I hear ebay is murdering the small/medium sellers?

by Loyalotus

Posted: 9 years ago 12 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

I'm not sure how true this is, but everywhere I've looked I've found people talking about how ebay's changes are weeding out most of the sellers to target "big box stores". How do you feel about this? I spent the last week studying my ass off hoping I might have found my chance at a future I want only to find out I finally opted with ebaying right as it was crapping out.

I'm broke, I'm no longer feeling confident in my chances. Is dropshipping on ebay the way to get my foot in the door or do I need to go to college to prepare my lips for corporate pleasure? Or what else should I try? I'm aware most of the people here will point me in a direction that puts money in their pocket, but I'm hoping someone here has a heart to give me real advice/opportunity.

#ebay #hear #murdering #sellers #small or medium

Poprugan 9 years ago

I'm not sure what you've heard, but I'm a small drop-shipping seller on eBay and my sales have stayed steady over the last two years. I have the occasional drop, but aside from that eBay has always treated me well. Their fees are reasonable and they advertise my products fairly well- getting them to a large market. I do know eBay and Paypal are separating, and I'm not sure what that means for both companies, but it will be interesting to see if that affects sellers at all.
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- Loyalotus 9 years ago
  
  Hearing that alone makes me feel much better. I feel like what I've been reading were threads for failing sellers to blame ebay. Thanks.
  
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baggieboyblue 9 years ago

I've been selling on ebay for about 7 years now and I earn a decent monthly income through them.
You have to do your homework before setting your stall out. If you are planning on buying and selling on ebay, work out the realistic selling price, take off all the fees etc and then you can calculate a purchasing price.
There are a lot of specialised niches on ebay where you can earn an income.
Yes fees do keep rising and ebay often move the goalposts to suit themselves but the market exposure is impossible to achieve on your own.
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Brent Stangel 9 years ago

Is dropshipping on ebay the way to get my foot in the door

I would say no.

Go to any "dropship" website and see what products will cost you. Then go to Ebay and you will find the same products being sold for less than the dropship price.
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baggieboyblue 9 years ago

I agree with the previous post.

I tried the dropship option, got some good sales and then was notified by the dropship company that they were out of stock for that particular item and it would be over a month before they would have some more stock in.
Not only did I loose sales I also lost credibility with my customers.
You are not in control of your own business with dropshipping.
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Valdor Kiebach

9 years ago

Originally Posted by Loyalotus

...
I'm broke, I'm no longer feeling confident in my chances. Is dropshipping on ebay the way to get my foot in the door or do I need to go to college to prepare my lips for corporate pleasure? Or what else should I try?
...

Let me tell you how my cousin earns a very good living, it has nothing to do with internet marketing per se but it does as he markets his service on the internet.

He learnt how to use a specific piece of software and he takes survey data from companies and uses the software to visualise that data, this is for the construction / architect industry.

So instead of going to college to prepare your lips for corporate pleasure you could go to college to learn something specific, video editing, data visualisation, 3D modeling, CAD ... and market that service.

My cousin works from home, has new cars and bought his very nice house and doesnt ever worry about bills.

Just something to consider.

Thanks
1 reply

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salegurus 9 years ago

Originally Posted by Poprugan

Their fees are reasonable and they advertise my products fairly well- getting them to a large market.

Really?
Between eBay and Paypal you are paying 10% in Fees, so if you are in a competitive, low margin niche then you have to find a damn good source for your product or you're done...

Other factors like a 6 Month return policy from Paypal, buyers expecting Free shipping and the fact that you are competing with bulk sellers has made it real difficult...

Still a good place to sell unwanted stuff you have at home but as a "business" not what it was in the early days...

Originally Posted by baggieboyblue

, work out the realistic selling price, take off all the fees etc and then you can calculate a purchasing price.

Problem with that is that you are not the one dictating the price, buyers are... By and large eBay buyers want bargains they are not going to pay retail or even close to it...
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- baggieboyblue 9 years ago
  
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  baggieboyblue 9 years ago
  
  Problem with that is that you are not the one dictating the price, buyers are... By and large eBay buyers want bargains they are not going to pay retail or even close to it...
  
  Ebay is getting less like an auction site these days with the "Buy it Now" price option. So if this option is used then yes you can dictate the price and you can set it at the market price by doing your research on what the same item has sold for in the past Ebay becomes another shopping store on line. If people see what they want, they will buy, even if its at retail price. Its all about supplying what the buyer wants at a reasonable price. I've done this for years so I know it works !!
  
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jeffduhon 9 years ago

Dropshipping is an awesome option. You just have to realize it is not get rich quick and there are challenges. I make good margins off most major retailers. Sometimes selling things at double retail. Basically retailing retail lol.

Just keep in mind you will need some cash to float early orders if your seller account is new...
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- DeanSoto 9 years ago
  
  Members of our team are doing just fine on eBay, no drop in sales at all. I would say that things seem to be getting a little tightened up in a good way. As with any platform, things change. It's their playground so you always have to be one step ahead of the changes they are making. We've been toying around using social media platforms to drive traffic to specific listings and it's been going well.
  
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Slade556 9 years ago

EBay is indeed a difficult way to earn money as a small seller, but it's the same for everyone. Competition is high, there are top rated sellers to compete with, so it's inevitable that it will be very difficult to gain the trust of the buyers!
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- Michael J Anthony 9 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Slade556
  
  ...so it's inevitable that it will be very difficult to gain the trust of the buyers!
  
  As long as you describe the product accurately and ship fast, or at least when you say you will, then you will gain the trust of buyers easily.
  
  I do drop shipping sometimes, just for something else to do really, but eBay charges 10% plus Paypal's 2.5-3.5%, so you have to contend with that. Those fees alone can make it difficult to offer any bargains but like someone mentioned above, people will still pay retail+ if its something they want at the time they happen to be looking at your listing and they don't feel like shopping around. However, I'd hardly call this a sound business model. That's why I only do it in my spare time just to see if I can drop-ship something for some extra cash here and there.
  
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I hear ebay is murdering the small/medium sellers?

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