New to serious selling, few viewers :(

[VickityBoo]

As it says really. I've recently started to seriously sell bits on eBay, all the same type of thing really - children's and babies bits and homeware.

Not importing or getting from suppliers yet, still on the 'sell what you have' stage.

The first week went well, lots of page views, lots of watchers etc. The second week however the most I had on page views was 4. RUBBISH!

The titles were good in my opinion, I used a pretty template and they had good photos.

I did try out Auctiva (think that's what it's called) the 2nd week, would that somehow cause views to drop? I didn't like it anyway so won't use it again.

Was the second week half term, that makes a difference IME?

Half term definitely. Baby / children 's stuff never shifts during school holidays.

It's been very quiet this past week. Very.

Oooooh...you are all fabulous! It makes me feel so so much happier. Okay great, thank you. I know it's half term from my own situation but hadn't connected the two.

Are summer holidays typically quieter too?

It all depends on what you are selling and how.
Are your items auction or BIN ?
I find auctions are usually slower in holiday times but BIN stays steadier all year round.

I wouldn't rule out Auctiva just yet - I find it can increase sales through showing your other items on the scroll. Many sellers pick up extra sales / interest because of it but you need to give it some time.

A week isn't really long enough to accurately gauge how successful your listings are. Stick with it and have a bit more patience - we all get quiet weeks now and again.

Agree with using Buy It Now. If you price things realistically people like me often won't have the patience for the auction to end and will pay a few quid extra to guarantee having it.

In my experience, July and August are quieter, also if there is good weather it goes quieter. I also buy stuff from eBay and just see fewer listings then too. Then in September it explodes again.

My plan, FWIW, is to try to sell as much as possible over the next month, then take a 2-month break, maybe prepare my listings offline during the break, then start again in September.

Thank you. I don't use BIN because it adds to the eBay costs. Trying to keep them low at the moment as the items are often only low cost, especially baby clothing and accessories.

Okay I am patient but I'd been curious as to what could be happening. I'll try Auctiva a few more times although I find it takes longer to list - could just be me not being used to it.

In my experience of buying and selling, including lots of baby stuff, BIN is worthwhile. Might be worth doing small bundles to make the most of the new postage rates - £2.20 for up to 750g. Makes postage for a single baby garment v costly, but v good for a bundle. Include one or two really desirable things in bundle and do tops and bottoms separately.

if you squash baby clothes flat you can often get away with large letter rate needs to be thinner than 25mm in roughly A4 size envelopegood for t shirts leggings,vests etc

Thank you Sarah I found that out today - folded a thin cardigan into a grey postage bag and surprised at how flat it was.

I didn't realise 25mm was the height I just usually use a mock letterbox type of thing at the post office to check size. I'm learning.

Thank you again for the advice. I used Auctiva again to list some things yesterday and have indeed noticed that my views have tripled against what they were last week, and that's just in a day so something must be right.

I search for completed items, then see how the ones that went for a lot of money were advertised :)

Yes, much busier this week!

With Auctiva, I managed to set up a few profiles to use which does speed things up. I just seem to spend lots of time writing the details up. Maybe I'm too generous with information?

I am using the free trial. I don't think I'll be selling enough to justify paying for it every month to be honest. At first I didn't like but now I think I'll miss it!

Listed another 5 items this afternoon. Getting there. Still not masses of viewers but I'm happier now I have some positive feedback things look better to buyers.