topic How is 2018? in Selling

How is 2018?

clubesquire — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 02:42:25 GMT

Hi all,

It's fairly quiet here since just before Xmas.

Is this the norm, of perhaps just a trend with our type of product at this particular time?

No concerns. Just still learning and understanding it all.

In any event, best wishes for a great year for you all.

Melina.

Re: How is 2018?

performance_parts_clearance_centre — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 03:09:06 GMT

Including the last week or so of December - and allowing for diminished sales due to the store being on "holiday mode" from Dec 21 to Jan 8 - I've already sold 30% more items than I did in December, and a couple more than in November.

Re: How is 2018?

the4masters2013 — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 03:46:22 GMT

Quiet, almost dead!
My 3 months prior to January weren't bad for me but this month seems to have shut down on me.
Maybe people spent too much over the Christmas period!!
Hope it all picks up for you, me and everyone else.

Re: How is 2018?

kopenhagen5 — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 04:23:21 GMT

Generally, we have always found retail to have the quietest period from 25th Dec to mid Jan.

(Just got hold of a nice Stanwell, very cheap. )

Re: How is 2018?

clubesquire — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 05:08:08 GMT

Good on you Kopes 🙂

It's a good brand.

We pick the odd well priced one up that requires little work. Especially some of the vintage pipes. Might look grotty, but some people aren't aware of their value in the historic sense.

Theres a bit of stigma surrounding Stanwell pipes. Not the easiest to sell. We've always wondered why? The boys have 100'years good experience and knowledge between them. They argue a lot about pipes, but both love the Stanwell. Even I can see the quality there, but??

Biggest and most modern pipe factory in the world now - very humble beginnings.

Anyway thanks heaps. As I said, no concerns, it's just unusually quiet, even with questions.

Melina.

Re: How is 2018?

jfmgray — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 05:44:16 GMT

Slow since about 20 December - sales are around 40% down over the last 30 days. Not sure if the commencement of Amazon is having an impact or it is just the post Christmas/Boxing day sales. But it is a lot slower for me compared to the same time last year. Still having steady sales just not the volume.

Re: How is 2018?

lyndal1838 — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 06:26:35 GMT

I doubt that you have much to worry about with Amazon.

I have yet to find anyone who is impressed with their products and most are decidedly unimpressed with their service....delivery times are abominable.

They have a very poor range of goods so far and it you compare their prices with other online retailers you will see that their prices leave a lot to be desired.

Re: How is 2018?

chameleon54 — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 11:22:09 GMT

Our newest store is down around 10% compared to 90 day average, but I have not been putting the time into this one.

Store number two, our established small store is up 48% compared to previous 31 days and up 50.6 % compared to twelve months ago . ( seller hub figures )

Our main store is up 43% compared to previous 31 days and up 69% compared to 12 months ago. The interesting thing is this store seems to have recieved a re-rating by ebay and has broken out, well above of its long term average sales trend.

This figure would have been helped by an interesting night I had last night. I discovered some gems in a box that I had never unpacked from a bulk stock purchase a couple of years ago. I contacted a potential buyer when I found the first one and he purchased the item the moment I listed it. I found a couple more an hour later and after some negotiation he purchased these as well. This all occured from 7 pm. - 10 pm. I then found a real rare treasure. I had to do a couple of hours research on it to ascertain history and value, but it turned out to be a real gem. I have a collector in Japan that would have loved this one, but I offered it to the guy who had purchased the other items that evening. By this time it was midnight and the guy ended up buying it at 12.30 am for a very good price. All up a busy night, but it paid very well.

That box was the mother load. It contained a number of other very good items I have listed today, with another of them selling very quickly, soon after listing. All up I have to say I'm pretty happy with 2018 so far.

Re: How is 2018?

digital*ghost — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 12:13:13 GMT

Fairly average here, which is good enough for me. I did have a really big weekend recently across all of my stores (1 here, 2 elsewhere), it was more hectic than some of the busier days leading up to Christmas, but things have slowed down a little since.

I don't mind so much, though, as it's giving me a bit more time to work on new stuff.

Re: How is 2018?

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 01:46:52 GMT

100% dead for me

Re: How is 2018?

go-tazz — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 02:03:51 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
100% dead for me

Same here across two accounts,(5 listings)

Re: How is 2018?

transport-posters — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 02:11:57 GMT

Sales are non-existent for me. Been this way since before Xmas.

I don't know why I keep trying to sell stuff on eBay, but the alternative sites are even worse.

Re: How is 2018?

clubesquire — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 03:34:09 GMT

Many are doing really well and that's fantastic.

I could be totally wrong here, but I did have a wee look about and it seems the more expensive items have slowed somewhat and ours are not $10 items.

I'm sure it's a seasonal thing with certain items, but not having been here for a Xmas before, i just wasn't sure.

best wishes to you all.

Melina.

Re: How is 2018?

clubesquire — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 05:25:15 GMT

You know TP, we've had a good close look at one that has just opened in Oz. It didn't take long for me to go very cold on it though. All sorts of reasons - a bit messy and subjective for here.

But, while ever eBay has the monopoly it has it will continue to be exactly the way it is now.

We sell elsewhere and thoroughly enjoy it. It's a real pleasure. Policy and culture is entirely different and I hope any future changes are for the better. The downside though, is that it's not as well known as eBay and traffic in comparison would be considered light - hence it can be some time between Cha-Chings!

I just know this. When we were selling here say 10-12 years ago, we thoroughly enjoyed it then. Sadly, not now. I always feel like I'm tippy toing about, like an unwanted guest in someone else's bathroom.

oh well!!

Melina.

Re: How is 2018?

drouin4 — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 05:45:03 GMT

100% dead here also with 600+ items spread over 4 accounts.

Nothing has sold in over a week.

I did sell a few things before and after xmas.

Re: How is 2018?

chameleon54 — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 09:03:38 GMT

@clubesquire wrote:
Many are doing really well and that's fantastic.

I could be totally wrong here, but I did have a wee look about and it seems the more expensive items have slowed somewhat and ours are not $10 items.

I'm sure it's a seasonal thing with certain items, but not having been here for a Xmas before, i just wasn't sure.

best wishes to you all.

Melina.

We sell items across a wide range of prices, starting at $6.95 and going into several hundred dollars. In our case it is the more expensive, rarer items that are selling well with one $250 item a couple of days ago, along with several at around $100 and another $125 item selling today, along with a few cheaper ones.

As mentioned before, we hold back and offer a range of specialist items in January that are targeted specifically at our business customers WHILE THEY ARE ON HOLIDAYS, working on their prize car or motorcycle projects in the home workshop. They buy from us now while on holidays and come back later for slightly different items targetting their business when they return to work.

Its a very effective strategy that not only carries us through the quiet January period, but builds our longer term business customer base.

Re: How is 2018?

chameleon54 — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 08:51:12 GMT

Thought this one was worth a photo. To be honest I have never had a figure like this before and I suspect some people think I make this stuff up. All up I havnt got any complaints about 2018 so far.

Re: How is 2018?

clubesquire — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 09:05:23 GMT

Oh, dream of something like, especially if we were turning big numbers to start with.

Congrats. It's nice to see people doing well 🙂

Melina.

Re: How is 2018?

chameleon54 — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 09:19:57 GMT

Thanks melina, that photo came from our smaller store tonight. This one still turns over a four figure sum each month, both 12 months ago and now so its not like I sold two things twelve months ago and four this month. It is a genuine increase.

Call me suspicous, but I do wonder if things on ebay are generally slow and so the company may have reduced the restrictions it places on some stores just to try to generate some sales. If this is the case the stores may be operating in more of a open market at the moment. The flip side of this is that if things improve on ebay next month, the sales could become more regulated again and I could be back to my " normal ' numbers.

Re: How is 2018?

davewil1964 — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 11:23:15 GMT

My store is up over 100% on 'this time last year' and has been for over a week. I think it peaked at around 139%. My sales have reduced to more normal levels this week, so I expect that figure to drop fairly quickly, fairly soon.

But, like you, the market is showing as >10% under. You could be right about sellers being away.