Has anyone transitioned from ebay to their own web site with great success? Help!

Hi all

 

I have dedicated the last year and 1/2 trying to turn my ebay store into a full time income.  I've gone from 700 items (swimwear) to literally over 5000 items and building but sales are going in the wrong direction.  I've tried some pretty incredable sales and I list really well known brands.  What is going on here?  I'm using social media like a fool and have everything listing on facebook, twitter, pinterest and instagram to try and drive traffic and it's the middle of summer and I'm lucky to sell anyting daily.  We can have a great day then nothing for days!  My prices are competitive and photos are good.  If you would like to give me some feedback please do.  My store is:
http://stores.ebay.com.au/Surf-Siren-Swimwear

For those who also have their own web site is that working for you and how well?

I'm a bit heartbroken about it all.  I've worked so hard.

Tess

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Has anyone transitioned from ebay to their own web site with great success? Help!


@surfsirenswim wrote:

Hi all

 

I have dedicated the last year and 1/2 trying to turn my ebay store into a full time income.  I've gone from 700 items (swimwear) to literally over 5000 items and building but sales are going in the wrong direction.  I've tried some pretty incredable sales and I list really well known brands.  What is going on here?  I'm using social media like a fool and have everything listing on facebook, twitter, pinterest and instagram to try and drive traffic and it's the middle of summer and I'm lucky to sell anyting daily.  We can have a great day then nothing for days!  My prices are competitive and photos are good.  If you would like to give me some feedback please do.  My store is:
http://stores.ebay.com.au/Surf-Siren-Swimwear

For those who also have their own web site is that working for you and how well?

I'm a bit heartbroken about it all.  I've worked so hard.

Tess


I have run websites for over 15 years on and off it is a totally different ball game to selling on Ebay. Why EBay is good for seller is you have a ready made audience, a household name and a ready made platform. Running a successful website s a lot more work you have a lot more competition and a lot more pitfalls. The upside you do have a lot more control less, artificial influences and no pressures outside of the market forces.

Personally I would recommend anyone considering running a website (without a lot of past experience) to put 80% of their effort into the Ebay side and 20% of the effort into the website side. There is a lot to learn and it can be very rewarding but for the majority it is just a lot of work for little to no return. I would say one thing if you do decide to go the website route go slowly and learn as much as you can yourself do not throw money at getting others to do it for you

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Has anyone transitioned from ebay to their own web site with great success? Help!

Just want to add to me (with little knowledge) your store looks like one I would of thought would be doing reasonably well if that was mine I would be scouring these forums and the many other EBay resource sites to try to find a formula to make your store work before even thinking of a website. I think the knowledge you need is here or around you just need to tap into it. I hope it works out for you

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Has anyone transitioned from ebay to their own web site with great success? Help!

Setting up and operating your own website is a lot of work. We did it all ourselves using BigCommerce.

We sell baby headbands and wearable accessories which is a very competitive marketplace.

We have been operating on ebay for near 4-years now.

We set up the website almost 12-months ago now. We also set up an Etsy store at the same time.

We have tried paid advertising on Facebook and Google with very limited success. Terrible ROI from that.

Whilst sales volumes on both venues have been increasing slowly over the time we have had them set up its not startling tho.

 

We are continuing to sell on ebay but are finding that sales levels on there are in gradual decline. Either people are slowing their spending habits due to the global financial situation or are finding elsewhere to go. We are unsure why this is.

 

By the way I like the professional presentation of your ebay store.

 

We will just keep plugging away at it tho as some sales are happening. But we won't be driving around in a Merc or Beamer any time soon.

We are now exploring other means of selling that is a bit different. Unsure how that will pan out.

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Has anyone transitioned from ebay to their own web site with great success? Help!

Just my personal opinion but there are some things about your listing that I looked at which would put me right off.

 

The word vintage in the title, unless something is over 30 years old I will not open an item that has that word in the title, if you said retro 50s then I probably would. I think it comes under the same category as listing something as LV look-a-like or similar which is completely against ebay rules.

 

Again in the title it would be good if you mentioned the range of sizes, somebody who is a size 20 id not going to look any further if the firat item they open only goes up to 18.

 

If I did open then I would get no further than the DSG (dreadful scrolling gallery) which sellers seem to like and buyers hate, if you must have one put it at the bottom.

 

A huger block of large text is daunting, I would use a smaller font and break it up into paragraphs.

 

It is pointless telling sellers they must pay within 3 days, ebay give them 8 and most buyers know that, alsoquoting ununforceable ebay rules like they are entering a legal contract is both off putting and useless, any negative connotation should be avoided and any you feel you must have should be enforceable, factual, brief and as positive sounding as possible.  I ask buyers to contact me if they are not paying within 4 days by Paypal so I can exempt them from the automatic unpaid item process, that lets them know I expect payment within 4 days but are helping them out by giving them that information.

 

Telling buyers they are responsible for all postage is just a waste of type unless you mean they are responsible for return postage for change of mind cancellations, if that is what you mean it should be in your refund policy.

 

All that sounds as if I was having a **bleep**fest lol but every now and then it is a good idea to look at your listings with a buyers eye.

 

Love the clothes though.

____________________________________________________
It says in this book I am reading that by 2065 80% of women will be overweight.

See what a trendsetter I am?
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Has anyone transitioned from ebay to their own web site with great success? Help!

Hi surf_siren,

just had a quick look at your store

Now, from the buyer's point of view (that's me) - I didn't really like it all that much.

Main reasons are the pictures, and then the content, and then lack of any notable brands

While pictures are nice and clear - there is just something about them that puts me off! Uniformity and boredom, I think, as well as a lack of detailed pics, labels, sizes etc.

Also, as much as I am probably one of the least fussy buyers (as it's mostly obvious by the content of my posts), and always respect seller's rights - I don't really want to be reminded of how I am responsible for postage.

How could I be? You as a seller have to charge enough and correctly to ensure that it can be tracked and arrive safely to someone who paid for that item.

Also, way toooooooooooooooooooooo much to read (most of it useless information) in your listing layout.

And finally, again, can't be sure -  but from what I can see - the only indipendent website stores that are even reasonably doing well are those who sell highly desirable designer items (and you sadly don't have any), with a description no longer that 3 lines, measurements and fabric/materials content. That makes it a heaven for shopping, and brands are all in constant demand and come up on Google searches - very important especially if you don't have a ready made clients to flock to your indi store without prompting.

This is where Ebay is much more useful to you - as the clients are already here!

Please don't mind my opinions, you have asked people to tell you what they think - and when it comes to clothing you are competing with millions of garments, stores, BM stores - and the really succsessful ones would blow your mind - in merchandise content and listing info and appearance.

 

 

 

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Has anyone transitioned from ebay to their own web site with great success? Help!

I clicked on the link you gave.....do woman really pay that much for a bikini?   Anyway, if your selling womens fashion (bikini's) why not show the full model?  There was a couple of models with their head chopped off, some dresses where you couldn't see the models knees.  I would have thought the thumbnail should be as appealing as the pixs inside the link....but without appealing accurate thumbnails a lot of woman may not click the link in, but click out instead!

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Has anyone transitioned from ebay to their own web site with great success? Help!

lack of any notable brands

 

You may not have heard of them but I have sold several Chic Star clothing items and have a couple listed at the moment. I have bought, worn and sold again second hand Sia clothing and I am certainly aware of some of the other US brands. I do agree with a lot of what you said about the listings as I said in my post.

____________________________________________________
It says in this book I am reading that by 2065 80% of women will be overweight.

See what a trendsetter I am?
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Has anyone transitioned from ebay to their own web site with great success? Help!

Hey Phorum

 

Thanks for having a look and the feedback.  I'm a little confused and looking for clarification on some of what you said.  I use the vintage on the Lady Vintage London listings as that is their name and the rockabilly girls search for key words like vintage and retro.  To the best of my knowledge vintage can describe a style as well as 'from the 50's' and I'm catering to those buyers with that line.  I find the limit of letter and numbers one can use in the title limiting but I'll try to get that size range in where I can.  I gree with the scrolling gallery.  It's from an old format ebay used to have and we are getting rid of it as we find it still on listings. 

If you could point out a listing that you looked at with the large block of text could you point it out to me pls?  Again it might still be from the older format. 

The legal contract thing is actually from ebay and while I get your point it has cut down on the amount of people who buy but don't pay.  Many sellers offer free postage or free returns which I don't so I'm just being clear about that as selling conditions are different in australia than say in the uk where the seller pays the postage.  Each of these things has been put there as ebay will ask me if it's in the listing if there is an issue.  I can cetainly change the font size and number of days for people to pay. 

Thanks for your feedback though.  It is appreciated.

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Has anyone transitioned from ebay to their own web site with great success? Help!

Hi fixnwear

 

Most of my items are Seafolly, 2Chillies and Lady V london so I'm a bit confused about your comment on notable brands.  Do you not know these brands? 

The postage info on buyers being responsible is because not every country has the buyer pay for returns and many sellers now offer free post which I don't do.  The reason for this is if I sell a dress for $90 and $10 post and you decide to return it, say if you don't like the fit,  you get $90 back.  If I sell it for $100 with free post and you return it for the same reason you get $100 back and I'm down the $10 for the postage.  While the big stores may be able to afford this I simply can't. 

I would appreciate a link to a listing that you think is really good if you have the time so I can see what your saying.

thanks heaps for the feedback.

Tess

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