Having some trouble

[global_shop_direct]

I've been an ebay seller for a while now. Since i returned from my hiatus back in 2013 I began experimenting selling new items specially chosen for quality and demand in respective niches. A particular item I found success with were my Anonymous/V for Vendetta masks. At a time I managed to sell 150 units over the course of a few months, with fantastic feedback from my customers. Yet as of late my business has seemed to die down. I recently invested in the purchase of a few new types of products, some of which have had some success and others having nothing

Much time and resources have been spent in desperation, attempting to overcome this issue, but no result has been yielded as of yet. If anyone out in the community has any similar issue, or any advice from looking at my listings I would so greatly appreciate it! 

Happy eBaying! 

[daydreams_12]

Read the forums and you will see numerous threads regarding slow often non existant sales.  Have you been around the b & M stores lately?  They are suffering badly also.  Alas it is a sign of the times.  What money people have many need to use for bills and essentials. JMO

[dazzledayz]

Times are indeed tough ATM.

Underemployment seems to be the main culprit with the ongoing casualisation of the workforce.

One small hiccup and a households accounts can swing from + to - in the blink of an eye.

The rate of mortgage defaults has been rising steadily month by month and that should be (is) sounding alarm bells within the financial  system.

The Australian economy is in a very delicte position ATM and there seems to be no solution in sight.

Slashing working hours is the accepted method of enhancing a businesses bottom line these days but they fail to realise that every hour cut represents a corresponding diminution of the available market volume.

[beakychew]

Demand changes quickly, especially with items like your masks that are related to a specific film, or event.

It's tricky to stay ahead of the game!

[digital*ghost]

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@buyitaus wrote:

Much time and resources have been spent in desperation, attempting to overcome this issue, but no result has been yielded as of yet. If anyone out in the community has any similar issue, or any advice from looking at my listings I would so greatly appreciate it! 

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It can be very difficult to maintain a consistent sales volume with only a few products, unless the demand for those products is consistent. The masks will probably experience small spikes in sales after certain events (eg movie on TV, Halloween, Anonymous does something), but as a general rule, it's the nature of novelty items to lose said novelty (I suspect an eBay novelty store would need to stay a few steps ahead of the game and carry a pretty wide range of products in order to maintain a consistent level of sales). 

This is just a personal opinion, but I tend to believe that branding is really important on a site like eBay, if you're planning to list / sell consistently, and especially with a smaller product range. I speak of 'branding' in fairly broad, general terms, though, so I'm not talking about establishing a brand name with exclusive product lines, as such, but the main things I personally think contribute to an overall seller brand (and therefore assist sales) are cohesive themes with products (this doesn't mean only selling masks or what have you, just that each product complements other items available in some way), product quality, and seller reputation (in terms of customer service); the latter of which will take the longest to establish but will be of the most long-term benefit.

With that in mind, I would suggest perhaps looking for a product, or product line, that isn't a one-off purchase for most people, or if it is, you can stock other things that many will need or buy to complement that item, so that you can start to build a customer base who will look out for your items and - hopefully - be back to purchase other, similar things. 

One thing about the Sega system - you may want to double-check the rules for pre-order listings, as they're actually fairly strict with regards to timelines (i.e. you have to be able to guarantee dispatch within 20 days of purchase). 

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/pre-sale.html