Another Power Seller's Concerns...Where To Go? My Opinion..Lets All Work Smarter, Not Harder

A very nice fellow ebayer read my blog and asked some questions regarding where to go. what to do, etc for vintage type items. I did my best to answer based on our experience and they gave me permission to post it here so others can hopefully get something out of it as well.

If anyone has any questions, concerns, opinions, data to share, etc..please let us know..we truly believe if you are already successful on eBay, you have a great shot at being successful on other venues as well.

Here is my take...


"Hi Amber, thanks for getting back to me! And thanks for the encouraging comment - your enthusiasm is contagious and gives me hope!"

You are so welcome. The encouragement is genuine..I believe you can do this.:)

"I'm really enjoying your blog too, I think the information you are providing is really needed by the antiques and collectibles community right now. Not only are you giving sellers other options, but buyers too!"

Thanks again...and the more I looked into options, the more I too realized there WERE options..and eBay is not as big of an option as we think it is. I too was very mislead, because eBay wants us to believe they are the best...but the data proves otherwise. There are already hundreds of very good sellers who left between the last changes in I believe 2004 and now, who do a great business...we are smart ..I think we can succeed too..we just have to make the right moves and not fall into the false sense of *if I try, all will work out* ...No, we still have to make the right moves to succeed...the right choices, and not move blindly. The data and proof is out there, we just have to read it, and act upon it.

"I just wanted to talk to you a little about my situation and plans, and see what you think. You seem to have a good handle on both the situation on eBay and the alternatives, and I really value your thoughts. Especially when you said you quit selling items under $30 on eBay two years ago! I am really thinking of the $25 and up price point for my eBay store."

I think if you decide to list at all on ebay this is a very smart move. It is also a very smart move to research everything before you list it. If something is listed on ebay 100 times in 30 days and it sells 10 times at an amount that isn't worth it...chuck it. However, I don't believe an eBay store is viable for most people anymore, especially for vintage saturated items. I think you will be better off building stores elsewhere that are free, no fees and better exposure.

"I am going to try moving some of my lower priced inventory over to my new store on Etsy. I really like the community vibe over there, and it is free to have a store, 20 cents to list an item for 4 months, and the FVF is only 3.5%. I think more vintage sellers are starting up on Etsy these days."

I think this is a very smart move. I think this is where your whole store/ or at least one of your stores should be. And if you are going to use eBay, only list items that have a 75% sale rate or higher on items you can easily get $25 or higher for. You might even want to consider only using Buy It Nows with best offers. We started doing this a long time ago. When we decide on buying an item to offer, we research very well to see what the sell thru rate is and what we can get for it. We then offer it at a fair Bay price but allow best offers. The best offer ability has actually brought back the true intent of the auction format. People have to offer the MOST they are willing to spend under the asking price, not the least by nickeling and diming with a proxy bid. We then get to check their feedback and decide if we want to do business with them. This has protected us many times from bad buyers and gives us a good amount on our item. 90% of the time our items do sell at or very close to the BIN price.

Use some good name items to draw people to your name and other stores. But again, you don't want to waste your time on things you can't make a profit on. I know you have a number in your head regarding the amount per month you would like to bring in, correct? Most people do. We all need to add up what we have to make to cover the bills, what we would like to make, what the costs of doing business are, and use that to figure what our time is worth. We no longer even bother with $10 items, it just is not worth it, for the most part...especially with storage concerns. ...not even in our stores unless it is a a good name dropper and small to keep in storage.

We do it this way; what is the sell rate, how much can I get for it and how much room does it take to store? Obviously there will be times we come across a super uber cool item we have no knowledge about and we HAVE to offer it... but for the most part..We use a lot of bins, my rule is; I have to fit at least $300 worth of stuff in each bin, or it is not worth it. We chuck the rest, no matter if I paid money for it or not, we chalk it up to a learning experience. Cheaper than a college education:)

"I currently have a backlog of books, magazines, magazine ads, and other paper/ephemera items in my inventory. I was thinking of "niching down" and opening a 2nd eBay store focusing on those types of items, since my main store has a bazillion categories as it is. Now I am considering using eCrater/BISI instead. They are mostly low dollar items that could take a while to find the right buyer, and they are also hopefully items that people might Google to find. I figured it would be a good place to start, and if it went well I could consider moving other inventory to another off eBay store."'

I agree, no ebay. Too expensive. I think ecrater has more exposure than BISI right now, but stores NEED to stand on their own. If you have a good following and customer base, you have a strong advantage..but again, keep in mind the work each item will require and decide if it is worth it or not. Sell the rest at a flea market etc and use it for advertising dollars. But again remember, all the work put into selling things on ebay, has to be re-evaluated. eBay needs to stay for sure bets..not wasted time and fees. You could use the money saved on non selling item ebay fees, as well as the time you would list, to put your things at more than one venue. You also want to get as many well search brands in your new places as fast as possible. You want to draw people in from google who are looking for brands that people also look for on ebay, and you want your items to be bargains. The fees you save not listing on ebay, can mean a cheaper price in your store..which will encourage off ebay shopping.

"I found from your side bar two sites I hadn't seen before, Popula and CyberAttic. They are interesting because they are specifically geared toward antiques and collectibles, maybe they would get more targeted traffic? That is what I like about Tias and Ruby Lane too, but they seem a bit too expensive for me right now. I saw that you are considering Ruby Lane too."

I am really liking the Cyber Attic idea and I do think in the future we will use them. Maybe Ruby...but for right now, I am with you, kind of expensive. I honestly do think Etsy, ecrater/ BISI...I have heard Ruby Lanes sell thru isn't that great..and unless you have a lot of *antiques* I am just not too sure yet.

"My biggest problem right now is time, I am so busy with eBay work trying to pay my bills that finding time for Etsy or anything else is turning out to be really difficult. I simply can't afford to spend a lot of time on a project that isn't showing results yet. It's tricky to say the least! It's just one more way that eBay has its claws in me."

I know..believe me, I know. my better half and I have these discussions frequently. eBay can be a very vicious cycle.

However, all the energy and money that is spent without getting anything in return on ebay anyway, simply needs to be re-shifted into a different venue or focus. Researching sell thru rates and what items sell for on ebay BEFORE listing is a necessity. If they are not a guaranteed high item sale...then it won't be for ebay..That energy saved can be for putting the somewhere else....and so can your money...into advertising instead of ebay's pocket when your item did not sell.

"Anyway, any ideas or thoughts you have are most appreciated. "

Those are my initial thoughts. I do want to go more into this..but I am hoping this is enough to get you thinking and re-shifting.

I do believe you have the power to make this happen. I do believe you won't be using MORE energy, you will just be re-shifting the energy already used....and in return, be more successful to reach your goals.

Thoughts? Questions?