So if nothing sells on here why did this happen last month?

[booksntings]

Keep reading that nothing sells here on eBID. If that's so then why did I sell 50 items last month to 9 different buyers plus my usual few on the YDC charity auction.

2 sold so far this month.

I have been listing more items everyday now for over a month and this seems to be partly responsible, though several items I have sold recently have been re-listed several times.

So don't give up if you aren't selling straight away. Mix up the type of stuff you are listing, not just in different catorgories but also price wise. Remember to use the exempt option if your items don't have a barcode and use Pinterest etc to help promote your items online.

[johnwash1]

Keep reading that nothing sells here on eBID. If that's so then why did I sell 50 items last month to 9 different buyers plus my usual few on the YDC charity auction.

2 sold so far this month.

I have been listing more items everyday now for over a month and this seems to be partly responsible, though several items I have sold recently have been re-listed several times.

So don't give up if you aren't selling straight away. Mix up the type of stuff you are listing, not just in different catorgories but also price wise. Remember to use the exempt option if your items don't have a barcode and use Pinterest etc to help promote your items online.

Congrats, ntings!

You do have 3,500+ listings running though (congrats on that too, lot of work's gone into that). This confirms what I've always believed, just putting a dozen items on here, pricing them no less than they were on a previous auction site (where probably there were other, more competitive sellers, and even Chinese junk[*]), waiting a few weeks and complaining of no sales... that's daft. The less daft new sellers ask for advice.

I'd like to see war stories from successful sellers like yourself, how you built up your current workflow. I see managing 3,000 items as a major headache and I'd love to know more.

Years ago I used to put online half a dozen 99p listings, wait for them to sell, end of. Anyone can do that. Even someone like me, who doesn't have a brilliant memory. Occasionally I used to struggle to remember where I'd put something after photographing it, but usually my wife would sigh, say "OK, I'll do a Mummy look" (actually we don't have children, but she learned this phrase and realised how spot on it is!)... and all would be well.

Then, over on the dark side, I was seduced by all these 100 items/day offers, and I started gearing up. To cope I got lots of cardboard boxes, numbered them and put up to about 10 items in each, with the boxes arranged in numerical order around the guest bedroom. Some items were elsewhere, e.g. out in the garage. So I came up with a 2 letter code for each room in the house. I also added compass directions, so if the 3rd letter is N/E/S/W, that's the wall it's stacked against. It's worked pretty well for several years, I add this code to the listing.

Even so, I don't think I could scale it up 10x. And yet I do need to, for I've hoarded for so many decades that I could easily list 3,000 items without buying in a single thing.


[*] "Ah so, not delivered? Send us photo to show not delivered so we can refund you"! (Yes, I really have had that!)

[FirstGreenIsGold]

Keep reading that nothing sells here on eBID. If that's so then why did I sell 50 items last month to 9 different buyers plus my usual few on the YDC charity auction.

**

That's great, Books. You've worked hard to build up your shops and I'm glad that you are pleased with the results and sales that you are getting.

I'm still trying to build my number of listings back up. After the eBid system change to accommodate tablets etc., my old template was *wonky* and Jan from Americrafts helped me out with an amended one. Then I started over with my listings. If I remember correctly, I had about 2000 before the update. Now I've worked up to 1800 and some odd again. Health issues and other considerations prevent me from listing as quickly as I would like, but I'm getting there.

I've written this before.

Sellers ... if you have a lot of stock to list, list it. The more listings the better. There are so many times that I buy something on line and I'm forced to use that other well-known e-place, the crafty e place, or the river because the item that I want to purchase isn't available on eBid.

eBid needs more variety listed by sellers who write good listings, ship promptly, and pack well.

Good luck to all!

[booksntings]

Two more gone today

[madelaine]

Organising large numbers of items takes a system. I had problems with my coins until I had a donation in a book of coin storage pages. Each page is lettered, the rows and columns are numbered and the location is on the listing. Since doing that, I can pick an order really quickly and have never lost/mislaid a coin. Different items require different systems.

I, too, find that items which have been relisted many times sell. Posting newly listed items on various facebook groups has worked - sometimes leading to multiple sales as those who see the posting visit and buy other things. Nothing is magically successful. Each strategy works some of the time.

[johnwash1]

Organising large numbers of items takes a system. I had problems with my coins until I had a donation in a book of coin storage pages. Each page is lettered, the rows and columns are numbered and the location is on the listing. Since doing that, I can pick an order really quickly and have never lost/mislaid a coin. Different items require different systems.

I, too, find that items which have been relisted many times sell. Posting newly listed items on various facebook groups has worked - sometimes leading to multiple sales as those who see the posting visit and buy other things. Nothing is magically successful. Each strategy works some of the time.

Thank you! More selling stories please!

Madelaine, that sounds a great method with coin sized things, lots of stuff in the same category.

My cardboard boxes have worked well, except for the time I sold a vintage vernier caliper. Couldn't find it in its appointed box. Couldn't find it in any other box, even (and my, that took a lot of effort). Had to cancel the sale, buyer unhappy. A week later I found the explanation -- it's a very flat item and had slipped below the flap at the bottom of the box.

I think if I'm to gear up further from my present level I need to install shelving, but of course that would be an expense.

[Maelbrigda]

i keep mine in plastic lidded boxes and each box is numbered and i used the sku to write eg br box 3 which means bedroom shelves box 3, for smaller items i have drawers in my shed.

[madelaine]

My cardboard boxes have worked well, except for the time I sold a vintage vernier caliper.

You sold a Verynear? (my apprentice instructor always called it that)

Postcards are in categories in shoe boxes. Knitting patterns conveniently usually have numbers so they are in boxes in numerical order.

[booksntings]

I think that the items most of us are selling are fairly easy to store in an easy to find manner. With some kind of filing system. Also what helps is to keep adding a few items almost every day. The thing I have found since coming over from the other side in 2008 is that there are times when sales are very quiet, these are the times to perhaps weed out a few items or update the listings a bit. Sometimes by doing this it creates interest and that item suddenly sells. So I suppose what i'm saying is don't give up.

[madelaine]

I use the time when it goes quiet to build up the number of listings. My success, if I have any, dates from a decision to list at least one item every single day that I am at home. It was my New Year's resolution (notice... a resolution which I can control!). I look at the position of my store (shop!!! Call it a shop!! I don't want to store things!) in the category store listings and try to overtake the next one up.