Should I get an eBay store?

[michael_cullis]

I have two eBay sites. On the main one I list around 80 CDs, Vinyl and DVDs each month and gross around $700. I am considering a basic eBay store but I am concerned that the advantages may not be worth the monthly subscription fee. I assume that the store is much like the free one on Discogs which allows potential buyers to filter their searches rather than have to scroll down endless screens. As I have ost the 8 free relistings option I now select the option to relist items until they are sold. This means that my available stock is increasing dramatically each month. Should I subscribe to a store?

[jellybirddesigns]

There are a couple of advantages to a store.

1) You can create store "home page" to set up your look

2) You can run sales/promotions

3) You can create store-level categories for all your different items, which makes it easy for buyers to search.

The other thing is that Ebay store subscriptions form part of the cost of doing business and can be included in your tax return.

[paper-jack]

why not make use of more of the free listings already available

Most sellers on eBay.com.au get 250,000 free auction-style or fixed price listings per month, including relisted items and listings that are ended early.  (https://www.ebay.com.au/help/listing-tips/listings/selling/free-listings?id=4163&st=3&pos=1&query=Fr... )

[michael_cullis]

I am not concerned about the number of items I can list, though I am limited by the amount of storage space I have available. In this post I am seeking advice on whether or not it is worthwhile subscribing to a store based on my sales figures, etc. as described earlier.

[davewil1964]

Only you can determine that.

I've had a store for 14 years, so I can't advise vis a vis sales.

Instead of an eBay store, maybe consider a storage locker. A small one used to be on par with a store and would significantly expand your storage space.

Edit: if you're only listing 80 items, even a basic store equates to over 30c per month in what are effectively listing fees.

[mic-s-korea]

A little off topic, but as a buyer it really seems that a very large percentage of sellers who had cd/vinyl/music related dvds set price stores have shifted to Discogs. Most the main people I used to buy from have shifted. Ebay has a huge advantage as a buyer in that it's possible to view the actual item for sale. The massive disadvantage is that free listings (as opposed to  the fee based listings of the [distant] past) means that everyone has to navigate an ocean of over-priced items and junk to find interesting stuff.  My take on your question is that for generic mass produced reissues and stuff, a store is good, but for graded interesting stuff with limited supply out there regular listings are fine. I've seen people do well with vice-versa tho.

[michael_cullis]

I have the best (and worst) of both worlds). I list on both eBay and Discogs. I think the main advantage of eBay is that it probaly has a larger potential buyer pool. On Discogs the store is free so that possible buyers don't have to scroll through 200 items but can apply filters to search for items that interest them. Assuming that an eBay store has the same facility I wonder whether the potential increase in sales would justify the subscription cost.

[jellybirddesigns]

A basic store is less than $30 a month, so not a major deal breaker if you ask me.

You could try it on a month to month basis. Give it 6 months and then make a decision.

Create your banner and thumbnail and set up your store categories.

I would suggest you read up on store categories either through Ebay help or just Google it. You'll allocate each listing to a store category, although if many all under the same type, you could bulk edit them.