Honest opinions on selling on ebay?

**MyOwnBo$$** · 12-07-2010 06:08 PM

Hi all,

I'm new to this site, and i'm looking to do some ebay trading in my spare time whilst studying at university as a substitute for my weekend job. Just wondering if anyone else is in the same position or if there are any experienced ebayers out there that could comment on how well you are doing/experiences.

**swimdiva** · 12-08-2010 10:54 PM

Ebay is both a great thing, and a horrible thing...

I own a luxury retail boutique and from time to time will clearance out my dead stock via ebay. I have sold over $50,000 in 6 months on Ebay and it was a great way for me to generate cash for merchandise I would not otherwise of generated cash from.

However, the time and effort is takes to list products effectively is tremendous. You have to request to sell more then 10 items at a time, or pay to open an ebay store... and with the new "buyer" focused service - sellers are getting screwed. You have to ensure you have the time daily to check your site and any messages relating to the products you are selling. Even if someone asks you a crazy question, you need to respond otherwise they will report to ebay and you can get kicked off. I have also had issues with people saying they did not receive the product even though I had record of them receiving the product through UPS or Fedex... and ebay gave them their money back (well, forced me too...)

Ebay is a great tool if you have the patience and time to do it right.

**TelecommutingMom** · 12-08-2010 11:08 PM

I did it for a little while and you can definitely make money, it is just a lot more time consuming then you would think like the other swimdiva said.

**MyOwnBo$$** · 12-10-2010 10:41 AM

Thank you guys for your replies, they are very helpful. Also with regards to listing costs and any taxations on what you sell, do you find that they have a big effect on your profit or is neglegable?

**swimdiva** · 12-10-2010 10:57 AM

If you set up a store ($15 or $30 a month) then no, the list fees do not have a large impact on your sales. If you do not have a store, then yes the list fees can in fact add up quickly. Remember, just because you list something for sale it does not mean it will sell. You might spend $10 to $15 to list, re-list, and re-list....

Always have the buyer pay for shipping, or build the shipping cost into your item prices.

Taxes depend on the type of product you are selling. If it is a new product, never before sold within any market place (besides clothing and necessities) then you need to charge tax. This changes a bit state by state, and by industry of your product as I mentioned above. However, taxes should not impact your sales profit as they are calculated after the price is set.

**MyOwnBo$$** · 12-10-2010 12:05 PM

I see, thanks swimdiva, but regarding the tax i didnt make myself clear i was referring to the the money ebay charges when you make a sale and the money paypal charges when the money is deposited. I have sold a few items in the past (not on a business scale) but this was some years ago, are these charges still around today and do they get in the way much?

**swimdiva** · 12-10-2010 12:40 PM

Ebay charges the insert fee for listings as well as a final sale % fee. This depends on the industry of your product what the % will be. Build these charges into your listing price so it does not hurt you. Paypal charges processing fees for each sale. I think it is 3%??? This is standard. As a retailer, my CC processing fees range 2 - 4% depending on the type of CC a customer uses. This is just expected fees for that business to process the payment from your customer and make the money accessible to you. It is an operating cost and does not really effect your profitability.