Is Opening An Ebay Store Worth While?

And learn ALL ....again.....ALL of the caveats of being an ebay seller entails.

Beside the cost...there is a considerable TIME factor involved as well.

I did the basic store for a while, then decided that I was going to add stamps as well. So, I opened the annual subscription account. The fees are approximately 20% or less (I'm usually around 15% to 18% - perhaps selling higher or lower items will change as I saw kuh_85's average) for the month plus I can never list as many listings that are free for the month, so I don't have to worry about the basic listing fees. Once your dashboard reaches powerseller, you will receive 20% off extra fees as well. The qualifications have changed, so you don't have to a "big" seller to reap the benefits. Opening the store was a great decision, I am happy at how it is working out. I auctioned on ebay for about 12 years and had a store on BidStart. BidStart is cheap, cheap...but...your items may sit for years. If you think you can list enough every month on e-Bay, I would recommend it. The only drawback to opening a basic store and then upgrading is that there will be a month higher fees because of the billing pro-ration. Each invoice that you receive will show you what your percentage of fees are according to your value sold.

for you gidjt, it might be worth it... I don't really know much about the benefits in which opening a store would give you. I guess just more advanced selling features. it might cost a lot more. yes supply is a big thing, we already know you can take great selling pictures, and we already know that you know what you are selling. Make sure you do not get committed for a year deal, like a cell phone right? Um, the other advice that I can give you is that you may or not be retired so make sure it does not eat up all of your time.

Remember, ebay is going to make money off of you either way, so understand that they do it for money and not for friends.

Jack, did we even have electricity back then?

Another question to ask yourself: do you have a local place other than ebay where you can seel your coins at a lower fee or at no fee? Do you have a local dealer who buys coins from you?

Here's my experience prior to opening my store last nov. I was lucky to sell $100 monthly. Last nov. I opened a basic store my sales climbed to $1000-$2000 gross monthly. I got all kinds of free listings promos and they kept increasing the amount I was allowed to list. I topped out at 450 listings with a value of $35k. This fall I ran into bad luck with returns and refunds. Now under the new defect policy I'm limited to 30 listings at $3500.
I ended up with below average status, even though I have 100% feedback and no neutrals. I'm unsure how to turn my sinking ship around!! Nov I only sold 5 items and one was for a friend. It sold at $1150, so he was stoked.

It seems a store gives more credibility and you get 150 listings for basic. They also include fix price which works wonders for me coupled with offer. I suck when it comes to auctions. So also consider if Bin will work for you. You can also run sales. I used to do a 10% off sale every other weekend. The reports are great tools. So if your selling at minimum $300 monthly try it. Do go on to month by month, so you can close for any reason.

I agree with the gist of the statement that buy it nows are the way to go with certain exceptions- On fairly obscure stuff, you can do great if you get two people who both want the same item... On the other hand, if only one person wants it, you are going to be a bit disappointed... The way I look at the auctions I do, I'm happy if I get back what I paid after fees... It ends up being more of a way to get some money flowing in as an auxiliary to the normal buy it nows...