Since 2003, I have had three
ebay stores.
I closed the first one within months because I didn't have time to create enough listings to justify the subscription costs.
Maybe a year later, I gave it another shot as 'Modern-Vue Stamps & Collectibles' and was selling stamps as well as books and other collectible things from among my father's stuff. It was working pretty well but then
ebay decided to change the rules (they're always changing the rules just when you think you have things figured out). They upped the listing fees (there were photo fees at the time too) and openly stated that they were making selling through stores more expensive because they were trying to cut down on the amount of store inventory on the site to take
ebay back toward what it originally was, an auction site. (
ebay seems to have an identity problem in that it tries to be both an auction site and compete with
Amazon which doesn't do auctions but moves a lot of merchandise, both on it's own and through other sellers).
I guess wanting to compete with
Amazon, once more, brought the listing fees for stores down again, so I gave them another go as the original 'Modern-Vue Stamps' and found it worthwhile if only to be always visible even if I didn't have auction items listed.
Currently a basic
ebay store costs $15.95 per month plus 3 cents per listing every thirty days plus 12% of sales made.
ebay also makes even more money from sellers through PayPal fees, since they own PayPal. PayPal is almost a requirement for selling on
ebay, especially now that you can't ask for other forms of payment such as cash, check, or money order. (There were some sellers that simply refused to take PayPal but were probably only hurting themselves since some people would not bid if they didn't have PayPal's 'buyer protection' backing them.)
I generally try to keep 400 items listed, which at 3 cents per item per month means about $12 in listing fees, not counting any auctions I might run. Listing more items would be good, but I don't have the time and it gets tedious, though my newest computer makes listing somewhat faster.
Now, however,
ebay is changing the rules again, and beginning at the end of March, you can have an
ebay store but store inventory will be converted into buy-it-now (BIN) items that will show up along auction listings rather than separately as they now do.
However, with a basic store, BIN inventory items will cost 20 cents to list every 30 days, or in my case, $80 rather than $12. And for low cost items, most probably from $1 to $4.95 that just isn't going to work (I also notice buying has fallen off as the economy has weakened).
In their email to me,
ebay suggested that I move up to the next store level, a premium store, which costs $49.95 per month in order to be able to enjoy 5 cent listing fees. For 400 items, that would come to $20 in listing fees and with the subscription, $69.95 per month for what has now been costing me $27.95 monthly.
To maintain the current 3 cent per item listing fee would mean going with an anchor store for $299.95 per month!
Of course, in structuring fees to enhance corporate profits,
ebay doesn't have sellers of a few inexpensive stamps in mind but people who sell all kinds of general merchandise through their stores, items that sell for more than a few dollars. Last time they raised their rates, a lot of stamp sellers dropped away (as I did) and I predict many more will do the same this time, probably going to BidStart/StampWants the next best place for selling stamps online.
StampWants promotes their business heavily among stamp collectors. Open a copy of the American Philatelist, for example, any you'll find them right there, such as this month with a full page ad on the inside front cover (pricey advertising space).
ebay will probably remain the place for selling large lots, right now, but as smaller store dealers move off to BidStart/StampWants and elsewhere, collectors looking for specific items will be moving to BidStart/StampWants and elsewhere, with them, since the
ebay listings for lower priced individual items probably won't be there.
As for BidStart/StampWants fees, a small seller can open a basic store for only $3.95 per month with no listing fees for items selling for less than $10, and with lower final value fees, as well.
I opened a store on StampWants some months ago. Of course with far lower fees there is far more competition but while BidStart/StampWants may not move as many items as my
ebay store, collectors do buy there and as long as they have the money to spend, will probably buy there even more as
ebay scatters its smaller stamp sellers off to the competition.
As for auction items, I will continue to list them on
ebay, first, for now.
Posted 01/28/2010 02:20 am
with you Larry and with what you say about the small sellers,I can see them moving to other venues more than likely,they may even swell the ranks of Bidstart and that would be good for a buyer like me and I really do prefer Bidstart.
..... How's that
