 | Most Recent Posts eBay No Competition Which is Never GoodPosted 17-May-08 20:16:52 BST Updated 17-May-08 20:20:50 BST Anyone else notice that their is no real legitimate competition when it comes to auction sites online? Sure there are some out there, but from what I've seen and read, it's no real competition to speak of. Coke has Pepsi McDonalds has Burger King Marvel has DC You get the idea. With competition it helps the public because the makers are then competiting for you the buyer and public. And if anything eBay I think qualifies as a monopoly. With eBay they are in fact the only game in town, they can basically set the rules because their is no real competition. Otherwise fee prices would be lower and rules and regulations not changing every other month. And at this point, I don't see how anyone can compete online. eBay has become a cultural fixture that is even mentioned in movies. Anyone hoping to gain the same audience and compete would have a huge mountain to climb in terms of recognition. eBay bans digital goodsPosted 17-May-08 19:49:59 BST Updated 17-May-08 20:22:21 BST
What I've been reading and hearing is eBay has recently banned the sale of digital goods on their service. Except for in the classified listings. The reason they gave was really lame: In that some sellers were using it to boost their feedback levels quickly. And what I think is the case, others were charging so low a price, literally in the $1 or so range. Where was the profit for eBay? There wasn't much, and they can't have that. By doing this, they have caused legitimate sellers of digital goods to go out of business. Or at the very least had a huge impact in that seller community. How can eBay say a digital seller is not as legit as a regular seller? Or that in essense a digital good is not a product? In this day and age a digital good is just as legitimate as a physical product. If anything, it's good for the buyer because they don't have to be charged a shipping fee. The item is sent over the internet. An item that can be read, printed out, heard or seen in video. All from a download. If the buyer can read or print the product. Or hear it in audio or see it in video. Is it in essense not a product? And if anything: They should bring back digital goods but just set a price limit on how low it could be sold for if it is digital. Such as charging a $5 minimum on all digital products. That use of setting a minimum sales level would have been a better solution then an outright ban. And it's not that I sold digital products. But I know others who did and was going to. With good legit products of value and they wouldn't be sold like those $1 type cheap items which is probably what caused the ban we have now. This was a case of a small percent causing trouble and so everyone else in the group had to pay the price. It's just not right to punish everyone just because of the actions of others. USPS ShippingPosted 17-May-08 19:16:15 BST Updated 17-May-08 19:29:23 BST Since selling is not a regular thing for me, and only do this when I can here and for extra income to pay off various expenses and bills. I ship via the post office, and not the paypal and other such features and options available on eBay. Plus I guess since I've never used them. I just rely on the post office teller to do their job and don't trust figuring out shipping rates on my own. I also pack last minute and use various boxes. It also depends on the item sold and what box will fit it. There is no standard for me and I use what is available and what will get the job done. I don't like to charge too much. On items I don't know. I usually check what others are charging for shipping. Then base what I'll sell in a similar rate. Overall though I undersell in shipping costs and either. The shipping costs me. Here or there under a dollar difference, I either gained or lost. But add in the traking with delivery confirmation, and usually I end up losing anywhere from $1 to $2 in extra shipping charges versus what I charged the buyer. And the extra cost comes out of the sale price. Which kind of sucks. Overall though, I've way undersold and lost out most of the time, and the difference cutting into my auction cost. I've always not liked charging anything in the $9 range or more and stayed away from it. It just seems to much. Yet charging $9 or $10 for an item really is not too much in charging. Cause on average, with action figures for example. The post office will charge about $7.50 and add in tracking about $8.35 And it's better to charge a little bit over. Then to charge a little be under and the extra expense then comes out of you. Also shipping varies by zone of the buyer. What might cost a little in one area, can cost you more if they live far away. Which again never helps. I did cut out all international though. And the USPS shipping rates went up I think cause the stamps were raised a cent more. And I noticed a 4 pound item to ship cost me a staggering $9.12 for it to ship. Only charged $6.50 and so lost about $3 in the process. That really sucks. But overall I think charging $9 or so, is about a standard in terms of shipping. It's a lot I know, but it's about right in terms of not wanting to lose a profit. Yet at the same time, it's better to be a little over then under. No longer using bold or gallery featuresPosted 17-May-08 18:57:38 BST Updated 17-May-08 20:37:24 BST
I used to think the Gallery option was an automatic add for .35 and used it alot. As well as the Bold on many, but not all listings. I've come to realize analyzing my sales that both options don't really make a difference in what I sell. The auction end price is the same. And the above two features for me anyway are are not necessary. If anything, they were just a waste and cost expense in extra value fees. The same goes for the second category feature, which I've used a few times. It really didn't make a difference for me. Maybe it's because I mostly deal in comics, action figures, or games that the buyers in those markets when they browse for items, they are so used to regular listings. That the extra features on a listing do not gain their attention. 1/3 of Total Payment Goes To Shipping and FeesPosted 17-May-08 18:51:51 BST Updated 17-May-08 19:52:14 BST I've been selling on eBay again to clear up some room, as well as pay off some credit cards. I wonder if anyone has noticed this but, from my findings: Literally about 1/3 of the total amount goes to pay for Fees and Shipping charges. I'll post an example of what I mean, and the numbers used are examples without looking it up: Let's say there is a $30 item sold. The eBay listed fee is about $1.30 (though with various picture options needed on some auctions or more features. It can average up to $2.50) Final value fee, say is: $2.50 Paypal Fee say is another: $1.50 And sure while shipping is added in. It still stings a bit knowing you got a set amount deposited into the account. And anything taken from it is just money lost. Shipping usually costs close to $6 - $10 an item. Not to mention the .75 for Delivery Confirmation. I've noticed with my stuff for example: Whatever the final total is. When all the fees, shipping, and packing is all factored in. For an item in the $30 range or so about 1/3 a whole third of the costs is gone in fees and shipping. The exception to this is if you are lucky and get an auction that sells for a lot. Wonder if anyone else notices this in their auctions? |
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