eBay to force non-store sellers to use auctions instead of fixed-price listings.

[catrick339]

All this kind of hoopla, every few months, is yet another reason to bail out of ebay entirely, and hang out here on the Boards, where folks appreciate good comics, and offer them at fair prices, and most folks know how to package them properly to boot.

 

EBay's best days are five years or more behind them.

[boatfund]

eBay CEO John Donahoe should have been happy with the results. He has long been trying to get ebay to be more like Amazon and sell items at a fixed price (years ago Amazon used to try to be more like ebay).

 

Of course, when the stock price doesn't move up and stay up, I guess you can't be happy -

ebay stock "has fallen by more than 10% over the last two months, and the stock has been basically flat since the beginning of 2013."

 

 

[Jaylam]

I sell lots of books on ebay at auction style only start off with .99 cents.

 

For those fearful of not having the fixed price safety net, you have to learn how to sell on ebay. You don't just throw something on ebay, take a picture with your cell phone camera and expect it to sell for over or close to GPA. Then say "Well ebay doesn't work"

 

There is a certain way ebay works that most people don't understand. It goes by search results.

 

You have to build you title a certain way, write your description a certain way. Nothing sells itself, even comics. Even have to end the auction at a certain time/day.

 

I'm not going to get into it all right this second, but all I see is one terrible ebay ad after another.

 

I am with you on this. Bad pictures, bad descriptions, poor shipping techniques turn off buyers. I always list my CGC books at $0.99 starting auction price and I don't list books on ebay with a value much over $1,000 (I let the larger auction houses handle that stuff, less hassle and stress for me if there is a problem with the transaction). I have a legal size scanner so I can post high quality images of CGC books. I try to put up good, concise and informative descriptions (even on CGC books) and explain how the item will be shipped. I've had some auctions go above GPA and some not so much, but I just ride it out to see what the market will actually bear. I want to move stuff, not hold stuff for a king's ransom by listing at 3X market price and sitting on it forever. Face the facts, some books are rising in value, but most are not. That 9.6 of "whatever title" that was the only 9.6 seven years ago, may have brought $5,000, but now that there are 10 of them out there, the market's diluted, demand has dropped and guess what?, good luck getting $2,000 out of it now.

[FlyingDonut]

Just to be clear, the upshot of all of this is that it will cost you $15 more per month to sell on eBay.

 

That's all.

 

Nothing else.

 

There's no other change.

 

Nothing

 

Fifteen bucks.

 

Whine some more.

 

[slym2none]

I noticed on my "My eBay" today that, at least for this month, I still have my 50 free auction or fixed-price listings, but I also have a "Pay no insertion fees on up to 6,000 fixed price listings" promotion going on. Those kinds of promotions come up about once a month for me (and I am not by any means a Power Seller, been on eBay since 2002, 619 FB rating) and if those continue after this new policy change, I will hold out my fixed-price listings until they pop up, and then list them for 30 days.

 

 

But, it will be a shame to not have those in my 50 free auctions anymore. As someone else said though, we used to have to pay for these before, so I take it as "it was fun while it lasted."

 

 

 

-slym

[kav]

I just got the email from ebay so I ended all my listings. I suspect they may see a rash of this.

[Supa-Bad-Mofo]

No offense...but it's about time!! Key word: AUCTION!!! Not: Free nation wide store front to sell my stuff at 2 to 4 times the value!! Thank you ebay!!!!! (thumbs u

[kav]

yep. there's quite a few sellers I hope follow suit.

[Supa-Bad-Mofo]

Most buyers won't even look at an auction with a reserve. It's the kiss of death.

 

How about:

 

Most buyer's wont look at ANY book when it is priced 2 to 5 times it's value! BIN or Reserve...it makes no difference except that with a reserve auction, you could get more action after the reserve is met and make more money!

 

 

[kav]

Most buyers won't even look at an auction with a reserve. It's the kiss of death.

 

How about:

 

Most buyer's wont look at ANY book when it is priced 2 to 5 times it's value! BIN or Reserve...it makes no difference except that with a reserve auction, you could get more action after the reserve is met and make more money!

 

Mostly I see reserves not met and relisting over and over.....

[Supa-Bad-Mofo]

I agree.... if the seller actually relied on selling comics for a living and really wanted to sell it. Many don't and only use ebay's free offerings only in order to list as just a hobby. That way nothing is lost if items never sell. Everything to gain. Nothing to lose.

 

Exactly... This is why ebay comic listings suck. It's not a showcase for comics you don't want to sell. That mess pisses me off! Listing an SA comic worth $100 for $400 because it's a 9.8. Naturally, it never sells but you have to keep skipping it over and over as it is continually re-listed. I only want to see mess people want to sell and a reasonable prices. Ebay is not a personal showcase for mess you obviously want to keep.

[Iceman399]

I agree.... if the seller actually relied on selling comics for a living and really wanted to sell it. Many don't and only use ebay's free offerings only in order to list as just a hobby. That way nothing is lost if items never sell. Everything to gain. Nothing to lose.

 

Exactly... This is why ebay comic listings suck. It's not a showcase for comics you don't want to sell. That mess pisses me off! Listing an SA comic worth $100 for $400 because it's a 9.8. Naturally, it never sells but you have to keep skipping it over and over as it is continually re-listed. I only want to see mess people want to sell and a reasonable prices. Ebay is not a personal showcase for mess you obviously want to keep.

 

Having it auctions only won't change that...just start the auction price at $399.99

[Supa-Bad-Mofo]

I agree.... if the seller actually relied on selling comics for a living and really wanted to sell it. Many don't and only use ebay's free offerings only in order to list as just a hobby. That way nothing is lost if items never sell. Everything to gain. Nothing to lose.

 

Exactly... This is why ebay comic listings suck. It's not a showcase for comics you don't want to sell. That mess pisses me off! Listing an SA comic worth $100 for $400 because it's a 9.8. Naturally, it never sells but you have to keep skipping it over and over as it is continually re-listed. I only want to see mess people want to sell and a reasonable prices. Ebay is not a personal showcase for mess you obviously want to keep.

 

Having it auctions only won't change that...just start the auction price at $399.99

 

Right. That will undoubtedly happen. But, again, is $399 a reasonable price for a book that GPA's at $150. No. I

 

[kav]

I doubt this will unclutter ebay actually-everyone will just auction with their ridiculous starting bids and renew every week...

[Kevin76]

There is a reason why Sparkle City Comics and Mycomicshop get the ebay auction prices they do. Learn how to run ads on ebay!

 

Your cellphone picture of the book laying on the bed is not going to cut it.

[goldust40]

There is a reason why Sparkle City Comics and Mycomicshop get the ebay auction prices they do. Learn how to run ads on ebay!

 

Your cellphone picture of the book laying on the bed is not going to cut it.

 

Sparkle City Comics do way better not just because of the ads but because they had been an ebay presence almost since the site began (albeit under a different name) and thus had huge feedback - even more importantly is that they are currently one of a handful of big name comic sellers on ebay who always start their auctions at $1 with no reserve.

[Kevin76]

There is a reason why Sparkle City Comics and Mycomicshop get the ebay auction prices they do. Learn how to run ads on ebay!

 

Your cellphone picture of the book laying on the bed is not going to cut it.

 

Sparkle City Comics do way better not just because of the ads but because they had been an ebay presence almost since the site began (albeit under a different name) and thus had huge feedback - even more importantly is that they are currently one of a handful of big name comic sellers on ebay who always start their auctions at $1 with no reserve.

 

I always start my auctions out at .99 cents, no reserve.

 

I make it into a bidding war and I'm always curious as to see what the market will bear. I've had comics sell for $30 that should have sold for $75-$100, But I've also sold books that should have sold for $100 and end up selling for $2-300. At the end of the day, all that matters is what my net income was, not what each book ended up selling for.

[techtre2003]

I agree.... if the seller actually relied on selling comics for a living and really wanted to sell it. Many don't and only use ebay's free offerings only in order to list as just a hobby. That way nothing is lost if items never sell. Everything to gain. Nothing to lose.

 

Exactly... This is why ebay comic listings suck. It's not a showcase for comics you don't want to sell. That mess pisses me off! Listing an SA comic worth $100 for $400 because it's a 9.8. Naturally, it never sells but you have to keep skipping it over and over as it is continually re-listed. I only want to see mess people want to sell and a reasonable prices. Ebay is not a personal showcase for mess you obviously want to keep.

 

Having it auctions only won't change that...just start the auction price at $399.99

 

Yep, and when everyone starts doing this it will probably drive away buyers like me who turn the auction only filter on because we don't want to see all the fixed (over)priced auctions.

[Boba]

No matter how you slice it, eBay is not the same company that it was when it started out, and now all it does is make silly rules and bust chops. I have very little use for it to be honest, except maybe to get rid of junk I have lying around. It's pretty sad what they did to it.

[Chaseman210]

No matter how you slice it, eBay is not the same company that it was when it started out, and now all it does is make silly rules and bust chops. I have very little use for it to be honest, except maybe to get rid of junk I have lying around. It's pretty sad what they did to it.

 

I don't love selling on eBay, but I've sold stuff there for double the price of what I asked for it here on the boards without any hint of interest.