I have to say that over the last few weeks I have found that going to car boot sales at 7a.m. on freezing Sunday mornings a bit dour.  Sometimes turning over and going to sleep again was very tempting.

Selling successfully online is not easy.  Anyone who says that it is probably does not do it.  Online selling is great, as we all know, but demands that we keep a focus on what we are doing and why.

There are 4 things that we need when we embark on a successful selling career online.

1.                  Honesty, only if we are honest, to ourselves and our customers, will we succeed.

2.                  Good products.  Sell tat and you will fail.  Always strive to sell better and better goods.  Not necessarily more expensive goods but better quality.

3.                  Tenacity.  Turn over on Sunday mornings and you can kiss your successful online business goodbye.

And, last but by no means least;

4.                  Vision.  More specifically, a vision of why you are selling online.  What do you want and why?  Take time to write down why you are selling online.  Be as specific as you can be.  Do you want to quit the day job?  Do you want to make £1,000 in 10 days?  Do you want an extra £500 a month?  All are possible but you need to know, understand and believe your real motivation.  If you do not know why you are doing something you will stop at the first obstacle.  If you do not have a target how do you know if you are getting there?

What the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve.

Question: How much does shipping cost on eBay? 

Answer: As much as the seller thinks he can get away with!

Question: How much shipping cost on Amazon?

Answer: As much as Amazon thinks is reasonable!

Which do you prefer as a seller?  Some eBay sellers use a lower price for their items and charge high shipping fees to boost their profits.  I am against this practice but it goes on and some buyers seem to be taken in by it. 

 With Amazon the shipping costs are constant between sellers and so it is easier for the buyers to make comparisons.  Usually, the Amazon shipping fees are reasonable for the seller.  If they are too high then you can reduce the price of the item.  If they are too low then the price must reflect that. Either way it does mean that the seller has to know the true cost of shipping.

Advantage;  Amazon

Score;

Amazon       3

eBay            0

Sell successfully online

This is a short series of posts comparing selling successfully on eBay and on Amazon from the seller’s perspective. This time I am looking at the payments methods and costs.

Ebay has its own proprietary payment system PayPal. It is quick and fits seamlessly into the auction process. You may also accept alternative methods of payment up to set limits (£500 in the UK). For all payments collected via PayPal there is a charge (1.4% to 3.4% + £0.20 GBP). Sellers send invoices, track whether payment has been made and chase non payers. Funds are released to the seller on request to Paypal.

Amazon collects the payments for sellers. There is no alternative, and no charge for using the service. Amazon invoices and collects payment and chases non payers. Payment is not realeased into the seller’s account until it is cleared by Amazon. The seller does not become involved in payment tracking or chasing non payers. Payments are made to the seller’s bank account every 2 weeks for the total of all sales made in that period.  There are no charges for Amazon collecting the payment.  However, for a true comparison of overall charges I will be posting another piece in a few days (when I have done the maths…..)

The Winner is: Amazon

Aggregate Score

Amazon 2

eBay 0

So when comparing selling on eBay and Amazon the average sales price seems to be a good place to start.

The buyers on Amazon seem to be more affluent than those on eBay.  eBay is seen by many as a place to go for cheap goods, for bargains.  Amazon is seen to be more up-market.  I know people who will buy from Amazon but not even consider eBay. This attitude means that the average price of goods on Amazon is higher than on eBay.  I can, and do, charge 20% more for my items on Amazon than I do on eBay and still make good sales.  In fact it is very possible to buy on eBay and resell on Amazon at a profit.  (Remember to research the market first though).

On the basis of sale price alone, without considering anything else, the advantage has to be to selling on Amazon.

Score

Amazon 1

eBay       0