eBay

pierrelebel · ‎05-10-2014

This message is for sellers reading Seller Central.

Why do buyers buy on eBay?

When listing an item for sale, every seller should ask that question: Is there at least one buyer viewing listings on eBay who may be interested in my listing?"

We know some potential buyers are looking for exclusive items they cannot easily find where they live.

Some are looking for bargains.

Some are willing to pay a bit more for convenience of home delivery, etc...

However, sometimes I really wonder.

Today I am looking for a book (Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty; hardcover 700 pages, 2.5 lbs). I could drive to the mall, check the bookstore and buy it for $45 or so

Alternatively I could shop eBay and buy it from a Canadian seller for $52 or so

Or I could get it from an American seller for $50 or so (cheapest - ranges all the way to over $70)

Or I could simply shop at Chapters/Indigo online and get it for less than $30 (all included).. Amazon has a similar low price (all included) but is currently out-of-stock.

Back to the original question: Why buy on eBay?

brandeentertainment · ‎05-10-2014

I would say in the next couple years ebay may have to answer that question...

I buy off ebay only the items I can not find cheaper elsewhere other then that I buy direct from companies like futureshop or amazon or the brick etc...

I buy maybe a couple $100 a year on ebay ..

most item I buy can be found in the US on other sites but they won't ship to Canada so I have to get it on here ... which is what i had to do for Stove parts for my Gen air stove and for my kids decorations for her room..

I by from china and the US about 10 times a year and then maybe from Canada 1 or 2 times a year...

I am very excited to be on my way out the door of being bigger which was my original goal .. I will with in a year be an exclusives and collectibles store with may 200 items at any given time ..

I have been pounding the pavement for sometimes pennies on the dollar and i am not doing that anymore as I have kids to play with instead of $$ to make ...

My next purchase is gonna be because i have being looking at Nan's jams for over a year and have to try them ... They look so yummy

mr.elmwood · ‎05-10-2014

Speakin-o-Nan, how far is it from Prince Albert to Dauphin?

.
.
.

brandeentertainment · ‎05-10-2014

about 600 km .. Are you going to pick the jam up for us or what ?

mr.elmwood · ‎05-10-2014

Buckets and buckets.

.
.
.

brandeentertainment · ‎05-10-2014

Seriously though .. Homemade strawberry ruhbarb my god ... I am ordering 6 jars next week I am excited enough for my wife to have taken note and ask me about it ... 6 different kinds to figure out which 1 or 2 to stock pile ..

rose-dee · ‎05-10-2014

@pierrelebel wrote:

We know some potential buyers are looking for exclusive items they cannot easily find where they live.

My own answer to "why buy on eBay" is similar to the above. In my particular case, it was because I wanted to launch a line of sewing patterns that wouldn't be available anywhere else (including in retail stores -- at least not yet).

I realize this isn't the case for sellers who are offering items that can be found elsewhere, or in retail stores, but it's probably true of most sellers who carry OOAK or collectible items. Still, I think the market for such items is gravitating to other places, and eBay hasn't helped to prevent that.

The only reason I stay on eBay rather than taking my "boutique" enterprise to another site is because I still believe eBay has the greatest exposure of the various sites that are available to independent online sellers.

However, I fear this may not be true for long, at least not for the typeof buyer that would be interested in what I sell. EBay is now so focused on new, brand-name department-store type items, and especially glitzy but cheap fashion and novelty tech, that I am concerned my sort of buyers will migrate elsewhere. As I myself may have to do at some point.

As you say, what's the point of buying something at a higher price, with higher shipping, when you can go out to a local mall? The answer may be that eBay is counting on the new generation, the under-25's, to be reluctant to go anywhere if they can shop from their hand-held devices. EBay doesn't have the same direct control over prices or across-the-board shipping costs that a retailer such as, for example, Chapters may have, but what they do have is wide variety. The only problem is that I believe by practically making tracked shipping a necessity in order for sellers to comply with new rules, eBay is discouraging the kind of open, interesting, world-wide market they used to encourage. This may come back to bite them.

And yes, I guess we've all noticed Nan's jams -- I've got them on my watch list too!

mr.elmwood · ‎05-10-2014

Stockpile why? She has been doing this for years. Nan used to be famous, well, she still is. Known all over North America as the lady that sold jam on eBay and paid off the farm. She even had her own little blurb on some main page, oh, 10-11 years ago stating all this.

.
.
.

mr.elmwood · ‎05-10-2014

@pierrelebel wrote:
This message is for sellers reading Seller Central.

Why do buyers buy on eBay?

When listing an item for sale, every seller should ask that question: Is there at least one buyer viewing listings on eBay who may be interested in my listing?"

We know some potential buyers are looking for exclusive items they cannot easily find where they live.
Some are looking for bargains.
Some are willing to pay a bit more for convenience of home delivery, etc...

However, sometimes I really wonder.

Today I am looking for a book (Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty; hardcover 700 pages, 2.5 lbs). I could drive to the mall, check the bookstore and buy it for $45 or so

Alternatively I could shop eBay and buy it from a Canadian seller for $52 or so

Or I could get it from an American seller for $50 or so (cheapest - ranges all the way to over $70)

Or I could simply shop at Chapters/Indigo online and get it for less than $30 (all included).. Amazon has a similar low price (all included) but is currently out-of-stock.

Back to the original question: Why buy on eBay?

Back to the original question.

I do not buy on eBay. The only times I do is when I can find something I cannot otherwise find, or I can get a price that can't be beat and I do not mind waiting.

Garden variety stuff is available everywhere. Many sellers will sell at a loss because to them it is a hobby. I would say that MOST sellers lose money. Ordinary stuff I can find at a store. Things I really need are too big and heavy to mail, or, I need it "Not now, right now".

Too much of what is being sold is going for retail then plus S&H. Then there is the seller's TOS of no returns will a litany of rules they want me to follow, to make sure they are protected, and that I have no rights. Really? I will buy from a B&M retailer at more money and get real customer service from a real clerk. I will be treated with "The customer is always right" as opposed to the eBay seller's motto of "The customer is always wrong".

The above is what eBay is trying to change and sellers just do not get it. There are far too many garage sellers here who just do not care.

.
.
.

rose-dee · ‎05-10-2014

I do buy on eBay, for three main reasons:

1) To get any sort of decent selection of merchandise, for me means a 1-1/2 drive. To get a really wide selection (in Halifax) about 2-1/4 hours. With gasoline at around $1.50/litre, I have to factor the cost of getting to and from the stores, and whether the item value is worth it. So for me, paying up to $25 for shipping (or for increased cost) is often worth it.

2) To get items that would be very difficult to find in a store, or without a wide search by car. For example, I recently needed a particular type of trim, in a particular colour, to finish off a custom garment. I may have paid $10-15 more than would be the case if I'd been able to find it in a store, but I may have wasted at least that much shopping around by car until I found just the right thing.

3) To get, in many instances, a better price than I could possibly get in a B&M store (unless perhaps I were willing to drive to New York City and roam around searching). For example, I can often get a wide selection of fabrics I need for anywhere from 50% to 70% less than retail store prices, even with the shipping costs.

I'm hoping that these reasons also apply to a lot of eBay buyers. I would think that for many buyers, #2 and #3 still apply in many categories.

comrade*raptor · ‎05-10-2014

The short answer to this is I don't.

Or, more accurately, I can't. Ever since this wooly-headed global shipping nonsense started, I'm simply priced out. Everything I look at is $30 shipping plus $X for no logical reason (I know how much taxes and such on my end are, and those amounts bear no relation to reality).

This essentially makes even the simplest purchase at least a $30 affair before the price of the item even comes into it. And, half the time, those things are priced outrageously to start with.

To put this into perspective: before the dark times began in 2008 I could buy an average item of my interests for about $10-$20, with maybe $12 on top. Now the same item is not to be found for less than $50 starting price (and it might be a while to get that low, many are triple digits) plus $30 priority only, plus this nonsense fee. So $22-$32 is now $90-$100 if I'm lucky, or top end is $130-$230.

That's... rather a big difference. And demand and rarity has not changed as a factor in the meantime, because even the rare low starting price object sits for ages with no takers. I'd take it, but not with 80% or more of the price made up in ridiculous extra costs.

If this is eBay's idea of how to compete with the river, this place is definitely doomed. There is, literally, no good reason for me to shop here anymore. So I just don't. Weird Ebay Inflation drove me out.

I miss the old days when I didn't have any buyer protection and people sold junk from their attics. Those were good times.

rose-dee · ‎05-10-2014

@comrade*raptor wrote:

If this is eBay's idea of how to compete with the river, this place is definitely doomed. There is, literally, no good reason for me to shop here anymore. So I just don't. Weird Ebay Inflation drove me out.

I miss the old days when I didn't have any buyer protection and people sold junk from their attics. Those were good times.

Two comments:

- Try buying from Canadian sellers! We Cdn sellers love our home-grown buyers and we can offer reasonable shipping because GSP doesn't apply here. When you bring up a search, click on the "Canada only" box at the left. You might be surprised at how much variety is available from Cdn sellers.

- If you find something from a U.S. seller with GSP, try asking them to "opt out" of the GSP for that item. Not all of them can, or will, but it's worth asking. I've run into a few U.S. buyers who had absolutely no idea about the charges or terms I was looking at on my end, and were actually glad I contacted them. They removed the GSP, put the standard shipping back, and I was able to get the items for far, far less without those extra charges.

nan*55 · ‎05-10-2014

Gosh, thought I heard my ears ringing. lol

731km to Dauphin from here. 9 hr drive (a friend just came back from there)

I buy on ebay because it's convent ,1.5 hrs to the nearest city. And I can get my crafting supplies from china for much much less . I do the farmers market here and craft sales. Cheaper supplies = more profit.

Jams sales on here have not been so great, the cost to ship has gone up so much that people shy away when they the shipping cost.

Here is a link to what was. Due to health issues we no longer have the cattle, but still live on the home quarter.

http://pages.ebay.ca/theme/mystoryarchive/nan.html

pjcdn2005 · ‎05-11-2014

Perhaps at one time buyers purchased items on ebay because it was more of a personal experience than shopping on other sites. I know that some sellers here still do try to provide a personal touch but I think that it is much less common than it was when I started selling here.

ricarmic · ‎05-12-2014

I buy for two reasons:

1. Something specialized I need. Examples would be a wee spring in a fishing reel, replacement battery for the old beat up camera I use to take my pictures, toner cartridges for the old museum quality beat up HP LJIII that prints my receipts, or perhaps some jars of types of jam I've never tried before.

2. Something to resell. There are a couple things I source from eBay that I can manage my margins on. Normally it is very bulk quantity of something specific I need.

When I buy, I always try to find it in Canada first to avoid the problems with GSP.

Despite the fact that I make my full time living from eBay and other online sites, generally the idea to look online comes 2nd to me.... pretty ironic.

Interestingly my children (20ish range) think nothing of buying stuff online. They research, compare etc online and think nothing of buying that way. Too bad nobody their age collects stamps.... 😞

Who I don't buy from:

I always check feedback and specifically look to what the seller says/does about neutrals/negatives. If the seller reacts badly to them then I presume that I would be on my own if there are any problems and buying from that seller is only as a last resort if I cannot find anyone else.

I avoid low feedback sellers if possible, simply on the assumption they are more of a gamble as they haven't been here long or have much experience selling.