Ebay Vs E-commerce

[bbwspares]

Hello there,

I am new to running an Ebay store for my workplaceand was thinking maybe a Ecommerce store

would be easier
Due to the number of changes on here our sales have dropped alot since about the start of the year.

I have rectified some problems that were caused by the person before me running this store.

EG: getting our ebay fees down from $900 to around $150.

I am happy to provide any information to people for them to give me some positive information and to steer me in the right direct.

Thanks

[robbierobbie13]

i run a pretty large ebay store turning over about 200k PA and also a website turning over about 300k.

From what I have seen eBay is totally different to 'normal' ecommerce. When I have them on my site I have 'got them' ( to coin a phrase) more but it is much easier to compare prices on ebay and as such the margins for me at least are a lot lower as my price point on ebay and the price point on my site are very different. I've got a very sustainable business in my website but in ebay much more open to being caniablised by the non gst charging brigade that haunt ebay ( who ebay ignore / wash their hands of very irresponsibly). All in all its much harder work and more expensive to set up a website but if you are in it for the long haul and done well can be much more rewarding.  The weirdest thing for me is the 'relationship' that ebay seems to have with its customers which seems to be built on mutual mistrust sometimes bordering ( from the seller) on hatred!

Things I wish I had done would be to have a totally different brand on ebay to my site to avoid issues price gouging etc. dont list all your inventory on ebay save the best more unique products for your site as people often google and then ebay for things.

Anyone who suggests you link to ebay from your website must be mad in my eyes. Why get people to buy on ebay when you can avoid the fees etc and get them to buy off ebay????

ebay has its place but I for one spend as little time promoting that side of my business as possible but it keeps the lights on.

[davewil1964]

I'm not in it for smiles. Whilst my advice might be blunt it is factual. If you want ego-stroking go somewhere else.

[ozstockman]

Let's be realistic about sales through your own webstore. It is worth doing but you should see the whole picture before you start doing it.

Here on eBay most of the sellers do not care about advertisement  and mostly do nothing in order to get a new customer. They list their stuff and wait for a buyer to find it and buy it.  Why, because eBay is that kind of marketplace where buyers come to shop for stuff. It is the same as renting a shop in a shopping centre.

Now, if you open you own webstore how are you going to get new customers. If we go with "a shop within shopping centre" analogy you are no longer in a shopping centre with a lot of shopping traffic, in fact you are a shop in the middle of a desert far away from all roads and nobody even know you exist.

If you do not advertise it there will be no sales at all. And advertisement will cost you money.. in most cases more than you are paying to eBay in fees.  And also keep in mind that you pay eBay fees after you sell stuff. However with ads it will work completely opposite way.. you pay for ads first  and then you can only expect to sell it. If you do not sell it 's 100% loss

Will your own webstore be worth doing it in this case? Sure it will if you find a way to be at the top of search results in Google or you will find a cheap and cost effective way to advertise your online business.

Should you close your eBay store if you start selling through your own webstore? I would never do it .. the more selling points(channels) the better.

[billexploited]

I still prefer to use ebay over gumtree as there is no seller protection on gumtree.

[clarry100]

What seller protection?

Its the buyers that have all the free rein. Sellers get no/little support. Its all about the buyers.

[billexploited]

the problem that I found with gumtree was people kept harrassing me, and also they lack effort to put decent discription when they're selling on gumtree.

on ebay you just pay with paypal thats all I do. done.