Why are there no bidders on cheaper items?

Question

My sister has opened an ebay shop and undercut the prices of her biggest competitor, however its been days since her listings went on and no bids, questions or watchers - her rival is selling left right & centre whats going on? she has pretty good feedback (100%) - How can she boost her business extremely cost effectively?

Thanks in advance for your help & advice - most appreciated!
Liz

(for your reference- http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Party-Charmers_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkm)

Answer 1

To be honest ive been putting things on lately and been having the same problem.I think its the time of year a lot of ppl are away on holiday.
Is she only listing in her shop?? If so, she needs to put a few things on auction to drive sales to her shop because they don't show up in searches.
Try feature plus some items(if worth it as it costs 9.95 as if you list something in a category that has quite a lot of other things it will be listed last after the feature pluses and ppl dont bother looking)
Also yeah its a good shop but do ppl really buy in advance for parties-I dont!and they're probably worrying that if they did it might not get there on time and theyd have to rush out and buy it again so If she could offer next day despatch first class on her items and state this on the listings it would work in her favour.
I think there is also a thing(cant remember what its called to feature her shop on ebays home page for about £50.all these things may help boost her sales)

Not to be awful but she doesnt have that many listings either...which makes me think she doesnt sell very much and would make me look elsewhere for someoone who has more on.
try a broader variety of items...i.e balloons more party bags...invitations...banners etc

She could also sell birthday packs for girls or boys and include inviations,partybags,balloons,banners and party bag fillers etc all in one pack for a set price.


BUT TO BE HONEST I THINK ITS JUST THE TIME OF YEAR,PPL ARE OFF ON HOLS SO IF THEY DO HAVE ANY BIRTHDAYS THEY JUST GET IT ALL AT SUPERMARKET TO GET IT OUT OF THE WAY QUICKER.

I would say from experience that business probably wont pick up considerably til september...maybe now she could start stocking up on things to sell for halloween
And then xmas parties.

Wish her all the best
:-)

Answer 2

Most likely, there's more involved than just the prices of the products in question. The competitor may have a more informative site, better pictures of the products, or a more pleasant "user experience." No doubt the competitor also has more feedback, giving shoppers more confidence when they buy.

However, all other things being equal, there is a perceived value that depends on the price. Generally, the higher the price, the higher the perceived value. You may be thinking "wow, the price is lower, what a great deal!" But your shoppers may be asking "Why is the price so low? Is there something wrong with the product? Is this product of lesser quality? Is the seller going to skimp on customer service if something goes wrong?" You want your customers to believe that your products are a good *value*. Not being so cheap is one way to do that.

You need to find out what the product is actually worth. Put a few of them up for auction and have people bid on them. The final prices will give you a better idea of what they're actually worth to buyers. Then price accordingly.

Answer 3

I found that the most important part of selling on Ebay is maintaining 100% Feedback.

So many want to make their cyber stores look fancy with lots of gimmicks, but the bottom line is maintaining good customer satisfaction records.

I have 100% Feedback, and I will do whatever it takes to keep it that way.

I also am very skeptical of buyers who don't have the ability to pay quickly, and give excuses.

All best wishes for good Ebay sales!

Answer 4

I think she needs to spread her wares around. Not just in the "party bag toys" category. She could add them to other categories to spread herself out there. Also her ad lines need to be fixed and made to look more professional. Capitalize where needed. Have her take a look at what her competition is doing. How are the ads worded. Spell check everything. It isn't the prices. It is just that she looks like she did them in a hurry.
Also go on the forums and ask fellow ebay store owners. They might have some tips for her.

Answer 5

Nice stuff, good piccies and good prices. Is she only listing in her shop?? If so, she needs to put a few things on auction to drive sales to her shop because they don't show up in searches. The other possibility is that its the end of term, kids holidays starting and parents just aren't thinking about parties!! I never bother to list from about end of May until start of September.

I've Fav Shopped her though - got a birthday coming up soon!!

Answer 6

i gave up on selling on ebay coz i was finding the same problems. a friend of mine has a whole shop worth of stock to sell but is sitting on it rather than listing coz its gone silly lately.

Answer 7

maybe peopel are just suspicious of the low prices?