When i stared there was $2.45 parcel post for 250gm items, that enabled huge amounts of cheap small items to be shifted. Now the cost of postage means that you can't compete with major discount stoires and cheap imports.

People bought ebay auctions for the fun and novelty of it. Now they buy out of convenience so it has to be exactly what they want, and they want it now.

Hoping to clear job lots at auction each week ready for next weeks batch of listings has long gone. You need more and more listing (ie investment in stock) to get any sort of turnover.

You have to be more and more business like to compete with more business operators doing the same either via ebay or direct.