Selling on eBay...and why eBay sucks.

[Matty Moo]

When I first started doing ABS modules, I started on VS. Then I started listing on eBay and MVS. In the beginning it was 50/50 between the forums and eBay.

Things took off quickly on eBay. Very quickly. I was moving tons of modules. I was also dealing with a lot of assholes, more than what seemed normal and I'm a very civil and laidback guy. I also work with the criminally insane for a living, so I can handle just about anybody.

eBay has turned into a flea market. Too much garbage, and too many people selling shit they picked out of junkyards and saying it's good to go. eBay has also given buyers a sense of entitlement that no matter what, the buyer is always right. So, you get a lot of buyers treating you like you're the door to door snake oil salesman or some sort of gypsy/irish traveller or carney. Generally disrespectful, rude and demanding for no other reason than that they feel they are entitled to be that way.

My stress level was through the roof...and all of that stress was almost exclusively from eBay people. My fees every month were approaching $400 and it was a different problem everyday. Mostly uninformed buyers that refused to listen to good advice or were just general assholes. Core returns were a HUGE problem for me there. I was spending way more time trying to get them back than I was tending to every other aspect of what I was doing. I'm talking 20+hours a month minimum pestering people to send the shit back. I also had people constantly trying to scam me...almost weekly.

I finally got pissed off to the point where I started my own website. I had ZERO experience with that, but I went at it anyway. After a couple of months and a decent AdWords campaign things took off. The amazing part is I sell the same product, but everybody I deal with is pleasant. Core return problems are almost non-existent with sales off my website. My average AdWords bill per month is under $200...half of what I would have paid eBay for the same amount of sales. I rarely have to ask anybody to return anything. The only real problem I've had with the website is competitors clicking on my Google ads to drain my advertising budget. I can usually spot somebody doing that and they won't get away with it for more than a day or so.

I still list there..but only to point people to my website, and it works. I set my prices higher there and keep support at a minimum. My eBay sales are down 80%, and that's fine with me.

They have the only game in town...for now at least. The way they cater to the Chinese sellers is going to do them in over time, along with the constantly raising fees and insane policies.

[FCPEURO]

I have to say that unfortunately, this is not the first time I have heard a story like this about eBay (AKA Fleebay). I to have stopped selling a lot of personal stuff on ebay for the same reason. To me, it just does not seem like it is worth the hassle. Also, after all the fees, you don't seem to bring in much money anymore either.

I tend to use Craigslist for a lot of my selling needs now. I do still by form eBay, but i really don't sell on there anymore.

[JRL]

C/L can be worse!
It was all great 5 to 10 years ago but the world has changed drastically since then

[FCPEURO]

Yes, it some case, CL can definitely be worse. Up until now, I have not has any issues with CL.