Anybody making a profit on Ebay?

[zaja]

Thinking about selling on Ebay again. Wondering if any of you are making a profit with the economy, and all.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I am not having no luck.. even have kids crocs up with no bids

 

[dismom24]

It has been pretty rough lately. I am considering closing my store and just getting rid of everything. I used to do awesome, but with the economy, it really is not worth the time.

 

[kelleigh1]

I was wondering the same thing because I had some stuff I'd thought about listing.

 

[DISdreamin']

I haven't posted anything since late '07, early '08 and when I look at closed auctions for the kind of stuff I would have to sell, nothing seems to be doing well. Taking out what PayPal fees would cost, and factoring in packing materials and shipping (which I NEVER seem to calculate correctly, no matter how long I have been doing it) it simply doesn't seem worth it.

One of the biggest problems, IMO, is shipping itself. People don't want to pay what it COSTS to ship things. They are very used to vendors like Amazon or whomever who can lowball individuals or small businesses on shipping. JMO, of course, but when you tell someone it will cost $10 to ship a large item, that alone is enough to scare away a lot of bidders.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I've had a little bit of luck selling used items. I sold a broken nintendo ds for $55. I think it helps that I list with free shipping then make sure my lowest bid will at least cover shipping. I really think "free shipping" draws people in, I kinow as a buyer I hate to click on an auction thinking "wow, that's a really great price" only to see that they've used shipping to make up for it. I know not all sellers do that and it's against ebay policy, but it's still done enough to be really annoying.

 

[lookingforinfo99]

Hi my name is Paul,I came across this forum on google and, I look foward to posting on this forum.

 

[robb01]

i havent, used to sell a lot there, now the bids come less and less

 

[HunnyPots]

I have some wedding items for sale with watchers but no bids. I need to sell my daughter's wedding dress but after viewing page after page of wedding dress listings that end with no bidders, I decided not to bother.

 

[GeorgiaRose]

No. I used to have profitable side business on ebay. I was a powerseller for years and netted $750-$1000 a month on about $2000-$3000 in sales. I sold new children's clothes and toys, as well as Ralph Lauren home items. I cut back a couple of years ago, and quit altogether when the feedback rules changed. My profit margin was so small that it just wasn't worth it for me. I do still sell toys on amazon marketplace. It's much easier to list items there, and although the final value fees are high, you don't pay anything unless your item sells.

 

[maggiew]

I have some wedding items for sale with watchers but no bids. I need to sell my daughter's wedding dress but after viewing page after page of wedding dress listings that end with no bidders, I decided not to bother.

Maybe take it to a consignment store??

Maggie

 

[missj1975]

I still do pretty good on ebay but I also sell a collectible item that everyone still seems to want even with the bad economy. I've also listed some odds and ends sitting around the house and sold those too.

The trend right now seems to be "Buy it Nows" and not "Auctions." I stopped listing auctions since I was tired of them ending without a bid. Instead I list the item as a "Buy it Now" with the ability to make an offer. Ebay now has the option to list an item for 30 days instead of 7 days. If it doesn't sell after 30 days, I either lower the price or donate the item. Most of my items do sell within the 30 days.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I can never figure Ebay out. I buy collectable antique toys on Ebay (mainly Fisher-Price) and I am outbid all the time still! The ones I do win, I may be winning at prices slightly less than in past years, but I sure am not waltzing away with bargin after bargin!

I guess toy collectors are independenty wealthy and have lots of disposible income!

 

[Dictator]

I sold a broken ipod for $26! go me!

 

[AnninIowa]

My store is doing well, but for me, it's a full-time business and I've been in it for a few years now. I also sell new items - gifts, collectibles and home decor - and don't have too much competition. I also sell on Amazon and through my own Amazon webstore. I ship worldwide, too, and that helps bring in more customers.

I occasionally put up some of my own used items, such as books and accessories, and these have been doing well. For these, I've found that offering Free Shipping is helpful as it gets the items to the top of Ebay's search (which they are constantly changing! ).

Ebay is like one big game that you constantly have to change to keep up with!

 

[rflorek]

I can never figure Ebay out. I buy collectable antique toys on Ebay (mainly Fisher-Price) and I am outbid all the time still! The ones I do win, I may be winning at prices slightly less than in past years, but I sure am not waltzing away with bargin after bargin!

I guess toy collectors are independenty wealthy and have lots of disposible income!

I find that I have to wait until the last minute - literally - to bid on auction & win.

 

[bellasmami1107]

Not anymore. I used to have luck all the time...now between the ebay fees and shipping costs its no longer worth it for me. I have better luck on Craigslist.

 

[DianeV]

I think alot has to do with the required paypal/merchant account thing..there are some buyers who dont like that along with the sellers..

Also the kind of buyers ebay is attracting lately arent the best to deal with and they want everything for nothing too

 

[nunzia]

I'm doing OK..good weeks and bad weeks...but I have noticed alot more bidders outside the US and some charges for shipping outside the country are ridiculous. I just let a bidder back out and refunded his money since it would have cost 33.00 to ship his stuff that he only paid 15.00 for..

 

[AlexTina]

I also do ebay full time and it has been incredibly slow since Christmas but I have noticed that it is beginning to pick up over the last 2 weeks. I hope it continues. I used to have $2,000 - $3500 in sales each month and lately I've been doing $200 - $400.

Tina