WHat to add to my ebay business?
Discussion
ACEparts_com said:
You're paying £1 for a subtitle (which isn't searchable) AND offering free p&p on items costing £1.99.
It's not an offence to make money! Ditch the sub title and you'll make an extra £400 a month
The reason for offering free p&P is because it puts you higher on the search.It's not an offence to make money! Ditch the sub title and you'll make an extra £400 a month
I could add £0.47 which is what it costs to post the headphones.
JonX2C said:
ACEparts_com said:
You're paying £1 for a subtitle (which isn't searchable) AND offering free p&p on items costing £1.99.
It's not an offence to make money! Ditch the sub title and you'll make an extra £400 a month
The reason for offering free p&P is because it puts you higher on the search.It's not an offence to make money! Ditch the sub title and you'll make an extra £400 a month
I could add £0.47 which is what it costs to post the headphones.
ACEparts_com said:
JonX2C said:
ACEparts_com said:
You're paying £1 for a subtitle (which isn't searchable) AND offering free p&p on items costing £1.99.
It's not an offence to make money! Ditch the sub title and you'll make an extra £400 a month
The reason for offering free p&P is because it puts you higher on the search.It's not an offence to make money! Ditch the sub title and you'll make an extra £400 a month
I could add £0.47 which is what it costs to post the headphones.
Im finidng it hard to figure out how you are actually making a profit on those headphones?
Just looking at your ebay shop you have the headphones up for £1.99/best offer with free delivery. By saying "or best offer" you are basically saying to customers "well im after £1.99 but you would be stupid to give that to me, offer me something lower." I would get rid of the best offer option straight away, it wont effect sales on an item @ £1.99.
You have featured the headphones too, is that for 7 days or for the duration? If its for the duration of listing its £134.95. Not sure on the profit of each sale but im thinking you are going to have to sell a few hundred headphones just to pay the listing fee.
Ebay are taking around 10% for your final value sale fee's so on £1.99 thats about 20p. Paypal are also taking around 3.4% plus 20p so another 27p odd.
As you said it is costing 47p to send them plus the cost of a jiffy bag?? Call that 10p?
So if you make a sale of £1.99 you are losing about £1.04 in fee's and postage and thats not including the £135 you have paid for listing.
Lets assume you are paying 50p for these headphones and are left with 95p from the sale after all fees etc. You are making about 45p profit per pair. You now have to sell 300 pairs of headphones to cover that £135 featured listing fee.
So by my calculations you wont make a bean for the first 300 headphones IF you sell them at £1.99. After that you will make about 45p per pair.
Obv im plucking my cost figures out of thin air, you obv know what they are but i know the paypal & ebay charges are about right.
Be interested to know if im close to the mark?
Just looking at your ebay shop you have the headphones up for £1.99/best offer with free delivery. By saying "or best offer" you are basically saying to customers "well im after £1.99 but you would be stupid to give that to me, offer me something lower." I would get rid of the best offer option straight away, it wont effect sales on an item @ £1.99.
You have featured the headphones too, is that for 7 days or for the duration? If its for the duration of listing its £134.95. Not sure on the profit of each sale but im thinking you are going to have to sell a few hundred headphones just to pay the listing fee.
Ebay are taking around 10% for your final value sale fee's so on £1.99 thats about 20p. Paypal are also taking around 3.4% plus 20p so another 27p odd.
As you said it is costing 47p to send them plus the cost of a jiffy bag?? Call that 10p?
So if you make a sale of £1.99 you are losing about £1.04 in fee's and postage and thats not including the £135 you have paid for listing.
Lets assume you are paying 50p for these headphones and are left with 95p from the sale after all fees etc. You are making about 45p profit per pair. You now have to sell 300 pairs of headphones to cover that £135 featured listing fee.
So by my calculations you wont make a bean for the first 300 headphones IF you sell them at £1.99. After that you will make about 45p per pair.
Obv im plucking my cost figures out of thin air, you obv know what they are but i know the paypal & ebay charges are about right.
Be interested to know if im close to the mark?
JonX2C said:
Anyone got any ideas what I can add to my portfolio.
Im stuck for ideas and I keep writing everything else off as I am just not sure and dont have the bottle to purchase the items.
Current portfolio is replica Ipod headphones and DS pens.
Hi JonIm stuck for ideas and I keep writing everything else off as I am just not sure and dont have the bottle to purchase the items.
Current portfolio is replica Ipod headphones and DS pens.
I think the problem with your current 'business model' and 'portfolio' is that you've found what is a finite gap in the market. The gap being as follows
(a) you have a friend in japan / china who bundles these items up and sends them to you in reasonable quantity
(b) You are avoiding import duty payable
(c) You are racking up a serious amount of sales of relatively low value new items which will at some point attract the attention of the tax man. Whether they actually get round to doing anything about it is another thing, but you have 1000+ fully documented ebay transactions none of which you've declared.
(d) you cant necessarily rely on (a) to build a business on
(e) you arent buying in enough bulk to compete with the 'big boys' on ebay on items outside of this very narrow remit.
(f) you seem to be selling your items significantly (in terms of percentage) cheaper than the opposition often ending your auctions with a last minute price drop sale, thus cutting profits
(g) i'm not convinced that if you were going 'legit' and paying tax, accounts fees, etc, you would actually be making any money.
It may well be extra beer money at the moment, but you're running a business that you arent paying any tax on and is dependent on the buying capabilities of (a) above, irrespective if its being run out of your bedroom or from a warehouse somewhere.
I think you need to review your whole business model before you start thinking about portfolios etc.
BUT to ultimately answer your question, i guess you need to be asking your mate what else he can get for you that can be sent in a duty avoiding way?
Edited by pgilc1 on Monday 2nd March 19:21
Edited by pgilc1 on Monday 2nd March 19:24
I don't know how people can run a business from eBay.
I have just sold a few baby items that we no longer use and had nothing but grief. People turning up late evening when you tell them not too (kids in bed).
The best was a chap who paid £11 for a £75 swing, he is now moaning that the swing looked a different colour in the picture on ebay. Though he was happy as Larry when he collected it!!
The stuff will all go to the charity shop next time.
I have just sold a few baby items that we no longer use and had nothing but grief. People turning up late evening when you tell them not too (kids in bed).
The best was a chap who paid £11 for a £75 swing, he is now moaning that the swing looked a different colour in the picture on ebay. Though he was happy as Larry when he collected it!!
The stuff will all go to the charity shop next time.
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