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]

I am going through each of my listings and removing any references to Swarovski. I never want to be anything other than an honest seller and having had a look at someone elses listings, I think I would rather follow their example.

Hopefully there is a place for me and my items in eBay, but I would rather be totally upfront and honest about what I am selling and not constantly worried that I will be pulled up for false advertising. Maybe one day those that are selling under false pretences, be it location or product, will be forced to adhere to policy.

[syrupsmummy]

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.

Do you put 60c postage stamp on the bubblewrap envelope and post in street box?

If so you can end up paying extra later or can cause your buyer pay the extra.

Small letter (60c) can't exceed 5mm thickness. Bubblewrap envelopes won't go through small letter gauge. And one of your items I checked said 6mm thickness. You need to put $1.20 stamp (for large letter) on the envelope.

[keri1128]

Syrupsmummy. I have to admit that when I purchase on eBay myself, I tend to look for free postage items. I worry that putting $1.20 postage on a $2.50 item will be offputting to the buyer. I always put a return address on my items, so assume that if there ever is an issue with Postage, (which there hasn't been yet, touchwood), that it will come back to me and not the buyer.

Another thing for me to consider.

I did try incorporating postage into my item price, but that of course increased the FVF and PP fees. I think the next week or two will be a real indication of whether I should continue or not. Hopefully it will be a yes as I really do love receiving my parcels full of sparkling beads and then sitting down and packing them into smaller quantities. It is fun, even if there isn't any money to be made from it. Just can't afford to lose money on it.

Phew!

Thanks again everyone. This really has been a very good discussion. Lots to take on board and lots of friendly advice which I have really appreciated.

[licoricebabyandfabmama]

Kerri,   there was actually a recent post following a problem i had with under paid postage.    One of my buyers had to pay a small parcel rate of 6.60 to pick up her package (which i had sent as large letter )   my return address was on the package but auspost did not let me know.  Another seller had the same issue.  So apparently now auspost is targeting the buyer with underpaid postage.  My buyer was very understanding and i immediately refunded her that 6.60,  but other buyers may not be and leave negative feedback.     

Also apparently ebay favours free post and puts you closer to the top on searches??? If I understand correctly?

[calsof]

The trick is to not look at anybody's prices... or else you are doomed.

If you opt for a store, be ready beforehand. Have all your items ready to go, along with all your packaging. Take a week or two to list a couple of hundred items and always price them so that you can make a profit after expenses.

There are many reasons why there are cheaply listed items on eBay. Some are cheap because they are in China. Some are cheap because the seller has made his/her money on the item and is just cutting losses, at the same time promoting their store. Some are cheap due to the shear stupidity of the seller who can't do the math and ends up closing shop after a while.

However, in my experience, I would rather pay for my stock in less sales and then start making a profit, than run around like a chook with no head trying to keep up with sales that just put me deeper and deeper into debt. Don't overprice anything, but always make sure you're paying expenses and making a modest profit.

I started that way in April and have not looked back since. I've made plenty of mistakes on the way and plan to make many more 🙂

It's not luck, it's hard work and persistence. It's going out of your way to make sure you get the last run to the post-office to give Auspost the chance to get your item to its destination the next day. It's making sure you open each and every item before putting it in an envelope to ensure there isn't a crack in it. It's also putting an Ebay app on your phone so you can reply to buyers' messages as soon as possible, not wait until you get home. 

And when you make you're first mistakes, it's owning up to them and taking the responsibility and making the customer happy before they have to open a claim. 

I'll grant you, some sellers don't have the ability or luxury to do this. However, it's the ones who do that can eventually leave their day jobs. 

[syrupsmummy]

My suggestion is, put the right postage $1.20 as postage and offer to combine the postage for multiple purchases. So if a buyer buy 5 different lots she/he only pays $1.20 for postage.

Free postage items can't have combined postage. Combining postage can be your advantage.

If I am a buyer looking for jewellery materials, when I see you are charging 60c postage for those items I will hit back button straight away because I think about items get damaged in sorting machine.

[keri1128]

I just did a comparison on selling at $3.00 plus $1.20 postage, versus selling for $4.20 with free postage. Fees wise it only took 10cents from my bottom line, but I don't think the $4.20 sell price would appeal to many. Perhaps as stated, put the postage at $1.20 and keep offering to combine it. I can fit 4-5 packets in one envelope and still keep the postage at $1.20. It might go up to $1.80 for multiples of larger beads, but that is still a discount if they have ordered more than one packet.

I think that if you have to incorporate the free postage into your price, people will see it and the smart ones will realise that they are actually paying more than if they were able to pay postage but combine it for multiple items.

Happy selling everyone!

[davewil1964]

If you do go the shop route, it might pay to download and install Turbolister. This is a free program which enables you to set your listings up in advance. When you are ready to go you just upload whatever you want to list at the time.

It also doesn't delete old listings, so you can use them for sell similars any time in the future. Much easier than taking a week or two to get your shop up to speed after you're already paying for it.

[keri1128]

Thanks Davewil, I'll have a look at that.

[bdstratton]

I find with my items that YES they can be purchased from Chinese sellers for a way lower price.

But in my industry (Weddings) Buyers don't always want to wait five to six weeks for their items to arrive from Hong Kong or China.

Some Brides I've sold to have left these purchases to the last minute so they will buy my items even at the higher rate because they know they will get their item on time for their Wedding.

So Yes you can list your items at a higher rate and still get sales.