eBay project selling topic
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I have had and still have some of my product on Ebay and found that most of the time the people are looking for a bargain on eBay. I have it listed for what my product sells retail in the locations I supply and sell some things every now and again. What ideas and advice do you have Dan?
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Go for it..
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I have experience in selling both retail and on eBay. Currently ,What I try for is something better then the 50-50 or 60-40 split that I might get if I sold my items in a gallery.
In Memphis I had small booth for a few months in "Southern Creations" crafts store. I made out ok, enough to cover the booth fees etc, but nothing to talk about. My first experience selling on eBay was selling hardwood … small boards, ends etc. Made out very well.
When my booth became more work then it was worth , I took photos and listed the items on eBay. Sold them all the first try and even better prices then I would have gotten in the store. At that time, I made small clocks, tables, collector cabinets, cutting boards, wooden spoons etc. All in the mission /arts and crafts style.
DAN
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So you are not trying to get full retail for your items on eBay then? Most retail outlets mark up your goods 100% or double what you would sell it to them for.
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Hello Max
Why sell for wholesale only to retail outlets? Wholesale is what I aim for or set my reserve price at. Really it depends what you willing to part with it for or have bills to pay etc. Ebay prices fluctuate / sway quite abit. If a item sells for $100 one week and the next $250, I'm usuall a little disappointed with the $100 sale, but then thrilled with the $250. The average is what I aim for.
I do batch my work so as to not pile up a lot of labor into one project. I just listed an item on ebay …. link .... I batched about 8 projects together on this run of items.
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Very informative ebay listing (the one in the link) Dan. I can see why you do well selling on ebay. This would seem to be a good way to get your work some exposure. Do you do any advertising in any arts and crafts related publications?
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Hi Dan,
So is your buy it now price what it would retail for? If so I take it then the wholesale price would be half of your buy it now price correct?? This is a good discussion….
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Hello Wayne
Since trying ebay, I've never advertised or sold anywhere else other then comission work from ebay buyers via email etc. For me this is hobby. Maybe 20 hours a week. Can't get too serious or my real job would suffer.
Will be listing a few more items in the next few days …. etc etc.
Regards
DAN
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Matt
I start out with a retail price as buy it now. I set the reserve a little bit past half way. As bidding and ebay watchers build up, depending on activity, I will lower the reserve. When I lower the rerserve a few bucks, Ebay, notifies the watchers and buyers via email. This sometimes helps with the bidding activity.
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things that if I had the time I'd make and sell on eBay …
tiger maple medicine cabinets, small mission clocks, tile frames, collector cabinets, small curly maple boxes, pet beds, mission lamps with mica shades, tile easels, mission book racks, mission candle holders, pet caskets, pet cages, more to come …....................... link .... to ebay auction
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I can see this working. I've spent, what I'd consider, a fair amount on art prints. One-offs, and reprodutiond - things I know I can't get locally. There are also painters making a respectable amount auctioning off mini one of a kind original paintings. If we can reach the collector or savvy shopper vs the bargain hunter, there is a great potential to reach an audience we'd otherwise never see at the local town or church craft fair (where people really are looking for a bargain)
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What I see is a wonderful product. Good luck to you!
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Dan this is a very interesting thread.
I have commented on your previous projects, finding them a real artistic delight. It surprises me that ebay works for you given the high-end nature of your work.
I'd like you to go back to the beginning, if you have the time and are so inclined, and outline the whole approach in a step-by-step way. You use a lot of pictures, most very similar, and go to considerable length to "hype' your work. To quote your advertisement, "No amount of bragging or hype can make a product a "thing of beauty" or an art work."
So what's the thinking behind the approach? What have you discovered that makes your approach work?
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Great info Dan. You've got a good thing going there. That looks like a fairly expensive (for ebay) listing. Do you have many items not reach your minimum?
I'd definitely be interested in hearing more.
You must have a nice stash of tiles around.
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Hello Don
My thoughts are if I make my auction interesting enough to the looker they may place a bid. I've collected a number of quotations from the early 20's and modified them (on my auction) to fit my approach and ideals.
Hey Bob
Every once in a while someone buys one of my pieces with a the buy-it-now price. Hopefully someone starts the bidding and is willing to go-for-it and get the ball rolling. I have many followers and collectors on ebay who are repeat bidders (not necessarily big time buyers) looking to add to their collections. My average sale is around $300. What is listed now are my higher end pieces. The piece that is listed for $1400 .... link.... has a reserve price set at $750. The $475 piece is set with a reserve of $275. The reserves are what I'd get if I sold my work in an art gallery (i.e. 50-50 split wholesale etc) etc.
As far as meeting the minimum , most of my work sells the first time around. If the bidding gets close to the reserve, ebay has the option to send a second-chance-offer after the auction closes. Example if the reserve is set at $275, I can offer bidders another chance after the auction ends ($250 etc). I also try make multiples of the same design. If the $1400 auction reaches a good amount or even makes the reserve. I have another one just like it to offer the next lowest bidders.
Another one of my techniques is to constantly create new frame designs or alter old ones enough to interest a previous buyer into adding to their collection. I have some smaller pieces to list later this week which I'll be happy to get $100 for.
Regards
DAN
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Very interesting….do you think it works better with items that are easier to ship as opposed to something like either of these?
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/899
http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/Treefarmer/blog/1366
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Interesting topic. I am looking at ways to expand my business online, and have thought about eBay. I have also thought about setting up my own store site. The eBay route does give the possibility of greater exposure, but there are some costs involved. There are also costs with setting up my own store front as well.
Have you tried your own site Dan, or just elected to go with eBay? I am curious how about the pros and cons of each. It seems there is more work involved with eBay, but is that the case?
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Bob- Your projects are great !! There are people selling morris chairs on ebay. Around $1500 each plus shipping. Your gates are very sellable too, but obviously made to order. There are a few sellers on ebay who market this sort of items. A mantel maker comes to mind.
What I have discovered is there is a magical cost-value-price-size-postage ratio. The largest item I currently have on ebay is pressing the envelope. The finished crate for the piece will be 39×28x4. I shipped one just like it on the 5th. It cost $30.80 for prority postage to Capcod MA. If the box was a few inches bigger the postage would have jumped to $125 … which no one would want pay. Furniture on ebay is many times shipped by Greyhound, usually around $100. I do not have much experience with large items. I do, however, have experience with one of my buyers in California ordering large custom frames for his tile collection and not liking the postage fees.
I have tried a website, but never really got it going. Couldn't figure out on how to make it activated. That was about 5 years ago. Running Ebay auctions for me is easy. It usually takes less then an hour to take pictures, crop them and add them to a auction template. I use www.vendio.com (formally www.andale.com) to create my auctions and launch my digital images. It has a $9 monthly fee. Alot cheaper then using ebays picture handler.
Listing fees can add up pretty fast. The combined fees for the 2 autions, I currently have running is $29 (combined). Most of the fees in these two auctions is the reserve price fee. Also the fact that I listed them in multiple catagories, basically doubled the fees. Later tonight I will post another auction. This time with a low starting bid, no reserve and will post a link, also detail more about the fees.
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