To ebay or not to ebay??

[no_sacrifice]

Hello everyone!

I have just started my ecommerce shop and after reading some info on another forum (linked with my website provider) I get the impression that many on them started with an ebay shop and then created their own websites after the success of ebay...

As I have done my website first I am now pondering wether to open an ebay shop or not?? Is ebay 'the' place to be?? I'm thinking more sales/less stand alone marketing as the pros?? (obviously my marketing and seo will improve for my website the more i learn and do but it will take time)


Anybody's advice will be appreciated! Thanks, Charlotte

[evil_grrrl666]

Hi Charlotte!

Actually I started just like you - with my own site, and have made the decision for myself not to sell on ebay (at least not for the moment).

I guess the key question is - how much competition is there already on Ebay for the products you're selling. Do you think you could offer something different to your competitors - whether that is better service, or pricing or perhaps a more attractive listing? How much would the fees come to and would that allow you to still make a profit if you kept your prices on Ebay the same as on your website?

Ebay can provide you with a very large customer base, you just have to do some research relevant to your market to see if it makes sense to use ebay as a way to get new customers onto your website for repeat business...

Regards,

Laura

[Gothic Dropshipping]

I had a customer just before Xmas selling one of my items on ebay for £3 more than the RRP!  add to that there was a couple of other sellers listing the same item for over £5 less than him... he sold over 20 of them, the other sellers going by their feedback sold 1 or 2 each!

Forget about competing on price on ebay, look professional, act professional, give your customers confidence in you and list lots (ideally 200+ items) at lots of different end times so you're easily found, making sure you inform people in your listing that you have lots of other items they may be interested in viewing.

[dannylbrooke]

I agree with gothic about price, its not everything as long as your listings look professional and you have good feedback you will sell items. If i buy off ebay and there was a product a few quid dearer but looked more professional i would go for that one rather than save a few quid, good listings look more trust worthy.

The only issue i have with ebay is the price once ebay and paypal have taken their cut there isnt much left at the end, ebay takes 9.9% and paypal 3.4% (i think but dont hold me to that) if i ever use ebay i make minimal profit but use it more for advertising, i think you would have to sell ALOT on ebay to come out with a good overall profit.

This is just my personal opinion, there are hundreds/thousands of people that use ebay to make a living so it can be done but i suppose depends on the product, presentation and competition.

xx

[Gothic Dropshipping]

if i ever use ebay i make minimal profit but use it more for advertising,

I must be honest I've never had any great success with that, even when sending all your ebay customers say a 10% off voucher for your shop, very very few ever actually use the shop (in my experience may be different for others) you may get return sales from them but for some strange reason on ebay not your shop... I think the ebay buyer mentality is that they are safer on ebay because of feedback and ease of disputing/blackmailing the seller!

[no_sacrifice]

Thanks for the replies, I'm jewellery and there is a hell of a lot of competition on there but I must agree that the ease of shopping in one place is what attracts me to ebay so maybe the same for my customers. I just don't fancy the fees and the £14.99 pm shop charges. I would also have to start with 0 feedbackto set up. hmm something to think about

[dougdesigns]

Hi there,

I think that this is a age old question. I myself have a store and have not gone onto ebay. Like you said when ebay and paypal have taken there cut then there is not much left.

But if you do, I would recommend getting a top end template for your sales. Also as you have Zero feedback to start with why not sell something small and get your ratings up?

I hear stories that people have started on ebay and then put a leaflet in with every order for their store. As they have good service from you in theory they should also come to your shop!

I am still looking to spend all my time on my store rather than going onto ebay. But you should never say never.

[jamhun]

Thanks for the replies, I'm jewellery and there is a hell of a lot of competition on there but I must agree that the ease of shopping in one place is what attracts me to ebay so maybe the same for my customers. I just don't fancy the fees and the £14.99 pm shop charges. I would also have to start with 0 feedbackto set up. hmm something to think about

Buy some really cheap items on eBay to get your feedback up and running, then just list normally without getting a store to see how things go.



James

[kissnmakeupx]

Hi
We've been on EBAY for a while. Do some research on the products you can obtain & see what they are going for. Bear in mind the listing fee, final value fee & of course paypal fee's
If you have any further questions we would be happy to help

[LABC]

I think you should always do Ebay. Even if your online store becomes a wildly successful store - you should still do Ebay. The reason is that some of your target market will not use search engines to find your product, but rather use Ebay's search engine, and if you're not there, you're not getting the sale.

[seamus]

I would disagree with that,
ebay has had its day, and trying to fight for sales when the ebay mentality is "undercut everybody" doesnt seem to be worth it in my opinion.

ebay can be handy to get your name noticed but not for making any kind of profit.

[Andy c]

I am finding now that things on ebay are more expensive then finding via google or on a search ,which is not surprising with all the charges it has got