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I don’t cross list eBay to Etsy. Just a gut thing. My items there are fresh to Etsy, besides the occasional multiples that I share between the two.
Best of luck with your cross list flow later this week!T-Satt,
Got it, thank you, even though I have 450+ on Etsy, the $100 is a bit much at this stage for me. Wonder Lister may be my choice.
Honestly, as someone mentioned on this thread, just the eBay store I run is my diversificatio since I work a full time. Etsy is a sub diversify for me, in Tandem with eBay and probably always in the back seat.Jay,
Yes, it’s the Baaa-laaance! It is so great to share all of these ideas and then pick and choose and experiment or not. Funny, many times I feel like I’m taking a break showing up for my regular job.T-Satt,
Thank you for the info. You mention Sixbit. After a quick search, Sixbit and Wonder Lister look close to being the same. Wonder Lister is $5 a month, Sixbit is $20 a month.Mark,
Thank you, and I’m still shoe boxing with my taxes as well, so I need to get up to speed.
Much, much appreciated.How serious does everyone take this backing up everything on eBay subject?
Are we thinking if eBay ever crashes for a time frame or actually fails, we might loose all of our data – listing info & photos?
I do not even have my photos stored anywhere, certainly not my actual listings. There really has not been an instance where I needed my old item photos. I’m even negligent in keeping templates on eBay after listing an item. With some of my repeat finds, I simply reinvent the wheel when listing, but It does not require too much effort since I am so familiar with certain items. I kick myself at times when I do find something somewhat complicated that I listed and sold years ago and wished I had the data to list it easier. Not a real issue for me though. I guess a question would be, what is a simple way to store your photos sort of forever, and maybe your listings as well? I’m ignorant to all of the cloud business and backups and such. It may be time to close the circle on all of my hard work already completed and safeguard it. Others may feel the same way.That’s a Nice little logo for the Etsy!
Just to mention, my highest price sold on Etsy last week was a loose vintage Shaun Cassidy doll (with no guitar!) selling for $30 plus shipping. Two sold on eBay in late February for $30 and $31 new, mint in the box. Another loose figure in the same condition as mine sold with a guitar on eBay for only $20. There were a couple of dozen listed on eBay, one on Etsy. Certain buyers only like to shop on Etsy, period. It’s ‘A Nicer Place to Buy’. This is an example of the little niche areas where you can slip an item on Etsy and make the sale with a lesser item for better money. I’m not trying to sell Etsy here or anything like that, just stating some interesting live data. I experience this kind of sale often over there, and it does take some brain space and time.Hello Jay and Ryanne and community,
I opened my Etsy account 4 years ago after selling on eBay for around 12 years. Another YouTuber presented the case, and it seemed like a wise move, take a loaf of bread out of the basket and put it someplace else.
Etsy sales are anywhere from 1/4 – 1/10 of where my eBay sales are week to week. To be fair, eBay gets my better, higher value items, having the most traffic.
The eBay platform is the ‘go to’ when someone is looking for the strange or rare. It is big time branded. It’s like if you need cola quick for a party, you grab a case of Coke, or if you you need a box of good cigars fast, you grab a box of Macanudo. Even though there is a better product out there perhaps, you just grab the household name brand, and your choice will get you by. Certainly this contributes to how eBay continues year after year, it is entrenched as the go to in most cases. Whether it’s pleasing people at the time or pissing them off, people throw their money there regardless.
Etsy is a great place for my smaller niche items like miniature dolls, old keys, enamel lapel pins, and other such things. It feels like a real multiple pipeline to me, quiet in some niche areas for weeks, then a nice slew of sales out of nowhere. Also, I enjoy the curator aspect on Etsy when I list the more enjoyable items. There is a dormant collector inside of me that the Etsy process caters to. It is also refreshing to offer 1-2 days handling rather than 1 day handling. Two day Shipping on Etsy is fast Etsy shipping indeed compared to other Etsy sellers! If you can make it on eBay, especially TRS, it’s easy to be a standout on Etsy, all things being equal.
Somehow, the Etsy buyers seem friendlier. I have never had a rough experience even as I close in on 800 sales, and the feedback just flows along nicely. Sellers do not leave feedback. What exactly produces this pleasant mojo I cannot quite put my finger on. I never did duplicate and cross list eBay to Etsy. It just did not feel right doing that. Many times while researching an item to list on eBay, the high item competition is a bummer. Go to Etsy and see a fraction of that same item listed. You can list with less competition and even sell at a greater price, not too much greater, but more in most cases. Perhaps the lower traffic balances that out a bit, with the item taking longer to sell, I’m not sure. It is also just a nice change to switch over and list on Etsy after doing a bunch of eBay listings. It really is an entirely different animal. The fees are lower although I cannot quote them, low enough to feel some relief while working the platform. I have had multiple higher end items that I have listed on both platforms. They seem to sell in both places rather equally.
If I had never listed on Etsy, I doubt my bottom line would have changed. It does keep things fresh, and gives you a feeling of security that you have something in place to go to if things goes wrong. It seems to me like everyone should have a secondary platform where they can hit the ground running if need be.This sounds like a great one, going to post numbers first, hooked on doing them now.
5/6 – 5/12/18
eBay Store totommyto
Total store items: 524
Number of items sold: 9
eBay sales (not counting s/h): $712.01
Cost of items sold: $25
Consignment payouts: $166
Highest price sold: $235 1:18 scale diecast car
Average price sold: $79.11
Returns: 0
Spent on new inventory: 0
Number of items listed this week: 10Etsy Store Oldfleatoymarket
Total store items: 457
Number of items sold: 4
Etsy sales (not counting s/h): $63.50
Cost of items sold: $7
Consignment payouts: 0
Highest price sold: $30 vintage Shaun Cassidy doll
Average price sold: $15.87
Returns: 0
Money spent on new inventory: 0
Number of items listed this week: 2To the podcast…
Take CareSomething maybe of interest.
I’ve noticed when I search eBay for an item for myself, find it, and then search completed listings for what price I should pay, I will sometimes see the same or a similar item unsold multiple times, since it was renewed every thirty days or less. This has turned me off in the past about making the purchase. Especially if I am searching for a ‘rare’ item to buy and then flip sell on another platform. However, when an item is listed as GTC, it just keeps rolling over, forever for sale, it does not leave a trail of unsolds, making it appear stagnant and unwanted. So I am more apt to buy this ‘rare’ item when I cannot find it unsold, but perhaps only sold, and then sold at a decent price. Certainly only a small percentage of buyers shop like this, yet I do, and I cannot be all alone. I believe I am correct in this observation, yet I have not really dug into it.
When I switched everything over to GTC, this idea was a small contributing factor in my doing so.
I’ve been experimenting with long listed items, ending them individually and relisting at 30 days duration, and with some changes to the titles. I change the titles a bit to not only tweak, but perhaps fool that computer brain we have all been discussing that the listing is truly indeed a ‘new’ listing.
I would rather be listing new items, have plenty, just in a situation right now where I can only coddle old listings until hopefully tomorrow. I am convinced I am not doing any harm by going 30 day, yet after a cycle or two, I will probably switch back to GTC. None of this is my idea, all from the forums, yet my initial observation is my little bitty brainchild, if at all relevant or even completely accurate.Good Morning! Have not listened yet, thank you yet again for the consistent Sunday night/Monday morning go to.
4/29 – 5/5/18
eBay Store totommyto
Total store items: 524
Number of items sold: 12
eBay sales (not counting s/h): $423.94
Cost of items sold: $23.50
Consignment payouts: $75
Highest price sold: $75 lot of 5 ‘New Kids on the Block’ dolls
Average price sold: $35.32
Returns: 0
Money spent on new inventory: 0
Number of items listed this week: 0Etsy Store Oldfleatoymarket
Total store items: 452
Number of items sold: 6
Etsy sales (not counting s/h): $113
Cost of items sold: $17
Consignment payouts: 0
Highest price sold: $35 vintage mustard color metal tool tote
Average price sold: $18.83
Returns: 0
Money spent on new inventory: 0
Number of items listed this week: 0Last of my Northern family departs Tuesday morning. I cannot wait to get back to a consistent listing schedule! It is a great bonus that my idle stores are still producing decent income. As for scavenging, it’s more of a second or third level sifting and still discovering what I already have. I’m still dealing with a HUGE buyout from 3 months ago or so. Great things to list tomorrow, and we will see how the beasties respond to the feedings.
I have finally done real numbers for two months now. It is hard for me to believe that I bare backed my online selling for YEARS, not really knowing what I was doing or earning. When I needed cash, I simply worked harder, or even leveraged my business and took out loans. Once I sort all that out, it might lead to an interesting discussion! Now to the podcast.
I agree completely, 100%. I’ve lived it!
The biggest deciding factor with my one lone remaining consignment relationship is the friendship that has evolved, and wanting to help, even if it is only really a hobby for this man.Jay,
I like scavenging, love to in many cases. He has good connections with certain goods that I would have to pay much more for, or let alone even, resulting in a consistent pipeline for me in certain areas. He does not sweat returns, and let’s me slow dime or fast nickel as I see fit. Also, he scores big from time to time, and always has cash. I don’t just accept $100+ items. Sometimes I will go even as low as $40 if it is a cache of similar easy to list interesting items. If I was full time, I would not do the consignment, as I would have an abundance of time to scavenge for myself, broadening my offerings. I also have to mention that this man owns a very successful pizza joint in Chelsea, although not involved in day to day, residing full time in Fl. He is brilliant with business and pizza yet he cannot read a word, severe dyslexia! He wants to do eBay, has had his wife and sons help him, yet they are not scavenger minded, they screw it up. So that plays into it as well, where I am not tempted to say, “we don’t you just do it”. This partnership is not typical for more than a couple of reasons, it is not perfect, yet it works for me at this time. Keep hammering though if you see a crack here!I can speak on this as I have done consignments for at least 13 years on a few occasions.
There is only one consignment deal I am going to continue, we have become friends, he picks good stuff, he is EASY, not a pain. When I am busy with my full time job and other stuff, he gets the picking done since he is fully retired. We share similar interests as well, so I’m not listing linens and skirts and glass, something that would be tough for me to do all the time. Now for the others.
I ran an ad on Craig’s once for consignment. It was OK, yet the guy was pretty much a pain, we ran out of stuff so it naturally ended.
I just finished up consignment for a friend of a friend, he had great stuff, was easy, yet his wife got involved and became a pain. Luckily, it naturally ended as we sold out.
Another business friend of my Wife’s was a great consignment deal for some time, yet I’m simply tired of consignments and stopped. There truly is plenty out there, and the freedom to control all aspects of your business is bliss compared to consignment. Changes in return policies, fee raises, and TRS discount drops have also reduced consignment bottom lines for me, and has complicated the process some.
I cleaned out a neighbors garage of what I love to sell about 2 years ago, it went rather quickly. He was REALLY laid back, it was a success with all items sold. He later tried to get me to sell some junk, so it spoiled the relationship a bit when I declined.
I sold for my son, sometimes we partner, we’ve done some great cache buying, yet he tends to require faster money than me. I have ceased selling for him because he is more than capable and needs to get his own side business going.
I have had no contracts, and none of my partners required anything in writing. Sometimes I sensed certain individuals wanted to see something on paper, and quickly lost interest in everything except the money I Handed over.
So, to sum it up, I do consignment with one person, going on at least 13 years. It accounts for maybe 20% of my business. I pick the stuff up, pay him, and give back anything not worthwhile from the last haul. We more or less split the fees, and do a 50/50. We exchange a couple of cigars, a cup of coffee, a bottle of wine, some banter, and part ways for a week or two or three. If I’m sizing up a big buyout and I’m short, he is right there with cash as well, like I said, it has become a friendship.
If I were to advise anyone, regardless of my moderate success, and counting the one current consignment worth keeping, I would still say do not do it. And if you are in the midst of one or more consignments, be totally honest with yourself if it is really a good thing. The money isn’t everything.
