Will an Ebay store save me money?? Please reply.

Hi, it's not all plus points with an eBay store.

Major minus is that items do not appear on searches by default, and so you still need some non-store inventory items to attract buyers.

Plusses for me (with the basic eBay store subscription) includes the ability to form a basic style to the listings with logo on the listings and the invoices, and customised search filters of all my items in my eBay store.

Not really sure at present how useful the store inventory format really is with it's limited visibilty in searches and higher final value fees. Some sellers find it very good for sales others not, it really depends on your wares and customer base.

The standard auction and BIN formats appear in the store so it is not compulsory to use the store inventory format.

Regarding eBay fees, some items do not need gallery pictures, I only use them if the appearance is critical to the sell.

Starting items too high costs a fortune in fees, partly because of the insertion fee itself but also the higher the start the slower bidding is likely to start off. So you can lose out by little bidding or worse still no bidding. Ideally you want bidders to think they are getting something cheap with a low start but they fight over it tenaciously and push the price up much higher.

I use the Auctiva store front as well and that does not need gallery pictures, it and the scrolling gallery will use the header picture, so for cheaper items I do not need the gallery fee

Look at other sellers of similar wares to your own and check their completed sales, then have a go for a month and see if it works for you, it may still be free for the first month too !

P.S. I think most people start by buying things then start selling off odds and ends from their house, I did too.

Hiya Shelz,

I started like you in 2001 and then decided to open a shop.
I can't say at the moment if it was the right thing to do as things are pretty quiet.
I seem to list more somedays than what I sell and the fees are getting too much.

I have started an external website but even though I put a flyer in with every ebay parcel I send out, I haven't had a sale yet.
I have even used google ad words but to no avail.

I'm sure there is a recession going on, people don't seem to have the same disposable income to buy things anymore.

Anyway good luck. I still think a store is a good idea as people get to know you and I do get regulars popping by.

I do offers like spend £10 get a free gift (I'm in the UK).
Sometimes I throw a lollipop in their parcel and sweeties, and surprising how it attracts the customers.

Good luck

Binnie. xxx

Hi, since my last post on this thread auction sales are good but I think shop inventory format is now a lost cause even looking at my competitors selling (or attempting to) with it.

Part of the problem is that the option to search stores is so buried, I think it is now under 'More buying options' which is not even available itself without customisation. So firstly only longer term users find it and secondly not all buyers are adventerours or daring enough to be able to customise thier setups to use it.

I also believe that the age group I sell to find eBay enough of a challenge using defaults that digging out these options is just too much to expect.

Micro$oft and others had to create the "windows" format to enable anyone else but professional computer engineers and mathematicians to be able to use PC's in the first place. (hands up all those that knew how to write batch files under DOS)

As lives get busier buyers want to find purchases quicker and now eBay has buried shop inventory format items so well away from default searches this aspect of a store is now in my view worthless (even with auction items pointing to them).

Hi,
Is there any dufference in value for the regular auctions posted while you have an Ebay store? I understand it costs 5 cents per item to post it within your store. How much does it cost to post it in regular auction? Is it the same value as it would be without a store or is it less?
Thanks!

Hi, certainly not in the UK for the basic subscription, ordinary items are shown in your eBay shop but their fees are the same as without an eBay shop.

Items listed in shop inventory format are listed for longer durations, lower insertion fees, Buy It Now only and are subject to higher final value fees.

Thanks, ChooChooGuy!
This completely answers my question, I really appreciate your reply!

hi, I had been wondering the same thing for quite sometime. So I finally opened the store (10/18) and it was quite exciting that the very next moring I had a sale from my store....but that has been it.

I know that you have to have enough merchandise in the "regular" eBay part if you want it to work at all.

the economy has a lot to do with it...I have many watchers on most of my items but in the end not much is selling. And I think I have great prices for high end mdse..manolos, etro, madonna, baccarat. missoni
take a look and let me know what you think...

www.stores.ebay.com/gitasan

You will never know if you do not try!!
Best of luck & happy sales

I would recommend a store IF you are buying POPULAR items (like electronics) from a wholeseller. Otherwise for the items you have, I would say no. I had one last year...was thinking exactly like you at the time. However, store inventory listings do not show up in most searches performed by buyers (in the field at the top of the page). Your products will only show up at the end of the searches OR if someone is actually searching with the Stores field.

Unless you promote all over the internet through free classified ads, discussion groups, etc. (which is time consuming), no one will find your auctions. Plus, you would need to still list MANY items in auction format to DRIVE traffic to your store.

- La'Shon
helporgs' Auction Listings

Hi, I've had an Ebay store and a Auctiva www.domain.com for my store and have also been consumed by fees. SUre its cheap to list an item in your store, but they still nail you with end of auction and paypal fees and the monthly fee. Having a store relies on only savy ebay shoppers to find your items as they do not show up in normal searches. A person must use an advanced search and choose search store inventory in order for store items to show. There are occasions when the search shows only a few items, then the search engine will show store items after the 0 items found notice.

Plus I have been getting my store items auctions deleted by click happy ebay employees looking for the slightest justification. Then they only send you a long complicated general ebay rules and regulations policy where you have to figure out what they justified their actions on. I finally got through to a manager only to have him justify their employees actions talking to me like I was stupid. When I point out over a 1000 links to exact items like mine that aren't being deleted, they ignore that part, but in the same breath tell me my airsoft toys will continue to be forbidden as they have the same name as a firearm, lol.

I am sick of paying to be abused, if it isn't Paypal causing problems its Ebay, if it isn't them, its a customer who thinks we are a retail store making us feed bad for daring to charge for the packing materials we use to mail their items with.

I wish I had the answers, but investing more into Ebay now is a bad idea, someone needs to come along with a better market tool that supports sellers.

There are other successful venues to sell on besides eBay.

We actually do very little business on eBay. The bulk of our sales come from elsewhere.

Hi as eBay is way ahead of any competition if that is what you can call the nearest rivals with about 1 million listings compared to eBay's typical 15 -16 million why should they care. They have proved that by adding competition in the form of sponsored links to make eBay store inventory format even more worthless.

One sponsored link I tried said "... cheaper here than eBay" and guess what the site was all links coming back to various eBay sellers hmmm, so harmless but others are to large 3rd party websites. Yes they can print money now, take our money and listings and put us up against professional big boys (who no doubt have to pay big $ as well) and let us fight it out, (insert expletive of your choice here)! Long time ago there was talk of a level playing field for all sellers small and large well now eBay have tilted in favour of the 'house'.

So I closed my eBay store but I am keeping the very useful Auctiva storefront and SG for displaying auction items.

I believe I will be able to sell more SIF type items far more effectively on a younger more vibrant looking site who are just introducing modest monthly fees (with no insertion or FVF) that will still work out a lot cheaper in monthly subscriptions even if the sell through rate is low as it cannot be worse than invisible SIF on eBay. Their name T*zb*r, (replace * with 'a').

The SIF must be in trouble due to the recent eBay UK half price promotions during which I listed a lot of items on with little results, I believe this is mainly due to my customer base not being able to find out how to search for store inventory items due to option burying antics of eBay.

When ebay raised their fees last year, AuctionBytes did an article discussing the effects on stores with several useful comments from leaders in the field, and links to other pertinent information. Pretty interesting reading: http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y206/m07/abu0171/s02

Here's an article on search engine optimization for stores: http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y206/m11/abu0178/s03

I think ebay needs to do more to promote the stores, instead of focusing their efforts so heavily toward the "core", or auction business. Search result placement (or 'non-placement') is a prime example of this mindset. Unless that happens, ebay is going to remain a tough selling environment for stores.

eBay's bottom line is not our bottom line, therefore so what, ok the small seller got them where they are but now we are an embarressment.

If they wanted to do anything to improve ebay store effectiveness they would return SIF listings to equal par with auction listings in general searches, they have decided not to so we (for whose wares will not sell now in SIF) must move on from ebay's store format to another venue.

The average buyer is not going to wade through menus to find out how to set up their shopping tool, just imagine how many cars would sell if the owner had to struggle to find out how the fuel filler cap was accessed !

All this bull about enhancing buyer experience, oh, yes the buyer must only buy via an auction so why not bin the BIN as well !

eBay has sabotaged SIF listings by both burying the search options and introducing sponsored links which also damage auction listings.

So for my SIF type listings good riddance eBay

hi just an update on my ebay store. I think that if you have an item that is not so popular (difficult to find) and you have it in your store it will come up in the search. so this may be helpful. but you also need to have plenty of stock in the regular listings so they check out your store.

I have had folks buy from auction format and then add items from my store.

Would I say a store is they way to go? still not sure but I think it has helped. but I have many hard to find items...

good luck!

http://www.stores.ebay.com/gitasan
Happy Holidays!

For me, it's better that I have auctions and buy now. I sell more. When I had a store I hardly sold anything! eBay does not have the stores searchable.

As soon as I get my store up and running from another host, then I will link to my "About me" page and all of my auction and buy me pages on eBay to direct more traffic there.