topic Re: Does having a store create more trust? in Selling

Does having a store create more trust?

katherine*lord — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 11:40:00 GMT

Hi everyone,

I spend most of my waking time on ebay, so I am trying to turn it to making some money by selling things. I am very new with selling. I am planning to sell a lot, like 100 cheap ($10-40) and 5 expensive ($300) items per week. I am thinking about opening an ebay store. I wonder if it is better with a store, in terms of saving money. Secondly, does having a store create more trust?

I appreciate your opinions.

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

auction_assassin — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 11:59:03 GMT

G'day, ok, so a big benefit of a store is being able to list items in multiple quantity and run them for 30 days or good till cancelled.

It only costs 20 cents for the buy now if you list for 1 day or 30 so i prefer the 30 day good till cancelled listings.

You get a lower final value fee = bonus.

Upload lots of pics to give buyers a good idea of item etc.

A good detailed description and layout makes your item look like you are professional.

Personal communication with the buyers after sale letting them know there item has been posted etc instead of auto item sent is a good way to build a customer base.

Alot of people wont reply, but some do and they appreciate the fact you spent the time to email them, this can help build a friendship and repeat business with them.

Building feedback and getting lots of good comments will help build trust with your buyers.

Post quickly after cleared payments and reply to any bad feedback you recieve in a professional manner as this reflects on you as a seller how you deal with your customers.

If you are going to open a store, i would make sure you have alot of photos of the items you are going to list and sizes etc worked out before you open it, so when you do you can just list them all promptly.

Rather than open a store and go, ah well better start taking photo's and slowly listing items now.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers!

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

*sparklz* — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 12:20:22 GMT

You need to work out if it is going to be worth paying the $50 a month for the store or are you better off to use the 30 free listings a month till you work out if it is worth opening a store.

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

lyndal1838 — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 13:09:54 GMT

Please do not have a preconceived idea of how much you are going to sell on ebay.

There are experienced sellers coming to the boards asking for ideas of how to increase their sales, as things are very slow at the moment.

As a new seller you will experience the same slow sales, as well as buyers being a bit reticent to trust a new seller.

I would suggest you stick with the free listings until you have built up a reasonable amount of feedback for the items you are selling.

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

syrupsmummy — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:02:56 GMT

You have no sale in last 2 weeks even though 17 items are listed as auctions.

Auction items are showing up as ending soonest in best match search. So they had shown up in the first page in search when the listings were ending.

If you have a store and list as BIN your items are not showing up as ending soonest. So if your item is in page 17 when you list them it can stay it can stay in page 17 forever.

However if you list multiple quantity items and start to sell your searching position will move forward. And store will benefit you once you start selling.

Store fee is $49.95 per month, insertion fee for BIN is 20c and FVF is 7%. If you list your items as auction $0.50 for less than $20 item, $1.50 for $20 to $99.99 item and $3 for $100 and more items. FVF is still 7% for auction items.

If you list 100 items per month as BIN with store it will cost you $69.95 per month with or without sales. If you like 400 items per months it will cost you $129.95 per month with or without sales. You need to think your sell through rate and think if you can still get benefit opening a store after you pay store fee, insertion fee and FVF.

Good luck 🙂

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

flashback_deals — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:35:26 GMT

It is wise to create a list of possible expenses. Different amount of sales at different prices so you can get a picture of what you need to do to make it work and be competitive at the same time

No point going full throttle and realise at the the end of the month that expenses are way higher than the income. You need to work with a strategy that works right for you

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

lakeland27 — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:38:05 GMT

be sure to include pictures of a well stocked warehouse and an eager dispatch clerk (with headset preferably). regardless of if you have one or not B-)

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

***super_nova*** — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:02:19 GMT

Not to mention that eBay puts listing limits on new sellers; you may not be able to list 100 items, not to mention 400 until you build up your FB

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

foxette-in-sox — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:10:26 GMT

I just looked at your motorcycle jackets & hope you wouldn't really be posting by via regular post?

Items of that value should be registered & insurred or click n send with signature.

You have also chosen COD which is an Australia Post service.Cash on pickup is listed as pay on pickup in the payment option drop down box.

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

foxette-in-sox — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:15:24 GMT

Just realised you also have expensive handbags listed so same as I said ^ applies re postage.

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

syrupsmummy — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:01:37 GMT

I don‘t think the leather jacket will fit in 3kg satchel. The best way to send it will be in Prepaid Parcel Post Plus5kg satchels ($15.90) with registered post ($3.20) if it fits in 5kg satchel (510mm x 435mm).

Registered post includes $100 cover. You can put extra covers for $1.50 per $100.

It will be just under $25 with extra $400 cover.

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

syrupsmummy — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:10:47 GMT

I missed the red motorcycle jacket. I thought the leather one was the motorcycle jacket. But I'm not sure if it fits in 3kg satchel or not. It looks bulky.

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

flashback_deals — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:13:28 GMT

Not to mention that eBay puts listing limits on new sellers; you may not be able to list 100 items, not to mention 400 until you build up your FB

I went through that for months and it was hard for me even when i was at 260 for my limit. Once that got raised twice since then, I find it much easier and sales have boomed. I have a selling structure that seems to be working well for me and I am still way off my limit.I am still small compared to most other fellow PowerSellers, but my signs look good

eBay will expect the OP to stick with the selling limit for a whole month before another selling limit increase will be considered

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

i-once-was-bump — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 01:17:45 GMT

Answering as a buyer, a store means nothing to me.

I want:

a seller with clear photos of the actual item for sale

a listing without any moving bits like butterflies flitting about or flashing pink sparkles as a border for the description or a scrolling gallery

the suburb shown clearly if the item is pick up only

all measurements clearly in cm or inches but not a combination of both

a good size and clear font without all caps in a variety of colours (using red, blue and green alternatively for each paragraph is trashy).

no more than 2 fonts per page

small paragraphs, (not the short history of the world in one paragraph).

use of the space bar between words

terms of sale summed up in one short sentnece

no blaming Paypal or ebay because you have to pay fees.

no lectures about what neg feedback means to a seller

photographs that are all upright and clear enough to see what it is for sale (don't photograph a dining table in a cluttered room and have stuff sitting on the table).

Is that enough or should I continue with my list of gripes!:^O

The above comments are in no way meant to be directed at any posters reading this thread, it is merely a list of listing dislikes but if anyone's listings should contain any of my pet dislikes then, now you know what I think of your listings.

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

i-once-was-bump — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 01:20:37 GMT

OOoops, I forgot a big dislike, if you are photographing a spinning wheel for sale please, please take a photo of the front of the wheel, it is beyond me as to why most sellers give lots of photos of the back of the wheel but none of the front.

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

***super_nova*** — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 03:45:39 GMT

To the original question: Does having a store create more trust?

Not for me. It is the DSR and number of good FBs as a seller that I trust.

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

katherine*lord — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 03:57:49 GMT

Hi everyone,

I am so happy and overwhelmed by the number of responses I received.

Thank you auction assassin, spark, lindal, syrupsmummy, flask back, lakeland, super nova, foxette, and i-once-was-bump for your advices and tips. Very valuable information.

Syrypsmummy: the motocycle jackets are between 7 to 10kg. I will have to send them away in box, and yes, by registered post.

Once a bump: a store is not relevant to trust in a buyer's view? As a buyer I would be quite hesitate to buy from a casual seller, items of values of $200+ but don't mind of items of smaller values. Thanks for your FB about the font coloring 🙂 I'll limit to black and purple only in the next listings.

It would have to pay too much for insertion fee if I list items in the Auction format. My monthly selling limit is 100, so $1.5 x 100 = $150. It looks like BIN is the way I should trial out first, costs only $20 + $50 = $70.

As a buyer, I can't resist buying additional item if I only pay postage once. So I am thinking about having something attractive, like Cue fashion, for people to stop by to take a look,and once they look at it, they will look at my other listings and buy more if I offer free postage for additional items... I don't know if this works. Can you experts please give me your opinions on this

I've been eBaying heavily, on and off for about 10 years, but only as a buyer (I eBay while breastfeeding my infant, while in bath, in morning, lunch, afternoon tea breaks at work...like crazy).

In my maternity a couple of months ago I came up with the idea of turning my addition to money. All of a sudden I ordered about 30K worth of things.I need to rid of them fast or my home will turn into a warehouse 😮

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

lyndal1838 — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:32:19 GMT

In my maternity a couple of months ago I came up with the idea of turning my addition to money. All of a sudden I ordered about 30K worth of things.I need to rid of them fast or my home will turn into a warehouse 😮

You spent that amount of money on stock without any previous selling experience?

I would say you house is already a warehouse.:O

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

bright.ton42 — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:43:44 GMT

I ordered about 30K worth of things

Am I reading this right? Is that $30,000 worth of things? Just

picking myself up off the floor. 😮

On another note regarding what I look for on a Selling site, post 13, Bump mirrors exactly what I look for, as well as pet

peeves that make me click off immediately.

Re: Does having a store create more trust?

i-once-was-bump — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:11:16 GMT

As a buyer I would be quite hesitate to buy from a casual seller

I don't consider everyone without a store as a casual seller, sure some are but there are some sellers out there who only list about 7 or 8 items a week but have been doing so for years and have good feedback as a seller.

Some sellers only have items in the shearing season so they have no need for a store but have along history of selling great fleeces.

So it is possible to have total trust in a seller even if they don't have a store.

However with $30,000 of stock I would open a store asap and start selling.