trisha Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Hi everyone. I was wondering if anyone is having any success selling container candles on Ebay?Just want to know about any experiences before I try :tiptoe: Darn sure don't want to waste my money on the listing fees! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSR Candles Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 I've been watching sales of candles on eBay - it seems to be kind of so-so. The problem with eBay is that everyone wants a bargain, and to get most people's attention in a market like that, your prices have to be so low that you probably don't make much. In my other endeavors, I've generally had to start items for sale below wholesale to generate the interest, and then sometimes they don't make it back above wholesale even. eBay is a tough marketplace in general for any kind of home crafting - it's hard to compete with the big guys on price, and that's mostly what eBay is all about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisha Posted November 15, 2006 Author Share Posted November 15, 2006 Ebay is tough! I don't know how and where these people are getting their products and selling so cheap:undecided I have searched online wholesale companies and just found a bunch of frauds! That is why is just wanted to sell my candles, but it seems Yankmee are the only ones selling. (they suck) I guess I just have to keep researchingThanksI've been watching sales of candles on eBay - it seems to be kind of so-so. The problem with eBay is that everyone wants a bargain, and to get most people's attention in a market like that, your prices have to be so low that you probably don't make much. In my other endeavors, I've generally had to start items for sale below wholesale to generate the interest, and then sometimes they don't make it back above wholesale even. eBay is a tough marketplace in general for any kind of home crafting - it's hard to compete with the big guys on price, and that's mostly what eBay is all about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindym Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Selling candles on E-bay IMO is like selling them at a flea market. If you even want a chance of establishing a name for yourself you need to open a store. If you are going to do that you might as well have a website. JMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 I have never sold on ebay. What are the fees like?Never mind. I figured it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinesShower Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 Instead of ebay, why not try etsy? www.etsy.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisha Posted November 17, 2006 Author Share Posted November 17, 2006 Instead of ebay, why not try etsy? www.etsy.comI have never heard of this site before. Have you had any luck selling on there? Looks like it is a European site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnS Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 I have a friend whose husband sells once in awhile on E-bay.She said the what they charge is getting out of sight.I guess to put items on.They don't use it often and also some fraud thing was going on and they had no idea.Her husband got something and it was taken back for evidence.They did get the thieves.For another instance a crafter told me (a candlemaker) she brought $500.00 worth of candles on E-bay and was having a hard time getting them.Now there is another BIG problem.She had reported it.Been a month so she said probably a loss.So I think I will stay away.I see candles on there and some are suppliers but they can afford to put them out there for $3.00 for a soy candle.LynnS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Di_in_AZ Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 Ebay used to be good, but anymore it has been crap. Businesses now run on there, pretending to be individuals. Shipping is such a scam, as insurance. Yes, the item is 99 cents, shipping is $9.50 and insurance is $4.00. So you do the math! Ebay is supposed to take action for overpricing the shipping and insurance but they never do. The other thing that is bad is the feedback system is now corrupt. Used to be you got feedback when you completed your part of the transaction. Now people clearly state they won't give feedback unless the get good feedback. What the heck? Nothing like promoting honesty LOL.Every once in a while you get an honest-to-goodness individual who sells for the appropriate amount of shipping, but they are becoming hard to find--and alot of times you end up paying more than you would have had you gone to the store in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luci Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 When I first fell under the "charm" of ebay buying a few years back, I didn't look closely at shipping. I had deals with many honest sellers, and by and by I realized that their were lots of crooks out there.I now look at fb very closely. Some people leave positives with a neg message because of fear of a return neg. This has been discussed on this board before. I feel as several others do that when an item is paid for, the seller should leave fb. Very few sellers do that. They use the "excuse" that they are waiting to make sure the item has been received. That is such bull. My one neg fb I have on ebay was from retaliation. Actually, the nutty seller that left it was discussed at length on this board when she stole some of Laura's embed pics.Feedback is supposed to be a valuable tool whether here or on ebay. It is also a courtesy to the buyer as well as others. If you are a seller and tend to "forget" to leave fb, why not just go ahead and do it when you receive payment? As far as the competition, I've looked, and it's tough. Unless you have some inventory that you really just want to get rid of and still get a "little" back from it, it doesn't appear to be very lucrative for most candles. Just my observation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 What I did is searched for the type of candle I was going to sell on ebay then looked to see if anyone was doing something similiar (search ex: Handpoured soy candles), I found a few individiuals who were doing something similiar (not the same) and looked at their sales history, looked how much they were selling the candles for and the shipping they were charging, I also went back and read their feed back, after they looked good (there are some power sellers, meaning they make over 1000.00 usd a month), then I contact them and be totally honest with them. Something like, 'I'm just starting out, I do something similiar to you, I see your successful, blah blah blah...' and ask politely if they would mind answering a few questions for me. I wait for their reply then ask away. Not everyone is going to respond because they fear competition. Being polite and honest is the key. Learn how they are doing it successfully and maybe you can apply it to your business.Don't be afraid to ask, worst they can do is not reply to you. Usually candle sellers won't be your customers anyway. GL~~Kelly~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinesShower Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Etsy is for people who make all their own products and put them up for auction. It is just like Ebay, but nothing on the site is mass produced or resell.Not a European site as far as I know, but they do have members all over the world. I used a couple people's services off Etsy and I can definitely say I was pleased. Ladies on there just like me with their own home businesses making things from scratch. I always go to Etsy before I look into anything else. (got some awesome promos from members there!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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