To those who have made ebay a full time income?

[van_werkhoven]

Last year, I had one account with about 300 items on it, uploading around 40 items per week.

Now, I have two accounts with over 1000 items between them, uploading around 80 items per week.

I've changed nothing else about what I do, except gotten even picker about what I spend my time listing now I know my market better, so the saleability of my items has INCREASED. 

And yet, I have about the same sales now as I did last year. Sales on my main account decreased, as the second account picked up, and they now sell about the same amount, about half each of what I used to get on one much smaller account. 

I know about the theories of invisible limits and everything else. and am quite sure that's what's happening to me. But I also see people on this forum who have made ebay their primary, or at least a significant, income somehow. Is there ANYTHING I can do to break through this wall? How did others get past it? I heard opening a second store doubled some peoples income, but it seems ebay is on to that since my main store sharply decreased in sales when the second opened. 

I don't do too badly, I sell about 20-30 items a week between the two accounts, at an average of $10 per item. But I thought doubling my listings per week might result in SOME increase in sales, some 'step up' in the unmentioned limits. something! And I want to branch into a different area, selling some craft items, but at this point I think if I upload craft items I will just see my second hand clothes decrease as the sales 'balance out' between the two. 

What sort of sales platform discourages sellers from branching into other areas, because it will decrease their original business!

This is so frustrating to me right now... my husband can no longer work full time, and I am disabled. Ebay has been a great supplement income, but I want to build it into something more. I have ideas, craft stuff, reselling retail stuff. I have time, and in any other platform doubling your time spent would have SOME impact on your income. But I can't break this $1000 a month cap I've been beating against all year, whether I upload 200 new items, or none at all (I've taken a three week break from uploading this month and seen almost no decrease), whether I spread across catagories or stick to one, one account or two, nothing works. It is SO obviously programmed this way (I mean, I have a handful of books for sale on one of the accounts that I just leave sitting there, I sell no books for 2 months, then sell three books in two days? you can't tell me that's a coincidence caused by a totally fair system)

[lane-ends]

The area you are selling in is flooded (same here).  B &M stores are getting more competitive, Buyers are now spreading their buying behaviors elsewhere, for many reasons.

The longer you are listing items for the sell through rate starts to drop and affects your best match ranking, which then affects views/watchers/sell through and so keeps your items at the bottom.

Do some test searches using best match..eg black dress black size 12 and see where yours appear in the ranking, that will show if it is your particular visibility or just general Ebay slow down.

Total items listed per total Ebay sales ratio is increasing so it takes more listings to achieve same sales.

[lane-ends]

When sales slow you need higher value items as you can't turn over enough low margin items to be viable as the effort becomes to great. The postage component also makes them less appealing when competing with mall stores, who run huge sales.

[chameleon54]

You have a private message. Top left of page.

[digital*ghost]

I have been in exactly the same position as you are now, with the exception of having two IDs for selling (I have listed stuff on this ID, but only the odd personal possession I didn't want or need anymore).

I sold clothing in the beginning, had the same kind of monthly sales as you, and wanted to branch out into other areas to increase income and so forth. I started with fashion accessories, went to jewellery, then craft supplies (now my store is exclusively jewellery and craft supplies).

I don't actually make a full-time income from eBay just yet, was getting very close but I'm currently experiencing a bit of a downturn so it might be a little while before I can say that I do - if I ever can (honestly, I'm not sure I ever will, but I certainly am aiming to make one from my business in its entirety very soon, which includes other selling venues). 

The main thing for me has been to never stop, no matter how bad things were (and I have had some painfully bad months), and to never let eBay define my business or my success, I wouldn't even really let them define my eBay store (and by that, I mean you don't have to rely on eBay bringing traffic to your door, if you have the time and energy for it, there are tons of ways to bring attention to items for sale, whether you have an eBay store, own website, or what have you, including social media and blogging). 

Every time I've asked myself if I should take the risk of doing something, I always say yes and go ahead, if it doesn't work, then I keep going until the 'yes' becomes worthwhile.  And that may seem an "easy to say" kind of thing, but that's 'cos it is - it took me 3 years to go from failing store to relatively thriving store and thinking I could make a living from my business, but that's how I did it - slowly, patiently, and forging ahead in spite of doubts and hurdles (eg when I first branched out into craft supplies, I purchased / listed a total of three items. No one looked at them much less bought them, but I just kept going, very slowly but surely, until I had an inventory that people responded to, which is a lot easier to do when you can include re-stockable items like craft supplies). 

I'm sorry there isn't much - if any - practical advice there, and I don't really mean it as a "if I can do it, so can you!" kind of pep talk either, but if you have more to list and your monthly turnover won't change anyway, you probably have little to lose if you list them, and maybe it won't make much of a difference or pay off immeiately, but you'll at least start to get a better idea of what will pay off. 

[jessicadazzler97]

A 'full time income' means different things to different people. I'm absolutely chuffed that I make, on average, $250 a month from my humble little corner of eBay. BUT most of what I sell isn't mine, because I sell on behalf of friends and family. So although I'm chuffed I make a quarter of your income, only $100 or so each month is mine.

As a stay-at-home daughter who doesn't have a day job, eBay gives me enough money to buy clothes & pay vets bills for my dogs! I don't have any 'essential' expenses (board & lodge, petrol, food) thanks to my parents. Obviously I'd never survive if I had those expenses too, and you wouldn't survive on my income.

I guess I'm trying to show you that 'full time income' means different things to different people. I know to most people it means being able to give up the day job, but just thought I would offer my perspective 🙂

You're not doing too badly by most other eBay sellers standards - $1000 every month is pretty good considering 99% of everyone else is beating their head up against a wall too. But I totally understand where you're coming from and thanks for making this post, it's really interesting 🙂

[ourphonecase]

Always diverse your options and never rely purely in ebay as your only source of income. I use my own website, Amazon etc... to sustain myself and and it all adds up. Even in bad days, it still makes a decent income.

What happens if one day ebay shuts down for a month? You are screwed then so it's better not to solely rely your life on a single entity.

[lane-ends]

The main thing to keep in mind is that it only takes small changes in Ebay policies for a steady income stream to dry up or at least stumble until you can modify it. So don't over commit on the money coming in. Hence it is best as a second or top up income.

Ebay is no doubt at a critical point in its development. Things will change, it may survive, it may not, and if it does it could change rapidly as a platform. Nothing stays the same forever and Ebay has stayed pretty much the same for quite a while.

No one has a crystal ball, so there is a lot of second guessing. if Ebay does go down then all the fiddling in the world with our listings is no more than changing cabins on the Titanic.. But only hindsight can tell for sure if you actually are on the Titanic. paranoia can make you stressed, and you dont do this for the stress..

Dont sell what is readily available otherwise you will put lots of effort in to sell for bottom dollar, and that margin will be eaten up by all the items that simply don't sell. Never compete with what can be bought new in store today, last years styles will sell better and new doesn't neccessarily sell for better than second hand when you are talking fairly unique items. 

Positioning in very general best match searches is essential for clothing. Buyers dont search with the high level of specifics as they would when searches say for spare parts or particulatr appliances. They get bored after first few pages and buy what grabs their eye.

Cull your lemons, The best will be picked out quick. The majority of your profit will come from a minority of your items