has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now

[tgfineminerals-2]

I sell on another id and have been a seller for 10 years and have experienced a huge downturn from $500 to $800 a week to now zero this week, buyers are scarce even watchers, ebay is useless in finding why, just says sellers are dependant on buyers-what if they have dissapeared like here? I am only giving it another few weeks to show something is happening beyond my control & will not have any money to pay ebay for my store and listers, any suggestions?

[collect247]

We could all find it if you just tell us what it is lol.

Although it is excellent for you other sellers might be jealous because they're doing it tough.

I won't tell anyone if you let us in on the magic product that you're selling 

[chameleon54]

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@collect247wrote:

We could all find it if you just tell us what it is lol.

Although it is excellent for you other sellers might be jealous because they're doing it tough.

I won't tell anyone if you let us in on the magic product that you're selling 

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Broadly speaking, the new store sells a range of collectables that suit blokes in sheds. There are probably less blokes in sheds selling on ebay than woman selling clothes from the op shops, so it is a bit of a specialised market to start with. I have picked out a very small, niche area of blokes in sheds collectables to sell.

There are plenty of niches in this field. I dont sell these but......Examples include Oil bottles and tins which are a highly sought after & valuable niche market. ( some oil bottles can fetch $3000 - $4000 ) Enamel signs, ( again worth Thousands of $$$ for the right ones ). Litchfield tools ( specialist Australian made tools for old Holdens, Fords and Valiants ) is another sector that would be great to supply. NOS. Vintage Holden car parts is another specialist field that would offer huge profits to some-one who knew their stuff. Vintage VW Kombi & Kublewagon ( country buggy ) parts woulds be another specialist niche that would make a great store.

With these niches a seller needs to build their knowledge of specific items and their value within the field. They need to be able to spot the rare part from a box of junk that everyone has walked past. As in many things on ebay, knowledge is profit. Picking a very small niche market allows a seller to build strong product knowledge and thus price items at the higher end of the price range..

[chameleon54]

Just to add to last post, I realise these items are blokey and would not interest many of the woman who want to sell on ebay, but there are plenty of similar sorts of stuff for the girls.

While I,m no expert, I do know that vintage sewing machine collectables have a huge following. I purchased some Singer sewing discs, new in packets from an op shop for $6 around 12 months ago. I sold them on ebay for $95.00. Very early ( 1800,s ) vintage sewing patterns are another specialist niche, as are early ( 1800,s to 1920,s ) cook books. Retro kitchenalia from the 50,s & 60,s is also a good seller and can be purchased very cheaply at garage sales & car boot sales. Quality occult stuff also has a following if you are into that sort of thing. Rare plants sold bare root or in tubes is another specialist field that would make a great store. And last of all, Rainbow rose seeds are highly profitable............( lobbed the hand grenade, now just sit back and wait.....   )

[clubesquire]

It's just nice to see someone 'doing it' because it proves it can be done.

Having the ability to think, search and identify, as you obviously have, and then capitalise and 'make it work' must be very rewarding.

It's an ability that I think evades most, so I think it's a talent in its own right too.

An old saying is rattling about in my head at the moment, as I further procrastinate and avoid work sigh, is 'Work smarter, not harder.'

We'll be looking once we clear our pipes, but I think that's a couple of years away yet. By the way, our margins in this market are terrible. 'Twasn't so say even 5 years ago, but I guess everything runs its course.

Onwards and upwards 🙂

Melina.

[padi*0409]

Just for you Chamo........................

                                                             

Spoiler

Got 'em growin' wild in the top dam mate - keeps the turtles and eels away from the ducks...........scares the carp out of 'em too.

[collect247]

You're on the money with the old oil bottles,we used to own an old fashioned service station back in the 80's and when we shut down due to the next wave of stations being built we kept all of the oil bottles and signs and sold them around 10 years ago for a very good profit.

We watched all the American pickers shows all the time and were amazed at how much the signs and petrol tins were selling for and then realized we perhaps had a gold mine here lol.

But we regret selling them as they're worth alot more these days just like the Torana's we owned 10 in all but sold them off cheaply way back,still have a GTR XU1 Shell/Chassis in mickey mouse condition and hopefully my hubby will be rebuilding it one day.

[chameleon54]

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@collect247wrote:

You're on the money with the old oil bottles,we used to own an old fashioned service station back in the 80's and when we shut down due to the next wave of stations being built we kept all of the oil bottles and signs and sold them around 10 years ago for a very good profit.

We watched all the American pickers shows all the time and were amazed at how much the signs and petrol tins were selling for and then realized we perhaps had a gold mine here lol.

But we regret selling them as they're worth alot more these days just like the Torana's we owned 10 in all but sold them off cheaply way back,still have a GTR XU1 Shell/Chassis in mickey mouse condition and hopefully my hubby will be rebuilding it one day.

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Like you,I sold most of my enamel signs 15 years ago for prices that make me weep now.

What goes up sometimes comes down in the collectors market though. Carnival glass has probably dropped by 50% in ten years and vintage tractors that where red hot ten years ago have probably dropped 60% - 70% in value as the older blokes who collected them disband their collections and move into retirement villages. The young blokes would prefer to restore a 1970,s 4WD monster tractor than a 1930,s steel wheel job.

It is possible that classic cars could head the same way. The lads today already restore the high performance Subaru WRX etc. in prefererance to an early Ford Falcon.

One more chick collectable I forgot that is an absolute gold mine is vintage grocery packaging. Do you know what an early 1970,s cereal box with toolybirds cereal toys featured on the back is worth ???................

Spoiler

try up to $700. Early grocery packaging & store signs would make a vibrant,  interesting and highly profitable chick store.

[stylesilver]

And I THINK (not too sure about this) but old 70's Barbies & Kens are still doing well. Interesting way to know whats selling well is see what the early  birds grab at yr garage sale. Over the last couple of yrs weve a few garage sales cos of reasons like bought a house with its contents, helped neighbours clear their deceased mothers house across the road, WELL ...what an eyeopener these sales were. 

The one where we bought a house & contents, from man going overseas... he had a lot of designer stuff -we kept some of the furniture but sold off some vintage & some things that werent to our taste!!! OBVIOUSLY RIPPED OURSELVES OFF ON SOME OF THOSE AS EVEN THE EARLY MORNING DEALERS TOLD US TO PUT SOME OF OUR PRICES UP.!! on the things that they werent interested in but other dealers were! We thought we'd researched the items enough to have the sale, but now wonder how much we dudded ourselves by. Also things you think no-ones wanting anymore - its funny how a garage sale will show you whats now hot by people buying the lot & asking if you have more! Old fashioned knives & forks, with bone handles & stainless steel blades??? Can understand silver but not these old falling apart ones!

Its almost like you've got to make it yr new job to find an additional catagory to sell on Ebay. Like Chameleon says..... if you look & research hard enough theres still money to be made...if you can find that niche!!  

[stylesilver]

Rolling this old Chestnut out again! Any one else have a sloowwww weekend?

[chameleon54]

Yes, last week was quite busy, but dropped right away over the weekend and still slow this morning. It happens. ebay seems to ebb & flow. Good sales are often followed by a couple of slow days to bring a seller back to average....... The cycle seemed to  break down over the Christmas / new year holiday period, but we seem to be back into "average" mode again. No suprises there as I posted on another thread, that I expected that to happen a few weeks ago.

February was excellent for us, so it will be interesting to see if there has been any long term, definate changes to the ebay selling cycles..