Rewiring my brain post de minimis changes

[cottagewoman]

So today was 1st day of sourcing after the de minimis elimination for China. My stores are on vacay mode for the short term, but went to garage sales as I'm an everything seller and they are a primary sourcing opportunity, as well as estate sales, flea markets, thrift stores.

Had to keep in mind to check everything my wife and I picked up for CoO. 1st item passed up - Globetrotters board game, vintage from the 1980s. Sold it many times for good money - it was 5 bucks. But saw on the side panel: ' dice made in Taiwan, tokens made in Hong Kong, board and box printed in Canada'. Left it. Couldn't take the chance. 2nd items passed up - box lot of brand new Villeroy and Boch bowls with a solid sold comp of 25$USD each. All made in China. Was ready to pick up 10 for 50$ if the seller was agreeable. Left about 200$ pure profit.

We found other items that weren't Chinese made and had a great day - our first of the year. But my brain is having to be rewired, and fear as time goes on it'll just get worse the more de minimis is attacked.

[intimewithmusic]

  @cottagewoman 

   Thank you for sharing your journey. It's personal and an intimate reminder how much different eBay Canada is for us all. 

   Your recount of detail makes my head spin.  Widget after widget. Assessment after assessment.  I know the "chase" of the deal is a huge reason folks sell on eBay Canada.  I could never hope to be an expert in all those widgets in your share.  Dr. Lori must be at the top of your subscription list!  

   If I can add a different Trump Snake Oil from selling internationally my own experience is this: 

  During my 12 years I've never sourced anything. Instead I "shed" aquisitions  accumulated from 40 years in the music industry.  I do it for fun and  the love afair music creates between myself and my buyers.  (It's in the feedback). 

•    No matter what you sell (or resell) know who buys it and why. Hold those buyers close.  Communicate. Teach them how to follow you.  I have pre- form  instructions on how to create an Advanced Seller and/or Item Search they can add to their  MyeBay account.  Build your eBay Canada followers.

•   Be an expert (preferrably THE expert) on your niche. Sell similar items over and over to as many of the same global buyers as possible.  Sell affordable collectibles that are otherwise unavailable.  Keep track. Did you know eBay's 'repeat buyer" notice on your Order's List doesn't always work? It's history is deleted. Keep your own list. 

   One Regret

  Given the opportunity to souce something I passed. A close friend of mine's cousin is a trapper who had spent his life living in the back country near Mabel Lake BC.  I've never met him. Apparently he's  an amazing carver. My friend asked if I would be interested in selling some of the hand carved furniture and items his cousin made. IThe photos were amazing. High level craftsmanship. I passed on that offer because it wasn't in my niche. I had no handle on carvings [pun intended].  I regret that decision. It was a huge mistake.

   It was an opportunity to present Canada on eBay Canada. A year later my buddy passed away.  

  There is something to be said for you eBay "Dr. Lori s" out there who love the history of everything! 

  Thanks for sharing your Day 1 of zero de minimis.  Who knew the " Cottagewoman" was a couple.. 

You Dr. Loris OUt There Make My Brain Freeze 

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@cottagewoman wrote:
So today was 1st day of sourcing after the de minimis elimination for China. My stores are on vacay mode for the short term, but went to garage sales as I'm an everything seller and they are a primary sourcing opportunity, as well as estate sales, flea markets, thrift stores.

Had to keep in mind to check everything my wife and I picked up for CoO. 1st item passed up - Globetrotters board game, vintage from the 1980s. Sold it many times for good money - it was 5 bucks. But saw on the side panel: ' dice made in Taiwan, tokens made in Hong Kong, board and box printed in Canada'. Left it. Couldn't take the chance. 2nd items passed up - box lot of brand new Villeroy and Boch bowls with a solid sold comp of 25$USD each. All made in China. Was ready to pick up 10 for 50$ if the seller was agreeable. Left about 200$ pure profit.

We found other items that weren't Chinese made and had a great day - our first of the year. But my brain is having to be rewired, and fear as time goes on it'll just get worse the more de minimis is attacked.

---

@cottagewoman 

@intimewithmusic 

One possible solution for you if you do happen to find what you think might be a diamond in the rough treasure worth selling would be list it on ca and only sell to the Canadian market. Not perfect but still gets the item out there. Kinda sad we are being forced to choose WHERE we ship to but how it is until the various governments get their ducks....wherever they have been made....in a row.

From my own personal perspective a number of the things I find in my travels many are items to assist buyers bring an item back to life with the part I have. (From wall adapters to weird cables....almost always made in China...Just because no one makes here. I shouldn't be penalized for these kinds of attempts. Over the last several years I have gotten numerous messages from happy customers that I have made a this or that available to help solve there problem or replace something they had in their youth.  Those types of kind words always make a seller feel good and can rejuvenate a seller from what "can" bea grind at times!! So don't let Senior Whackadoodle change your motivation!!!! Whackadoodle be darned!!!

[sapphyres-designer-jewellery]

I just realized this afternoon I have half a dozen packages of Canada Post Stamps for the Lunar New Year, and more than half the stamps in each pack are Hong Kong or China... so even though Canada Post issued it in Canada, I'm sure US customs will say it's China made.

Took them off the dot com store, will list them on this store and make shipping available to everyone except the US, so I don't have any upset buyers complaining about the tariffs.

C.

[reallynicestamps]

list it on ca and only sell to the Canadian market.

Or sell Canada and Overseas, but not to the USA.

I've noticed that the number of overseas sales has increased during all this foofaraw about US tariffs.

Our overseas customers are getting their elbows up ! about buying American too, which leaves our market open.

We don't have the advantages of eBay International Shipping , which is a pretty good Seller Protection program, but that (and GSP) was instituted because Americans are a provincial and xenophobic bunch and were terrified to sell to furriners.

Shipping is still expensive, but as we have to keep reminding ourselves, shipping is paid by the buyer.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

list it on ca and only sell to the Canadian market.

Or sell Canada and Overseas, but not to the USA.

I've noticed that the number of overseas sales has increased during all this foofaraw about US tariffs.

Our overseas customers are getting their elbows up ! about buying American too, which leaves our market open.

We don't have the advantages of eBay International Shipping , which is a pretty good Seller Protection program, but that (and GSP) was instituted because Americans are a provincial and xenophobic bunch and were terrified to sell to furriners.

Shipping is still expensive, but as we have to keep reminding ourselves, shipping is paid by the buyer.

---

@reallynicestamps 

I have international still turned on for some listings. I used to regularly sell internationally. Now much more rare. Still in a bit of limbo until I can confirm Intl Tracked is actually working to the locations it is supposed to be. The difficulty of getting ANY followup as to when or if something will be or is fixed has become the second biggest challenge after dealing with this tariff doo doo. Pardon my language. 

There are other challenges involved with shipping internationally that are not as visible but are still things that can affect a sellers willingness to ship internationally. I personally have no problem shipping outside of N. America. Mostly eBay that has messed up the process. 

As a side note, where Intl tracked IS an option and item is light the rates are still decent. Anything super heavy shipping options are less or very expensive. 

[ricarmic]

I too have noticed a surge of buyers from European countries I still ship to (I blocked Germany, France etc because of the "pollution laws" stuff).

I would love very much to have the "power" to just turn off sales to the US, but my 2500 items on .COM throws a wrench in that, at least on eBay. At this time I'm putting off worrying about it and will see how things are down the road.

My store will be closed from June 1 till mid September for an extended summer "semi retired vacation" this year, and the June 1 may be bumped up sooner depending on how things fall out for the Postal Strike. Certainly by mid September one would expect some of the uncertainty to be resolved but one never knows anymore!!!

[byto253]

Similar ditto here, though I tend to stay away from glass and pottery, unless it is something obvious like Amish pattern Pyrex ware.  Luckily for me, the made in China stuff I found were items I would be marginally interested in and the best items were from other countries.  But I am checking as I hunt and take into account if it something that would be of interest to a Canadian.   Trailer Park Boys complete series was the easy no brainer of the day 😂 

If I find something small and made in China and of a good value, I may just get it and put it aside until we see where the dust settles.  My gut feeling though is that no matter what the de minimas for China is gone for good.

[sapphyres-designer-jewellery]

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@byto253 wrote:

If I find something small and made in China and of a good value, I may just get it and put it aside until we see where the dust settles.  My gut feeling though is that no matter what the de minimas for China is gone for good.

---

I'm kind of feeling that too, so I'm going to list my China/HK items on dot ca and turn off sales to the US on those items.

I still ship other items to the US.

C.

[cottagewoman]

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@intimewithmusic wrote:

  @cottagewoman 

   Thank you for sharing your journey. It's personal and an intimate reminder how much different eBay Canada is for us all. 

   Your recount of detail makes my head spin.  Widget after widget. Assessment after assessment.  I know the "chase" of the deal is a huge reason folks sell on eBay Canada.  I could never hope to be an expert in all those widgets in your share.

  There is something to be said for you eBay "Dr. Lori s" out there who love the history of everything! 

  Thanks for sharing your Day 1 of zero de minimis.  Who knew the " Cottagewoman" was a couple.. 

You Dr. Loris OUt There Make My Brain Freeze 

@intimewithmusic I so appreciate your response and sharing of your own experiences!  This totally made my evening last night - feeling supported in this community, it's a rare thing.  To all other who have been supportive as well, thanks a ton!

My wife and I started selling on eBay back in 2001, toys her parents kept in their basement from her childhood.  It was so exciting, and she inspired me to learn and care about the treasures and beauty in the world.  We've been 'picking' together ever since, and after a heart attack in 2016 I knew I had to make changes, so I thought to try reselling full time.  We are neither of us Dr. Lori's - but we had enough knowledge in different fields to get started reselling in a more serious manner.  Time, effort and the power of the EBAY COMP available in the pocket everywhere you go is amazing - and tuning your eye for quality and the unique and different.  That's how we treasure hunt and we love it so much, it's been 8 years and running!

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[cottagewoman]

I am most certainly making items available to the Canadian market, on .ca and working out how best to sell to it given all the hinderances we have in our way here.  I would love to have listed the board game to Canadians - it's a uniquely Canadian product BTW - but with dimensional shipping costs, it would be prohibitive for most people to pay for the shipping.  Board games aren't the size of a padded mailer with a brooch in it!

Will keep on trying and learning though - learning the same way in the Canadian online auction market, which is mostly local to us here in Montreal, but that is starting to get it's legs under it after a couple of months.  We'll keep pivoting as long as it takes, this is a passion and a living for us!

[intimewithmusic]

@lotzofuniquegoodies 

   I love to hear those stories of buyer resolutions from something you listed! Thank you for posting. I've seen your stuff and it's not surprising that your buyers find their Grails.

When my dad passed away in 2009 one of the things left behind in his garage was a Jennair counter top range new in box.  He purchased it in the 70s but due to our family's transience it never got installed.   We MADE him buy  when living in in Medicine Hat. 40 below ( think Rodeo Song). In winter he lit a normal charcoal briquet barbeque in our basement after installing a venting system made out of cardboard boxes.   Of course the house filled with smoke...who can deny?.... the man loved his barbeque....

I sold it to someone in Nova Sotia. From Kelowna... For those who would like to know the max size box Canada Post offers for Exp Shipping is large, near dishwasher size large. . Did you know you can double box a Jennair range and ship it cross country via Canada Post?  Gotta love those people! I can't tell you how much praise I got from the buyer.  A long letter. More than feedback. 

The whole event made me wonder if my dad faked his death moved to Nova Scotia but just couldn't part with that Jennair....

Thanks Lotz!

[intimewithmusic]

@reallynicestamps

You are very perceptive!!!   It didn't occur to me but you are right

"Our overseas customers are getting their elbows up ! about buying American too, which leaves our market open."

Yes.  I agree 110 %. When tariffs started I did this for the month of February. (Easy with Biz Policies) It clarified for me that 65 % of my customers are USA. I thought it was higher. 

I've since sold (without issue) to countries I've never sold to before like Hungary and Edmonton... 

Another old man story from a retired hitch hiker.....

In the 70s American hitchhiking backpackers in Europe weren't received well.  To counter that they displayed a Canadian flag in order to get a ride. This is something for a young eBay entrepreneur to think about. Travel deception products to offer to our US friends.... Possibly a Hudson's Bay branded wind breaker with a big Canadian flag on the front? ....  

[reallynicestamps]

Took a quick look and 1/3 of my sales this past week went overseas (four accounts /different sites). Same for domestic.

USA has normally been 80-90% of sales.

[intimewithmusic]

@lotzofuniquegoodies 

  Absolutely. 

"There are other challenges involved with shipping internationally that are not as visible but are still things that can affect a sellers willingness to ship internationally."

 Music is so much international I prefer selling to all of the countries on the planet. Why should someone in any country who loves music be blocked from access to music or music memorabilia? Unfortunatlely I have blocked many countries and that is not good. 

For eBay Canada Forum Readers beginning to sell globally;

 Every country has restrictions. Learning them is interesting and easy.  For example selling bladed products to the USA is fine providing they fit theUSA import rules. You can't sell them to the UK.  This is part of the challenges.  Selling on eBay has nothing to do with tariffs but you do need to know the restrictions of every country you ship an item to. 

[intimewithmusic]

I hope during your well deserved time away you will check the forum and offer your experience.  

When you return who knows?...maybe shifting your listings eBay Canada will be a better fitting shoe. 

When I began music memorabilia in Vancouver I was very torn whether I should list on dot com or dot ca. 15 years later I don't see that I had any lack of exposure listings on eBay Canada.

If the shoe fits...  

InTimeWithMusic

[intimewithmusic]

@cottagewoman 

  Thank you for your response. Your heartfelt post struck a chord. It reminded me this is a community where we share and not simply rant or rave.   It's not often , on eBay Canada, we hear a personal recount of  sourcing an item  worth selling in order to accomodate current trade issues. 

   My own niche is very isolated but being around folks like yourselves I sometimes venture into a thrift shop to see if I've learned anything.  Enter "Dr. Lori"... The answer is no. I recently purchased a LN Revereware 1 Qt pot for $2. I know it's worth $25 on eBay but my passion is cooking which is why it's on my stove at all times.  Thank God my niche is music.  

  The double gift I read into your message is that you and your wife share the hunt.  That 's your other gift.  How many of us have a reselling ally? That's something to respect.

 IT