I haven’t blogged or socialed much from my eBay store because I’m not the type of person to self-promote — and that is a classic mistake. It really is. The best practice is ‘self promote’ but don’t only ‘self promote.’ Or as Gary Vaynerchuk likes to say, “Jab, jab, jab, right hook.“
Alas, I have five listings that have drawn a bunch of ‘watchers,’ which is eBay vernacular for folks who are either interested in buying or sellers who are interested in seeing how much your overpriced product sells for. The hope is that the product isn’t overpriced at all, but when you see a bunch of watchers on your product over a long period of time with no sale, the variable is price.
These finds have all come down in price recently, the hottest of which is this killer pair of Columbia Omni Shade shorts. My sister-in-law picked these for the store, saying that “shorts are hot.” Not on me “hot,” but hot as in ‘demand’ hot.
Columbia Omni Shade Mens Size 40 Cargo Shorts Gray
At a price of $18.99, I had gotten 8 watchers. I’ve lowered it to $12 to see if that drop in price would cause the shorts to move. The waist is 40 inches, and the length is 11, fwiw.
The next listing comes courtesy of a colleague who agreed to let me post in exchange for a 70-30 consignment split — 70 for her, 30 for me. These are girls shoes, and they’ve had a lot of looks but no sale. Therefore, I recently lowered the price from $48.99 to $40.
Janie And Jack Patent Leather Mary Jane Bow Flat Shoes Size 7 Toddler Girls
The description is straight and to the point: Worn once! Janie And Jack Patent Leather Mary Jane Bow Flat Shoes Size 7 Toddler Girls.
The third hottest listing on our little “Happy Hodge Podge” store for February is from the surprisingly hot, or at least competent, Oklahoma City Thunder. It seems they keep trying to tank only to discover they’re a pretty good team. Hey, it speaks to a great organization that just doesn’t do losing.
Nike Dri Fit Oklahoma City Thunder Medium Shirt
First off, for you eBay newbies, Nike-branded anything does really, really well, especially Dri-Fit.
This is a medium shirt. I wish it were 2XL. I’d totally keep it!
No. 4 on the February list is a refrigerator magnet I picked up from a garage sale. It’s from one of my happy places, Buc-ees! If you’re not from Texas, first: welcome. Texas wants you anyway.
If you’ll grant me this aside, I love Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, and Francine Reed is the best. Lovett’s “Live In Texas” album is one you will not find in my eBay store as it’s a keeper, and I’m not parting with it.
Now for the item. I had originally posted it for somewhere between $14-18 and realized that was too much, despite how cool this is.
Bucees (Buc-ee’s) Buc-Ee-Licious Refrigerator Magnet (New Braunfels)
It’s a little worn on the bottom, but who among us isn’t.
Rounding out my Top 5 for February is another state-centric item, this time from Montana. I’m not sure where I picked this up, but it wasn’t Montana. I’ve never been. However, there is a song I love that has Montana in the title, a Paul Davis (’65 Love Affair, Cool Night, I Go Crazy) composition made popular by Dan Seals and Marie Osmond from 1985.
If you think 80s pop was tremendous, you should really take a gander at the country charts.
Anyway, have I put you in the mood for a Montana mug? I’ve got it listed for $10.99:
Montana Coffee Mugs! Montana Outdoors / Cowboy Coffee Mug
If I’m being transparent and honest with myself, this one is probably overpriced unless you really love Montana. Plus, coffee mugs are sort of an in-between item when it comes to shipping. Is it first-class or is it priority? Well, once you pack it inside a little box, if the cup is of any weight at all, it’s pretty borderline.
I don’t want any blog I post about my eBay experience to be only about selling something. My big lesson to start 2021, my third full year on the platform is that I have to get more realistic about pricing and make the price as enticing as the product itself.
The best practice is pretty simple: If your item has a lot of views and a lot of watchers, but it’s not moving, the variable is the price. Lower it.
