Selling on Ebay - Opinions please.

[Palms]

I have always pondered the option of opening an ebay shop just as an addition to my b and m shop and ecommerce site to sell a range of silk wedding designs and then possibly extend that to party accessories. Have a few ideas of packages etc.

What has always stopped me is that when looking at competition, they are always really cheap and I am not prepared to sell at that level.

What is your opinion on ebay buyers?

Mine has always been that they are looking for cheap cheap and that is not the market I aim at.

But, I was wrong once before so I would like the advice of the masses.

Thanks in advance.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Can you compete with this?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Storage-W...2022?pt=US_CSA_WC_Dresses&hash=item2a092f4fe6

There will always be those looking for bargains.I was talking to a lady on till in Waitrose yesterday,her daughter's entire wedding was "done " over the internet.
If you want to project an "expensive/exclusive" image,maybe look elsewhere?

 

[Surge Computers]

If you've got something unique about your product or service then the customer will buy it. Price isn't the only factor

 

[Palms]

Yeah I know there are going to be bargain hunters, that is my opinion and what has always put me off.

I suppose I am asking if they are only interested in price or do they take any other factors into account.

For instance, in the real world (i.e. not internet), some people pay more for the same product that is cheaper just because they perceive it to be more expensive, especially in particular geographical areas.

 

[internetspaceships]

You don't have to be the cheapest to sell on eBay. Go for it because you can use it as a very cheap marketing tool. Don't use auctions, just put up lots of "buy it now" items and if you make your auctions clear and attractive enough, with a phone number you will get enquiries.

Also link the T and C page from your website on the auction. That is perfectly acceptable. It is also perfectly acceptable to ask people to phone you for support regarding options they might wish to include....

Not a huge number of enquiries I must admit but they are often very good quality. To put my money where my mouth is, the largest custom built item we have sold via an original eBay auction (not a car or machinery I might add) is £32,000 and this went to France so don't let price make any issue at all.

Do it.

 

[BDSDoncaster]

I find people use Ebay for different reasons, alot of people use it as a place to find bargains but others, especially people looking at wedding stuff go on looking for the thinkgs they just cant find elsewhere. If you have something that is unique I would imagine that Ebay may be a great way to advertise your items. Lots of people just cant afford to travel round to find what they want and if it is about weddings then this is something many people will pay good money for, if it is the right product.

Hope this helps!

 

[webstoreinnovations-com]

I think there is a misconception that eBay is only for "cheap" items. This is not really true. eBay is just a micro economy which has a very loyal buyer following - there are many brands there and there is a good (and often overlooked) opportunity to position your brand within that economy if you do it well.

There are many books out there on the subject but a few tips would include:

• Set up an eBay shop and create categories for your inventory
• Get a smart template with clear, well-written terms and conditions and a nice introduction to who you are, testimonials etc
• make it easy for buyers to contact you with clearly displayed telephone numbers
• Have a clear shipping policy with information about expected delivery times
• Accept returns and have a clear policy
• Have great product shots - this is probably the hardest and most important part to get right
• price your products according to how you wish to position your brand - don't price too low
• I would recommend combining the shipping cost into the buy it now price
• write your titles very carefully - by far the majority of buyers search by keyword search, not by browsing the category tree - however, make your titles as humanly readable and appealing as possible
• when you make a sale, ship quickly and pay attention to the details - make the packaging look good and include brochures, flyers etc in the package
• list your items regularly to get good exposure in search results

Selling on eBay can be profitable and is a great way to boost sales whilst building up your website awareness. If you have a website (which you should if you are serious about online selling) you can also upsell to your eBay customers in the emails you send to them regarding the original eBay transaction such as shipping emails, thank you emails etc etc

Don't rely on eBay as your only source of customers but use it as a tool, or a search engine. However, to start you'll probably find that eBay is your only real source of sales.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Have a look using the Search function.There are some threads like this one.
http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=143511&highlight=wedding+dress+shop

 

[grabbitmagazine]

You'd have to be careful, you wouldn't want to de-value your product. So keep it the same prices as your other shop and go for it! What have you got to lose?

 

[SamStones]

Be warned tho: eBay buyers are the most price sensitive around and are also the most jumpy when something goes wrong. A few examples recently:

Customer buys on Friday and emails threatening trading standards an police on the Sunday

Customer buys a CCTV system for £0.15 then demands a refund when it's got a piece missing. Customer then paid £7 to return the item for that refund

Customer buys an electric heater for under £11 including delivery then complains because it's cream in colour instead of white.

Customer leaves neg: "I was conned, item is cheaper in the pound shop"

It's possible to sell some stuff and make some money on eBay but you do have to be on your guard!

 

[mit74]

My friend stopped selling bike parts on ebay because he said it was full of nutters and they were damaging his reputation. He sold through his site very successfully but found Ebay members to be ridiculously harsh with their markings sometimes giving negative if arriving a day late etc.

 

[SamStones]

That's the problem with ebay these days... customers want everything for nothing and the high ebay fees and low barrier to entry mean it's very hard to make a living on there now. It should still be considered as part of a multi channel strategy but only time will tell if it works out worthwhile for you.

 

[James Greg]

Having a unique item to sell would certainly not let you bother about competition. The internet has all kinds of deals available and you would certainly have to compete with it to have your shop running successfully.

 

[ps_leccy]

If you've got your own product to sell and something to differentiate you to the competition, go for it, I'd say!
Unfortunately my sales on ebay involve items there's often 20 other people sell, so I have to keep it pretty cheap. I still often see people offering up the same items for 4x times the price and more. Not sure if they ever get any sales, but guessing they must be laughing if they do. So even if you're not unique, seems there's still SOME justification for selling at higher than market prices.

 

[Digital Ark]

Hi

Like Internetspaceships ebay is a great way to reach a mass audience. While there are many looking for a bargain, there is also a lot of people looking to buy brand new. It is worth trying as it does create another sales / awareness channel for your business, especially if you include a link to your web site in your listing.

Downside, ebay fees are not cheap (final auction fee on sales and fees if payment is made by Paypal).

Simon

 

[internetspaceships]

My friend stopped selling bike parts on ebay because he said it was full of nutters and they were damaging his reputation. He sold through his site very successfully but found Ebay members to be ridiculously harsh with their markings sometimes giving negative if arriving a day late etc.

We have sold on ebay for over 5 years and haven't had one negative or neutral feedback. I'm terribly sorry but I cannot see where your friend is coming from.

 

[Allan_UK]

I have always pondered the option of opening an ebay shop just as an addition to my b and m shop and ecommerce site to sell a range of silk wedding designs and then possibly extend that to party accessories. Have a few ideas of packages etc.

What has always stopped me is that when looking at competition, they are always really cheap and I am not prepared to sell at that level.

What is your opinion on ebay buyers?

Mine has always been that they are looking for cheap cheap and that is not the market I aim at.

But, I was wrong once before so I would like the advice of the masses.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Palms

There are three main disadvantages of ebay selling.

1- You are listed as just one sheep amongst the silk wedding design flock when people search by specific item. This is the equivalent of having a high street shop in a street where all the other shops for miles around are offering the same service as you are.

2- Price, and in particular the growth of the dropshipping sector on ebay which has lead to several individuals selling goods on behalf of the dropship company without the hassle of having to buy or even deliver the stock themselves. Many dropshippers are very inexperienced and undercut prices to such an unrealistic extent extent that they often find it hard to break even.

3- Control. With ebay you have further tiers of consumer complaints to deal with and the system is heavily biased towards the buyer with ebay having the final say should any disputes arise.



You might be be better off in the long run concentrating on the marketing and presentation of your own website and driving traffic towards it. You would probably end up with a lot more loyal custom for your efforts and petty complaints can be resolved privately rather than being sprayed all around ebay and causing unecessary harm to your business credibility.


Allan

 

[Allan_UK]

Price isn't the only factor!! Good product and better service are more important!

Unfortunately ebay doesn't offer search results on good product or better service. The only viable business comparison they do is by price with other options for size, colour, location etc.

And with all the mutual back-scratching which can rig positive feedback results along with the petty whining that can affect negative ratings, it's difficuilt to judge accurately who is genuinely offering a professional service and who is just another bedsit blagger trying to make a bit of beer money for the weekend.

 

[internetspaceships]

Unfortunately ebay doesn't offer search results on good product or better service. The only viable business comparison they do is by price with other options for size, colour, location etc.

And with all the mutual back-scratching which can rig positive feedback results along with the petty whining that can affect negative ratings, it's difficuilt to judge accurately who is genuinely offering a professional service and who is just another bedsit blagger trying to make a bit of beer money for the weekend.

I'm not agreeing with you here.

You can tell the difference. Serious sellers usually have numerous items up for sale. Serious sellers also usually have a telephone number AND their website details on the auction. Admittedly that's often in the form of a link to their terms and conditions but it's pretty easy to tell the difference between the two types of seller.

 

[ps_leccy]

I don't think 'serious sellers' are always the best, however.
Someone selling a few items from their bedroom so they can buy a festival ticket may well 'care' a lot more about the sale and further be more passionate about the items they are selling.

 

[Corpy]

Just some advice on Ebay shops.

I once thought a ebay shop would be a great idea to start selling some items to generate money before investing into a website. oh how wrong i was. I miss calculated my fees and start loosing all the profit margins.

Ebay is a hard place to sell.

Not only will you pay a shop fee of 10-20£ every month,
listing fee
% of the sale cost
% of the paypal transaction.
V.A.T if you need it.

Now if you try to add each % into your price so you dont eat into your profit unless your buying fake items you just wont be able to match the prices unless your buying direct from say Sony, GHD or any other company.

I actually got this so wrong by the time i sold an item and paid the V.A.T then my listing fee ebay seller fee and paypal transaction fee. i should of had £20 profit i actually ended up with -£2.00

So just a warning look at your prices. because ebay works on a sliding scale same as paypal

 

[Am1t]

Try putting your products on Amazon. (In my opinion) it has that slightly higher "intergrity" factor.
Again I say (in my opinion) ebay is good once you've become an established seller with 500+ feedback.
Maybe try start of selling just above cost and then gradually increase your prices when your feedback is at a more respectable level.

 

[Corpy]

I'm not agreeing with you here.

You can tell the difference. Serious sellers usually have numerous items up for sale. Serious sellers also usually have a telephone number AND their website details on the auction. Admittedly that's often in the form of a link to their terms and conditions but it's pretty easy to tell the difference between the two types of seller.

When i started my company, i used ebay like i said above.

But after i have my distribution company credit i listed over £500,000 in products. so yes it made me look like a serious seller but it takes time to build up seller feedback and hard work to find mega cheap wholesale prices that make it worth while.

to the person actually looking at using the ebay shop.

look at what prices your buying in at. check ebay for the same new items and then see what profit you can make with out out pricing your self then take away the ebay % ebay listing fee paypal % and see how much you have left in profit