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Mike – I think that you have to chose a category that ends. If you pick wall art, and it has how ever many sub-categories, then you have to keep going until you get to an ending category. The software doesn’t allow you to pick mid-category if it doesn’t end.
Is that what you are asking?
I’m guessing that the glitch is with the mobile app, then. As glitchy as eBay is, the website version is better to work with.
12/04/2019 at 8:39 am in reply to: Should I or Shouldn’t I – Less IS Data with a Little More in Description #71341Mike – The bubblewrap I buy is not the best stuff, but I’m not having the problems that you are. They used to sell on eBay, but they moved to Facebook in order to save on fees.
700 ft for $28, shipping included.
https://www.facebook.com/commerce/products/3052033351536081/
This hasn’t happened for me. I usually create listings on the computer, and only use the cell phone for taking photos and uploading them into listings.
Do you use your cell phone or computer to create listings?
You could just take the cash out as an owner’s draw, and then add your cost to the COGS as it happens. You need to keep track of the cost of your items so that you can add the correct amount to COGS as needed. I use an Excel spreadsheet.
Someone on the forum has mentioned in the past that they set up their COGS in GoDaddy as a non-business expense that doesn’t affect their business sales or expenses (sorry, not sure which category she uses). When something sells, they change the expense type to COGS. They have a small store, so this may not work with someone who has a significant number of items.
Personally, I categorize something like a watch batteries as a supply. I buy the dry cleaning kit from the grocery store and that expense is categorized as a supply. Same way that I use my dishwasher to clean dishes and my washer and dryer to clean clothes, and the power and water used comes out as utility expense. I don’t know whether I’m doing this 100% correctly, but I don’t think I need to add the cost of every watch battery or whatever to COGS. When I buy batteries in bulk, the cost is maybe $0.25 each.
Just my 2c for what it is worth. I’m not a CPA, and I might be doing this wrong. However, I don’t think the IRS is worried about a small time seller who has maybe $100 in this type of expense over a year.
So, another eBay function rolled out with glitches. I’m not surprised.
Just a head’s up: the “counter-offer” feature that was recently added to the “make offer” function seems to have a small glitch. My default is a check in the box that allows counter-offers, and I had my first two today. They were both reasonable (just a few more dollars off my offer), so I accepted both.
I get a notification on my cell phone of the counter-offer, but nothing shows up on the little “notification bell” on top of the desktop.
If you mostly use the computer or your cell phone is in another room, you will get notification via email and messaging. However, you might miss it if you are working on the website and are only relying on the bell for notifications.
I listed 24 items. Pretty good, I think, considering a holiday week.
This week is pretty clear schedule-wise, so hoping to get stuff done!
I had a great week with higher than normal number of sales. The only weird thing is the number of cancelations I’m getting. One early in the week (never paid) and two Saturday sales.
Week of Nov 24 – 30
* Total Items in Store: 1536 eBay, 35 Etsy
* Items Sold: 25 eBay; 1 Etsy
* Cost of Items Sold: $26 + $18 Commission
* Total Sales: $512.41 eBay; $77.95 Etsy
* Highest Price Sold: $100 for a 1980s Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme instrument panel
* Average Price Sold: $22.70
* Returns: 1 (I sent out the wrong item, so I sent the correct one and told them to keep both), 2 cancels (-$41)
* Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
* Number of items listed this week: 24I seem to be selling one item a week on Etsy. This was another international sale (to England) where I get to keep the shipping I’ve built into the item in addition to saving about $10 using Pirate Ship’s first class pricing.
The one bummer is that eBay pulled me out of being a top rated seller. All my numbers are great, but I did have two items I canceled (within the past two months) because I made a stupid mistake. I’m still angry at eBay, though, because I’m human and I like to blame it on someone else 🙂 .
I often sell lower priced items as a group. The amount I get is less than what I would get if I sold each one separately, but I don’t want to spend the time. Not all items can be lotted together, though.
Since you are listing items that are seasonal, it might be fine to list them separately especially if they are selling quickly.
I save groups of lower priced items up until I get a big enough pile of stuff. They might not have anything to do with each other. Then I sell them as an assorted lot or junk drawer listing.
Strangely, I’m not doing that bad.
7 on Wednesday
2 on Thanksgiving
3 so far todayI am running a Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday +/- sort of sale, but not all the items that have sold are reduced in price. I’ve also been sending offers a few times a day since I figured this is when people are off work and are shopping.
Not sure why I would be doing so well. Many times, my store is down in the dumps when other people are doing well. Just a coincidence, I think.
11/28/2019 at 11:16 am in reply to: What Sells On eBay: Tin signs, Porta bar, Shop manuals, Dishes, ACORN pin back #71154Happy Thanksgiving to you as well, Steve! I also have a Smith-Corona typewriter that I need to list, but it has to be tested properly, and I haven’t had the time.
I keep selling these vintage copper clad kitchen things that I bought in an auction at about $2 per item. The first was a pan returned to me, and then resold in a week or so for $26. The other is a tray for $27.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/184036725782
http://www.ebay.com/itm/184006350437I had a listing for 24 Christmas CDs that didn’t sell last year. I didn’t want them to go another year without a sale, so I put them on auction. Usually, my auctions don’t have any bidding, but I did have two bidders for this one. Sold for $18.50 in a last minute swipe, I probably paid about a dime for the whole thing.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/184031266539I’ve had this fireplace tool set sitting around since the beginning of the year because I wanted to do something with the rust on the bottom. My husband finally did the work for me, and it sold in just a little over a week for $25.80.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/184031173237My vintage AM radios continue to sell. Not too many of them work properly, so they aren’t priced high. They do seem to be selling quite quickly, though. This Telechron sold for $18. Each cost less than $3, which will be a better ROI when some of my working or more rare ones sell.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/184043312884My high sale this week came from a “hot-rod” auction which I attended with my husband. This 1980s Ford breakout box came in a lot with some spring compressors that my husband wanted for himself. It sold for $89. I bid higher than normal since some of the items were for personal use, so I priced the COGS at $20, which is a little less than half the total purchase price for that lot.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/184009951062Antique Frog – I never know whether you are joking or not. U3A is an organization that actually seems pretty cool, but ŹdźbÅ‚o seems to translate into “blade of grass” from Polish. Rockall is an uninhabitable island that is considered part of the UK. Hum.
I’ll add that you will need to get inventory on a regular basis. You may prefer Thrift shops, garage sales, estate sales, rummage sales, and/or auctions. Most of the auctions I go to are on weekdays. Sometimes I go just to get out of the house even if I don’t really need more inventory. Most thrift stores are any day of the week. Some estate & garage sales start on a Thursday or Friday.
I tend to go grocery shopping and run other errands during the day, then I end up on the computer doing eBay in the evening. All just to get out of the house.
I’ve thought about going to the library for when I’m just listing, but I’ve never bothered.
The point is that you can get out of the house. Not all eBay work is at home doing photography or listing on the computer. Oh, and you get to know the people who work at the post office.
Yeh, it wasn’t me. But, I do rock …
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