Monday, June 21, 2010

Getting Rid of Your Kids' Clutter? eBay Classifieds Donation Program

Anyone remember Kijiji? That's what eBay Classifieds used to call itself. I think the name change was a good move for them...much clearer, especially given not many folks are familiar with Swahili. I recently got this note about how much parents spend on baby and kids' stuff (having two, I can vouch they're expensive!) -- and also a new donation program eBay Classifieds is doing for every new ad posted in the For Sale category thru July 31:

 

"According to the survey, parents spent an average of $1,171 on gifts for their children in just the past year, which has decreased from the $2,577 that parents spent last year on their baby. In addition, 62% of American Parents surveyed said that their babies accumulated more stuff in a year than they themselves had in five years (at a total expense of $1,442), which is down from last year�s 77% of parents.

 

"This year�s survey also found that:

  • 93% of parents said their babies accumulated more stuff in a year than they themselves did in five years

  • After their children have grown out of the items, 67% of parents gave them to a friend or family member, 63% donated them to charity, 27% sold them and 11% just threw them away

  • The most common outgrown items include backyard toys (42% of parents said they still have them), sporting goods and equipment (39%), furniture (46%) and electronics (45%)

  • 46% of parents said their kid clutter takes up a corner of a closet, 28% said it takes up the better part of their attics and 6% said they no longer park their car in the garage because their children�s items have taken over their entire home

  • Parents said they spent an average of $1,171 on gifts for their kids last year

  • 15% of parents say they often sell unwanted items online (perhaps on a site like eBay Classifieds!) and a quarter of parents said they occasionally do, depending on the item


 

"Instead of allowing all these items to clutter up your home, why not sell your children�s outgrown items and earn back some of the money you spent? From now through July 31, eBay Classifieds will make a donation for every new ad posted within the For Sale category (up to $25,000), to Enough is Enough, a non-profit organization dedicated to making the Internet a safer place for children and families. Getting rid of your unwanted items can not only help you reclaim your space, but can also help others, too!"








Thursday, June 3, 2010

Does Revising Your eBay Auctions Help Sales?

Can revising your eBay auctions help your sales? I have one Yard Salers newsletter reader who thinks it does. I'll let her tell it:

"Hi
Julia,
 
"Forgot to tell you something that has been working for me.  Don't
know why, but it's happening to often to just be a coincidence.  
 
"I
have been revising about 10 my eBay store auctions a day (catching mistakes,
adding things that didn't get added when they were listed, etc, etc).  And more
than once or twice, a few days after revising the item, it sells, and quite
often at the full price.  I've also been adjusting my selling prices upwards -
not a lot, just $.50 cents or so - and they have been selling at the new
prices.  It must have something to do with the way eBay is now showing ALL items
listed, not just auctions, but sure don't know what that has to do with it. 
I've also speculated that maybe the computer thinks it's a NEW auction and gives
it a better placement.  But anyway, it seems to work!  So you might want to tell
your readers to try revising their auctions a little and see what
happens."

So there you have it! As it happens, I am revisiting many of my eBay auctions anyway - in some cases to relist them or change the prices, and in others to take the listing down anyway and move the item to amazon.com. (In the latter case, it is mainly true for my slow-moving collectible books such as old yearbooks, which I think no longer make sense to let sit on eBay and rack up fees.


Blu book pingry 1964    [  Left: an example of the kind of specialized book, a prep school yearbook, I am looking to shift off eBay onto amazon. ]
 

I still have other types of listings which I think are best suited to eBay, such as my jewelry and handcrafted bracelets. But I am taking a hard look at what I sell where and what does best in which online venue.

Give it a try or leave a comment here if you have feedback.