Not collectable???

[kustomizer99]

Thinking of opening a store (again, I've had them on and off over the years) -- but I see now we can only list fixed pirce or with auctions only for items in the 'collectables' category.

What I'm mostly wanting to sell is old comics.... but comics are not in the collectables category!! Wha...?? Comics are among the most collected items on earth!

[digital*ghost]

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@kustomizer99 wrote:

I think I see where your misunderstanding is now.... I'm not wanting to list BIN or GTS, I'm wanting to list AUCTIONS. You see, that way I stand to maximise my proifits. And profits are the only reason I sell on eBay; it's not like I get enjoyment from seeing my stock not sell so that's not a strategy I pursue.

I hope that's made things a little more clear for you.

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I said in my first reply that auctions will cost you $1.50 if you have a store. 

You can't get free auctions with a store unless your item is in the collectible category, and they're $1.00 per auction after the free listing allocation has been used.

If you prefer auctions, it is not very cost effective to run a store in most cases. 

Have you experimented with BIN listings at all? Some sellers still have success with them, but I and many others don't. I listed a few when we were given free listings that included auctions recently, and as always.... little to no interest, no bids, but the same items sold at BIN for higher prices.

[pickapresent13]

What about if you just list it in the Collectable Category under something else, so you get the free auctions ? As long as you have the word "comic" in the description, as well as the name of it, anyone who searches those words will find it.

I did a bit of a test on this, by listing 2 trading cards, one in collectables - trading cards, and one in Games - Card Games - Yugioh where I would normally list it, and ended up getting more roughly the same hits on each one. Ended up doing ten times in total, each time getting roughly the same hits in both categories. I put this down to people just searching the card name, or the series it is from, so it shows up in their search anyway

Not sure how many people actually go into the categories when searching for items, I think most are lazy like me, and type the name of the product they are looking for in the search bar

I am a novice at this still though, so some one else might b able to expand on that

[bigbrickshop]

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@kustomizer99 wrote:

I think I see where your misunderstanding is now.... I'm not wanting to list BIN or GTS, I'm wanting to list AUCTIONS. You see, that way I stand to maximise my proifits. And profits are the only reason I sell on eBay; it's not like I get enjoyment from seeing my stock not sell so that's not a strategy I pursue.

I hope that's made things a little more clear for you.

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If your items sell better at auction then list them as auctions and add the $1.50 listing fee into the start price. There would be no benefit in paying a store subscription if you only run auctions though.

[lemmayj]

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@sportandplay wrote:

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@kustomizer99 wrote:

I think I see where your misunderstanding is now.... I'm not wanting to list BIN or GTS, I'm wanting to list AUCTIONS. You see, that way I stand to maximise my proifits. And profits are the only reason I sell on eBay; it's not like I get enjoyment from seeing my stock not sell so that's not a strategy I pursue.

I hope that's made things a little more clear for you.

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If your items sell better at auction then list them as auctions and add the $1.50 listing fee into the start price. There would be no benefit in paying a store subscription if you only run auctions though.

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There are other benefits to store subscriptions other than cheap BINS - cheaper final value fees and the ability to arrange your items in categories within the store, thus encouraging browsing and multiple sales to the same buyer. However, I agree that these advantages may well be wiped out by the cost of the auctions...

[kustomizer99]

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@digital*ghost wrote:

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@kustomizer99 wrote:

I think I see where your misunderstanding is now.... I'm not wanting to list BIN or GTS, I'm wanting to list AUCTIONS. You see, that way I stand to maximise my proifits. And profits are the only reason I sell on eBay; it's not like I get enjoyment from seeing my stock not sell so that's not a strategy I pursue.

I hope that's made things a little more clear for you.

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I said in my first reply that auctions will cost you $1.50 if you have a store. 

You can't get free auctions with a store unless your item is in the collectible category, and they're $1.00 per auction after the free listing allocation has been used.

If you prefer auctions, it is not very cost effective to run a store in most cases. 

Have you experimented with BIN listings at all? Some sellers still have success with them, but I and many others don't. I listed a few when we were given free listings that included auctions recently, and as always.... little to no interest, no bids, but the same items sold at BIN for higher prices.

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I find that listing auctions with a BIN option are the best strategy these days. Gives buyers a choice, and probably gains amximum visibility.

It really looks like there's no point having a store under currrent eBay policy, if the only benefit is getting lots of BIN-only listings which aren't really going to work.

[kustomizer99]

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@2for1swapcards wrote:

What about if you just list it in the Collectable Category under something else, so you get the free auctions ? As long as you have the word "comic" in the description, as well as the name of it, anyone who searches those words will find it.

I did a bit of a test on this, by listing 2 trading cards, one in collectables - trading cards, and one in Games - Card Games - Yugioh where I would normally list it, and ended up getting more roughly the same hits on each one. Ended up doing ten times in total, each time getting roughly the same hits in both categories. I put this down to people just searching the card name, or the series it is from, so it shows up in their search anyway

Not sure how many people actually go into the categories when searching for items, I think most are lazy like me, and type the name of the product they are looking for in the search bar

I am a novice at this still though, so some one else might b able to expand on that

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Hi, thanks for sharing the results of your experiment. Most buyers do seem to search by eBay's categories rather than by keyword. In fact, I recently scored an incredible bargain on a item that someone had accidentally listed off-category. I found it because I do search by keyword, but I must be in the minority - - otherwise other collectors would have been all over that item

I think eBay also prohibits deliberately listing in the "wrrong" category, although they may well have changed that "policy" since the last time I looked.

[kustomizer99]

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@lemmayj wrote:

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There are other benefits to store subscriptions other than cheap BINS - cheaper final value fees and the ability to arrange your items in categories within the store, thus encouraging browsing and multiple sales to the same buyer. However, I agree that these advantages may well be wiped out by the cost of the auctions...

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I've had a store on and off several times in the past. I tend to close them down each time eBay suddenly ovehaul their fee structures, making store less and less tenable every time.... except, I suppose, for people selling mass-produced low-end stuff at cut-throat prices.

I won't be reopening my store under the current structure, it's evidently more onerous than ever.

[kustomizer99]

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@davewil1964 wrote:

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Only if you have no idea of the comic's value. If you know list at BIN for what they're worth.

What can I say - 6318

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You don't understand the psychology of selling collectables.. After you've been on eBay for as long as I have (akmost 15 years), you might find there are subtle nuances involved in selling. Let me know if you need help with this concept.

[davewil1964]

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@kustomizer99 wrote:

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@davewil1964 wrote:

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Only if you have no idea of the comic's value. If you know list at BIN for what they're worth.

What can I say - 6318

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You don't understand the psychology of selling collectables.. After you've been on eBay for as long as I have (akmost 15 years), you might find there are subtle nuances involved in selling. Let me know if you need help with this concept.

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I think I've got a handle on it thanks. And I doubt eBay 2013 is anything like eBay 1998, so a lot of the 'nuances' could well be outdated.

[kustomizer99]

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@davewil1964 wrote:

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@kustomizer99 wrote:

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@davewil1964 wrote:

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Only if you have no idea of the comic's value. If you know list at BIN for what they're worth.

What can I say - 6318

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You don't understand the psychology of selling collectables.. After you've been on eBay for as long as I have (akmost 15 years), you might find there are subtle nuances involved in selling. Let me know if you need help with this concept.

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I think I've got a handle on it thanks. And I doubt eBay 2013 is anything like eBay 1998, so a lot of the 'nuances' could well be outdated.

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I didn't start here in 1998 and then go away until now, but thanks for your insights.