I wonder...Could This Be True?

[johnwash1]

Father Christmas buying here? Not if he has any sense, alas.

People complain here about insufficient buyers (and as a seller myself, I do too). But there's also far too few clueful sellers...

Example. Time to get a 2019 refill for my Filofax. I go to ebay, plenty of choice. I'm about to hit 'buy' on a £3.60 refill and I engage my brain just in time: "Ah, I expect there'll be some on ebid, I'd like to increase my feedback and support the site".

Go on, put in a search for "Filofax 2019". Don't even bother to include the extra terms for the size, how many pages per week, or whatever. Just that simple search. OUTRAGEOUS, nobody is grasping this opportunity TO SELL THINGS THAT PEOPLE WANT.

Sure, if you want stamps, or knitting patterns, this is a fine site. But for real life, not a chance. Grrrrr.

Rant over.

[FirstGreenIsGold]

OUTRAGEOUS, nobody is grasping this opportunity TO SELL THINGS THAT PEOPLE WANT.

Sure, if you want stamps, or knitting patterns, this is a fine site. But for real life, not a chance. Grrrrr.

Rant over.

People can only list what they have.

[tony41]

Sure, if you want stamps, or knitting patterns, this is a fine site. But for real life, not a chance. Grrrrr.

Rant over.

Looking at the items sold on the opening page it seems that many things sell here. To mention a few recent categories with a number of sales - comics, postcards, pens, calculators etc. As First Green says, "you can only sell what you've got". I would add "what you can get hold of at a price on which you can make a profit"

[FirstGreenIsGold]

Originally Posted by johnwash1
OUTRAGEOUS, nobody is grasping this opportunity TO SELL THINGS THAT PEOPLE WANT.

Looking at the items sold on the opening page it seems that many things sell here. To mention a few recent categories with a number of sales - comics, postcards, pens, calculators etc. As First Green says, "you can only sell what you've got". I would add "what you can get hold of at a price on which you can make a profit"

Plus, I really don't know what people will want sometimes. I have listed items that I thought would sell quickly and no one buys them. Then I'll get a sale on something that I never expected to sell.

I just keep adding to my stores. One item at a time. The beauty of eBid is that a person doesn't pay listing fees and niche items can be available when a buyer comes along. If they don't sell, then so be it.

[moonwitch]

People can only list what they have.

I sell other peoples things and you can see from my feedback that my customers are happy to buy the other peoples stuff I sell

If I only listed stuff I had I would lose money on every sale lol

[madelaine]

I would, like johnwash, check for an item like a filofax refill here and buy it here if what I wanted was available, but I would not list such an item here unless I had tons - and as soon as I only had one left, it would be gone from here. Items which are time sensitive are just not for eBid, yet.

[johnwash1]

People can only list what they have.

Er, no, you're thinking like a declutterer, not a professional. As Tony says, people can also list what they can buy elsewhere and sell at a profit. Quite clearly on ebay there are plenty of sellers who are buying Filofax refills in bulk at this time of year and then selling them on. So they could ALSO list here, and afford to sell for a few pence cheaper. It's so disappointing that they don't.

When I get my refill I'll be mentioning this to my seller. Hmmm, I wonder if I can be cheeky and leave positive feedback, something like "Excellent product, good value, quick delivery, wish I'd seen it on eBid!".

I guess part of the problem is that at £49 to get the low fees, a Filofax refill seller with slim margins has to sell a lot before they break even. Ebid could have structured that so much smarter, with a more tiered fee scheme.

[FirstGreenIsGold]

[QUOTE=johnwash1;1705820]Er, no, you're thinking like a declutterer, not a professional. As Tony says, people can also list what they can buy elsewhere and sell at a profit. /QUOTE]

And what a seller will have to sell depends on their situation. They might have a good supplier of products that they market online, either items in their storage or warehouse or that they dropship. They might have a bricks and mortar shop somewhere plus they use various online sales methods too. They might have an inventory of items that they have created that they market online.

I can understand why someone with products that have limited shelf life or items that quickly become obsolete wouldn't want to put their whole inventory on eBid, as the turnaround won't be quick enough.

What I've never understood is why someone who has already paid the Seller + fee wouldn't use eBid as part of their selling platform. They can list on multiple websites (including their own) if they wish.

Yes, I am a declutterer. We are senior citizens. My eBid experience has been a useful learning experience for me.

I like your idea of sneaking in eBid as part of feedback left elsewhere. Good idea. I've just ordered from the E site that specialises in craft items. Maybe I'll follow your lead and add eBid in the feedback.

Cheers.

[pamelajonesart]

Of course it's true duh!