Private Sellers Unite! We need to figure out a new sales strategy that works for us!

[collectible-coins-medals-tokens]

Hi everyone,

This discussion thread is for genuine private sellers only.

Okay, so we all know where we stand now with zero selling fees, payments on hold until 2 days beyond successful delivery and the new 4% Buyers Premium.

I am a 100% genuine seller with 24 listings of coins from my personal collection that I want to sell on.

Now, I used to have over 75 listings with many more of my coins for sale, and prior to last year I was selling a coin almost every day! And now..... I haven't sold a thing in 30 days!

I think we need a new sales strategy.

This is what I have tried so far without any success....

1. Reduced the price of my coins by 4%

2. Made shipping same day

3. Tried the full reset approach, which just doesn't seem to work anymore?

Nothing seems to be working?

Has anyone got a bright ideas on what I (and we) can do to try and get our items more visibility in Ebay search results?

Business sellers please feel free to contribute ideas, but also be conscious of the fact that I am talking about a strategy for private sellers to adopt, so please no suggestions of becoming business sellers ok?

So......

Ideas people!

Go!.........

[andha-21]

Outside of forming a functioning cooperative I don't think there is any real way to improve the cycle, not permanently at least. Unless you have/do/make something that nobody else can provide.

The fact is most markets are over saturated, online and high street, most copying eachother, so they all end up trying to share the same pie. & there probably isn't enough to go round anymore.

If I was a coin collector/seller, I'd be changing my mindset from specialist to jack of all trades but within a cooperative. Find other sellers that complement eachother and work together to share some of the essential costs. If you buy packaging in bulk you'll know the more you buy, the cheaper it gets, so having allies is probably the best way forward.

[theelench]

It might be "Free to Sell" but IMO you won't sell anything beyond an occasional item to keep you on the hook unless the search algorthym sees a PL flag on your ad.

If you're not willing to pay ebay fees to sell, you won't sell.

All these latest changes have been made so that ebay will loose nothing by making it free to sell and, quite likely, will end up making more money than they did when charging private sellers fees.

They will make money on the buyer's premium

Ditto on Simple Delivery

Ditton Payment Holds

Ditto Promoted listings 

IMO the only other strategy is look for another site to sell on.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

I do not and never have paid any extra e bay fees, i sell by auction (did try BIN but not a thing sold) only.   For some obscure reason i have never had such a good January in regards to selling, 25 items and yet up until the 28th i did not have a sale at all in December.  Reversal of last year...    That is the thing with selling mainly clothes though, you never know when someone will spot that one item they are actually looking for!   Mind you i am pretty sure they do have some kind of algorithm about who gets seen and when because i have had hardly had any views this past week.

[andha-21]

I'm similar, never paid any fees and haven't had too many issues selling what I want to sell either. Sometimes it was a little slower but that's par for the course in any business. Scale is the difference.

But I've been watching these algorithm listing posts with interest. Not saying any of you are wrong but what I've seen my side is that they reward certain keyword structures in titles. I normally end up in first page results, without paying a dime. & I've got friends to check that it appears the same way on their systems and isn't just a memory thing within mine.

I've also had loads of first page photo ads within Google for exactly the same thing. 

But I'd wager there is a serious difference in market saturation which would also factor.

[collectible-coins-medals-tokens]

These are great responses so far...

So let's get practical ok?

VISIBILITY is the key.

I know that the coins I have are sought after by certain collectors and priced really well because only a couple of years ago I was selling a coin every single day! So the only thing that has changed is visibility, and currently my listings are NOT getting seen.

But!

I am NOT going to play the Promoted Listings game as a private seller.

So.....

If you are a private seller and have a selling strategy that is actually working despite all the recent changes, AND if you are willing, please share with us what you do in order to get your items seen!

[andha-21]

VISIBILITY is a key, if you look at modern society CONVENIENCE is the real key. Why people go to their local megastore supermarkets where they can get most of what they want under one roof, why Amazon superceded that model because they deliver everything straight to your door.

So yes, you have a market of coin collectors, but they will also be buying other things. Maybe even other collections that you do not sell.

If you find that out, you have opportunities. You can expand into other fields or continue as before or you can make friends with other sellers that can sate your clientele. Even if you don't make any money (initially) from the latter you are still making people happy and that's no bad thing in business. 

[iansims]

To start with ebay have started the new fee will be applied to electronics only.

[abrahamtoast]

eBay has made it quite clear to all sellers, that, if you want your listings to be seen by more people, you need to pay for promoted listings.

That is now the way it is. If you refuse to pay for the service, you will not receive the same level of exposure.

Although the buyers' fee and simple delivery are a pain, for listings over a fairly modest amount, you can reduce your prices to offset the buyers' fee and still be better off than you were before selling became "free" in October.

THAT'S where genuine private sellers can gain an edge. Reduce your prices, and you will become cheaper than those who don't.

The idea of a co-operative is just silly and unrealistic. It certainly doesn't coincide with the concept of "genuine private sellers". Any savings made by bulk buying packing materials, etc., would immediately be swallowed up by the cost of the logistics of running the scheme.

The OP asked for comments from "genuine private sellers", so responses full of wording such as "clientele", and "in business" aren't going to be of any assistance here.

[goodibags]

Ultimately, all you can do is undercut the competition. Business sellers may hate you for it but private sellers aren't in the same profit-making business. Make sure you are always at the top of the list.

I've had good sales in January and indeed sold to business sellers, possibly with an eye on the start of buyer fees? Once these come in you may be forced to bundle them up in lots to sell them on, at least the cheaper items.

I've sold a few coins in the past but have also pulled listings because they simply don't get views. It often feels like you can't even give them away. Like many traditional 'collectables' (e.g. stamps) it seems to be a buyers' market.

[stecomedia]

You have to look at your own listings from a buyers perspective. Would you pay that?

I collect coins and those prices don’t strike me as being great value for money to be honest. I would take exception to being charged £3.75 postage as well. 

Look at some auctions on easylive you can get kilos of coins for small bids if you find the right one and find all sorts of tokens and coins like those to go through without breaking the bank.

[andha-21]

Interesting thoughts.

Most/some would consider an organised car boot sale a collection of private sellers, possibly that they are even cooperating to their mutual benefit.

Just an example, but hey ho, maybe I don't have a clue.

[abrahamtoast]

...but that's clearly not the sort of thing you were referring to, though, is it?

[ile136yz]

RM48 tracked would be cheaper if you are going to use Simple Delivery.

[andha-21]

Oh, wasn't I? Damn, I'd forget my head without help from the likes of you. 

Sorry, I thought I was. Saying in the initial post that finding other sellers that complement each other. Kind of like a car boot, but online. 

But hey ho, no doubt you know best.

[stecomedia]

This is what gets me. It seems like everyone wants to be priced to the max with inflated postage and still appear top of search. Eventually buyers just decide eBay is expensive and leave. 

[goodibags]

"buyers just decide eBay is expensive and leave"

Yup, certainly looks like Ebay's 'strategy' to me and I'm a buyer!

[stecomedia]

I get the anger towards eBay I do. And I have probably come across a bit rude here but I just think if the right items are listed and they are appealing the buyers will find them eventually. People know how to search by lowest price and try different key words if they really want to find something badly enough. I know from my own account here, im left with the items unsold that are a hard sell or I am reluctant to drop the price on. I get plenty of views and watchers. 

[goodibags]

I agree, you have to check the listings and review your prices regularly. Admittedly, a lot easier when you have only 50 items for sale. What buyers won't like is the new 'protection' fees and compulsory tracked postage when those come in. And finding pretty much nothing left that's still priced anywhere around £1.78 (lowest buy it now price).

[collectible-coins-medals-tokens]

Thank you my friend!

Reducing my prices by 4% was the first action I took on the 4th Feb, but I haven't seen any results as yet. Give it time I guess?