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Post by starbrand on Dec 7, 2008 0:47:13 GMT -5
I restructured my shipping fees on eBay several months ago and had to close my eBay store and start listing over. I've made it my goal to try to increase my total number of listings in my eBay store by 100 per week. So far I've maintained that goal and just broke 1,000 listings today. I guess if I keep that rate up I'll have over 6,000 listings in a year. To grow at a faster rate would require going full-time into the business, something I'm frankly unable to pull off at the moment. I've mainly been listing Marvel with some DC and a dash of Dark Horse and misc. I've decided to break out my almost complete nm run of Marvel 2099 and list those individually next. After that I'm planning on listing my fairly extensive Valiant inventory in my store. Here's a look at my store. search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZgrandcanyoncomics |
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Post by G on Dec 7, 2008 0:55:35 GMT -5
Just because Im thinking of my options these days, if I may ask, how well is this working out for you? You've got 1000 comics up, on average how much are you selling? Book wise? Dollar Wise? I am curious as I may have to do something to make some extra cash while Im at home doing nothing.
Also, I was noticing those Crossgen pages, what exactly are those? Can you please explain those? I nearly wanted to grab one of those. But wasnt sure exactly what they are.
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Post by starbrand on Dec 7, 2008 1:08:25 GMT -5
Just because Im thinking of my options these days, if I may ask, how well is this working out for you? You've got 1000 comics up, on average how much are you selling? Book wise? Dollar Wise? I am curious as I may have to do something to make some extra cash while Im at home doing nothing. Also, I was noticing those Crossgen pages, what exactly are those? Can you please explain those? I nearly wanted to grab one of those. But wasnt sure exactly what they are. It's not going gangbusters, but the CGCs I mix in along with my regular inventory help out quite a bit. The Crossgen pages are proofs Crossgen used before the printing of the comic to make amendments. Most of those pages actually have internal notes hand-written on them regarding what needs to be fixed. I acquired them 3 or 4 years ago from Steve Schanes. I sent you a PM regarding your other question.  |
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Post by azbatx on Dec 7, 2008 1:20:24 GMT -5
It would seem to me that by the prices you sell at you are getting these books super cheap.
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Post by starbrand on Dec 7, 2008 10:16:40 GMT -5
It would seem to me that by the prices you sell at you are getting these books super cheap. One of the changes I made after rebooting the store was to bring my prices down on my base inventory. I didn't want to, but felt I had to in order to compete on price. Compared to other sellers on eBay my prices are still higher in many instances. |
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Post by G on Dec 7, 2008 10:32:52 GMT -5
That seems to be the harsh reality of selling on ebay. Unless you have uber gems, you almost have to give it away. On stuff I dont care about, I dont mind. But on stuff I do, its hard to see you just give that stuff away. If it evens out, it could be worth it. But if your giving away more stuff that you love than more stuff you dont love, it sucks.
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Post by starbrand on Dec 7, 2008 11:11:34 GMT -5
That seems to be the harsh reality of selling on ebay. Unless you have uber gems, you almost have to give it away. On stuff I dont care about, I dont mind. But on stuff I do, its hard to see you just give that stuff away. If it evens out, it could be worth it. But if your giving away more stuff that you love than more stuff you dont love, it sucks. It really is the harsh reality on eBay. With Mile High and MyComicShop offering their extensive back issue inventories on eBay, and new comic sellers wantedcomix, thecargohold, and horizoncomics effectively dominating the new comic market, it's difficult to sieze market share. Add to those the ton of smaller sellers and it's even more difficult. However, eBay can create a good cash flow for sellers, or opportunity to move items you're willing to part with if they're in demand or sell at a solid price. Comic Kings seems to be pretty good at creating cash flow for themselves on eBay. I always watch sellers like that to learn from them. |
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Post by moe on Dec 12, 2008 2:49:23 GMT -5
That seems to be the harsh reality of selling on ebay. Unless you have uber gems, you almost have to give it away. On stuff I dont care about, I dont mind. But on stuff I do, its hard to see you just give that stuff away. If it evens out, it could be worth it. But if your giving away more stuff that you love than more stuff you dont love, it sucks. I agree. I don't have any interest in selling on eBay. |
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Post by starbrand on Jan 4, 2009 10:03:58 GMT -5
I just received an email from a comic collector in Spain. He wanted to know how much I charge to ship to Spain. He also said he's very particular about condition. He's looking for comics with no flaws, ie perfect spines and perfect corners. There's no way I want to get involved with someone who says that. If I grade my comic nm it is at least 9.2. I don't deal with collectors who demand more than 9.4. I won't inspect a comic for minutes just to sell one to a collector, especially one who may end up finding some tiny flaw and leaving me a negative for that. I wrote back to him and explained I don't guarantee any of my comics are above 9.4. I then blocked him from bidding on my auctions. My feedback score, which is my reputation, is worth more to me than money.
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Post by G on Jan 4, 2009 10:32:19 GMT -5
I just received an email from a comic collector in Spain. He wanted to know how much I charge to ship to Spain. He also said he's very particular about condition. He's looking for comics with no flaws, ie perfect spines and perfect corners. There's no way I want to get involved with someone who says that. If I grade my comic nm it is at least 9.2. I don't deal with collectors who demand more than 9.4. I won't inspect a comic for minutes just to sell one to a collector, especially one who may end up finding some tiny flaw and leaving me a negative for that. I wrote back to him and explained I don't guarantee any of my comics are above 9.4. I then blocked him from bidding on my auctions. My feedback score, which is my reputation, is worth more to me than money. Yeah, due to the hassle, I have made all my listings USA only. I remember I did a Canadian shipment a few years back and boy was it a hassle for me and I just decided USA only. Yeah, I may lose a few customers, so what. USA is hassle free. I also am a bit upset about you can no longer give a buyer a negative. Now, if a buyer pays, than you almost have to give a positive. But, Ive got 3 books sold to one seller right now who hasn't paid or said a word to me and its been nearly a week. Ive sent an invoice just in case their was any confusion on multiple items. You dont want to send a "what's up?" email until too much time has past, but Im getting close to doing that. Its a store listing, so its a buy it now piece. Whats the wait? Having no negatives to throw at the seller gives them the upper hand to play games like this. When it comes time to pay the bill, ebay only sees that the item sold and will charge me accordingly. Why should I be hassled? All you have to do is pay and I'll do my part. It pisses me off! Im sure once he pays he'll expect the books there immediately! I think you did good by blocking the seller. I never say MINT in my listings. NM is as high as I will go. Even if I think a book is MINT. I will still say NM. Too many asses out there and yes, their feedback counts (but not yours). Ive never had a negative. But I feel its just a matter of time. |
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