JoeCamaro 11 Posted October 4, 2007 Hi folks About two weeks ago I started selling some decals and shirts on ebay and I have been doing good, even tough I have posted only one design. I have many designs and I thing Ill do well if I post them. I have been thinking of opening a store, as fees are lower and have more benefits. I only want to sell decals and shirts. Is there anyone here with an ebay store? How do you like it? Would you recommend? Is it worth it? Thank you Joe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BannerJohn 1,324 Posted October 4, 2007 I have an ebay store..that's how I make most of my living. It is great! The fees aren't really lower,because the final value fee is higher than a regular listing. Where you save is that you can list 1 or 100 and the listing fee is the same (around .08 cents with pic).The other advantage is after the 30 days,it automatically re-lists.So you just set up a store,list 100 or more of everything,and that's it. Now,for the disadavantage: People search, and only store listings come up if there are no regular listings for the same item(or under a certain number). So what you have to do is make sure your desciption has keywords that nobody else uses. SO,what I do is,I always keep ONE regular (non-store) listing going with FOR OTHER ITEMS SEE MY EBAY STORE in great big text. People see something they like,they add you to their favorites,and keep coming back. I reckon about 30% of my total now is repeat customers. Try to do decals and stickers that nobody else is doing. Do stuff that is unique. I could sell as many anti-Bush stickers as I could make but I don't have the time to do small stuff. To sum up...the Ebay store is WELL WORTH the money. It allows you to list cheaply,try new things..see what flies...list a LOT of items..all without a lot of up-front fees. I can list 15 different items in my store for the same listing fee as one $20 item in a regular listing. Good luck!!! OH,and do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer. A bad feedback can really hurt you. I've had one bad feedback out of over 1000 and this was from some idiot who complained about a $4 item that she didn't get...which I didn't send because she never sent me the info! I can;'t do a custom job without knowing what to put on it,can I? One last thing...I think it costs me about $20 a month for the store. I sell average about $1000 a month out of the store. You be the judge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tempvas 0 Posted October 4, 2007 what is the link for your store? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeCamaro 11 Posted October 4, 2007 Hey BannerJohn! That was so interesting! It is so nice of you to share your knowledge and experiences with us. You really inspired me. Im going to give the steps and run my own store. After all, there is so little to loose but so much to gain. I have some questions... I have a fulltime job, 7am to 3:30pm, Is it possible to succesfully manage the volume of sales you have by doing it part time? Did you have (or still have) a fulltime job, or is this your main income? Thanx for your help! You are the best! Joe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BannerJohn 1,324 Posted October 4, 2007 No other job,this is what I do. I make a few banners and signs locally but dealing directly with people is something I try to avoid. But actually, if you take away the time I spend resting between working, I only actually work about 3-5 hours a day so it is easily a can-do for evenings.( I have a neuro-muscular disease that makes me very tired very quickly). I'm not going to post the link to my ebay store here..I don't like promoting myself and I'm not even sure it is allowed. But do a search,I'm not hard to find. BTW I keep my prices low for 2 reasons: I have to compete with others on ebay who charge low prices,and I'd rather stay busy and make less money per job. I can not stand to be idle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeCamaro 11 Posted October 5, 2007 Hi Banner John and thank you for replying. Ill look you up! I appreciate all you've done! Thank you JOe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BannerJohn 1,324 Posted October 5, 2007 "Let me live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man." ......Sam Walter Foss This is my road, and I try to halp anyone I can. If I don't share my knowledge,it is wasted. I always answer my PM's if you or anyoner ever needs anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stormy 5 Posted October 5, 2007 I've been running an eBay store since July now. Before school started, I was bringing in about $1500 a month. Now that I don't spend as much time with it, I usually bring in around $1000 a month. I don't usually get back to my shop until 5 or 6 PM now that I'm in school and I usually ship items out twice a week. I currently only sell decals on eBay. I plan on listing some banners pretty soon and I have plans of expanding into making t-shirts within the next month or so. I'm also working on a website right now too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeCamaro 11 Posted October 5, 2007 Nice to know Stormy Im really falling in love with the idea of opening one myself. All I do is going to ebay, reading the stores info and so. Ill be opening one soon I guess. Thank you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TaterNuts 3 Posted October 6, 2007 The best thing about ebay is virtualy no overhead... With the cutter, you only have to stock the color of vinyl, not the particular item... So, Design something, if it doesnt sell, then your out only what? nothing? lol... As far as the store goes... Do it... Well worth it... LINKS LINKS LINKS!!! Use turbo lister, set up a default template and say something like "Why wait for this auction to end? You can buy this item NOW in my ebay store for only 4.99 or whatever." Like banner said, in search, auction listing always show first... So use your auctions to send those people to your ebay store! Promote items... Make sure that you entice people to buy more then one item... Offer free shipping on each additional item... I personally would rather sell 10 items out of my store, and give them free shipping... then to sell only 2 or 3 from an auction... lets face it, Vinyl = profit... If you can get 5 bucks out of a 6 inch decal, your making like what? $4.25-$4.75 EACH... Also, use the store to your advantage... Put something like... If you would like a personalized decal, Email me and i can set up an auction for you, then list it in your store and send them the link... That way you and the buyer are protected with paypal and ebay... Good Luck! My personal opinion is this about ebay... Ebay fees are WAY TO HIGH... But what else you going to do??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeCamaro 11 Posted October 6, 2007 Yes, I think ebay fees are high, but we must consider that many many people go there, they go with the idea of purchasing something, ebay makes all the promotions and take care of being well known and attract customers. If I was to open an online store, then the only people that will find me will be people I know and those I can get trough my personal marketing plan and I will not be able to attract millions of users as e bay does. I think it is a good call anyways. After all, vinyl decals are so profitable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
