30k from ebay in 2 years, my project.

motorguy

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote:

hi.. pgilc1... i dont understand where you are getting those figures from ..my aim was to raise £1k in one month.....which worked out at £32.25 sales per day.....i dont buy stock as such as i have collected over the years.....and now its time to move on.....and sell....so basically what ever i sell i now class as profit....and the amount that i charge for p & p.. covers costs....
i dont buy new stuff to sell on ebay....as you normally find that new stuff as got a level of pricing..... if you sell second hand or antique... then thats a diff... ball game as its what the buyer is prepared to pay for it...and there is no guide line price as such....( not like a new item....where the price margin between shops/sellers might only be a £ or 2 )

my £1k challenge was to try and pay off a cc....not to go into business...been there done that got the t. shirt....( with huge debt written on it )

fair enough, i took it that you were trying to make £1K in a month by trading on ebay.

good luck m8y

ksh123

My mind went into boggling meltdown when I read what people hope to make, or are making
I have been seeling on eBay for about 9 months now and the most I have ever made is £80 (before fees) in one month and that was because 1 item sold for £45.00.

I have almost NEVER sold anything at auction despite relisting etc I just never get the bids and have sold most stuff through a shop - but of course that is about to become more difficult and more expensive.

Where am I going wrong? My titles are ok, I follow advice about words and content etc and my pictures seem ok. I do not charge over the odds for PP and I have had no negative feedback.
Any help much appreciated.....

cafenervosa_2

ksh123 wrote:

My mind went into boggling meltdown when I read what people hope to make, or are making
I have been seeling on eBay for about 9 months now and the most I have ever made is £80 (before fees) in one month and that was because 1 item sold for £45.00.

I have almost NEVER sold anything at auction despite relisting etc I just never get the bids and have sold most stuff through a shop - but of course that is about to become more difficult and more expensive.

Where am I going wrong? My titles are ok, I follow advice about words and content etc and my pictures seem ok. I do not charge over the odds for PP and I have had no negative feedback.
Any help much appreciated.....

I don't know what you sell but maybe some of my tips can help you.

1. Take great photos with your own digital camera.

2. In your advert add as much detail about the item as possible, you need to SELL it to people.

3. List in the right categories although I dont think this is THAT important.

4. Do full reseach on the items you sell before you buy, see what they sell for on ebay. You need to buy at the lowest possible price giving you the best chance to make a profit. You should look for quality goods at the cheapest possible prices.

5. Sell goods that people will actually want and are in demand if possible.

I hope some of those can help you.

A quick edit, always be willing to learn and improve on what you sell. Don't just sit back on what you sell. Also look at what other successful sellers sell and how they advertise it, you can learn a lot from other powersellers.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

when i sell my items on ebay....i am passionate about most of the items, as they have been in my possession for a long time..if i do buy something to re-sell on ebay..... it's something that i would personally like/keep.....i dont look at something and think i can make ex amount on that......as if i like it then i feel that someone else in the world would have the same feeling about the item....

but as i said earlier i have various collections that i have had for years.....
and have gained knowledge about my collections....

the only adivce i can give to people who would like to take selling on ebay a step further.. is be confident in the items you are selling.... be realistic.. when it comes to pricing and condition......if it is in poor condition but is a very collectable item say.....if there is any blemish etc on an item... my descripion tends to be over board about it... so the buyer expects worse that it is..... know your market..... look through the listings of things that you are going to sell to check out other prices...and use that as a guide for your items.......how many times have you seen ps games dvd's etc.... with a huge diff in prices for the same thing.....

and dont forget.........you get quiet times on ebay as well, exactly like shop do.....:rotfl:

hd7481

I didn't think you were allowed to make anything off of postage according to ebay rules. I hate when people have ridiculously extortionate postage prices. It actually stops me from bidding for things.

PASCALI

I dont make any money from postage, but I charge for my time packing the item and taking it to the post office, nothing wrong with that

ksh123

thanks all for your posts. But to be honest I do blieve I do all the things you have mentioned.
1. I don't buy to sell so nothing is over-priced as I am have not bought anything, except an occasional book at a charity shop.
2. I always check out the prices of similar goods both on BIN and auctions and price mine lower because I want to sell.
3. I'm a qualified journalist so I'm assuming my descriptions are OK
4. I always point out blemishes in CAPITALS and price accordingly.
5. If something isn't selling I revise the price and title etc to give it another go.
6. I'm not a great photographer but at least the pics are clear and reasonable.
7. I only add 20p to postage for packing.
8. I have 106 blemish free feed-back.
9. I communicate with my buyers during the despatch process so they know where they are up to (and get paid lots of compliments about that).

The only thing I don't do is pay for subtitles etc because I simply can't afford it.

So I can only assume its the things I sell. They cover a very wide spectrum and of course some thiings are more popular than others.

As an additional question - what are other shop owners thinking of doing about the new rules and prices? I am wary of switching to auctions because I have so little success with them and they end up costing me money.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

if you look at ebay.. they say its postage and packaging costs....

i add on the cost of the packaging...etc...i buy my packaging especially.. tissue paper.... garment bags..... special size boxes for hats etc.....

as i personally feel i have looked after that item for maybe 20 years....and i feel the presentation goes a long way....so when the buyer recieves the items from me.. they know that they have been well loved and looked after..... i have bought some items off ebay... and the standard of packaging has been disgusting... things taped into bin bag linners....and creased to hell...and back.....which makes you think what type of house they have come from.....dont get me wrong...i am not a snob...far from it......but i do think pride in what you are selling goes a long way......i now have people who have bought from me on ebay.....buying from me privately.....plus asking me to keep an eye out for certain things that they are looking for......

so...i really do need to thank the op for this thread...:beer: as its given me the kick up the butt that i need to go for that 1k challenge in 31 days.... that i set myself a while ago..... and didnt bother finishing it.......

so here goes....my personal challenge starts today......and as a bonus its 10p listing on clothes and accessories etc.....:T

COOLTRIKERCHICK

just tried sending yuo a private pm.... yuor inbox is full.....so if yuo empty it i can re-send message.......:rotfl:

hd7481

I agree that packaging should be included in the cost. I was really talking about those people that charge £7.00 postage for say a cd just so they could make a profit even if the cd finishes at 99p.