What Percentage of eBay Sales Are Auctions?

by: toolguy

I did a few searches

Beanie Baby
Hot Wheel
Snap On Screwdriver

10-12% from what I'm seeing

by: RKTOYS

Well, I just went the entire month of November without a sale, in toys no less, so it'll be a cold day in hell before more than 0% of my listings are auctions.

by: toolguy

@RKTOYS

I have 3 boxes of Lego's that aren't selling.

Do I have them priced to high or am I not describing them correctly?

eBay ID: vw

by: bitbybit

Ebay should also report the percentage of listings that they make invisible.

Just couldn't help myself, I had to say it.

by: RKTOYS

@toolguy
Legos typically sell for a premium in box after they leave shelves.

Based on a new bucket of 600 pieces (2.25lb) selling between $28 (on sale) and $35 shipped from Toys R Us, you're probably in the ballpark with your price.  What hurts your listing is that, for collectors that need specific pieces, you just have a random pile, and for parents looking for bulk blocks for a kid, you don't have the bucket.  The weight kind of puts a floor on your price, though, so if they don't move, consider putting them in one lot for a little less altogether (since you drop most of the fixed shipping component).

by: Snapped

12% 'sold'.  As in, also including those 'sold' and unpaid, and 'sold' but returned, etc.  But NOT including those listed and unsold; being 'hidden' is among those causes.  

So those data would be interestng to learn, no?  But good luck finding those needle-numbers in the ever rotting haystacks eBay bales up to show their 'growing' skills.

And what else is missing from this data diet eBay wants to force feed?  STR (changes), with those delineated by sale mode.  ASP (changs) too.  Return rates.  Conversions (from views).  And much more that would be truly 'revealing'.  Which is why eBay won't reveal those data, even if they bothered to harvest it.

With that lack of nutrition, it's no wonder all their 'cash cows' are starving.  The only thing left to eat is BS.  

by: eXtinctBay

If an item is not rare and unusual, an eBay auction is a waste of time. And money. It is very simple to research a historic selling price of most items, and place a reasonable Buy It Now number which will get max dollars quickly for your merchandise.

Earlier this year, eBay had a campaign for sellers to start auctions at low prices. They promoted that it would drive buyer excitement to start an auction at 99 cents. Sure, buyers are very anxious to get, say, something which usually sells for $50 at a bargain basement price of $15- $20. And it keeps buyers active when they know there are sellers who are willing to give away stuff.

It is funny when I list that same item which regularly sells for $50 at $45, and I get an e-mail from a prospective buyer that wants to buy it for $20 ''because this is what it sells for'', using the data of one bad auction as a price barometer.

Then I have to explain the fact that there was ONE SELLER who trusted the eBay ''auction gods'' to sell their item for max dollars, and lost.

Again, it is senseless to attempt an auction when there are many examples already available at a BIN price. Unless the seller is desperate for money, and needs a quick sale for pennies on the dollar.

by: toolguy

@eXtinctBay

A lot of sellers just want to move merchandise, they pay so little that any price is profitable.

Most of the ones I follow buy from the US Government for pennies on the dollar (your tax dollars at work)

by: bitbybit

''....they pay so little that any price is profitable.''
And thus begins the race to the bottom.

This is, IMO anyway, how Donahoe set out to destroy auctions. Start low and maybe get one or two bidders. Somewhere in the course of the auction eBay turns off visibility. It could have been hidden from the get go but who knows. Of course,all of it depended on eBay's controlling factors like DSRs, limits, feedback and anything else eBay had up their sleeves.

Okay now the auction ends with zero, one bid or way below market value. This all worked for eBay in a number of ways:
(1) if they were looking to extricate certain sellers, the disappointed sellers would just leave.
(2) more buyers would come to the site where eBay would steer them ever so nicely (sarc) away from auctions to what eBay wanted them to see.

Items going for these low prices, whether at auction or fixed, will show in completed, and slowly over time bring active listings down in value. Of course, it depends on supply and demand, and many other factors but speeding up this slow race to the bottom is corporate manipulation and sellers willing to accept any price.  

by: toolguy

@bitbybit

Look at this sellers COMPLETED items.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/hgrauctions/m.html?_ipg=200&_so
p=10&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2046732.m1684

You don't see many if any unsold items

All of the items that ended on Nov. 27th & 28th are sold

This seller is buying this stuff from the US Government and I would bet they didn't pay any more then $5000-$10,000 for the whole load of 375 items that sold!

It's all coming out of Lockbourne, Ohio or Oklahoma City

by: bitbybit

@Tool

Different commodities. Consumer not Business & Agriculture. Ebay devalues items and even categories by hiding listings and steering the buyers showing only what eBay wants them to see. Sellers can do all the right things to sell on eBay but it's always a game of chance wiith the house winning every time.

by: Jester

I am out of here bye eBay it was good but it went bad over the past few years. One less person to crowd the ranks. Hope it helps the rest of you sellers. For a few years eBay provided a full time income for me and my family. But now Amazon is my daddy.

by: Chicago48

@RKTOYS

I have 3 boxes of Lego's that aren't selling.
Do I have them priced to high or am I not describing them correctly?
^^
I heard recently that Legos is experiencing a downturn.  Something having to do with kids turning to electronic gadgets.  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/09/05/lego-sales-crumbl
e-children-turn-away-building-bricks/

by: Chicago48

I haven't done my sales tally, but would venture to say that most of my sales are FP/BO.  Seems the consumer is staying away from auctions.  I don't mind auctions, but only get 1-2 people bidding.  I really think Ebay should gate which products are auctionable vs. FP, for example art and rare items should do well in auctions.  But clothing, not so well.

by: VV

If immediate payment was required at auction end I would do more of them. Fully half of my auctions end up with cases being filed for non-payment.

by: toolguy

@vv

How could immediate payment work at the end of an auction?

The buyer might not be on the internet when the listing ended.

And I don't see how a system could be put in place that would pay for someone who isn't there to approve it not knowing how much they have to pay at auctions end.

by: cbrison

@toolguy

Where and how does the government sell all those items? Do they action them and if so where?

by: toolguy

@cbrison

Govliquidation.com

The best bang for the buck is "triwalls" & "triwall"

You can also search for items by name like "test equipment" "musical instruments" "holsters" "wheels" etc etc etc

by: RKTOYS

"they pay so little that any price is profitable"
That's what some people mean with that smug "you make your profit when you buy." Won't come right out and say it but this is basically ripping the elderly off at estate sales and kids at yard sales.  I don't think it's right that selling new goods through legitimate distribution channels is made so difficult.

by: Snapped

''How could immediate payment work at the end of an auction?''

First eBay will have to actually arm the policy gun that requires a bid actually BE binding.  Like it says.  A stretch, yeah.  But it starts there.

The rest is easy.  Any 'payment amount approval' is simply equal to the amount at the time any bid (or max if auto bid) is made.  That is clearly the 'agreement' being made by the bidder.  

Enforcement comes wth registration of payment method and contractural agreement to allow instant automatic charges against that equal to any winning bid the moment the buyer is deemed a 'winner'.  The buyer already KNOWS what that amount is - THEY made the bid (or the 'max' potential).  They don't NEED to be actvely online when they win - that's what max bid is FOR.  And if they bid (incrementally instead) and stop a day early and go to TAHITI and can't find a hot spot (like who'd even look in Tahiti?) and they STILL somehow 'win'....well, they made their bid already.  The binding one.  That they had to CONFIRM no less.  

It's just not that difficult really.  No different than leaving a card wth the bartender to set a tab.  A monkey could set it up. (Your bartender - or venue management - may vary).  

Oh, note to any real 'innovators' out there: a seller 'opt out' of auction IPs (AIP - aka 'ape'?) can easilly be made available so sellers could elect to invoice instead, or even do (gasp) multi-win combined shipments.  And having that payment method 'pre approved' simply requires buyer to acknowledge the invoice amount.

Of course, that then puts it back in the 'binding-now-pay-up' enforcement column, so there's that.  And overcoming eBay's reluctance to 'scare' possble bidders and VALUE their seller's offerings by thus tendering them effectvely closed to 'sport bidding' needs some attention.  

So yeah, 'easy' is relative, but 'possible' is tangible in this case.  Always was.

But on eBay, it's about the APPEARANCE of viability, don'tcha know.  Every 'sold' props that up, paid or not.  As long as the facade looks good from the street.