eBAy.com open - some interesting sign ups including expressing an interest in live if you're UK base

[ojewellery]

I'm sitting with the virtual eBay.com conference open and having a good browse around.  Its quite an interesting watch and being virtual you can multi task whilst its on.

Sign up:  https://events.ringcentral.com/events/ebay-open-2024?utm_source=SNA%203_KBYG&utm_campaign=SNA_Sept.%...

Its interesting to have a nosey at whats going on in the USA but some links in the Expo section are relevant to the UK.  If you go to Expo then click on the eBay open resource banner, it brings up various things some you can register interest in - like being an early adopter of eBay Live (you can select country United Kingdom, so it must be including us).

I'm a complete live selling novice but it seams to be the way things are going so thought some might be interested.

[pg_kicks]

They talked about the eBay live in the fashion talk (which was slightly painful) at the open event, basically you have some random influencer who is popular in a certain category who will talk about your item(s) and try and sell them from what i gathered. It would work if you have multiples and a high mark up as I'm pretty sure eBay would want a slice of the sales. Nike do them and I find them painful to watch but I'm not their target audience its the 15-30 year olds who seem to be into them.

[ojewellery]

I'm glad to have missed the fashion talk, having heard a few reports of what went on.  I'm a wrinkly but also concious of keep up or get off the treadmill.

I was chatting with my dad at the weekend about when he was approaching retirement (in his fifty's, lucky sole) and I suggested he needed to learn to use a computer - this internet thing is coming into day to day life and its going to be a game changer.  It was dial up in those days but the possibilities were so exciting - I'm talking pre eBay.

I got him a desktop and taught him some basics.  I'm now approaching the age he was and thinking what are my need to keep learning. 

Live selling is such a growth area, I don't quite get it but yet I can also see lots of potential for a sort of live video chat customer service type functionality - triggered by showing as being available online and a customer making a product view request.  Where you could sell straight from a live video stream but other potential customers could also view and say 'oh can you show me....'  or I'd like one of those and buy.  A virtual shopping reality, with the convenience of virtual, but a closer to going into a small shop with real customer service experience.  People sell and all that.

[pg_kicks]

It was a strange talk, it seemed like the people giving the talk were from other categories or from another company and were given a script 30 minutes prior, once they opened the floor to questions you could tell it was a mistake, surely that was the talk where you knew it was going to get heated so have somebody there who knew the figures and more importantly the basics of eBay. They wouldnt tell the results of the free listing/selling for private accounts on clothes or even what they hoped it would bring in and when somebody mentioned people using their pictures they talked about how bad that was and they would work to get it stopped, not knowing people agree to it when signing up, thats only the 2 that I can remember at 7:30am.

With regards to the live thing, a mix between QVC and a product review, no idea on your mark ups/what eBay charge but it might be a good thing for yourself as you can tell your story of the brand and how you designs and make everything, set yourself apart from the highstreet jewellery which has no passion involved in it type of thing. A few of the people selling 2nd hand clothing said they already done lives on tiktok and the likes and it worked for them on a smaller scale hopefully eBay are reaching out to sellers like yourself to be a part of it.

I need to do so much more on socials, its such a huge market that I havent really touched but I just dont have any energy to start which is stupid as I already take all the pictures, just need to post stuff.

Hopefully a few other announcements have been made which I'll have a look over the next few days.

[leadhills_scot]

Glad that I can retire April 2025, I have no interest in this sort of thing. Don't use so called social media or watch youtube, prefer to sit and read in silence.

[bojangled]

Sounds a bit like Whatnot. 
Jo

[ojewellery]

I've been trying to get something going a bit on the eBayManchesterMeetup facebook group with linking to each others socials but its the one thread thats not getting any interest - I think lots of us are in the same boat on this one.  Its on my play with list.

At the eBay open seller panel, one of the sellers said they were getting more hits and likes on instagram with the eBay autoposting than their own carefully created posts.  As its just a button push I've linked my pinterest to autopost new listings (its under marketing in the seller dash, then socials).  It was five minutes to set up and at some stage I'll work out how to review its success - but its free so can't see any harm in it.  I opted for pinterest because thats getting a good click through rate for my website and Etsy use it for linking to listings as part of their paid ads - so I figure it works for my product type.

@leadhills_scot I love a good book and curling up with one especially at this time of year. Theres something about turning the pages getting absorbed.   I also love audible - I listed to the Art of War yesterday whilst packing.   Its one of those, very short books, that gets refferenced so often I thought it'd be good to know what its actually about.  Observations of human nature!  The funny thing about live is as mentioned by @pg_kicks its a modern version of QVC - shopping channels I believe are most used by the boomer generation yet lives the much younger young adult group.  So something in between the two should appeal to the rest of us?

@bojangled I have signed up Ojewellery to Whatnot - for brand protection in a potential emerging market.  I can't invest time in it when videos appear to get low views but on the other hand it would be a low intimidation market to grow confidence with being on camera.  Have you been tempted?

[bojangled]

@ojewellery I completely understand for your inventory, it's not for me and my stock (or my target buyers to be honest!) I have heard a lot of clothing resellers had a go, mixed reactions, an awful lot of effort and minimal profit.  Basically wholesale prices to other resellers.
Others seem to be reaping it in, but it does seem to be about followers. 

There are a few vintage jewellery sellers that run live auctions and sales on YT.  
I do agree it is an interesting market though, as I watch live B&M  auctions regularly, and that's been going on some considerable time. 

I loathe social media on a personal front, (deactivated all of them since 2020) although I do like Pinterest. So I'll join you and @leadhills_scot in the reading corner later this afternoon!

Jo