-16-2022

@11canadianchick wrote:

The fees on eBay have become ridiculous and now they're even charging fees on taxes.

Are you taking into consideration that eBay fees now include payment processing, whereas just a couple of years ago payment processing fees (i.e. PayPal fees) were separate from fees on the sale?

11canadianchick · ‎08-16-2022

I think 12.9% is too high. And call me naive, but I did not know that fees could be charged on GST. To be honest, I never minded paying fees to PayPal because I valued their service so much more than eBay, for so many reasons, which I don't want to get into because that was not the subject of this thread and I don't want to start a whole new conversation.

marnotom! · ‎08-16-2022

@11canadianchick wrote:

I think 12.9% is too high. And call me naive, but I did not know that fees could be charged on GST. To be honest, I never minded paying fees to PayPal because I valued their service so much more than eBay, for so many reasons, which I don't want to get into because that was not the subject of this thread and I don't want to start a whole new conversation.

Okay, but all I'm asking is how your total fees compare between the two systems.

mrdutch1001 · ‎08-16-2022

I sell on 2 other selling sites and their fees are comparable to eBay so I do not consider eBay fees high...Most selling sites charge fees on the TOTAL transaction so that too is much the same across the selling sites where I list my items...

byto253 · ‎08-16-2022

Mastercared and Visa only dream of getting the kind of "processing fee" eBay gets. Yes, there is some of that in there but it is a small, small, small fraction. We shall disagree on this point forevermore!!

marnotom! · ‎08-17-2022

@byto253 wrote:

Mastercared and Visa only dream of getting the kind of "processing fee" eBay gets. Yes, there is some of that in there but it is a small, small, small fraction. We shall disagree on this point forevermore!!

I'm not sure what I'm disagreeing with.

pjcdn2005 · ‎08-18-2022

@11canadianchick wrote:
Thanks pj ... in all my links, I never saw that. I'm assuming that using that link doesn't clear your history .... it's not like a "new" user name hopefully.

It simply changes your name. Feedback, sales history etc stays the same.