Is anyone still using eBay to sell ?
I've not used it in years because most of my work has been commission based and recently I started putting my commissions in my etsy store simply to build up my feedback there.
But I noticed that eBay have free listings until July 12th.
In between working on this big project I have been doing bits on some Floozies, Lippy's and Silly Lily's and will have some for general sale in the next week and am considering giving eBay another go.
Any thoughts ?
No you are not going ad...I've added this bit after ;-)
One of the reasons for me thinking about eBay was the longer sale period. I've had so many people email me to say they were disappointed they missed things I had for sale that I thought perhaps a 7 day period would be fairer.
And.... because I hate to do blog posts without photos here is a sneak peek at one of the new ones :-)
I love how her leaves turned out :-)
.
.
Posts
I love her too she is precious! id love another floozy, a real wicked one for my naughty messy witch . If ebay has free listings thats good. I find their final fees steep at nearly 10 % I think it is now. I did my auctions and then got a hefty bill for the fees which left an ouch on my pocket but at the end of the day its all pennies and as long as you start the listings at a sensible price, not too low so you end up loosing out its all good! Good luck and let us know if you do, Id love to bid!! Kate xxxx
ReplyDeleteI am glad you like her....I like this one a lot.
ReplyDeleteHave the final fees gone up that much...wow. Hmmm...I've been doing so much commission work I am really out of touch. But...I can't get a job here...any job lol...so I need to step this up if this house is to ever get any of the work done.
And from a business point of view I think I ought to spread my wings some.
Jayne, have you thought about having a For Sale page on your blog. I presume you use Paypal?. You can buy the buttons and add them directly on the item you have for sale. Have a look at Julie's page that might give you some ideas:-
ReplyDeletehttp://bellabelledolls.blogspot.com/p/for-sale.html
Hope that helps.. xxx
She is beautiful, the leaves are great but so is the rest of her xxx Michelle
ReplyDeleteI don't sell at all but I buy both on Ebay and Etsy. As a buyer I prefer to pay for relatively high priced items on Etsy as I feel I am buying from proper artists.
ReplyDeleteI would usually be looking for a bargain on Ebay unless I knew the seller's work.
You already have a very good rep so Ebay may work for you.
Perhaps you could put them on both?
I love the new plant by the way and I am sure you would get lots of buyers from Blogland.
I like her Jayne shes cheeky. I don use ebay anymore because of the fees and the way tey are treating sellers.
ReplyDeleteLorra Luffies
Debie xxxxxxxxx
I've never sold anything on e-bay but I keep thinking maybe I should give it a try. I just don't get how anybody would find me if I didn't tell everyone I know - there are sooooooooooo many listings. I'm not sure what words to use to list it so that it could come up in a search, and I'm also nervous that I wouldn't get a lot of bids and have to basically give stuff away.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you and I should just take a deep breath and give it a shot. :-P
I love this little floozy flower by the way! Lippy Lula-May, LOL. So cute!!
Oh yes, oh yes, my greenhouse and witches house need some protection plants as the witch has disappeared somewhere :D
ReplyDeleteIf the ebay is too expensive, why don't you try to sell them through here ;)
I love the sunflower type petals on this one! The leaves ARE different. ;o)
ReplyDeleteI can't say I like Ebay myself as I simply can't be arsed most of the time. I do bid on the rare occasion though. :o)
Michelle xxxx
I am so glad you like her Michelle....she's a naughty one for sure :-)
ReplyDeleteDebbie....I'd missed Julies page, thanks. I haev thought about selling on here but was concerned about adding to my feedback. Something to ponder over though.
ReplyDeleteJanice...that is an interesting perspective. I don't know if I do have the reputation to pull it off over there though. I have great feedback from when I started but the most recent as a seller is 2008 !
ReplyDeleteGlad you like lippy :-)
Debbie....excellent point...I'd forgotten about the new ratings thing and how unfair it is to seller. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteShe is worse then cheeky.....she is a bad, bad girl :-)
Fiver....should we. Hmmm not sure now reading the comments. No we shouldn't give stuff away so oyu have to have a reasonable staring price.
ReplyDeleteYour work is great so you should have a go at selling though...if you need any help just email me.
Michelle...I can't be arsed with buying on eBay myself lol...I should take my own advice shouldn't I.
ReplyDeleteyeah these leaves are cool...even if i do say so myself :-)
MJ...protection plants lol. You have to be very very careful with mine though...they'll protect very well lol.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely thinking of selling on here.
I think the For Sale page in Blogland is a very good idea, like on Julie's page.
ReplyDeleteI am always spotting things on various Blogs that I would love to buy but can't work out the website link.
Good, I think that they'll woosh away very quickly :) I loved the one Julia has with the teeth - who needs a dog when you can have a protection Floozy :D
ReplyDeleteI don't buy on ebay anymore; I don't even lurk there. I hate the auction format for the most part..just tell me the price and I'll pay but don't make me cling to my computer waiting for a sniper to snatch the item I want. As a seller (and I have only sold my son's cast-offs and some American Girl stuff), the fees, between ebay and paypal are outrageous.
ReplyDeleteI think any artisan with talent (and a following) should be selling from their website...with the occasional foray into Esty (though there is so much second-rate stuff on there that it is hard to weed out the wheat from the chaff sometimes). Feedback means very little except if it's bad (and ebay doesn't allow buyers to leave negative feedback anymore, apparently). I've seen sellers with 100% positive feedback selling such poor quality that I wouldn't take if it was given to me.
Your things are unique (to say the least) and you have acquired a following so I say go for it. Advertise here on your blog first and then, if you don't want to sell from it at first, announce a listing on etsy. 20 cents per item gets you 3 months I think.....that should be plenty of time, no?
BTW, LOVE the new Floozie!
Tabs
Janice...I think that is likely the way I'll be going...here on on my website. I've been looking at Julies and like it very much.
ReplyDeleteLOL MJ...the ones with teeth are definitely the better protectors...Lippys are just plain mischievous.
ReplyDeleteHi Tabs
ReplyDeleteI totally agree about buying on eBay...not sure why I thought I should sell on there lol. I guess I just think it is time to look at other options.
Paypal fees I'm never going to be able to get away with but the less fees the better obviously.
I have a website and need to look into that as it is possible it already comes with a cart of some kind anyhow. I think it is more professional to sell from there but I was just worried if enough people knew me and that my work wasn't like some of the junk out there.
I like being unique :-) I've used etsy a bit but only to list already sold reserved plants. I agree that there is a lot of junk on there now as well.
Well I have a lot to think about...and to research.
Thanks everyone for all the help.
Thanks to Debbie, I found Julie's blog (now a follower-awesome dolls!), and checked out her for sale page. Somebody brought that up with me a while back and I've been thinking about doing that as well. I don't know, would it be overkill to have them available for sale on my website as well as cdhm as well as my blog, LOL?
ReplyDeleteThe thing about e-bay that has me still undecided, is that I see other items from other artists and I just can't believe how high those items end up going for. It's like people start going crazy and just want to "win". That would be really exciting. I just wonder how long it would take to get a regular following of bidders for your stuff on e-bay. Might have to be broke for a while before it pays off if at all.
Julies work is fantastic isn't it. I bought 2 wonderful portrait dolls of my nieces off her.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize you already sold sorry.
What I'd do about sales is try them all and see which brings in the best for you. If you are selling a lot on cdhm then keep it but if you aren't use the money elsewhere.'
I like the blog idea best to be honest because it is so fast moving and constant updates.
The high prices are what actually puts me off about eBay...yes it would be nice to get silly money but I honestly don't think my work is worth that and I feel guilty just because people got into a bidding war.
I price my work fairly depending on the materials and time involved. I don't want to rip anyone off.
I've had some things sell on there for more than they were worth and i didn't like it but that it just me.
OMG, I KNOW I would just end up feeling guilty if I thought somebody bid too much. I'd probably send them an extra animal or two so I could sleep at night. I already feel guilty for charging anything at all - if I could afford to I would give them away as gifts (much more fun that way). You just helped me decide, forget e-bay! Hahaha Thanks Tallulah Belle!
ReplyDeleteLOL Kristy...one extreme to the other huh :-)
ReplyDeleteI just remember one of my very early pieces sold to a very important person in the miniatures world for an insane amount. It so wasn't worth it and I felt awful.
I was raised catholic, and to this day I blame that on my issues with guilt, lol. And yes, I'm also easily swayed as well, Haha.
ReplyDeleteWish I could offer you advice on E-bay..... I've never actually used it myself. I do look around at things, and think that it's interesting and all.....but I think selling them from your site is a great idea. :) Makes it more personal.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love Miss Lippy Lula-May!! So funny!! And Sooo sassy!! :)
Hello Jayne,
ReplyDeleteWell as you now know I have started a for sale page on my blog......haven't sold anything yet though LOL but its different with dolls, the right person has to come along for the right doll.
With your fabby floozies I think it will work a treat ! I say go for it, no charges and word of mouth will spread.
I also still sell on ebay, after flouncing off due to charges a while back I gave in and went back, I like the thrill of the auction and I get a lot of commissions from people who find me there.
Etsy I'm not sure about,I do sell there if I advertise on my blog first, otherwise I dont list often enough and seem to get lost in there ! Thats why I started the for sale page on my blog, cut out the middle man !
However you choose to sell these little beauties I'm sure they will go like hot cakes !
julie xxx
Love the new plant with the lips and tongue! :)
ReplyDeleteEbay is great if you are well established with a great following, I think. But, I also think that for most handcrafted items, it's a real challenge to get a fair price on any given item.
Etsy is great, but not being a juried site, the quality spans the board as someone else noted. It's up to the buyer to be discriminating, I think. Everyone has different tastes on what they feel is acceptable.
You can get a buy it button on your blog.
You can try all three options and see which one pans out the best for you. In the end, it's not much money risked to do a trial on all three.
Good luck! :)
Hi, Just from a buyers point of view on ebay, I often feel guilty if I win an item that is worth more than I have paid for it, I sometimes feel I want to apoligise to the buyer.
ReplyDeleteMaurethe
I love Lippy Lula-May!!! And I know as soon as I have a few extra bucks I am going to be looking to buy a floozie!! Never used ebay - but I like Etsy. Ebay seems scary to me! But that's just me :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your nice comment and for participating in my giveaway - good luck in the draw :)
ReplyDeleteRe the university start date, we're actually half way through our academic year down here, I'm on winter break now. Our uni semesters run March - June and July - November with a lovely long summer break when it's your winter time :) I usually spend a lot of my summer at our cottage in New Zealand working on renovations, and escaping the heat and humidity of Sydney, especially in January and February.
I don't know about buying and selling and gave up Ebay a long time ago. I love the Floozy!
ReplyDeleteHi Katie....glad you like her...she is rather sassy huh.
ReplyDeleteThanks for you views on selling.
Hi Julie
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input. I think I'll be going with here but I might be emailing for help with the PayPal buttons. :-)
Thanks Dale. I use etsy but only to list already sold plants just because it was so easy but yes I could as easily do it from here.
ReplyDeleteI can't make my plants quick enough to list for general sale on etsy.
I think the quality spans the board in miniatures generally but I have 100 % good feedback wherever I've sold which helps.
Hello Maurethe ....what an interesting point of view. I've never thought of it from a buyers perspective before.
ReplyDeleteHi Ara...hope you are well...guess you've been busy :-)
ReplyDeleteGlad you like her :-)
Ebay can be scary I agree...it certainly never used to be the most user friendly place to list but that may have changed.
Hi Norma
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense with the differences in climate between us. I have family n Sydney who complain about the heat. I can deal with heat fine but not humidity :-)
Hi Pan
ReplyDeleteGlad you like her.