Hi Everyone!
I hope this e-zine finds you healthy, happy, and being very successful on eBay! Thank you all so much for supporting me by purchasing the Wiley book on Amazon. We didn’t make it into the top 100 — but we did get up as high as #1,030. Thank you!
This e-zine is published twice a month.
April 18, 2006 Volume II, Issue 4
- Update to eBay Stores Article from the last e-zine
- The Chess Set — eBay’s Hot Category Report
- Ask Teleseminar April 19th with Alex Mandossian
- New e-Course starts 4/24
Update to eBay Stores Article from the last Newsletter
Several of my wonderful e-zine readers have let me know that eBay has changed the way it searches for store items back to the way it was in February. Bummer! I want to update you on this change but still, recommend that an eBay store can work for you — even if you only have 25 to 50 items in your store.
Here is the basic message from eBay: “We will be changing the expansion of Store Inventory listings in search results to revert back to the way the search worked in early February 2006. As you probably recall, we started to include all Store Inventory listings within the main eBay search results. It had unintended consequences. Many buyers have found that their searches are now producing too many results and it is confusing. We plan to make the search the way it was in early February, with up to 30 Store Inventory listings appearing when there are 30 or fewer Auction-style or Fixed Price listings in a buyer’s search results. Buyers can still search in stores by using the advanced search options.”
My opinion is that more and more sellers began listing directly into their stores and skipped listing at auctions. The upfront listing fees are much cheaper in the store and this probably hurt eBay’s bottom line. Anyway, I do still believe that even with just 25 items an eBay store can work for you.
Current (as of 4/18/06) Listing (Insertion) and Selling (Final Value) Fees at Auction:
| Insertion Fees | |
| Starting or Reserve Price | Insertion Fee |
| $0.01 – $0.99 | $0.20 |
| $1.00 – $9.99 | $0.35 |
| $10.00 – $24.99 | $0.60 |
| $25.00 – $49.99 | $1.20 |
| $50.00 – $199.99 | $2.40 |
| $200.00 – $499.99 | $3.60 |
| $500.00 or more | $4.80 |
| Final Value Fees | |
| Closing Price | Final Value Fee |
| Item not sold | No Fee |
| $0.01 – $25.00 | 5.25% of the closing value |
| $25.01 – $1,000.00 | 5.25% of the initial $25.00 ($1.31), plus 3.00% of the remaining closing value balance ($25.01 to $1,000.00) |
| Equal to or Over $1,000.01 | 5.25% of the initial $25.00 ($1.31), plus 3.00% of the initial $25.00 – $1,000.00 ($29.25), plus 1.50% of the remaining closing value balance ($1,000.01 – closing value) |
Current (as of 4/18/06) Listing (Insertion) and Selling (Final Value) Fees in an eBay Store — Plus you pay a $15.95 per month subscription fee for a basic store:
| Insertion Fees | |
| Duration | Insertion Fee |
| 30 days |
$0.02 |
| Good ‘Til Cancelled* |
$0.02 / 30 days |
| Final Value Fees | |
| Closing Price | Final Value Fee |
| Item not sold | No Fee |
| US$0.01 – US$25.00 | 8.00% of the closing price |
| US$25.01 – US$1,000.00 | 8.00% of the initial US$25.00 (US$2.00), plus 5.00% of the remaining closing value balance (US$25.01 to US$1,000.00) |
| Over US$1,000.01 | 8.00% of the initial US$25.00 (US$2.00), plus 5.00% of the initial US$25.01 – US$1,000.00 (US$48.75) plus 3.00% of the remaining closing value balance (US$1,000.01 – closing value) |
As an example, one of my students (Rich) in my last e-course had a wonderful antique children’s chair that he had put up for sale at auction for $9.99. It hadn’t sold and I suggested to him that he should list it in an eBay store. I had a similar chair that didn’t sell at auction for $9.99 either. I moved it into my eBay store back in December and it sold for my fixed price of $49.99 in one week! I explained to Rich that it could sit in his store for 3 months as the only item and if it sold — it would more than cover the cost of his store for those months. However, I also recommend that you should have at least 25 items in your store at all times.
Here is a photo of my oak antique children’s chair
that sold for $49.99 out of my eBay store:
I couldn’t give it away for $9.99 at the eBay auction. Sometimes a higher price on an item helps the buyer to perceive it as being of higher quality — especially with antiques. An eBay store lets you set these higher prices for only 3 cents a month (with a gallery photo!)
The Chess Set — eBay’s Hot Category Report
Can a chess set really be worth over $500? I am happy to report that YES it can! I picked up this chess set at a community garage sale a couple of weeks ago. The darling lady that was selling it had it priced at $100. I offered her $80 and she took it. I don’t know what I was thinking but I had a feeling that it was a really amazing set. It was very sleek, and mid-century modern — Eames era in look and feel. Eames era (again) is the time period from 1947 to 1969 and these items are very hot and collectible right now!
Speaking of being hot and collectible — Make sure that you check out eBay’s Hot Category Report each month. It isn’t easy to find but is definitely worth the trouble. Here is a link to the Hot Items by Category Report on eBay.
If you want to be able to find it in the future, there are a few steps to follow:
- Click on the blue site map hyperlink at the top of any page.
- Once the site map comes up — about 1/2 down in the center — click on Seller Central under the Selling Resources heading.
- On the left-hand side you will see a link for “What’s Hot” — click on this and then in the middle of the next page — click on “Hot Items by Category.” I told you it wasn’t easy to find!
Back to the chess set. I did my research on eBay and found nothing similar. So, I used Priceminer and found a set that was almost identical. Priceminer is an amazing site that keeps data and photos of completed auctions and antique website items going back several years. When I can’t find an item on eBay in my completed research I go directly to www.Priceminer.com and always find something close. It costs a small monthly fee for this service but it is so worth it!
The chess set that I found on PriceMiner had sold for $355. I put mine on eBay with a reserve of $399. Whenever I know that I have a winner and an item that will sell for a lot, I use the MissionFish service on eBay and donate 10% to my favorite charity, Toys for Tots. It makes me feel great and it may even help the item to get more bids.
I was away in Huntington Beach at a baseball tournament with my kids when this auction ended. My son (age 9) plays on a travel team. We are out of town a lot and it is quite expensive. I was thrilled when this item sold for $515.00 and I watched the auction end from our hotel room. The profit was more than enough to pay for our entire weekend out of town and a $51.50 donation to charity! How cool is that?
Ask Teleseminar April 19th with Alex Mandossian
I get so many wonderful questions from all of you and I just don’t have time to personally answer them all. Please check out our “Ask” Teleseminar (Teleconference) that will take place on Wednesday night April 19th. I am very excited about this! Go here now to ask me anything you want…. www.AskeBayQueen.com
New e-Course
I am very excited for my next eCourse to start on Monday, April 24th! The best way for you to get up to speed on eBay is to sign up now for this class. Listen to what my students are saying about it:
‘Overall my transaction was trouble-free and I had a blast. The most exciting part was watching the auction in the last few hours. I finally had to leave the house to stop sitting in front of the computer for three hours. Thank you so much for your help and guidance. I couldn’t have pulled this off without you.’
Sincerely, Rich Evans, North Carolina
‘I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the e-Course. It gave me a lot more confidence in this eBay thing!!! I also enjoyed the teleconference and I was able to pick up a lot of great tips! Thanks for a great course and all of your help.’
Mary Ann Onasch, Chicago, Illinois
‘I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the work you have put into this course. I taught at the College Level and you are one of a very few who knows how to transfer knowledge into learning -hallelujah!!!’
Cauleen Viscoff, Canada
‘My goodness, what a home run you hit with this week’s lesson! It is so full of great information that I had to go over it several times. You are an outstanding teacher; I have put some of your lessons to use this week and that saved me a few costly mistakes. Thanks again for giving us such valuable information.’
Margaret (Peggy) McIlvain Texas
‘Just wanted to let you know I am really enjoying the lessons. As the young people would say, you have really ‘turned me on’ to this eBay thing.’
Shirley Jones, Texas
Don’t miss the April 2006 class! It is time for Spring Cleaning and what a great way to bring in some extra cash by taking this course.
There are still a few spots left at the early bird special. Don’t miss out! To sign up now, click here. To find out more about the course, click here.
Happy Buying & Selling!
Lynn
For more great eBay tips and stories, visit my website at:
http://www.thequeenofauctions.com
Please contact me with any questions or suggestions for future issues. I would love to hear from you Lynn@TheQueenofAuctions.com
Lynn is an experienced eBay Power Seller, author, and teacher. If you want to know the eBay tips, tricks, and tools that Lynn uses for buying and selling at an online auction click here.