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There was a post 3-4 weeks back on SL about Optiseller. Seems like not all comments were positive.
This may be a better alternative at isdntek.com:
You can download all your auctions with item specifics to a csv file and use Excel to review them on your desktop.And, You do not have to give them any credentials or account authorizations.
Here is a link:
https://www.isdntek.com/ebaytools/ItemSpecificScanner.htmHad a small sale today and buyer wants to cancel immediately. Paypal keeps their fee now. Ouch. And there is sales tax involved so eBay seems confused. Seems like a rounding error here.
Wish they could get the simple things right.
My two cents:
Business Insider:
“In your opinion, how do independent sellers benefit from using eBay?”eBay’s Marni Levine:
“Sellers really learn from each other. It’s one thing for us to show them all the demos, but until you’re in it, doing it day in, day out, that’s when the questions really come up. Of course, we try to be everywhere and try to answer questions, but they also have each other to learn from and talk to. That’s the beauty of it, and you can’t get that anywhere else — millions of people talking to each other, helping each other out, and it’s not very competitive at all. It’s very rare.”Me:
Perhaps I am missing something, but eBay is not really so good at providing answers to questions or seller interactions as described above. Perhaps eBay is taking credit for Scavenger Life?? As these good attributes are definitely found here.SL is a great help with a positive perspective. Thanks J&R.
@KyleH:
from previous posts, I am thinking that you are offering some nice vintage items on eBay. Pottery and such.My items are probably way different. But for what it’s worth, my sales pretty much tanked over the same period. Except last Wednesday evening: 4 sales in 6 hours. Since then, crickets again. This was the sales pattern for me same time last year too. Makes me feel like eBay is not showing my items. Or maybe buyers have gone into super thrift mode or?
Oh, and over the weekend, I have a return for ‘changed mind’ on an item that was $7 plus first class shipping. Buyer pays return shipping and I will deduct the out-going shipping fee and refund just $7. Buyer already left fantastic positive feedback. Go figure.
@old-dad,
I understand what you mean about the columns and sort orders.
Thanks for the info about your SKU method. This adds to my knowledge-base but doesn’t work for my inventory.Still looking for more info especially is anyone is embedding intelligence in their prices.
MyCottage:
I am using the info from your post and sending Revisions to site. Seems to be fixing them.
Thanks.Looks like eBay moved as fast as possible to move some of the collection cost to their Sellers, or at least those that accept Paypal.
From the Oct 1 announcement quoted previously and above by Sigilini, this was planned by eBay even though the language in their announcement was less than clear.
So it looks like this week’s changes are intended and permanent.
BTW: SixBit has put out a new release to cope with the new way eBay is handling the sales tax. So those of us with custom book-keeping software or spreadsheets may as well do the same.
I downloaded my account info at Paypal. (CSV Format)
For an item that ships to Rhode Island @ $50 w/ free shipping and $3.50 tax.
They show the tax as part of the eBay Auction Payment.
Then there is a second line called Partner Fee where it is subtracted.
This indicates to me that it won’t be on the 1099, etc.eBay Auction Payment: 53.50
Partner Fee: -3.50So the only bad news appears to be that eBay is allowing Paypal to charge us 2.9% for the pleasure of eBay collecting the tax.
eBay just passed a little more of their expenses on to their sellers. Sounds naive to think that Managed Payments will be much different than this.
This ripple effect is new.
This did not happen before yesterday, 11/4/19, for my sales to California or elsewhere.
I had a sale overnight to Colorado. Same issue.
As part of my book-keeping, my custom spreadsheet software reads the payment email from Paypal during my order fulfillment process, and it throws a Warning that the details do not add up.
In the payment email from Paypal, My ‘Total Amount’ received shows as the sum of Item Price, Shipping and Sales Tax. It never included the Sales Tax previously. Of course, I am not really receiving the sales tax; it is being held back for eBay somehow. But it adds to my Paypal fee.
Looks to me as if the Sales Tax may be added to your Sales Total for the year when Paypal processes it in this manner.
This post was not meant to be negative, but rather to report how end and relist was helping my sales right now. Yes, I admit my statement regarding GTC and eBay propaganda is negative. I changed my avatar so as to not look so grumpy.
I think ‘list it and forget it’ is great, but not all my inventory seems to fit that model. Even some items that I thought fit the model were ended and relisted late this month and then promptly sold. Go figure.
Steven: Please let us know if those 91+ listings show any positive results after they have run a few days.
I agree that end & relist is burdensome, even for my smaller inventory with some Sixbit software assistance.
List it and forget is the ideal technique but requires the right type of inventory (Ryanne’s).
If you see messages that items have not sold for 16 months, and/or if your items cannot relist due to problems, it is also a safe bet that eBay is not showing those items much, if at all.
Almasty: you are correct. It is a matter of business priorities and your opportunity costs.
Has anyone else noticed that with all eBay payment-related glitches there is often rather ‘small change’ involved? And that all that small change seems to fall into the same bucket?
One small piece of the puzzle as to how eBay’s profits are up but market sales are down.
I use Sixbit and am trying to grow my store. Sixbit has a really basic location field that works for me. And the default SKU scheme is also pretty basic but it also works for me as well.
Over the years, I have been ‘self-diagnosed’ as a ‘compartmentalist’. I don’t need to recall all the details about anything, just where it is stored or filed, etc. In scavenger terms this translates to: which bin, box or shelf.
Some suggest using the eBay Custom label (SKU) field to hold your inventory location, etc. Wow. Not me. After all the debacles that eBay has, why store all your Storage location info with eBay online? Keep this under your own control in an applications where you can make backups (Sixbit, Excel, etc.)
Country Lane: Thanks for your input and pics above in this thread.
MDC Galleries: Thanks for the embedded SKU and custom item specifics info techniques above.
gfd_622: Thanks for your comments in a similar thread here on SL. For those interested in improving their inventory system, check this thread.
btw, Country Lane & gfd_622: I was born a Hoosier.
Jay & Ryanne : Thanks again for the podcasts & forum.
