After Christmas Sales

[vmliferesources]

What is your experience with after Christmas sales? I lowered prices on most of my merchandise - dolls mainly. Will they sell after Christmas? Should I increase price? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[worldcoinauctions]

Hard to say, I sell coins and sales drop off before Christmas, but pick up about now until June. How the market for those works. I'd say if lowered prices don't increase sales then go through and gradually raise prices on your better items. Odd how a slowly increasing price can get someone to buy!

[ed8108]

People do receive holiday cash, enabling them to buy what they want for themselves.

[fern*wood]

I plan to send out offers next week in hopes someone got money for Christmas & can't live without one of my items.   A girl can dream...

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

After Xmas, 25% off everything be what I run, maybe 30%.

Traditionally after the holiday retailers pace up to move as much as they can before the 1st.  Now given the state of economics there is a TON in question as we speak many reasons.

If I had advice, welp, run sales, as big you can muster.  I might go 25% or more the entire month of January as 2024 is shaping up to be lots of hard sell.

[ittybitnot · Accepted solution]

Any advice would be appreciated.

@vmliferesources 

Before you go lowering your prices, I would suggest something else first.  Since you use the best offer feature, the preferences eBay placed on your account just might be affecting your sales in a negative fashion.  Buyers that make offers to you now are limited in the ways that they can pay, and combining items/invoicing for a combined shipping price for multiple items is eliminated. They are autobilled at full price for each offer you accept.   Though ebay says this is to take care of non-payers, if you have enough experience in dealing with buyers that don't pay, you may wish to turn these off so you don't discourage buyers that actually do pay and just don't want to participate in this new disadvantageous eBay program.  For instance, as a buyer I might want to make offers on four of your dolls.  I won't because of your preferences that you likely don't know exist.  I have no incentive to buy multiple items from you. 

Check yours here: 

https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/buyerrequirements

Buyer Payment Requirements

*Require buyers to provide a payment method before they place a bid.

*Require buyers to provide a payment method before they make an offer.

Click submit.

Good luck.   

[12345jamesstamps]

I wouldn't. Buyers are rather busy doing other things and will get back to buying.

I am one of those who don't care about sales since I am busy with the holidays.

Like anything purchased today(late Friday)...will not be mailed until Tuesday...so I don't expect any sales.

Same thing with New Year's. I am like making plans for Christmas Day and nothing else right now.

[vmliferesources]

Thank you for replying and good advice but I don't have a store, best, Wendy

[mightymouse]

No sales as the Week after Christmas is one of my better weeks. People tend to start buying for themself. Business will hold steady that week till about the 1st of April for me.

[vmliferesources]

Well, I'll be darn! I had no idea! I wouldn't put my payment info in ebay just to make an offer. Thank you so much for informing me of this!

Best,

Wendy

[4pawsup*]

I sell coins and have seen no drop off in sales. If anything sales have increased in the last month. As for after Christmas i will have to come back and let you know. Merry Christmas to all.

[gamersbaystore]

January thru March have always been the busiest months of the year for me, mainly due to people getting their tax refunds. I've always done more sales in those months than I've ever done during the actual Christmas season, or any other time of the year.

[reallynicestamps]

My experience with collectibles is that the collector gives himself a monthly allowance for his hobby

In November he uses that for his gift giving.

So December is  a terrible month for selling collectibles. (We used to schedule inventory then, since we wouldn't be bothered by customers coming into the shop.)

But come Boxing Day , the collecting urge had been building for a month and the collectors flood in.

My experience is that Boxing Day to April are my busy season.

Now.

I used "he" there on purpose.

It's been my observation that women are better able to budget for holiday giving than the men who make up most of philately.

Right now my "feminine" accounts (sewing patterns) are just starting to sell again.  It might be that after working for others since Thanksgiving in October, the seamstresses are thinking they would like a new outfit.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

You have been given a lot of good advice, even the advice which seems to conflict with others.

What you sell and who buys it governs which applies to you and your listings.

My experience shows that be buyers who buy from me are similar to @reallynicestamps  buyers. I am coming off what is always the worst months of the year.

I ran sales on some items which are not core to my product offerings, and made some sales of types of items that I deem obsolete, barely saleable, and not worth much effort. I still met my profit goals on them so all is good. If I had to do any work to list them now, or needed the listings for other items, I would have closed the listings and sent the items to in person auction.

Since none of the items you sell are items I would consider listing, I cannot offer any specific advice on your inventory.

[mr_lincoln]

@vmliferesources 

My sales have experienced a slow steady decline for almost 2 years running (coincides with the full launch of PLA, Views counting in early 2022 and eBay inflating PLS Ad Rates to unreasonable levels) ... so I don't expect anything different after the Holidays ...