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Seller Survey Results are in!

 
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MoonwishesStore
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Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 10:42 pm    Post subject: Seller Survey Results are in! Reply with quote

The results are in and eCRATER has once again ranked in the top ten at number 8. I'm just reading the report now and wanted to let you know it was up.

https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2021/02/13/sellers-choice-awards-2021-merchants-rate-top-online-marketplaces/

Amazon narrowly squeaked ahead of eCrater, with Craigslist and Facebook coming in ninth and tenth place, respectively. Techniquely, eCRATER beat Amazon in everything but profitability. They both had the same overall score! HoHoHo Way to go eCRATER and you deserve it Amazon. Someday Amazon may have to think about why all their 3P sellers have left or won't cooperate with them anymore!
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lastade-designs
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Posts: 2903

PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2021 5:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Way to go Ecrater!
I clicked over and read the comments left by people who voted. You can click on Individual Marketplace Online Ratings at the very bottom. There were many interesting comments.
Out of the 10 top sites, I have sold on 6 of them over the past 25 years. Out of the 6, Ecrater remains my favorite. I just appreciate how it has remained a place where I can do my own thing without having to conform to mandates, changes, fee increases and overall hassles to the sellers. I always feel that the corporate managers and CEOs that run those other companies have no experience in the trenches and they don't listen to the sellers who do. At Ecrater they do their best to listen, respond and help the sellers with problems or suggestions. I don't feel the same connection to the other places like I do here.
Some may call me a cheerleader but that is ok. Rah Rah Sis boom Bah Go Ecrater! Laughing
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MoonwishesStore
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Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2021 9:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lastade, I feel the same way. For eCRATER and Amazon to come in with the same overall score, to me is huge! Of the sites on the list, I have sold on four; eBay, Amazon, eCRATER, and Craigslist. I also sold on Half.com (my very first selling site), Alibris, B&N, and a few other new and bad sites that never took off. Only eCRATER has been EASY to use, and doesn't aggravate my ulcer!

It is reading the comments about here that I find amazing. It looks like many gave communication here a 5 because they had never had to use it. Others complained about not being able to get answers from the team which I find amazing as I know that every single time I have written to them, I have gotten a personal response and I know many others do as well. So what is the difference?

I started here using dial-up and needed two landline phones because one line or the other was always going down due to mice and other critters chewing on the wires so until Verizon could come and backtrack the problem on the line, one or the other line was down at least once a month. Yet with dial-up I was able to list over 5000 listings my first full year here using copy and paste. Other than the 9 out of the 10 photos could ALL be listed on one page! That is how it was when I came here and how it continues. Since we do not have to list against any 'catalog' like on Amazon or eBay, if a seller maintains their own database of items for sale and their own photos on their computer, listing is easy once you have figured out the best listing template to use for you. Is it figuring out your own template the problem? I would love to help with that and I think others that maintain listings using the same set up would also be glad to help. Amazon and eBay takes up several pages to list. Sometimes Amazon will have the item listed for up to 4 or more times and so you have to figure out which is the correct listing to use. Here we can individualize our listings down to any minor imperfection, there you can't if the item is new. Sometimes even a new item can have imperfections in their packing. One of my bones of contention when buying inventory is that the publishers at times rubber bands their items together which leaves a significant wrinkle on the patterns. I would like to have noted that on Amazon but as Lastade said, the bigwigs have never sold on line and do not understand those nuances.

That being said. WHY do some find it so hard to list here? Is it because they have to figure out a way to list their stuff that looks good? They don't understand how to set up a 'template' off sorts so that you don't leave anything out of the listing? What? I think many of us are willing to help if we were asked and told what precisely they are having trouble with.

Still getting people thinking that our stores haven't changed much and are old-fashioned. To me this is another WHAT? question. What do they want or need to be able to have a listing that attracts buyers better? What is so old-fashioned about the listing pages. Perhaps my brain is totally failing, but I don't recall that Amazon has changed their pages much where the listings are other than to add in more ads, more other things that compete with what you are selling and their recent innovation of not showing everything for sale in some categories. None of which makes me yearn for those types of pages here. I won't even get into what I see on eBay anymore when I go looking as a buyer. Having to search all over and needing to go onto another page if you can figure out how, because eBay crams so many other seller's listings onto your listings makes the page look like a mess. I think rather than hearing that they are old-fashioned, I would like to see these people say exactly what they are having a problem with. Just like the 'hard to list' comments, I would love to know what are the actual difficulties. I am willing to help.

In nursing school, we were warned off of using 'basket' terms that meant absolutely nothing in the patient's chart. You couldn't say something like the patient seems to be doing better. No, you have to state the facts, like the vital signs, other physical assessments, size of wound, amount of drainage, what the patient themselves states about their condition, etc. I think saying it is hard to list here is a basket term. If you are having trouble tell us what the actual trouble is so we can help you problem solve.

If I had the time, I would be glad to try and make the help files more up to date. But I don't. I am willing to help whenever possible, because if one person is having trouble then others may be as well. One of the reasons that when an eCRATER seller sends me questions via PM or my actual email by using the ask a seller a question, I tell them to ask on the forum. That way everyone learns. That is why this forum exists. Of course, some never come to the forum and try to fly on their own. On other sites forums, can be scary places, but here, I don't think it is generally like that. But no matter how much advice we give, we can not force anyone into taking it. Those that have sold elsewhere and think they know everything and want to do it their way, I say be my guest, but don't complain of lack of sales, difficulties, that we could have helped with etc. after the fact.

This is something Elperles has brought up several times lately. Someone has come to the forum and asked a question. We have all tried to help. The OP never comes back to the forum to get the answers and years later, their store looks exactly the same and they haven't updated it since the day they posted on the forum. Why even go to the trouble to open a store and/or ask a question and never even finish setting it up if you aren't going to use it or finding the answers to your problems? I was so excited to find eCRATER, but I still spent weeks investigating the site, reading all the forum posts that I could before actually signing up and hitting the ground running. I think for many, signing up for a store is an impulse thing. You can't start a B&M business like that so why do it on the internet? The internet just makes it easy. One of the reasons that once in a while we get those questions of who provides us with the stuff to sell and who does the shipping? Somehow they expect to earn money without doing anything. In my 65 years, I can tell you that life doesn't work like that.

Some of the sites that are leading the lists are more specialized and I can't sell my stuff on them. I haven't seen a way to use Facebook to sell on it. It has been years since I checked into it and it was too convoluted for words. Apparently that has changed. However, I am very happy to be down to one venue so I don't have to be hyper alert all day in case something sells so I can take it down on the other venue. Craigslist, I don't see it as a selling venue like the other ones. We have used it to sell things to big and bulky to go through the mail and can be picked up such as a king size mattress. Are people using it to list things and then ship them to other states? I have always been under the impression that Craigslist is local to each area so I have never tried to list anything there that I would have to ship. Most of the things I have seen on Facebook that are for sale also seem to be local.

Most of all as I have tried to say throughout this post. If you need help, ASK! We will help you and be happy to help.
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MrsDsHandKnits



Posts: 334

PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2021 5:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Over the past 18 or so years have sold on 6 of the top 10 Marketplaces...
currently down to eBay, eCrater & Facebook Marketplace>the latter of which also works very well for many categories of items big or small, local or otherwise...
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elpereles



Posts: 3427

PostPosted: Mon Feb 15, 2021 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congratulations to eCrater.

Lets be realistic, eCrater doesn't have "fan flood" or make big campaigns to make every seller vote for them, but eCrater is always present.

One more time, Bonanzle/Bonanza did it. Rolling Eyes
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MoonwishesStore
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Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Mon Feb 15, 2021 10:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I consider it truly astounding that we for all practical purposes tied with Amazon. I think that shows a big problem with Amazon. Sellers for the most part are VERY unhappy with it. Amazon has pulled so many stunts and is a classic "Do as I say, not as I do" mentality. They routinely break their own rules and swipe buyers from sellers.

eCRATER has been on the top 10 list, I believe, every year. It is a steady producer although you don't make oodles of money here unless you have a bunch of rare but hugely sought-after items.

I had gotten behind on all promotions this past year as I was shipping so many orders. So I'm picking that up again.
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elpereles



Posts: 3427

PostPosted: Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I understand that Amazon in the past few years lost small sellers interest when they moved the concept of "from your garage be an independent" seller to just fill our "Brick & Mortar" of the Internet.

Years ago, I tried Amazon. But the configuration of the platform, the fees, its payment method, and its atmosphere against Collectibles sellers. Just make me move to look elsewhere and return to eBay (only using the free listing promos).

Poshmark, is a niche site?
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MoonwishesStore
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 15, 2021 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think Poshmark and Mercari are both niche sites, but I'm not positive.
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thelivesandlovesofmaggiethecat



Posts: 10158

PostPosted: Mon Feb 15, 2021 11:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MoonwishesStore wrote:
I think Poshmark and Mercari are both niche sites, but I'm not positive.


I looked into both a few years ago. They are very designer fashion oriented. Poshmark had too many rules and regs. Got the feeling they treated their sellers like entry-level employees out to rip off the company.
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lastade-designs
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Posts: 2903

PostPosted: Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I currently have about 100 listings on Mercari. There are advantages and disadvantages.
Here are some facts about Mercari from my experience:
It does not cost anything to list. There is a final value fee of 2.9% plus .30.
I sell 1 or 2 things per month and would probably sell more if I had more items listed.
You can use their mailing label system. They email you the label after the sale.
I do not use their labels. I offer free shipping and add the cost of the label into the price I choose because my label costs less than their label, making my costs to the customer less. I have been doing it this way since I started selling there about 2 years ago and since then I think they have given the seller a lower cost label for lighter items. Their label was around 6.00 before.
You can post a listing from your computer but it is really easy to post from a smart phone.
I don't like how they email and send you updates about promoting your listings by lowering the prices.
I don't like receiving offers but I price my items at 2.00 more in order to accomodate someone that makes an offer 2.00 less than the price I want. Some people just buy it at the price listed but about 3/4 of the sales I made were from people making an offer of 2.00 less. 2.00 seems to be the average offer off my price.
How Mercari distributes your funds is a big drawback for some people. Once a sale is made you do not receive your funds until after the person has received your item and they give you a feedback rating. They have 3 days to do that. If they don't bother to rate you after 3 days you will still get your funds automatically from Mercari as long as you provide a tracking number. I manually upload my tracking numbers because I provide my label from either Pirate Ship or Paypal. Your funds go into a bank account that you have provided Mercari the information for. It is not a drawback for me because I do not sell expensive items.
It is not a niche site. Everybody sells everything there.

In my opinion if you are looking for another place to sell you should give it a try. This is a newer site and targets buyers that use their phone to shop. The last time I looked at Google analytics, the percentage of person shopping by phone was huge. And they advertise a lot on TV. You might want to tap into this segment of buyers that are buying by using their phones.

I don't think I would try Poshmark for what I sell.
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MoonwishesStore
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Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Wed Feb 17, 2021 6:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for that run down lastade. I had been under the impression that one was basically just fashion so wouldn't work for me. But Mercari sounds like possibly doable. Although I am too tired to deal with starting a whole new site, but others might be interested. I can't believe that I juggled 6 venues at once long ago!
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