topic [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong? in Selling

[Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

borderlinetrade — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 00:21:22 GMT

Hi guys,

So I bought Terapeak subscribtion. Ran some data checks and saw that iphone x cases have around 60~70% sell through rate on ebay.com.au. Went a head and got 4 models off alibaba, 30 each. I tried to spread them acrorss the price range, from 4.5~9AUD. After I recievd the items, I made four listings and paid for crazy lister to make them look good and SEO friendly.

Views were very slow, so I opted in the promoted listing and of course upped my ebay sub to a basic store.

I had one campaign running at 4% above average but it's generating ZERO clicks!

I'm okay with no/low sales for now. I understand it takes time. But my highest viewed item has 23 views in two weeks!!!!

What am I doing wrong? This is the item https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/352435714670

Thanks in advance!

Re: [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

padi*0409 — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 00:34:14 GMT

You're trying to sell in a category that has over 800,000 listings many listed for $1.00 with free postage. There's your main problem.

https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2505460.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xiphone+x+case.TRS0&_nkw=iphone+x+case&_sacat=0

Secondly you're subscribing to a store when you are limited as a new seller in the amount of listings you can do. Most members here will tell you you need over 100 listings and a good sell-through rate for a store to be viable.

Re: [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

borderlinetrade — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 00:53:52 GMT

Well, then any advice on the criteria of my next item?

Re: [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

padi*0409 — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 00:59:40 GMT

In a nutshell, you need to find a niche where there is a demand but not an oversupply, some collectables will fall into that category but the hard part is finding that niche.

Probably best to start with selling items from around the house that you don't need to get a feel for selling on eBay - it's a minefield out there................

Good luck wiith your selling career.

Re: [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

borderlinetrade — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 01:12:39 GMT

Alirght.

Thanks for your time!

Re: [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

digital*ghost — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 02:39:44 GMT

@borderlinetrade wrote:
Well, then any advice on the criteria of my next item?

Be as unique as possible.

The basic product line doesn't have to be unique or niche, but there should be a drawcard of some kind - phone cases are not unique, but how many sellers offer custom or personalised cases? (There might be lots, I'm just using that as an example of how you can be different with a product that thousands of other sellers offer).

If lots of sellers have X product but it's what you want to sell, then be the only seller that has X product with Y (as long as Y is catering to a market demand).

Re: [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

lyndal1838 — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 02:42:36 GMT

I agree with Padi.

Close the store down as quickly as possible and just use your free listings until you have a good sell through rate.....and find something to sell that is not in a category that is saturated.

Re: [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

brerrabbit585 — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 14:02:12 GMT

And a product that isn't prone to scammers saying it didn't arrive. Not absolutely sure but I've heard enough to suggest that phone cases are susceptible to scammers.

Re: [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

countessalmirena — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 14:29:55 GMT

@borderlinetrade,

As everyone else has mentioned (by implication), it's not as easy as it looks. If it were simply a case of running some metrics and coming up with figures, then buying some bulk cheap items through Alibaba, everyone would be doing it.

The trend for success on eBay for smaller sellers has not been upward-rising. Even long-established good sellers have been finding things increasingly difficult, to the point that some simply sell elsewhere, give up, or become ballet dancers or janitors or something.

You're going to have to look at more data than sell-through rate. For cheap items such as unbranded iPhone cases, the major players on eBay are Chinese sellers. They not only have ridiculously low postage costs (because China to Australia shipping is subsidised to the enormous benefit of Chinese sellers and to the enormous detriment of Australian sellers), but they can also afford to sell at a lower price still than your prices.

It gets worse. Chinese sellers appear to be largely immune to punitive action by eBay for flouting eBay policy. Partly this is due to the way in which eBay in China is run according to different policies and actions and under a different societal and legal situation. As an Australian seller, you don't have the umbrella of protection that Chinese sellers have on eBay.

So... factor in information such as who is selling particular items, and at what price (including postage cost). Factor in information about what volume of sales are being reached and maintained by your competition, because high-volume sellers can absorb more defects and complaints and refund requests than you can. Not only that, but when a buyer sees that they'd have to return an item to China for a refund, this often stops the buyer in his/her tracks (irrespective of what the MBG states, because more buyers than one'd think actually have no idea about what sort of protection they do have in such cases). This contrasts strongly with buyers wanting a refund from an Australian seller - Australian return address, Australian eBay policy, etc.

Consider all of these things as well as the issue of finding a niche product (or niche specific within a wide range).

Re: [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

lyndal1838 — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 18:28:14 GMT

@brerrabbit585 wrote:
And a product that isn't prone to scammers saying it didn't arrive. Not absolutely sure but I've heard enough to suggest that phone cases are susceptible to scammers.

I think you will find that is the phones themselves that are a scammers paradise, rather than the cases.

Cheap items are hardly worth the effort to scam.

Re: [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

springyzone — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 21:26:45 GMT

I couldn't swear to this as fact, but I think you may have missed the boat when it comes to buying from alibaba and reselling here.

I remember looking at wedding bombonnieres there a few years back & thinking it might be viable to resell (as the same items were way dearer on ebay) but within a few months, I noticed the chinese sellers themselves had moved into ebay as well. I was glad I hadn't tried it.

It might work out if you are buying massive quantities but I think, myself, you might be better off to do as the others suggested and find a category that isn't swamped already and especially not with items from China.

If you have a craft or talent, then I think quality home made products sell, though perhaps ebay isn't the best place for that.

Apart from that, if you can find a source for something away from the $2 shop type merchandise, if i can put it that way, then you might be able to build up some steady sales.

From all i have read though (and it echoes my own experiences years back) selling on ebay isn't always easy, even if your product and ad is fine.

Re: [Advice wanted] What am I doing wrong?

brerrabbit585 — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 05:33:25 GMT

I've seen phone cases mentioned as well as phones, though it's been a while now. Some people think if it's a cheap item it won't hurt the seller as much so they have no qualms about claiming it didn't arrive.