How do sellers make a living on eBay

[stevebills]

There's are high at 12.8 % and 4% for reserve price added
That 16.8% surely there little margin for the sell unless you can buy something for £100 and sell for £200
But I can't see that happening in the real world
eBay is crap for sellers the fees are killing it

[agent006140]

There are other sales venues,like AMZN,ETSY,Craigslist,Rubylane etc,or you can have your own website or brick and mortar stores,it is up to you.
Compare to a brick and mortar store,all these venues are bargains.

Etsy is the cheapest of the three (amzn,etsy.ebay),traffic has slowed down a lot,most shoppers are buying what they need,not what they like and you find them on AMZN and Ebay,not Etsy

Originally Posted by stevebills

There's are high at 12.8 % and 4% for reserve price added
That 16.8% surely there little margin for the sell unless you can buy something for £100 and sell for £200
But I can't see that happening in the real world
eBay is crap for sellers the fees are killing it

No one uses reserve these days,list it at a reasonable price and hope someone will buy it.
These days grocery and rent take up a larger portion of your disposable income,so find something they need,not they like ,toothpaste,toothbrush,coupons,small electronics,batteries,ink cartridge.
Go to flea market,garage sales and places where they sell remnants ,remainders,store returns in bulk.
If you have elderly neighbors or local retail stores who are not internet savvy,offer your service to them

Originally Posted by henryfalmore

what's rubylane?

Rubylane is a sales venue where you open a shop and list mostly collectibles and jewelry,the prices are higher than Ebay but FVF is lower.
Like all the other sales venues,hardly anyone is buying.

Originally Posted by degsey69

I like eBay as it is not as infiltrated with Chinese companies as on Amazon, they have made i an art form to manipulate the feedback, everything is sold b FBA and shipped direct from manufacturer to Amazon warehouses, Before hey had distributors in every country and that has finished in a lot of cases.

The best way to make money now is selling used/liquidated product on eBay and you will still get good margins.

Ebay has its fair share of Chinese sellers,being based in China they have access to goods and shipping can be free if the item is light weight.
There are also several warehouses in California .

Originally Posted by yan

don't forget to mention eCrater..

Bonanza !!!!!!!

In the early days,there is no fee for placing a reserve on your listing,but sellers would list a PC for $499 and a reserve of $1k,when the final bid was below $1k,seller would offer to the high bidder for whatever the high bid was,skipping Ebay fee .
Then Ebay decides to charge $1 for reserve fee,now it is 4%.
Also seller can also bid on his own listing,also accept cash,check,money order,wiretransfer and anyone can leave feedback.
listing fee was 5 cents,and some sellers do not have camera,so there are no pictures,which is also fine then
Also if buyer does not pay for insurance,seller is not responsible for any damage in the mail.

[stevebills]

I'm going to try marketplace and vinted there free

[degsey69]

eBay fees are in keeping with Amazon, etsy and others, there are cheaper like Mercari, it is all about economy of sale.

[e2free]

Ebay is finished they don’t even got traffic not worth at all Amazon taken over

[rsot]

Originally Posted by e2free

Ebay is finished they don’t even got traffic not worth at all Amazon taken over

relatively true - they do need some drastic makeover

[murdered_by_ebay]

one of the biggest advantages of ebay is that you have access to a large number of potential buyers without having to pay upfront for expensive infrastructure

how people do it? they can test products with minimal investment and see what works , that is a privilege you can't get offline

[henryfalmore]

Originally Posted by agent006140

There are other sales venues,like AMZN,ETSY,Craigslist,Rubylane etc,or you can have your own website or brick and mortar stores,it is up to you.
Compare to a brick and mortar store,all these venues are bargains.

what's rubylane?

[degsey69]

I like eBay as it is not as infiltrated with Chinese companies as on Amazon, they have made i an art form to manipulate the feedback, everything is sold b FBA and shipped direct from manufacturer to Amazon warehouses, Before hey had distributors in every country and that has finished in a lot of cases.

The best way to make money now is selling used/liquidated product on eBay and you will still get good margins.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by agent006140

Rubylane is a sales venue where you open a shop and list mostly collectibles and jewelry,the prices are higher than Ebay but FVF is lower.
Like all the other sales venues,hardly anyone is buying.

good summary - traffic is really niche specific it seems

[henryfalmore]

Originally Posted by agent006140

Rubylane is a sales venue where you open a shop and list mostly collectibles and jewelry,the prices are higher than Ebay but FVF is lower.
Like all the other sales venues,hardly anyone is buying.

FVF is what again? thank you for all of your wisdom and knowledge. love you

[yan]

Originally Posted by agent006140

There are other sales venues,like AMZN,ETSY,Craigslist,Rubylane etc,or you can have your own website or brick and mortar stores,it is up to you.
Compare to a brick and mortar store,all these venues are bargains.

don't forget to mention eCrater..

[JamesNorth101]

Originally Posted by henryfalmore

FVF is what again? thank you for all of your wisdom and knowledge. love you

Final value fee

So the % you pay on sales

[rsot]

Originally Posted by henryfalmore

FVF is what again? thank you for all of your wisdom and knowledge. love you

final value fee - be aware of the fee you pay based on your sale

[stevebills]

Reserved price is 4% fees and anyone think this is ott or us it just me

[SaiJin]

Originally Posted by henryfalmore

FVF is what again? thank you for all of your wisdom and knowledge. love you

Final value Fee.

[JamesNorth101]

Originally Posted by stevebills

Reserved price is 4% fees and anyone think this is ott or us it just me

It is OTT but at the same time not many people tend to use a reserve price these days

[james_112233]

Depends what you sell. My business doesn't work any where else other than ebay unfortunately. I've tried Amazon, Facebook marketplace, Etsy etc. Ebays seller protection is really good. Saved me a few times from dodgy buyers claiming non-receipt.

I've been thinking about a brick & mortar store but I know that won't work either as I send a lot of items through the global shipping program as well ! and up and down the country.

[agent006140]

I have sold a few of my personal small electronic items on Etsy, Roku device,digital scale,ipods,used but in good condition.
More people shop on Etsy now,you will have less competition on ETSY.

[degsey69]

I know from experience that eBay outsells Etsy by a considerable amount, and as the original poster askes how can you make money from selling online, Etsy will cost you a lot to create sales through their advertising, as you will get zero sales without it.

Originally Posted by agent006140

I have sold a few of my personal small electronic items on Etsy, Roku device,digital scale,ipods,used but in good condition.
More people shop on Etsy now,you will have less competition on ETSY.

[agent006140]

Most of my sales do not come from advertising,but if they do,it is shocking to find out I barely make any money from the sale !

[stevebills]

well ive come to the conclusion to never use reserved price at 4% its a ripoff
i will test out etsy