Why do you continue to sell on eBay?

digitalluster · #1 02-05-2015

Is it still profitable to sell on eBay with all the increased fees? The more you sell the more you have to pay. I often wonder what makes it worth it.

bananaappeal · #2 02-05-2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalluster

Is it still profitable to sell on eBay with all the increased fees? The more you sell the more you have to pay. I often wonder what makes it worth it.

Im not spending twice as much time using stealth methods to sell on eBay for the fun of it.

trosky · #3 02-05-2015

Hmm to make money? Higher fees means it's harder than what it used to and margins thinner but not impossible.

**TGMT²** · #4 02-05-2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalluster

The more you sell the more you have to pay.

That's some pretty flawed logic you have there.

That's like saying: The more you buy at Walmart, the more tax you will have to pay.

Maybe look at it as: "The more you sell, the more you make"

MM78 · #5 02-05-2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalluster

Is it still profitable to sell on eBay with all the increased fees?

Of course it is, those that can get the best prices will survive.

digitalluster · #6 02-05-2015

I didn't feel like I was really profitable selling rare toy collectables items on eBay. The fees got up to $890.00 monthly or higher. To me eBay is like the fee bank. While eCrater on the other hand was profitable without a hint of seller fees other then PayPal transaction fees I finally found something worth wild.

GreenBean · #7 02-05-2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalluster

While eCrater on the other hand was profitable without a hint of seller fees other then PayPal transaction fees I finally found something worth wild.

wild toys?

trosky · #8 02-05-2015

You can always sell items as a garage sale with no fees, but you get what you pay for, and in this case you're paying for traffic!

digitalluster · #9 02-05-2015

I think ecrater has a far better way to allow customers to find items on google. Based on price range and item discriptions. eCrater offers things like google attributes and Products Feed Specification values. All the while it allows customers to find you in more ways then one. And that means traffic!!!! It's all about the connection and being searchable.

yankee · #10 02-05-2015

Everything is a matter of perspective....

digitalluster · #11 02-05-2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenBean

wild toys?

The kind of toys that go bump in the night?

digitalluster · #12 02-05-2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by yankee

Everything is a matter of perspective....

Perspective and innovation on how things work online can make a huge difference.

yankee · #13 02-05-2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalluster

Perspective and innovation on how things work online can make a huge difference.

If you have good items that allow good to great margins, inventory and the ability to handle volume ebay is about the cheapest rent on planet earth. Some argue Amazon and in some ways I would agree but with Amazon you can not be overly creative and price is king. On ebay we can manipulate many aspects with a huge amount of instant buyers.

ecrater does not have enough traffic for me to dedicate a resource to.

digitalluster · #14 02-05-2015

I wish everyone success online.

Dmshark25 · #15 02-05-2015

I never looked at the fees as a problem, coming from a brick and Mortar business, this is heaven.

But eBay has changed a lot just in the last 3 years with listing visibility and traffic throttling

But there are ways around that, and you just need to constantly change, just like any business If you want to stay alive and thrive

I'm so used to jumping thru hoops, it's all second nature and it has all evolved, so it's not like when you talk to someone that never ran multiple accounts and changed IPs and all that where they are overwhelmed

It takes time and it's a constant progression, but it really becomes easy, and you find yourself always ahead of eBay, and you keep your sales always going and rising even if it means adding an extra hoop every week or month

ebayfail · #16 02-05-2015

Quote:

Why do you continue to sell on eBay?

The answer to this question is basically this... If you subtract fees and other expenses and you still make 50-200% profit then YES you should still sell on eBay. Profit margin can also be lower than 50% as long as you sell in high enough volume to make some $$$. If you think eBay is not worth your time, you should consider finding a job somewhere else.

Dmshark25 · #17 02-05-2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebayfail

The answer to this question is basically this... If you subtract fees and other expenses and you still make 50-200% profit then YES you should still sell on eBay. Profit margin can also be lower than 50% as long as you sell in high enough volume to make some $$$. If you think eBay is not worth your time, you should consider finding a job somewhere else.

Yep that's always the issue, when I think of working for someone, you need to give up your life for such a small amount

Yes it's a steady paycheck and u just need to wake up and show up on time to get it, but the money you make selling on eBay and Amazon is just a huge difference, and it starts to feel like a waste of time working for anyone

When I started out, I had a job, and as thing progressed I slowly cut back hours, than days, and would eventually become a fill in when needed

I remember being there and making a $1000 in 2 hours just watching sales pile up through emails on my phone, it made staying 8 hours for $125 seem very worthless

tannedweekend · #18 02-05-2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalluster

I think ecrater has a far better way to allow customers to find items on google. Based on price range and item discriptions. eCrater offers things like google attributes and Products Feed Specification values. All the while it allows customers to find you in more ways then one. And that means traffic!!!! It's all about the connection and being searchable.

Why dont you open a shop at EB and at eCrater and will see how it works.
If you get 5% from eCrater i will say it was not the worst
If you get 20% i will say you are a Star

digitalluster · #19 02-05-2015

Well most of you know how the road ends on eBay and PayPal.

GreenBean · #20 02-05-2015

The roads is not a dead end ,however.

ebabe · #21 02-05-2015

Yes, the more you sell the more fees you have to pay, but the more you sell the more your profits are too. In my experience Amazon fees are higher, so ebay is the best place for me personally for the type of item I sell. Back in mid 90s you had to put an ad in the paper ''tiny ads'' remember that guy? And compared to now with ebay and amazon it was a joke, so really other than ebay and amazon where else is the best place to sell online?

aking · #22 02-05-2015

I have an exel spreadsheet created that calculates profits for any item I sell. All I need to do is input my costs and selling prices and the output is my margin. Everything is there from packaging costs, labels, shipping, etc.

I create a monthly profit level and I know exactly how much I need to sell to reach that benchmark.

If your not making money then your doing something terribly wrong. Selling on eBay isn't for everyone. You have to have an entrepreneur and business mindset and just know how to make a buck.

we all have to deal with fees but there's ways to offset these of your smart.