Ebay shop - anyone done this?

I sell on EBay and Etsy. I found something that sold well, during lockdown I was making quite a bit of money because it was craft related. Not any more. I closed my EBay shop but still sell on EBay, you don’t have to pay shop fees then. It’s a lot harder than you think, both in terms of finding something to sell that will be popular and then sourcing it cheaply enough to make a profit. I used Alibaba but you have to buy in bulk and then there are shipping fees and import tax. It still works out that you make a profit but the initial outlay is quite a lot. Both Etsy and EBay pay you quickly. I opted for daily payments so that I could keep an eye on the profit better. Etsy take less in terms of seller fees but they only like you to sell either handmade items or anything that can be used to make them, such as paints, yarns etc. Selling online takes a lot of work and is a bit of a gamble,

I did for a few years but I found I was increasingly the victim of concern. Oh my parcel hasn't arrived, can I have a refund (it had arrived), it is not as described, yes it was but Ebay always back the customer and refund. You get nothing. They set postage for certain items (especially books), which makes it impossible to sell at cost, almost always a loss. If you've found a niche you may have a chance - but don't expect massive profits x

Cons not concern!

I had an eBay shop, still actually but don’t use it at the moment.
Disadvantages are dishonest customers saying things arrived broken, incomplete or even not arriving at all…eBay ALWAYS take the side of the buyer and will just take the money from your account and give a refund. You then have to try and claim from the courier who never believe you lol. You also have to offer a return service when you have a shop and that’s a pain because there are many customers who say they don’t have the packaging, can’t print a label etc. You have to guarantee your goods so 11 months down the line the customer (who you remember is always right) tells you the item is no longer working and wants a repair/return/refund 🤣 We were selling electronics at between £100 and £400 each and we made enough profit for 4 good wages but unfortunately Covid hit and we ended up closing because of supply issues.
There’s money to be made but it’s not easy. Remember you’ll have to wait in for your courier to collect every day or open an account with Royal Mail, you can’t take large amounts of parcels to the post office or drop off place.
I’m not trying to put you off but there are lots of negatives to consider. Goid luck 🥰

Thanks everyone. Much food for thought here and some good and not so good stories. This obviously needs far more research.

I sell books on Amazon and, although their charges have gone up recently, I find it very fair and easy to use. There is nothing to pay until you make a sale, so you can leave stuff on view, with descriptions etc., for years if you like until someone wants to buy it. There is an option where Amazon will do the packing up and sending for you, but I don't use it.

I decided to post again on this thread to warn anyone thinking of opening a shop on Etsy

Further upthread I did state that I would not recommend this evil company to anyone. I reiterate that.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66201042

I notice on the BBC site this morning an article whereby they are holding onto large sums from some sellers, such that they cannot buy in supplies or stock to continue trading. The new regulation was brought in more or less overnight without warning. One seller said she was disabled and her earnings from Etsy were her sole sorce of income. Another was owed over £5000. The fear is such that the informants asked to remain anonymous for fear of having their shops closed.

I closed my shop three years ago (although I am still on Ebay) and in those days you could still pay your shop fees by credit card. I wont go into details about the dispute because it was too complex. However it showed that they have different rules for different people and even "invent" rules to suit the moment. Because we were in dispute they tried holding onto some of my money. I did a chargeback on the fees I had paid and got it all back. You cant do that now as they deduct the fees as you go along. They threatened me with debt collectors so I told them bring it on/see you in court. Heard nothing more of it.

There needs to be far stricter regulation of these market places which use their powers to bully small sellers.

biglouis that's very interesting about Etsy. Thank you. Regarding Ebay, I have been looking at a lot of items listed for sale and am amazed by how many people are obviously Business Sellers yet don't state that they are. There are people selling dozens, if not hundreds, of items of clothing in particular. One person is selling a particular type of T-shirt - he is literally selling them on a daily basis but states he is a private seller. If this isn't regulated then there doesn't seem much point in being honest about it and opening a shop as so many people are obviously buying and selling but not declaring it.

The traders you refer to with a shop and multiple similar items are trading and not registered as business sellers.

Im registered as a business seller on Ebay but no one is forced to. You can register as a private seller and just sell your own property. Most vintage business sellers began as collectors or hobbyists and began by selling items they already own to improve their collections. The line between being a hobby sellers and a trader can be a grey one.

In theory once you have sold a certain number of items or are selling in volume Ebay will require you to register as a business seller. In time Ebay will approach them to register for business. Some will simply open another ID and begin again to subvert the system. You can have as many IDs as you like on Ebay so long as they dont interact.

The good thing about being a business seller is that all your expenses - such as Ebay and Paypal fees/postage/packing materials etc - are tax deductable. Fees on Ebay can be quite steep.