frustrated about auction listing limits

[margiemoo]

Hi. Is anyone else frustrated about being only able to sell 40 auctions per month? I am happy to open a store if I can sell by auction but not at $1.50 per item!! Does anyone out there have a suggestion? I sell mostly second hand clothes and fixed price is a disaster for me in the past - I have opened and closed stores 3 times already.

thanks!

[digital*ghost]

Technically, you can list as many auctions as you want (unless subject to selling limits - on this account I am able to list a maximum of 150 items or $11,300 worth per month), it's just that only the first 40 are free.

If you find paying for listings (be it in excess of 40 free or via a store) to not be viable but do want to list more, your only other option is to use more than one ID, as each individual ID can use up to 40 free listings per month; just keep in mind that new IDs will be subject to listing limits, which starts from as low as 10 items per month, but can be raised (usually to 100) by putting a verified credit/debit card on file or linking a verfied PayPal account, and you can request higher limits after establishing a good record. 

[clarry100]

Hi

We rarely use Auction Listings unless eBay hand out freebies. The $1.50 fee is too high for us to recover given that maybe about 25% end in a sale.

And of that 25% we have a high degree of non-payers, mostly with FB score less than 5. And eBay don't refund the listing fee on closure of a UID. Just any FVF.

Occasionally we will put up a popular auction item to use as a bit of advertising. Just so that as it bubbles to the top of the search rankings as it nears the end buyers can launch into our store from that listing. In these cases we are prepared to call the $1.50 an advertising fee. If it happens to sell it is a bonus.

It's crazy that they charge this high listing fee becasue if it was 50-cents like it used to be then we would list more this way and from the sales ebay would take more FVF So they are losing money in my opinion.

[imastawka]

I'm confused.  Does it depend on category?

I have a store, 200 listings per month,  I break it down into weeks.

I list 40 auctions per week, then at the end of the month I list the

ones that didn't sell as BIN.  If I want to go over 200 then it costs

$1.50 per listing.

I am in paper collectables

[digital*ghost]

---

@imastawka wrote:

 Does it depend on category?

---

Yes - auctions are only included as part of the free listings with a store if they are in the collectible category. All other auctions are $1.50 (or $3.00 for $100 or more). 

[imastawka]

Thanks for that.  I did not know.

Living in my own little bubble I expect,  lol

[supagiftau]

Sadly, my business has been completely destroyed by this.

I'm a small importer mainly focus on dresses and other fashion items, also some small gifts.

90% of my sales came from auctions, cause I don't see any good way to make my BIN listings stand out.

Now, with $1.5 listing fee, auction is dead.

My sales have dropped 80% since that day, no joke.

Then I tried to promote BIN listings, nothing seems to work, my items can hardly be seen in best match.

I will most likely close my store in the next few months, no point keep doing this anymore.

Hope you guys have better luck.

[zenremix777]

Your listings look really professional. Great photos and good description. I just checked your Completed Listings and you're selling a lot, so good work. Maybe use one or two items to bring people into your store, if you decide to open one. Alot of people generate sales from people checking out their other items, so that might be something you could do too. Or offer discounts as an incentive to check them out and buy your fixed-price items.

[zelly888]

Wow your auction prices are around one third of your BIN prices do you ever sell close to what your BIN prices are?

[phorum_junkie*]

Why pay for auctions if you want to sell more than 40, just use another id.

I have one for store items with 200 included listings, I list at auction with another id up to 40 and a 3rd id I sell as BIN with Best Offer but could use for auctions if I wanted.