What profit is big?

[jerberson12]

What is your average profit on items usually sold at price ranges from $75 to $150? Subtract already all the Ebay fees, Paypal fees, Original item price, gas if applicable, packaging?

[joesshooze]

My net margin is about 50-60%. Having considered VPN, shipping & packaging, fees, cellular, banking fees & a small percentage for start up costs. Also a little to my surprise my costs have gone up for stealth but insures longevity.

[Gamefreak]

i make about $25 on my best item, little to no return in the years I've been selling it with little to no issues

[JamesNorth101]

I sell a range of items. Some make just £1.50 but sell in mass, others make £600 profit but take a lot of time to make and ship.

[rsot]

Better to analyze by % than $....a lot depends on niche, products, complaints, etc.

[An0nym0u$]

For years, I hated the idea of selling online. Thought it wasn't for me.

I was always a big gamer...especially PS2 and PS3 games. I used to buy alot of used games at brick and mortar stores and play them. Once I was done w/ the game, I repeated the process. I had piles of games...like 200 or so.

Eventually, I got tired of the crazy prices the stores were charging (and their poor exchange rate - they'll offer you $10 for your game and turn around and sell it for $40, wtf!). I decided to just start buying them from eBay. Then when done w/ the game, I would sell them back online on eBay.

In the beginning, I wasn't making much of a profit and sometimes even taking small losses. I didn't care, because I was having fun playing the games. As time went on, I would just buy them wholesale lots and sell them off when I was done beating the game.

Before I knew it, I was earning a small profit (and enjoying the games at the same time). I later ventured into other products that actually made larger profits.

The point of my little story is that profit can be measured in different ways. For me, I was saving alot of money by not giving into the insane store prices and I was still enjoying different games to play.

Finding a product and turning it into a profit takes countless hours.

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by jerberson12

What is your average profit on items usually sold at price ranges from $75 to $150? Subtract already all the Ebay fees, Paypal fees, Original item price, gas if applicable, packaging?

Tell your own profits before expecting info like this

Another thread that creates envy
Your correct aim is to be running your stealth accounts in such a way to make money and profit

Focus on that

[MM78]

Originally Posted by rsot

Better to analyze by % than $....a lot depends on niche, products, complaints, etc.

Agree with Rsot on this one....

Example:
Suppose you buy something for $100 and sell it off for $150.
Cost Price = $100
Selling Price (revenue) = $150
Profit = $150 - $100 = $50
Profit percentage = $50/$100 = 50% (profit as percentage of cost price)
Profit margin = $50/$150 = 33.33% (profit as percentage of selling price or revenue)
Also take into effect the Shipping Supplies and Shipping Cost.

[Sandy D]

I like to double or triple my total "profit" on an item I list.

[hulkman]

Threads like these dont provide much info. If you can sell 200 of an item a month and make $20 of each one, then you just made $4000 profit for the month.

If you sell 10 items at $150 profit each per month, then you just made $1500.

In terms of a %, I like to say that if you can get a 20-30% return on your money, then its a good investment.

[Dmshark25]

With ebay to I agree u need a nice % return but i try to purchase items that are $10-20 that I can sell for 3 times the amount

I have a few items cost is $100 but I feel whatever I list on ebay there's a potential and a good one of being scammed and losing out

[ifox007]

Originally Posted by Sandy D

I like to double or triple my total "profit" on an item I list.

Really? have you really got your items sold when you double price? a double profit means the price of the item must be doubled too. I am correct?

you sell an item for $100, you make $20 profit.
To make a double profit ($20 X 2 = $40), then the asking price should be $200.

WOW.. who is going to buy it ?

[jeffweico]

Originally Posted by ifox007

Really? have you really got your items sold when you double price? a double profit means the price of the item must be doubled too. I am correct?

you sell an item for $100, you make $20 profit.
To make a double profit ($20 X 2 = $40), then the asking price should be $200.

WOW.. who is going to buy it ?

I think Sandy is saying that she likes to have a 200% to 300% markup on items she sells. But her items are unique (antiques) and that is very labor intensive, because she has to go out and work to find products that she can buy and list online for a profit. I sell a lot of books (mostly rare and out of print) so we use similar business models.

The downside to this is, it may take awhile to sell something that you bought. Often, I will get a great deal on a rare book, but I may have to list it on Amazon for 9 months or more before it sells for the price I want. So, you also have to factor in your labor and also the time value of money.

The bottom line is, the more popular an item is - and the more competition there is - the lower your profit margins will be. That is why I like niches. I have my books and I also have some niches I found where I am selling new products at NICE profit margins since there is little competition. But each niche may only have a few sales per week, where I am sure that thousands of iPads are sold every single day. But there is no margin on iPads.

[vogeltron]

Originally Posted by hulkman

Threads like these dont provide much info. If you can sell 200 of an item a month and make $20 of each one, then you just made $4000 profit for the month.

If you sell 10 items at $150 profit each per month, then you just made $1500.

In terms of a %, I like to say that if you can get a 20-30% return on your money, then its a good investment.

Very good point. Personally I look for items with at least a 30% return margin. For me that does not include tape, gas, etc. Simply Cost of the item, fees, shipping and any packaging costs for those I don't ship priority mail. Some times I win and get hot items that sell for more. Some times I lose and have to sell items at a loss. It is just part of making sure that at the end of the day you make sure you come out ahead.

Honestly, I have bought items that were quick sellers I made next to nothing on. But where easy to package and send out and I always got good feedback and DSRs so it was worth the investment.

For me I try not to calculate things like I am an employee. Sometimes you have to spend more time on one customer than another. You learn to identify those who are too much hassle usually before hand. For me I honestly believe if I do thing everything will work itself out. When it comes to business I have one motto. Under promise and over-deliver. Knock on wood but this has helped me become successful in my opinion at what I do.

I never hype up anything I sell with fancy descriptions etc. I always take pictures personally. Never any generic stock photo. And I try to describe all items the best I can. Knock on wood but it has been working out. I will say anyone who outs themselves asking too many questions etc. I have learned are not worth my time and I block. Even if I lose out on several sales not having to deal with one moronic buyer makes my life so much easier.