Comments on: Top UK eBay sellers analysed

By: GeorgeJungle

GeorgeJungle — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:31:35 +0000

Turnover is vanity , profit is sanity

By: UK based schuhstore top 100,000 feedback : TameBay

UK based schuhstore top 100,000 feedback : TameBay — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:30:55 +0000

[...] we looked at some of the top UK sellers and the tools they used to be successful. Schuh are amongst the highest top sellers for feedback DSRs, have a customised [...]

By: Chris Dawson

Chris Dawson — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:54:10 +0000

James I’d love to dig below the surface and examine the profitability and health of the businesses of these sellers. Sadly I think they’d be about as willing to divulge these facts as I would be about my business though

As North has said profitibility is king, and ways (and tools) to measure that will have to wait for another exposÃ©

By: James Scott

James Scott — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:22:32 +0000

Very interesting post, Chris – thanks for taking the time to work out the numbers! Rather you than me!

It’s true that Turbolister and SMPro are great tools for ramping up to large volumes on eBay (after all, anything with the word ‘Turbo’ in the name has got to be good for listing a lot…..!)

But I also agree with North – that what you’re seeing here is only the surface of the story. I wonder how things would change if you scratched the surface and dug a little deeper into the profitibility of each of these sellers and the ‘health’ of their online business strategies?

Long term online success comes from watching your margins, finding buyers (wherever they shop online) and delivering a buying experience that keeps those buyers happy and coming back for more. Crack those three nuts and you have a business that will be around for a long time whilst delivering good returns to you, the owner.

eBay is a great place to learn the lessons required for wider success online. These lessons can then be applied to other marketplaces (such as Amazon and Play.com) and to your online strategy in general. Our clients tell us that this is where software like ChannelAdvisor’s really helps – enabling them to build a sophisticated multi-channel online business without losing sight of the basics like margins and buyer experience.

James.

By: northumbrian

northumbrian — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:55:21 +0000

too right chris,
administrating, is the single biggest problem we have, if you dont restrict problems , they have a nasty habit of restricting your business

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 16:45:15 +0000

Great article, and being slightly obessesed with stats and numbers, I found it very interesting! Thanks!

It’s reassuring to see that even the high volume sellers are using techniques and tools available to everyone – turbo lister in particular is ideal for all levels of sellers. The other interesting point is that the high volume sellers are not necessarily shifting volume based on lowest price either – a lot of their products are available cheaper from other sellers, but this proves that service levels and reputation can command better margins. I’ve always believed that good service can easily justify an extra 5-10% in price.

Nortica also has the fastest growing members listed, but it does not show the site they are registered on, but it’s intersting to see how some sellers can suddenly raise turnover from a few hundred per month to a few thousand, and the product categories they list iin. It’s rare to see one of these sellers with their own niche, rather they are selling in popular categories.

It gives encouragement and inspiration to sellers everywhere!

By: Chris Dawson

Chris Dawson — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 12:03:52 +0000

Hi North, don’t get me wrong – this post isn’t a receipe for success. It’s simply an indicator of what’s required to sell prolific quantities of stock on eBay. The important thing to take away (and probably one that you’ll appreciate ) is that it actually doesn’t take very much in the way of tools and fancy gizmos.

Simply listing the stuff seems to do the trick

Helps also to give great customer service as the more post sales problems you have to rectify the worse overall your feedback will be even after sorting out the issues for those you’re aware of.

By: northumbrian

northumbrian — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:14:21 +0000

I would be more interested in what they sold, and where they get stock, and their profit

this is just based on feedback, and items sold, they may just be busy fools , being top fee payers to ebay, rather than top sellers ,

I know sellers we are lucky to sell 50 items a month on ebay yet make a good living

By: John Hayes

John Hayes — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:45:34 +0000

Hi Chris,
Nice post. I agree it would be interesting to see if the top sellers referenced were also selling across other channels such as Amazon or their own site via paid search or CSEs. It would also be interesting to see if they were selling individual items or multiples of the same item(s). The pain points of selling online can be very different depending on your business model and this is where the decision to employ (or not) a third-party solution can make or break a business.

By: northumbrian

northumbrian — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:11:49 +0000

non of the above means bugger all

PROFIT is what makes a top seller