DBRVNH
|
IT DEPENDS on how many different items you will be selling. If you just have one or two items, and aren't planning on doing a business, AUCTION is the way to go on that, and just do some research so you know what to price so it will sell, and some of the ins/outs of fixed auctions and reserve if you will require that for these couple items.
If you have 20-30 items, and plan on finding popular selling types of items that you can get wholesale (or DropShip) and keep on "moving on", then EBAY STORE is a good deal, and then you AUCTION the popular items once per week or so (now this is just a generic comment)... which brings buyers to your store. You would then just be auctioning a couple things a week
$$....auctions cost more to list, I have a formula somewhere - it's auction and pay 8% + $1.00 (regardless of item price, this includes Listing, Final Value-Closing Fees, and PayPal receipt fees), or inventory, and it's 10% +, well nevermind, I can't find my piece of paper right now!)
The cost for an inventory item in the $15.00/mo Store, is only $0.06 cents each, and includes a gallery picture. ($0.05 cents without). However, when it sells you do pay approx. 3% more closing costs, but that is really nothing.
CAUTION: PLEASE NOTE: Not to be difficult, however, I must point out the inaccuracy of the information provided by a response directly below me, "with a store you only pay when it sells".. Totally incorrect.
You can email me for the formulae - the store-inventory DOES COST .06 PER MONTH PER ITEM....(min. 0.05 cents without gallery picture, which I recommend using)... in addition to the higher closing costs of 8.5% Ebay, plus Paypal 0.30 cents and 2.9% of monetary receipt. Not a problem, but be careful, alot of these answers are incorrect and may give you a totally wrong impression!!!! It's easy to do, but if you are looking for facts, understand that most of the responses are not accurate.
Since 1983 I've made $65,000.00 per year in Sales, Marketing and Technical, and am currently the Webmaster for sales exceeding $1,000,000.00 (MM) per year with only two clients, one of whom is the Original Dog Whisperer (see YOUTUBE, Self Employed Dog Series
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltp237ZKjVc
NOTE: if a mal-formed URL, SEARCH FOR Dog whisperer Self Employed Dog - and have a good chuckle. I'm producer and manager of this client, thanks for looking!!!!!!
I'm their Webmaster for sales and advertising on the web.
That being said, I have extensive understanding of the basics to start MY own basic Ebay store, like ANY "newbie", (which I am, and which I DID..), ....and still make a profit from day 1, with only the knowledge that you really need. And I FINALLY DID, as Nike says, I recommend: Just Do iT !
I started my Store 8 months ago,
http://stores.ebay.com/The-Virtual-Office
so I'm like you, BUT- including the 1st month - have always made MINIMUM DOUBLE my FEES and COSTS. I.e., profit. It's a bit tricky with a small store, so knowing some of the ropes, tricks and tips really helps.
I auction popular items once per week, and offer discounted shipping, - people tend to look at what else you have in a store setting, lured there by the GREAT item on Auction at Great price...., and many purchase more than just the auction item.
Auctions bring ATTENTION, if you want to look at my take on this - I'm PRO STORE if you want to start a good business, and have a bit of stuff lying around to get started with.
TIP: PICTURES SELL (or say 1,000 words, eh?) To have as many pictures as you feel you need in an ad, and ONLY PAY for the gallery (little picture that shows up in auctions and in your store)....get a web-host, ($3.99/mo at Peaceful Sites.com), and upload your pictures there. If you "host" your own images, Ebay doesn't charge.
TIP2: There is a definitive SPECIFIC day to list Auctions. Not to go into detail here, but email me separately, and I will provide the day as well and elaborate on the technical reasons for it's success in general for everyone. I very seldom have an auction NOT sell, because of the day I list it, and because of several other TIPS, I save on fees based on selling/auction price and shipping exceptions from Ebay Fees.
For a COMPLETE run-down, I have a bundled package which is very popular that gives people all the information, plus programs to use-it's what I use -and sell them in my Ebay store ....
http://cgi.ebay.com/SELL-ON-EBAY-Super-Simple-8-PROFESSIONAL-E-PROGRAMS_W0QQitemZ220109205060QQihZ012QQcategoryZ46685QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
I wouldn't get too complicated at the beginning with those other sites, why? FOR ALL IT'S FAULTS, Ebay is the leader. ACCORDING TO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, if Ebay were a Nation, it would be the 5th Largest Nation in the World. Imagine the possibilties that await YOU!
Best wishes for your success. Email me if you have any specific questions once you get on your way, I'm happy to help. My Feedback contains numerous "great for newbies". True.
INTEGRITY, INTEGRITY, INTEGRITY, YOU CAN MAKE IT WORK WITH YOUR INTEGRITY.
IN CLOSING..SO Depending on how many items you have, (a few - AUCTION, .......Many?-consider a STORE - for long-term benefit and growth)....
http://stores.ebay.com/The-Virtual-Office |
Joseph Ponnou
 |
Wonderful question - understanding such matters will make you easily stand out from the 'amateurs'.
When you are starting off, going ahead with auctions is just fine.. testing the waters, selling off just a couple of things from your attic etc....
The day you decide to become a serious seller on eBay, go for having a store - just the basic is fine, it gives you almost all the features that the higher packages offer.
Here are some of the advantages of having your eBay store:
a) You pay for each auction listing whether your item sells or not. With a store, you may list several products without paying for each listing. You are charged a % only when your item sells. This way, you can list your fast moving, high demand items on the auction and list the slow moving, but perhaps high value items, in the store.
b) eBay allows you to customize your store look-and-feel - upload a logo, upload a banner, change the page design, change the border color etc. This gives a professional look and builds more confidence with your customers.
c) You can cross-sell your products through your store. For example, when someone buys a dressing table from you, pull them to your store with a cross-promotion offer on a matching stool.
The list goes on... but here are a few tips:
a) 80% of eBay buyers search for products by keywords. The results eBay presents relate only to the auction listings. So, do not put up products only in your store. You must list items under auctions and attract visitors from there to your store.
b) Sign up with auctiva.com , whether you are going to sell through auctions or through your store. This is a free service and allows free image hosting! This means that on each listing you will save $$$ when you are uploading multiple images to sell your products.
BTW, I saw one response to your query which mentioned that eBay's customer service sucks. Tut, tut... Please appreciate that over 2 million people visit eBay every single day - it may be a difficult task even for eBay to respond individually to the numerous queries that must be coming along.
Here are two suggestions:
a) Visit their FAQ and Terms / Policy pages regularly. You will probably find answers to most of your questions.
b) If you get stuck at any time for a technical question, get it clarified "before" you do something wrong. You will find a link for Live Help on the upper right of eBay pages. Most times, this will save you a lot of time and money.
All the best,
--
Joseph Ponnou
http://www.internetmarketingtoolsntips.com/new-online-income-opportunity_ebay.html |
Homepage 
Financial
Forum 
Small Business 
No Spam
Adult 
Gambling
Unfinished
Deception
Plagiarism
Not English
