GTC - Good Til Canceled - Advantages & Disadvantages

[skylarstuff]

I am thinking of trying the GTC option in my my Ebay store.  I have just over 5,000 items that I sell.  I have been trying to glean the advantages and disadvantages in doing so.  One big advantage that is forcing my hand is the new watermark rule for photographs.  I read on the USA site that if the listing is a GTC it will not be subject to the new rule that will be monitored via a new Ebay algorithm, unless the item is manually renewed or edited. Here are some the advantages & disadvantages of GTC as per my research.

The advantages of using GTC :

1) Never miss a re listing.

2) Multiple quantities, the system keeps track of your sales and reduced inventory. 

3) Better search results on Google as the item is always live and never ends until sold or sold out.

The disadvantages of using GTC :

1) Watchers never see an end to your listing, so there is no call to action to buy it (No Rush)

2) More control over re listing.  Each month you can easily make changes to the listings if needed

3) Less work when it comes to listing promotions, although stores are rarely invited

I must note that I am a Turbo Lister power user, meaning I know the tool inside out, and would be lost with out it.  I know there are a lot of users here who do not like this Ebay tool, but I see it as vital to my business.  Using the GTC, I will not be using Turbo Lister very much, unless I need to end all of the listings or do massive editing of all of my listings in one shot.

If anyone else has more to add to the above please do so, as I am now leaning towards the GTC option.

[pierrelebel]

In the "good old days" when I had an eBay store, I used GTC almost exclusively.

Since most of my listings offered multiple quantities, it was a no brainer.

Listing for 30 days and relisting would mean making adjustments to hundreds or thousands of listings every month.  It is too easy to make a mistake.  With GTC, you do not worry about it, the system takes care of it, adjusting the remaining quantity with every sale.

"so there is no call to action to buy it (No Rush)"

In my fourteen years selling at fixed price on eBay, I never really experienced that "rush" for fixed price items.  They sell when folks who want to buy them find them.  It may be different in other categories.

It is easy to check if it applies to you.  It will take less than an hour to find out.  Check the last one hundred fixed price listings sold.  When did they sell in relation to ending time.  If less than six sold on the last day, then the "rush" value is meaningless.  If twenty-five items (25%) sold on the last day, then you may want to seriously consider that value.

"Each month you can easily make changes to the listings if needed"

The same is true with GTC listings.  They can be revised at any time.

Now, some sellers have suggested that relisting an item will give it better placement in Best Match over a GTC listing renewing automatically. I have never been able to confirm the theory.  It may have some value for some and not for others.

[skylarstuff]

Thanks for your reply Pierre, I appreciate your comments. I have tested the rush theory and for me I do find I sell between 20 to 25 items when my listings end.  I also get more sales in the final 3 days.  I think that it has something to do with the buyers seeing a date as to when the listing is actually over or ends. Also I usually get 4 to 5 emails on certain items if its still for sale as the buyer now sees that the item has ended.  They usually ask when will it be re listed so they can purchase it.  Although in hindsight 20 to 25 items on 5,000 listings is probably too low to worry about.  I am curious to see what improvements I may enjoy in Google search as the item should always turn up as available and still for sale.

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

No.

GTC is far less work. You leave them be and work on what you want when you want. You are identifying individual listings for attention. Business does not work that way. I deal in inventory turnover.

My inventory turns over about 3.6 times a year. Some widgets sell in half a day, others take a year. I do not care which ones do. With a store and GTC, I price about 10-20% HIGHER than others. I can wait for the sale.

I am always adding fresh inventory. Ya never know when someone is seeing yer 2 yr old listing for the first time. To them, it is fresh that day.

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

I swear, Pierre and I are twins separated at birth. We say the same things at the same time, only, he always says it first.

[rose-dee]

I also get more sales in the final 3 days.  I think that it has something to do with the buyers seeing a date as to when the listing is actually over or ends. Also I usually get 4 to 5 emails on certain items if its still for sale as the buyer now sees that the item has ended.  They usually ask when will it be re listed so they can purchase it.

I've used GTC almost exclusively for a few years, and the advantages I've seen are:

a)  As noted by others, effortless relisting & inventory tracking;

b)  Buyers can "watch" your GTC items almost indefinitely, unlike fixed price listings which, once ended, if not quickly relisted, can disappear from buyers' lists.  I've found this brings back repeat buyers;

c)  The GTC listings do show "ending soon" times that buyers see (just before the 30-day listing period ends each time), so may actually work in a very similar way to generate a "rush".  For all the buyers know, these are effectively 30-day listings.

d)  As for the question of relisting giving better placement (and conversely, GTCs eventually dropping down), I haven't personally found this to be the case.  I have had items still show up in good ranking after weeks or even months of GTC listing.

e)  The listing promotions, as you say, are rare for stores, and will probably be rarer once the new free store listing policies begin, so this is probably not a serious disadvantage.

f)  Overall, listing fees for GTC are cheaper in the long run if you have a store, since (at least so far) they've been $0.20 regardless of the item value.

[skylarstuff]

 rose-dee wrote

"c)  The GTC listings do show "ending soon" times that buyers see (just before the 30-day listing period ends each time), so may actually work in a very similar way to generate a "rush".  For all the buyers know, these are effectively 30-day listings."

Thanks for that piece of information......As a buyer I thought I never saw an end date when looking at a GTC item for sale by other sellers.  But I must have been wrong in that assumption.