"Australia out" only selling.

[pages4u]

I want to start up a selling platform that only sells within, and out off Australia.

Who would like that as a platform?

I have sold sweet FA on Ebay, but i dont think its improving for Australian sellers.

Please, if you have a  selling structure, or any ideas that you may think is a positive angle to explore for selling , and  that support the 

sellers of Australia being with the ability to compete against trashy rubbish or volumes  from OS please reply, Regards.

[digital*ghost]

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@bookypoos wrote:

I want to start up a selling platform that only sells within, and out off Australia.

Who would like that as a platform?

I have sold sweet FA on Ebay, but i dont think its improving for Australian sellers.

Please, if you have a  selling structure, or any ideas that you may think is a positive angle to explore for selling , and  that support the 

sellers of Australia being with the ability to compete against trashy rubbish or volumes  from OS please reply, Regards.

---

I'm not going to comment on anything else in this thread, just the OP, but - in a nutshell - I would be willing to bet a not insignificant amount that, by and large, Australian sellers will sell pretty much anywhere that an acceptable volume of sales can be made, as long as the site policies can at least be contended with (even if they find them disagreeable). 

To be 100% frank, based on my observations over the years (not just on eBay - I've listed on a variety of third party sites), foreign sellers or no foreign sellers, trashy rubbish on the site or not... The fact of the matter is, those sellers will remain competition for Aussies regardless of where an Aussie seller lists their products, because eBay's not going away just yet (no matter if scores of sellers do), and because there is consumer demand for them (eBay isn't the only site where Aussies go to buy cheap stuff from overseas sellers - they know they're out there, and they will seek them out). 

If you can do something unique, if you can get people - and more importantly, buyers - excited and talking about a new buying / selling site, and it isn't just a short term fad, then A) that's awesome, because it's a really (really) hard thing to do - I doubt I could do it, and B) it stands a chance of working and growing. 

[pages4u]

Thankyou DG, i am very happy to have your response. 

I understand there is a large selling community out there that is not feeling as a fair trade is being supported.

I would like to hear from those who would support the idea of Australian sellers having the ability to advertise their items 

on a platform that is recognised as such, with checks and balances to support  the confidence of buyers.

Buyers will always find the best price for their particular need, and rightly so, but can it be that cost of selling fees can be reduced and a well structured market place, recognised, reliable and local can really exist? I think so.

I will be openning a facebook account very soon and will give its details as it happens.

I wish for all interested to keep an ear to the ground on the discussion board so as to begin a forum for actually doing something.

Please, i hope you can join in sparking this place ideas, regards.

[pages4u]

Correction, This place of ideas, Thank you.

[pages4u]

Davewil i stand corrected , apologies

[digital*ghost]

In case it looks like I'm not, I'm all for the idea, it's just that I don't think the difficulty will be in attracting sellers. True, there'll be those who'll be cynical and reluctant, and those who'll usually "wait and see" how it pans out for others when a new site comes along, but there'll also be plenty of sellers who'll jump on board and give it a go.

The main challenge is going to be attracting buyers on a sustainable level, and to do that I think you need something above and beyond 'Australia only', (a quick investigation into the relative success of sites I'm not really allowed to name on the eBay forums, but most of which are the "Australian versions" of other, more well-known sites, will show you that after seeming be quite promising initially, it soon peters out and general sales trickle down to a very slow pace, if they come at all). 

Advertising plays a part, but reputation and word of mouth - getting people talking about it - is both more important and much more difficult. Well, at least it seems that way to me, as in this is just what I think, I don't have any qualifications nor have I studied anything about marketing etc it's just that from what I've seen, advertising lets people know about something and can have some influence beyond creating awareness, but it's other people talking about something that is far more compelling and gets people to take note and interest in something new (and I mean people talking about their experiences with something). 

Again, I have only my selling experience, which can't even be verified since I don't really sell on this account, as my only credentials, but if I were to try and start a venture like a new ecommerce site, I'd probably try and tap into a slightly different concept, along the lines of prestige and exclusivity (and I don't necessarily mean designer and/or expensive brands, rare collectibles etc, only), but there is something to be said (and attractive about) things that are not so readily accessible as every other similar thing... (Could well be the worst concept ever and fail miserably, of course  ). 

[pages4u]

Ok DG, it is massively technical im assuming, and that includes both architecture of the site processes as well as the users comfort.

What would the sellers appreciation or comfort be in selling on a new sight, apart from selling and profting?

What warrants the frustrations of sellers who comment about selling on existing sites?

[digital*ghost]

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@bookypoos wrote:

What warrants the frustrations of sellers who comment about selling on existing sites?

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I can sum that up in 3 words. 😉

1. Unvetted
2. Unfettered
3. Unwarranted

1 - as in, no genuine verification processes for new members, or cross referencing for new IDs from existing members. I don't care what eBay (or any other site) says, by running a membership-based site, they are running a curated site, and the lack of 'curation' when it comes to membership is both disappointing and potentially dangerous.

2 - as in, members (be they buyer or seller) being allowed to carry on consequence-free after consistently breaching policies

3 - as in, effect, actions and sanctions related to assumptive conclusions, or perhaps more worryingly the "guilty even when proven innocent" approach that is often taken with sellers, while the "innocent even when proven guilty" approach is taken with buyers. We all know that not every member is a saint, some quite the opposite, so some dramatic improvements could be made by less of this approach (via automated systems, no less), and more real people giving due consideration to both tangible and non-tangible evidence (by non-tangible, I mean things like feedback or long-term sales history). 

[transport-posters]

If you're not having much success here then try something like Gumtree.  Although eBay owned, it is also a good place for selling one-off items.  It's not flooded with cheap 99 cent martial arts shin protectors with free postage from another country yet.

[chameleon54]

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@kopenhagen5 wrote:

Your current items are very specialist, these require continual listing for the one or two buyers that spot them from time to time.

On the other, it may be a great idea but using terms like sweet FA will turn many away.

(I have never used the F word not even the B word) 

Perhaps you need an experienced business person to partner with if you are serious about progressing with it.

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The items may be specialist, but personally I think that is where the best markets for small sellers are. There is no point trying to compete with the major book sellers or sell common books for the masses as it is simply a race to the bottom price wise.

I started my ebay career selling obscure non fiction books on obscure subjects and did very well with them. You can usually buy them for 50 cents to $2 but your selling price is much higher than regular books. I still sell the odd specialist title book now and received nearly $100 for one a couple of days ago. ( mailed it yesterday )...... Its called niche marketing.

"bookypoos" and the F bomb don't do it for me either I,m afraid. If you are selling specialist books you need a professional sounding name.

On the subject of an Australian only selling site, a group of professional business minded people set up a very good site 6-12 months ago. Many of the regulars from this board and elsewhere supported it strongly and listed items there. Unfortunately the buyers did not come, the site could not reach a critical mass of buyers or sellers and it has basically stalled. It is still there, but nothing is happening on it.

Ebay is still really the only game in town for general items, although some sellers of specialist items are having some success with sites set up for their particular markets and selling groups on the bookface site are used by many particularly for local pickup items.

For all its faults ebay is still the best place to sell if you want to reach a wide range of buyers.

[roseblack]

Already been done - Quicksales