The Official Business in 2010 Thread

[SteveO]

How do you think business will be in January and February? Feel free to include opions about the over all economy. Looking for you more experienced Mercs.

[First Edition]

I think it will pick up. As soon as MSNBC stops using the term recession, I think we'll all be better off.

[ploughman]

I had noticeably declining sales on eBay vs. last year and certainly years before that, and I'm not sure it was all the economy or competition.

Thankfully Amazon was a different story, and the two together produced a record-breaking year in unit volume. OTOH, the % of the total that's "auctionable" and subject to possible bid-ups is less than 5%, an all-time low. Not much excitement factor, just grinding out the volume ("the hard way")

Amazon charges too much on commissions and their "variable closing fee" is a totally bogus grab, but the $39.99 deal works if you have lots of low-dollar listings. Even with all eBay's changes and retrenchings, their upfront costs whether an item sells or not are too high.

Both sites have quirks and possible "event risks" for being blindsided as evidenced by experiences of others here. Amazon won't let my category sell internationally. I also noticed feedback is far less utilized on Amazon, so you have to solicit it or get disproportionate negas because those are the ones who'll make the effort.

On the eBay side, international sales look like they'll lead the way out, though there are too many premature PayPal claims for non-receipt and no service close to the non-trackable first class international on cost. (Items won't fit the flat-rate packaging, and average sale is too low). Some countries are in better shape than the U.S. on the economy.

[NotGoodEnuff]

I expect 2010 to be real well. My main product is consumable and necessary. It is also still a "hot" item in the world of health and beauty. My other product is something that people will spend money on and doesn't cost me much money and time to produce.

The wholesale side of my business took a hit in '09. I lost 3 businesses because they shut the doors. Retail is and has weathered the storm.

The vero side of my business will always be popular! And some people will pay insane amounts to have a "rare" item. The problem with that is pretty much what the above post states - slow ship, no tracking and buyers who want their purchase yesterday.

I am taking the bulk of my business elsewhere though. My website is a constant work in progress. I use Ebay to bring the buyers over. The retail buyers tend to stay with Ebay. But, the wholesale buyers get a price break when buying from the website.

Either way, best of luck in 2010 and hope it is prosperous for all!