Seller listing when no product in stock!!

[decoretrocollectables]

I find it very frustrating, I pay money for an item only to discover seller doesn't have product in stock & then have to wait 11 days to get same??

Sellers should not be able to list if they don't have item in stock..

It has happened twice with one particular seller, I think I will buy these elsewhere from now on!!

[*crikey*mate*]

but that's what most retailers do - put up the price according to demand and supply.

One of the main reasons a butcher can charge so much for an eye fillet is because it's a very small muscle, so when buying the whole beast in (or usually a side) they only have a small amount of that compared to the other joints and muscles.

When a butcher buys in the side of a carcass, they pay a price per kilo on the whole carcass, not different amounts for each piece.

Same in hotels and airlines - when demand is high the prices get jacked up to 300 times the rack rate.

Or many now jack up their prices during schoolies week because they DONT want them to come. 

So same principal as Dave was talking about. Seems to be working for the big guys like Hyatt and Sheraton etc, and they've been doing it for years... People still keep going back.

OR - with the use of some basic marketing skills - when you lower the price you could make a big song and dance about it and announce ON SALE 20% OFF WHILE STOCKS LAST....

as for the general eBayer, it is my suspicion that when they want a product, they generally want it now and at the cheapest price for the same item - so the objective would be met of dissuading short term customers - but long term - meh - whenever his prices are competitive, people will come back.

As for listing whilst not in stock - I'd be ok with it IF I was told up front, but pretty peeved if I was expecting it within the next week or two iykwim and hadn't been told.

I'm not sure how ethical the practise is though - but it would sure cut down on a lot of upfront costs for many businesses, and long term ones as well such as storage, insurance etc

I actually thought about it (my supplier is 1 klm up the road) get the sale, nip down to the supplier and buy it - but I'm always scared that they may be out of stock meaning I can't supply the item - so I put it in the "not gonna go down that road" basket. Just too many hassles.

[purple.cow]

I understand what you are saying Crikey, and if that's the way you work then so be it, and good luck to you.

I work and think a different way though.

I work on the principle of selling all my goods at as lower prices I can sensibly go to while still making a reasonable profit margin so I gain a rapid stock turnover, and while 'm at it I make a bigger and faster overall profit margin at the end of the day.

The bonus with my way of doing things is that I can continually introduce new and different items into my range of goods without investing more and more money into the business.

I guess it all boils down to the individual ways each person runs things for their own business.

For you and Davewil it's a case of making maximum dollar profit from slower stock turnover while I create a fast stock turnover at lower per item pricing so I gain a large overall profit in the end.

My way also makes me look very good in my customer's eyes when they see they're getting what they consider to be a real bargain lol.

Horses for courses I guess.

[*crikey*mate*]

ummm, Dave can speak for himself, but selling on eBay isn't my "business". It's not a career. Just a convenient way to turn over a few dollars whilst I'm at uni.

But maybe I am lazy, cos I'd rather have to sell 5 of something a month for the same money as if I sold 200 of something. (thus not have to work very hard in what I find to be boring and time consuming - I dislike packing and listing immensely)

My dad would call that working smarter, not harder.

I just don't have that much time or desire for it. Which is a main reason why for me at least, listing a product not in stock just seems to have too many potential problems which I don't want to have to deal with.

But as you said, different horses for courses...

[purple.cow]

I see your view clearly Crikey and if it works for you i say good luck mate.

I also hate the idea of doing all the packing and posting  etc. which is why I don't do the Ebay seller thing either, so perhaps I'm as lazy as you in that respect lol.

It's also why I do the market selling thing so i just hand over the goods on the spot, take the dinira and smile nicely at the customer before holding out my hand for the next punter's cash lol.

I also happen to treat it all as my hobby, not a serious business, even though I make very good money out of it.

It's enjoyment for me, a bit of a show or whatever, I don't consider it as being work.

Good luck to you in what you do, and in your uni studies.

[shepherdsrule]

I also hate the idea of doing all the packing and posting  etc. which is why I don't do the Ebay seller thing either,

Moorna, you are so confusing, I thought you did sell on eBay - the mobility scooter things? You had an entire thread devoted to it I thought. Did you decide against it, or just forget what you said, it can be confusing when you have a lot of id's things to remember.

[davewil1964]

Moorna, please don't attribute business practices to me that you can only tenuously surmise at.

I don't dropship or buy stock from wholesalers. I sell for a price the item seems to be worth. By far the most labour intensive part of my selling is doing listings with proper pictures and descriptions, packing and posting. I don't do multiples of many items so, for me, they are one offs. Consequently I cannot hope for low-margin, high turnover and I wouldn't have the time to set up that way anyway. I prefer to sell at a reasonable price, not race down to the point of no profit. 

So, yes, I think differently to you and am in a different business to you. And if you bothered to actually read the comment you've based your suppositions on you would see it is a POSSIBLE reason for a seller listing stock they don't have, not my direct experience.

[*crikey*mate*]

ohhhh yeah - the photos - I forgot about that! I have so much trouble taking photos - I use my iPhone but then have to email them to myself one at a time, then download them one at a time, and I often have multiple pictures in one listing... I dislike that too - A LOT

and it's the descriptions I find most tiresome in the listing process - especially if it's something I have to measure or judge the condition of.

Although, for a seller listing items that are not in stock (just trying to stay on topic here) they are probably working with all new things, so descriptions would be reasonably standard, with one listing actually selling many items and they could probably use stock photos?

[davewil1964]

With my old Nokia, I just plugged it into my computer and Windows found and let me download my pics.

The superduper 'smart' phone I have now doesn't allow that - Windows can't see the gallery. So email 2Mb files, one at a time.

Luckily, I only have to do that for sets that are too big for the scanner. 😉

[*crikey*mate*]

I just got taught how to upload my photos from my iPhone by plugging it into the computer! DOH - 

*happy dance*

But I was doing it your way until just now though, but I never thought about the scanner....hmmm, but that'd take ages too, doesn't it?

Now I'll have to take some more photos to list more items and hope for some more sales in March!

[shepherdsrule]

My apologies Moorna, I would like to interact with you on the boards as I do with many. But it is difficult at times as you seem to be set on telling all and sundry how eBay works, and all they can do to make it better, then turn around and impress once again on us all that you do not use eBay as a selling venue (except that once). I did misunderstand about the mobility things, sorry and see your point re the cost of delivery, that is one of the biggest headaches for all sellers, postage/delivery costs.

The biggest reason you are being less than accepted by some, is simply because you are always singing your own praises, and for many on here who are struggling it can come across as condescending. I think I remember a post of yours in the March Sales thread asking some sellers 'Why do you bother' then proceeding to blind us all with your selling prowess and huge monthly income via the markets or something.

Surely even you can see that this is not going to endear many on the boards to you. A lot come here to vent, to seek help to ask opinions - of other eBayers, and any so called advice or opinion from you on how useless some of us are, and how much better we could do elsewhere is down right rude.

As for the truce, I agree.

But please, just a little more thought before you bound in with your helpful business idea's.

B-)