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 Replies: 11 / Views: 2,621 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1192 Posts |
I have been selling for a few months at ebay and I'm looking to expand. I was wondering if paying for a small store a good move or not and what your guys experiences with it is. As of today I have sold over 55 items I believe. My average sale is $10-20+. The problem I'm facing is that I have a big back log of stuff. I tend to be the liquidator for my large family and everyone gives me free stuff they don't want. I finially got to post stuff due to the two free listing events they had this month. I been having like 10-20 items at a time but I have increased to over 100 fixed items and soon to be 30 auctions ending next week. I know I can't afford the fees to keep doing that next month just from a listing fee point of view. My first time item sale rate is dismal but most of the items were free to me or I paid salvage prices for them and make 10x my investment. Sometimes I have to list it in a few auctions before I sell the item. It helps that all my shipping materials are recycled and free to me besides tape. Does it make sense to start a store to save money on listing? I was planning on just renewals monthly to see how it goes. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
623 Posts |
@Bertensgrad , very good question . I look forward to the answers you get in this thread as I am interested in opening a store as well . ebay makes a killing off of the fees. I was thinking of doing a store for 1 month just to see how much of a difference this would make . |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1949 Posts |
With ebay, trial and error is how you learn I would suggest you try it for a month and see if it works financially |
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5395 Posts |
Like any business ,you must have a financial plan and backing both. In other words you must be able to run a business. An ebay business is exactly the same as a bricks and mortar with a few twists. Having been in the coin business for well over 40 years and on ebay for the last 16 let's say this, it sure is a tough way to make an easy living. Good luck to you but it sounds like you are flying without radar and have not really thought this through. If you say you cannot afford the ebay fees then you really should rethink running an ebay business. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1192 Posts |
It's not that I can't afford the fees it just looks like it's lower in the basic store. A basic store would cover my basic listing needs and be $20 a month rather then the $50 a month I would had paid this month in listing fees. I guess I'm just not trusting and looking for the catch. I'm finding I'm trying too hard to stick to the 40 free listings and I end up underselling myself. Even just using the free basic ones I'm making around $400 a month. There just so much out of date advice out there on ebay stores online. Are the listings in a store treated the same as normal auctions and 30 day sales? It's a hobby for me and I have never sold one coin through there profit margins are just not there. ebay supports my coin habit a little and then goes directly to savings. For more info I sell mostly just what I find picking and things given to me. Antiques, vintage toys and gently used to new toys. Edited by Bertensgrad
08/26/2015 2:23 pm
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Rest in Peace
United States
2668 Posts |
You are walking into a swamp where the rules can suddenly change, even if you know them. There's no harm in trying, except for the frustration, but explore other venues available for internet sales.
Good luck!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1911 Posts |
I opened a store on ebay when there was a promo for half off on a store for the first 3 months. Also in those months the Coin and Chronicles sets were coming out so I wanted to save some on the fees. Now it is 9.99 a month plus 6% instead of the 10%. I think if you have a lot to sell in a month then go for the monthly store. It would be easy to figure out which option is cheaper if you know all you are selling and their approx. prices. Good luck! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7621 Posts |
If you open a store start off by opting for a month-to-month basic subscription to get your feet wet.
Read all the fine print.
Stay alert to changes.
Good luck.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1192 Posts |
I'm might try it for a few months. I just know I have access to a lot of stuff and tend to be lucky. I started this business with $40 of lawn mowing money and just used profits to reinvest. It helps I have so many thrift stores within a mile of me and soon to be four outlet thrift store in my region where you pay by the pound.
Yesterday I got a sterling spoon that weighted over .69 ounces for .99 cents and didn't even have to sort through anything. My mom and significant other likes those types of places more then me. So it's like a game I play while shopping with them.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5854 Posts |
I would first calculate the FVF savings based on my expected monthly sales. If you haven't looked at it yet, here are the FVF for ebay stores. Then add in what the expected spending on insertion fees assuming that I won't be going over the free listings allotted by the store. If the sum of those two numbers is higher than the monthly subscription fee, I would open the store. That's how I would look at it. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1132 Posts |
Handy page D0ubl3. The calculator (linked on that page) is a great resource.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2077 Posts |
The FVF savings are nice, but there are other benefits to a store. One thing is that you can create discounts. You'd be surprised at how much better a $20 listing with a 25% discount does compared to a $15 listing.
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Replies: 11 / Views: 2,621 |
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Posted 08/26/2015 10:53 am
