Do stores get enough traffic for low Final Value items?? What is PS about??

[keri1128]

Hi there.

I am fairly new to selling on eBay and my items do not have a high final value, therefore they are low profit as well. Fees from eBay and Paypal really eat into any profit I might be making, but I don't know that I could sell enough in a month to warrant opening an eBay store. Particularly with store items not appearing in general search results. The 20c insertion fee is appealing, but it would take a lot of them to make up the $49.95 in store fees per month.

It's a pity that eBay aren't able to offer lower fees for items that are recognised as having a genuine lower end price. It would certainly help me to compete with the sellers in China and Hong Kong who sell identical items at lower prices and with free postage!!

My only real drawcard to buyers is that my items do not take 4-6 weeks to arrive when travelling by regular mail, instead they take 1-7 days. Thankfully I am enjoying the eBay experience at the moment and will continue to test the waters and see if I can make myself some pocket money. But I won't be quitting my day job just yet.....lol.

And what is the real benefit of being a Powerseller? Do you get a reduction in any fees?? More prominent displays in searches?? Surely there is a reward for being a consistently good seller who manages their sales well and looks after their customers. After all, Powersellers are making more money for eBay aren't they?? I would have thought they deserved better discounts than casual sellers. Is Powerseller a name only? Is there any attraction for Buyers??

I'll look forward to any constructive comments that anyone can offer.

Regards, Keri.

[keri1128]

Point taken putney32.

Thankyou for drawing my attention to this and I will adhere to the policy you have directed me to. It's hard to know everything that eBay expects and to be honest, I used other listings as a guideline for my own. Figuring that if they had been allowed to trade as such for as long as they had, that what they were doing was acceptable. Clearly eBay have issues policing things like this, but I am not one for violating policy if I am made aware of it.

My understanding now is that whilst it is not OK to use the comparison in the Title, you can draw a single comparison in your item desciption, provided it is accurate and relevant.

Thanks again.

[chuk_77]

kerri as a bead buyer I want to point out something.

You use the term Swarovski when clearly they are not but what exactly are they? 

The beads i had a quick look at looked to be acrylic, it would help buyers like myself, looking for particular things to know exactly what the bead is made from and how big the holes are too (been caught out there a few times)

Also practise taking the photos in natural light so the there is no flash on the pics and the beads are all the same colour in each shot

Having said all that, I'd love to see more aussie sellers selling beads with comparable prices instead of having to wait for items from Hong kong.

Your prices are in the ball park for me to buy from you, but I'm just not sure exactly what it is I'm buying

[crypsynight]

When it comes to selling beads, the only pattern for sales is that there isn't one.

I've had items that haven't sold for 6 months, then sell out in a weekend. Things are also rather quiet at the moment, so 'testing the waters' wont give you a very accurate idea of traffic.

Looking at the listing with the red hearts - you may wish to include full dimensions including thickness and the size of the hole.

Just one thing i noticed - you have postage as $0.60.  Do you incorporate the rest into the base price, or are you posting them in an envelope? If in an envelope, you may wish to reconsider as they go through AP's regular letter sorting machine, and the beads are at risk of being caught and ripped out of the envelope. Also bare in mind that AP aren't particularly 'delicate' with their handling.

I also agree with the previous posts - take out the bit about China from your listings.

And the bit about Swarovski....  If they are high quality, then list them as 'A' Grade. By stating that they compare to Swarovski, the only thing you are highlighting is that they aren't Swarovski.

I try not to look at what else is available in the category. You've got Chinese Crystal listed as Swarovski, lampwork listed as Murano, zinc alloys listed as Tibetan Silver, item locations being Hong Kong Australia..... You just have to ignore it, with the hope that they get caught out in the end (but don't hold your breathe)..

[chuk_77]

just got all excited looking through your store crypsynight

[chuk_77]

sorry for the hijack of the thread but how come your listings have never come up when I search crypsynight? I'm obviously doing something wrong considering you sell what I look for

[crypsynight]

:^O

[keri1128]

I'm certainly learning a lot today.

Chuk_77. My beads are Crystal Glass. K9 Crystal is another definition I have come across.

If you are looking for the perfection that Swarovski offer, mine will not be what you want. But the beads I sell are high quality and have a brilliant sparkle. And yes, I am finding it very difficult to take good photographs of them. Natural light is, as you say, best. But it is very difficult taking photos of such small items.

I will start putting the hole dimensions in my descriptions. But generally they are 1mm. And yes, I too have been caught out with that, like you.

When you say acrylic, I think plastic, but these are most definitely not plastic. You can buy an identical product in Spotlight, for twice the price I am able to sell for.

I originally started purchasing beads to make jewellery for myself, but was so impressed with the quality and the comments that I was receiving when I wore my bracelets, that I thought maybe there was a market for them. I don't know that I would sell my jewellery as it is such a personal thing and from what I can see, the competition (again mainly from China) is huge in that department.

Cryspynight. I send my beads in what Aust Post call Padded Bags, which are envelopes lined with bubblewrap. I was able to source them fairly cheap (through eBay) and factor them into the cost of the beads. I didn't want to inflate my postage cost to cover packaging as well. I figure that I have to absorb some of the costs myself to keep my prices competitive.

And thank you for the suggestion that I sell them as A Grade. I'm going to have lots of revisions to make over the next few days.

[chuk_77]

try using the macro setting of your camera (the little flower) 

[crypsynight]

No idea, I've been around for years. Maybe because you've fallen asleep by the time you've browsed through all the 'Location-confused Chinese' Australian sellers.

After all, we all know, ebay lists all our items all the time...apparently  😐

[licoricebabyandfabmama]

Sorry dont know if its been said but in regards to your quote

 , I used other listings as a guideline for my own. Figuring that if they had been allowed to trade as such for as long as they had, that what they were doing was acceptable.

Assuming you took a look at the chinese listings  then DONT,  lol

IMO the chinese sellers never list anything as what it actually is, they come from a selling culture where everything is pretty much a copy of everything else     Rarely do i even see them use their own pictures when selling.   

Just list your items in the best way you can of what they actually are.   People that know what they are looking for will find them and appreciate not having to look at another chinese website.     This way you will also avoid buyers being disappointed in what they have received and leaving neutral or negative feedback about quality.

  Also I find people still do look solely for items located in Australia because there is more trust and even though shipping time is getting quicker and quicker from china you still never know how long you could be waiting for.