February sales over 2006, up 256%
February sales over 2007, up 143%
My BluJay store - $0 sold in February with prices 20% below ebay and amazon

And I'm supposed to walk away from the number one source of buyers on the web?

Am I going to sacrifice my business and my family's livelihood to help make some stay at home mom feel better about that her drop ship Chinese crap doesn't sell? Hell no.

Do I like everything ebay does? Hell no.

--

But all these free and low price alternatives and every one who can't sell on ebay still b!tches about ebay. Probably the same folks who who are still bitter that their high school sweet heart for broke it off after the prom.

Move on folks, move on.

DDT

Yep your the only one -

Am I going to sacrifice my business and my family's livelihood to help make some stay at home mom feel better about that her drop ship Chinese crap doesn't sell? Hell no.

WOW! A little self righteous?

I highly doubt it, that the majority of sellers here sell cheap Chinese crap.

No cohiba, you are not the only one. Many of us are successful on eBay because that is where the buyers are. I will sell on eBay but I made it my New Years Resolution to put more distance between eBay and myself. That was the plan before the new changes and all eBay did was reinforce my decision. I have had limited success with eBid (2 sales) and OLA (2 sales) in February. I have sold over 150 patches on my own site since October which easily covers twice the money I have invested, just not the time I have invested. But it is growing. 6900 listings as of today with 66 registered users. Myself and one other seller comprise all but about 100 of those listings. I have faith the site will grow steadily. I know my statistics are kinda laughable right now but 6 months ago, this site didnt exist. There is now something growing from what was once nothingness.

My only problem is keeping it from growing too fast for me to deal with. And I still sell on eBay.

I for one will not suggest anyone cut eBay loose completely. Most reasonable here will not ask that of anyone. You are doing what you should be doing.

Selling on eBay to keep you afloat and supporting alternative sites at the same time is all anyone can ask of anyone else.

Some items just are no good for alternative sites at this time. Sellers of other items have a little more leeway on the alternative sites. I dont know what you sell on eBay but chances are sellers of the same types of items are not thriving on the alternates either yet.

For you cohiba, it is more important than ever that eBay gets about 2 STRONG competitors in the "sell everything" format within the next 2 years. If they do not, you might find yourself getting squeezed out as those Chinese Drop Shippers may be the only ones who can thrive in eBay being they will have a much lower overhead, need to make less of a profit to live due to the low cost of living in China, and they have different expectations about what defines a good profit. In China, to make a sale of an item with a 20 cent profit when all is said and done is considered a good deal. With us, that type of profit isnt worth the effort.

It's coming. Every year more and more people are coming around. This summer will I think we will see more noticable shifts from eBay to alternative sites. The key to a successful shift is that the sellers do not become too fragmented in their choice of sites. Buyers are reluctant to sign up for 1-2 new sites at the moment. We cant ask them to shop at 8 different sites. That would be like going to Kmart, Walmart, Sears, Target and Marshall's all in the same day. Why would they do that? Chances are they can get everything they need at one of those stores. This is the real roadblock to getting buyers to follow us to alternatives.

Ken

I can agree with cohibastore.com

Thats why I want to help off ebay websites..

But your right.. until there is a better option we are stuck with eBay.

My biggest problem is my wholesale prices keep going up, then ebay raises thier prices and my profit margins keep going down.. and there is little I can do.

I raise prices and sales suffer. Yet somehow ebay raises thier fees and gets away with it, without providing any additional value to what they provide.

Its just sick that I am paying more to eBay than my brother-in-law pays for the rent and utilities for his 2 bay garage and office space. Forgive me if it feels like he gets a lot more value for his $1500 month than I do.

Charles

Gypsy wrote (View Post): › Am I going to sacrifice my business and my family's livelihood to help make some stay at home mom feel better about that her drop ship Chinese crap doesn't sell? Hell no. WOW! A little self righteous? I highly doubt it, that the majority of sellers here sell cheap Chinese crap.

Ahem, actually. I import from China. And it is not crap. My mens accessories are not brand names but they are great quality for a fraction of what you will find by these European companies. If you need a brand name to go along with that quality, my shop isnt right for you. And I do well on eBay to boot.

For my patches, they are all authentic and part of the original runs which the US patch companies have made in China at the expense of the embroidery industry in the US.

I would do a little research before calling generalizing all goods made in China as being "crap".

Here is a photo of a neck tie I sell for 15.99 on eBay. I would not be ashamed to have ties like this side by side with ANY of the big European necktie names. Oh, and my ties are about 150-200 dollars cheaper.

Evening:cohibastore.com I don't think anybody in their right mind would suggest you just end your listings on ebay if it's your only source of income. Most seller's are just trying to find a better way to sell away from ebay (and maybe keep a little more profit). That's why I'm here trying to soak up any knowledge and guidance I can get. Good Luck Selling!!

cohibastore.com wrote (View Post): › February sales over 2006, up 256% February sales over 2007, up 143% Move on folks, move on. DDT

Nope, not the only one
Feb Sales over 2004, up 150%
Feb Sales over 2005, up 100%
2006, Top-10 Charity Seller, tapped by eBay itself for PR marketing

2006, screwed over.
2007, fighting back, abruptly banned and attacked both on and off-ebay.
2008, commercial application killed by eBay for spite and blackmail.

A word of advice. Enjoy it now, but don't brag about it and don't offer advice to people to get over it, adapt or die, or any such. You simply don't know what can and does go on.

In defense of cohibastore.com, I think what she was trying to say was... that she is Pro USA. She would rather sell American made products and support American jobs rather than import from Asia and pay their salaries. I am also Pro USA, and would love to be able to buy all USA goods.. but it's not always possible. With NAFTA in place, the trade deficit gets bigger and bigger every day. Our government is borrowing more and more money from Asia everyday just to keep our economy going- because of our National Deficit. cohibastore.com probably knows someone directly who has lost their job because that job was moved overseas. Perhaps it was her? Perhaps a family member? My father's business was directly affected by NAFTA, and so I too have strong opinions. However I cannot judge the quality of Chinese products because I don't work directly with them. PatchDog, your ties look lovely and I'm sure they are a quality product. Working with overseas clients, or vendors ... will most likely be our future as our dollar weakens against the rest of the world's and most manufacturing leaves our shores. There's so many questions to raise in regards to NAFTA, overseas vendors, fair wage act, fair trade.... that we will each need to become more informed as we move into this new future of ours.
-Peace

I agree Tangerine. And we dont want to lose sight of the thread.

Cohiba, I dont recall anyone telling everyone to stop selling on eBay. Of course you will have some new hard chargers screaming it from the tops of the roofs but a veteran of the board such as yourself should know not to take youthful enthusiasm to heart.

If you feel some particular pressure on a personal level, it is good to get it off of your chest but know that we try support each other here to do what is best for them TODAY (if on eBay right now, so be it) and for the future.

Ken

I also agree with Ken 100%, this site seems very dedicated to helping ebay sellers. Although I am a newbie here, it seems they really want to:

*Inform ebay sellers of new ebay policy changes
*Try to better the seller by offering other ideas, or auction house names with stats & information
*Allow ebay sellers a safe place to vent about retailing in general & ebay policy changes

There are many sellers who have left ebay entirely, and many who seem to use multiple platforms to retail their products; websites, auction sites, b2b, and free community lists. All whom have posted ideas & feedback in regards to their new ventures.

All in all, this seems to be a positive forum.. meant to help others. I have enjoyed reading posts here and have enjoyed learning from others.

-Peace

NO YOU FOOL!

Ebay is going to walk away from YOU!

And there is nothing you can do to change it.

I ain't walkin away either, BUT they are going to walk away from me too. At least I realize this.


You are really S L O W on the uptake. I tried to explain this to you in small words and easy to follow context earlier, but you didn't get it.


Milk it for all it is worth in the mean time, but be prepared to be lose every dollar in your paypal account, or terminated at a moments notice. there is nothing you can do to prevent this besides become a MAJOR drop shipping organization selling all new product and be willing to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into the new ebay system


If you can't hang with that you will be assimilated. Time for a reality check

eBichin wrote (View Post): › NO YOU FOOL! Ebay is going to walk away from YOU! And there is nothing you can do to change it. I ain't walkin away either, BUT they are going to walk away from me too. At least I realize this. You are really S L O W on the uptake. I tried to explain this to you in small words and easy to follow context earlier, but you didn't get it. Milk it for all it is worth in the mean time, but be prepared to be lose every dollar in your paypal account, or terminated at a moments notice. there is nothing you can do to prevent this besides become a MAJOR drop shipping organization selling all new product and be willing to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into the new ebay system If you can't hang with that you will be assimilated. Time for a reality check

cohibastore, congrats on the sales.
A successful sale is a successful sale, no matter where it's made.

However with such a niche products as you're selling have you considered opening your own website, next to selling on eBay?

With the proper exposure you could probably make very good sales next to eBay - and no fees.