tservice 3 Posted November 4, 2007 Thinking of opening a ebay store. Any advice would be welcome,,, things to watch out for, how not to get screwed,how to increase traffic flow to store, etc.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BannerJohn 1,324 Posted November 4, 2007 list as much as you can/the listing fee in an ebay store is usually around 13 cents or less no matter how many of the item you list. I usually list 100 of each item. Accept Paypal Keep a regular auction listing to direct people to your store. Store results don't show up in a regular search if there are 20 or more of the same type of item Ebay offers all kinds of selling tools and options,take advantage of them If you're gonna do decals, don't list the same decal in each available color. List ONE and offer a color choice. Don't accept checks or money orders from anyone outside of the US and canada Give it time. IT might take a few months for it to really get going Put as many descriptive words in your main description as possible Try and offer unusual stuff,find a niche market. There are people out there who will search for odd stuff. Thats all I can think of right now,will post again if something else comes to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeCamaro 11 Posted November 4, 2007 Listen to BannerJohn, if this was Star Wars, he would be Yoda! He is an ebay Jedi Joe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tservice 3 Posted November 4, 2007 thanks banner and joe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TaterNuts 3 Posted November 6, 2007 Color choice is good... but also bad... Your customers could claim to have emailed you a color choice, but claim that you havent recieved it... You could also be waiting for them to reply before sending the order out, and if you give them a few days, they could possibly leave you a neg... Ive had alot of experience with this... Here is what I do.. Make it CLEAR in the auction that the color choice MUST BE LISTED IN THE NOTES SECTION OF PAYPAL... This way, you know that you are getting it right when the email comes thru that payment recieved. Also make it clear that if no color choice is selected, you will ship it in white or black... White seems to be the most popular by far for car windows etc. Good luck... Be sure to be priced competivley... There is alot of competition on ebay... Alot of people make a profit on shipping... You could always charge $2.00 for shipping and HANDLING... and a 6 inch decal can be shipped with only a stamp... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeCamaro 11 Posted November 6, 2007 How long can it take to star seing profits? I know it depends on your designs, products and market of course, but do one usually start selling roght off, or will it take some time? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tservice 3 Posted November 6, 2007 Thanks ya'll for the advice, if you think of anything else please let me know. I think I will start small and expand as I get adjusted to the ebay process, and dealing with customers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest fivestar Posted November 6, 2007 How long can it take to star seing profits? I know it depends on your designs, products and market of course, but do one usually start selling roght off, or will it take some time? I don't have a store on ebay, but I did list some decals and t-shirts last week and sold around $200.00 worth of things. It won't make me rich at that rate but will help out with Christmas. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TaterNuts 3 Posted November 6, 2007 browse listings... find something that is hot, and youll turn a profit in a week... Think of how much vinyl actually costs.. Youll make a profit... Start out small at first... You dont want to list hundreds of items in auction format and onlly end up selling a few... You wont make profit that way... Design your own... Something unique... Ebay has vero... Verified owners rights... So, if someone copys a decal that YOU design, (intellictual property), you can report them to ebay and ebay will take there auction down... watch the copyrighted material... Just because others are getting away with it, doesnt mean that you will... All it takes is for the copyright holders is a court order and ebay will be forced to give up your selling history... at minimum, suspended from ebay, then potential lawsuits, property seized, including everything related to making the copyrighted material including all your inventory, your machine, your computer and could be more... Ive read stories of people selling outta there vehicle and the acutal car being seized...(used in a crime), im not sure if they could take your house or not... Just somethign to look out for... Reputation is everything with the fierce amount of competion... You wouldnt believe some people dont even know what a decal is... show some examples of installed decals on like your about me page and place a link there like FAQ in all your auctions... be really unique and make a installation video and place the video in your auction or a link to it in the paypal reciept email... a little extra effort will go along way... Also, combine shipping, you end up selling more that way... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeCamaro 11 Posted November 7, 2007 Ok, now Im confused. Everytime I make an advanced search for completed listings, so I could see whats selling and whats not. I tought that everything listed there was sold, but yesterday I realized it is not. I had 2 unsold items and when I made a complete listing search, they showed up. So I think, everything that ends shows there, no matter if it was or not sold. So whats the deal in looking then? Is there a way to distinguish one from the other? Thanx Masters Joe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tservice 3 Posted November 12, 2007 Ok I am still trying to get my ducks in a row on this whole ebay thing. How do you handle pricing on ebay for images, do you request only "cuttable" images or do you have different levels of cost depending on what the image is and how much cleanup is needed? I am looking at starting ebay with banners for start to see what kind of response I get. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westy 0 Posted November 22, 2007 Ok, now Im confused. Everytime I make an advanced search for completed listings, so I could see whats selling and whats not. I tought that everything listed there was sold, but yesterday I realized it is not. I had 2 unsold items and when I made a complete listing search, they showed up. So I think, everything that ends shows there, no matter if it was or not sold. So whats the deal in looking then? Is there a way to distinguish one from the other? Thanx Masters Joe Joe, When you look at the completed listing page, you will see that the items that actually sold will have a green sold price, and the items that did not sell will have a red price. Any item that was listed and ends on Ebay is considered a completed item, for Ebay anyways. Just keep an eye out for the colors in the price. Jay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeCamaro 11 Posted November 22, 2007 Thanx Jay That is exactly what I needed to know. Joe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James605 7 Posted November 23, 2007 Do you have to claim what you make on your taxes, even though you sold through ebay? Me and another guy was talking about this, just wasnt sure how it all worked. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BannerJohn 1,324 Posted November 23, 2007 If you find a dollar bill lying in the street,the IRS says you gotta claim it as income. In other words,yes. However,you don't claim every dime you take in...like any other business, you deduct expenses,etc..then claim your profit. So keep track of every thing you spend,on supplies,on advertizing...even the monthly cost of your ebay store and ebay,paypal fees. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James605 7 Posted November 25, 2007 Is there a certain amount you have to make first, or if you make 10 bucks....its income??? JUst seems like a pain if you only make hundred or so dollars... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firemalt 10 Posted November 25, 2007 I was thinking about selling stickers on ebay, and possibilly creating a ebay store, but I figured there were plenty of people already doing this, and a profit would be slim to none?!? Are you saying differently? I understand, if you're offering something that no one is offering, this would make you product/store stand... but I imagine most great ideas have already been used up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SmallSigns 23 Posted November 25, 2007 The best idea is the one you haven't thought of yet!!! I just started this stuff and I have already come up with some "can't live without" items. Nothing for sale yet, too many other projects in the way. I always remember something I was told a long time ago -- your fortune is out there, but it is up to you to find it! Just because everyone else is doing something doesn't mean that you can't do it to -- that's why we have more then one kind of beer!! just my 2 cents Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BannerJohn 1,324 Posted November 25, 2007 Is there a certain amount you have to make first, or if you make 10 bucks....its income??? JUst seems like a pain if you only make hundred or so dollars... I'm not exactly sure about that. My ebay sales average $1000 a month or more so I can't say for surea about the low end. I do know that if you register the ebay as a business and fill out Shedule C with your tax return, I think you have to make $300 in PROFIT before you have to report it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeCamaro 11 Posted November 25, 2007 It seems that people seek for brand name stuff, copyrighted stuff. I dont want to sell that kind of stuff, even tho there are a lot of people doing it and making big profit. I dont think it is worth it. So the key thing is to come up with a niche market a try to satisfy it. I havent done so, but I have a niche market in mind and might start selling stuff for them soon. Joe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stickemup 0 Posted November 27, 2007 I sell quite a bit on Ebay as well. The only problem I see is in finding the right Product. If you search "stickers" you might get 900 hits. So there is a lot of competition! The new Ebay search feature is not like the old one. It now searches for more "exact matches" of titles. Make sure that you Title your item so that it will show up in the general gallery as most of the others. If you don't a lot of people will miss your auction because they searched for "Bumper Stickers." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UpNorthPromo 3 Posted November 28, 2007 Ebay is a tough sell. Everything goes for way too cheap. Some signs and banners only got for a few dollars more than cost. I can't see spending all the time proofing art, making the sign and taking the hit from ebay and paypal to make it worth it. In my opinion Ebay is really hurting the sign industry. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BannerJohn 1,324 Posted November 28, 2007 In the year since I have moved here...there have bene 2 sign shops go out of business,and it wasn't ebay that put them under. It was a number of things: 1. Prices too high...$120 for a 2x8 banner,one color. get real. Thats about $100 over cost. 2. Lousy service ..'Fast Signs' Same Day service..crap like that and then you are lucky to get it in a week or 2 3. Places like FedEx-Kinkos doing digital banners cheap and having the big bucks to advertize them. I sell banners on ebay. It is my business I do NOT sell locally. Most of my sales are to churches,boy scout troops, schools,and people who otherwsie couldn't afford to have banners.My prices are low because I have to compete with the others who are as low or lower. Yet,I make a living at it. Ebay isn't hurting the sign industry. The sign industry is hurting itself. My brother paid $6000 for a 3x5 plastic back-lit sign for his bar. One line of text, 8 letters. It took 2 hours for them to install it. I can buy the same sign wholesale for about $500,letter it in about an hour. THAT is what is hurting the sign industry. I give people a good deal on a quality product. I take my time and do it right. I could open a store front here,charge what others charge,and do two banners a day and make more profit that I make now. But I like to work,not sit around. And I like to sleep at night/ Just one thing. If I raise my ebay prices ONE DOLLAR the sales drop. I have done banners for people who had other sellers take the money and didn't deliver. I worked like a dog for two years to get where I am, I don't have a hobby machine and this isn't a hobby for me. I don't have an ebay store full of unlicensed products like a lot of people do. Search Evay for JEEP or VW or FORD and see how many decals turn up. Guess how many are officially licensed by the companies. Ebay provides a sevice (as do I) for people who can't afford the high prices local shops charge.($80 for a set of vehicle magnets that I can do with $6 in materials and an hour of my time?:?) And I'll put my skills up against any sign guy in this town. Rant over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UpNorthPromo 3 Posted November 28, 2007 I by no means charge super high prices for my work. I get what my time is worth. I am the only sign shop for about 20 miles besides a few people who do it as a hobby. I gotta keep in mind when I do my taxes at the end of the year. Being self employed social security takes something like 35% of my profit. In order to keep my income at somewhere around $20-$30 per hour I have to keep my profit somewhat high. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
