As i'm writing this i currently have 166 45s on ebay with only 21 having bids on them, this is not unusual as many people bid at the last minute. The thing that scares me is as i look down the columns all i see is zero's & one's in the watch columns. Now i'm not arrogant enough to think i have the best 45s on ebay but i do have a good cross section of 60s & 70s soul, funk, modern & northern and i would normally sell about half to two thirds of daily sales on the basis that the vast majority are £7.99 start and represent reasonable value. Last night i had 33 45s on and 4 sold! and they only made the start price! It was a similar thing the previous 2 or 3 nights with only a couple of sales. Are there any other ebay sellers on here experiencing the same thing?

   The strange thing is that i sold a load of heavy rock, prog and metal LPs recently and the interest was huge, everything sold and all items had tons of interest and loads of watchers! It's as if someone has switched off the "Soul" light. I take a lot of time hand picking my items and making sure they all have soundclips but i feel i'm doing this to simply lose money. Is it simply the case that there are so many soul 45s out there and not enough buyers or do all the collectors have what they want?

   I have been a buyer/seller/collector of soul music for over 30 years and have noticed a slow decline over the last few years but have never known it this bad! Any thoughts?

 

Vince

Vince - you ain't alone my Ebay takings are down around 33 % on this time last year .

Hit rate on all genres was a consistent 66 / 75 % of auction items.

Even spending time doing soundclips is a complete waste of effort and time with regard to 45's ( Unless IMO they are relatively unknown. )

I use my monthly allowance of ' free' listings as a store owner on subscription 200 , but now wait for the free offers we sometimes get to relist unsolds. Ebay has took a hit with the password scandal and changes to DSR dashboard forthcoming - confidence amongst buyers , and sellers is on a downward spiral . Might be worth checking other avenues I regular use Facebook groups to push product.

Music Stack and Discogs two alternatives - they don't gain the same hits but are more of a drip feed . Just my thoughts .

Some of it may be down to exposure, or lack of.

 

This applies to items listed on the UK site, but if you pay the extra fee for international listings, you may get more hits than if you just go for the basic listing, which is not visible though anything but ".co.uk" (international buyers can search for an item worldwide, but once they get to your listing through ".com" and hit "more from this seller" or whatever it's called these days, they won't find anything.

 I'm glad it's not just me then! Several friends have suggested these forums, i'm just not really sure how to get started and "Facetwatter" is a complete anathama to me!

Some of it may be down to exposure, or lack of.

 

This applies to items listed on the UK site, but if you pay the extra fee for international listings, you may get more hits than if you just go for the basic listing, which is not visible though anything but ".co.uk" (international buyers can search for an item worldwide, but once they get to your listing through ".com" and hit "more from this seller" or whatever it's called these days, they won't find anything.

Cheers Mick, i have done that in the past, infact i used to list on both the UK & The U.S. sites but it's all becoming cost prohibitive, for example each listing is costing me 0.15p which does not sound a lot until you list a few hundred!

Some of it may be down to exposure, or lack of.

 

This applies to items listed on the UK site, but if you pay the extra fee for international listings, you may get more hits than if you just go for the basic listing, which is not visible though anything but ".co.uk" (international buyers can search for an item worldwide, but once they get to your listing through ".com" and hit "more from this seller" or whatever it's called these days, they won't find anything.

Waste of money paying the extra fee for international exposure speaking from regular experience of using this facility - all you have to do is tick the ' worldwide ' box on search facility . Have paid in the past ( some years back ) now but made no difference to exposure, page views or selling prices. Now the fee for this don't justify any piddling little exposure.

Here is my take on it as a buyer.

I have give up on Ebay Uk due to endless lists of boots and reissues and just cannot be bothered to trawl through it all.

I simply buy from ebay Us.

Hope that helps.

Brav

Here is my take on it as a buyer.

I have give up on Ebay Uk due to endless lists of boots and reissues and just cannot be bothered to trawl through it all.

I simply buy from ebay Us.

Hope that helps.

Brav

I can totally understand that, perhaps thats why top rated sellers like myself are losing good buyers like yourself! By the way i only sell originals

It's the beginning of summer proper and the worst time of the year for selling records in my recent experience. Other priorities multiply at this time of the year and less time is spent pouring through listings. Plus e-bay is a pain in the ass and takes too long to list for too little return. I haven't listed anything on there for over a year now.

Ian D

It's the beginning of summer proper and the worst time of the year for selling records in my recent experience. Other priorities multiply at this time of the year and less time is spent pouring through listings. Plus e-bay is a pain in the ass and takes too long to list for too little return. I haven't listed anything on there for over a year now.

Ian D

SO WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU IAN

KEV

Many I know are not bothering with ebay, not like they used to.  Whereas many religiously studied it, they now look now and again.  Having to sift through all the dross, boots and pressing s etc, the fees, the increase in postage especially the US, custom fees, all contributing to buyers looking elsewhere. I rarely look these days.  Many sellers seem to have moved to Discogs.

Waste of money paying the extra fee for international exposure speaking from regular experience of using this facility - all you have to do is tick the ' worldwide ' box on search facility . Have paid in the past ( some years back ) now but made no difference to exposure, page views or selling prices. Now the fee for this don't justify any piddling little exposure.

 

Agreed, it's just too expensive to upgrade. In my case the basic fee would be 35p a listing if I chose to go past 20 a month, so pay more for international exposure is not anything I would consider.

Yes, you can search from anywhere for anything, but once someone gets to one of your items, it's the difference between this ...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201102890513

... and this ...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/201102890513

Same item, and on the face of it, no difference, but in each case, click "see other items" and the differing results chould speak for themselves. This is what I meant by lack of exposure.

 

Cheers

Mick

It's not all doom and gloom - I've not got a problem selling on eBay - auction or 'buy it now'

 

Sure, things sell for 99p every now and then and some things have to have lower offers accepted but things pretty much go for what they are worth at that particualr moment! Doesn't bother me personally?

 

Cheers

Steve

Having just looked through US Ebay I see bids on most items that are collectible, and often regardless of condition. I rarely come across decent 45s that have been "missed".

 

No offence Vince but have you considered that some buyers may think starting price too high ? I bet if you started all at 99p it would be a different story.

 

Pretty sure you don't actually sell on here. Don't remember seeing an ad recently.

 

I'd give that a go. No EBay fees or final cut of the selling price.

 

ROD

Many I know are not bothering with ebay, not like they used to.  Whereas many religiously studied it, they now look now and again.  Having to sift through all the dross, boots and pressing s etc, the fees, the increase in postage especially the US, custom fees, all contributing to buyers looking elsewhere. I rarely look these days.  Many sellers seem to have moved to Discogs.

 

I would wholly agree with that Chalky. 

Having just looked through US Ebay I see bids on most items that are collectible, and often regardless of condition. I rarely come across decent 45s that have been "missed".

 

No offence Vince but have you considered that some buyers may think starting price too high ? I bet if you started all at 99p it would be a different story.

 

Pretty sure you don't actually sell on here. Don't remember seeing an ad recently.

 

I'd give that a go. No EBay fees or final cut of the selling price.

 

ROD

Listing at .99p would still cost 0.05p as i'm a business seller and i would also pay the end of listing fee. The point is that there are very few buyers out there regardless of price!

I wish more of you would agree with Chalky cos some f**ker is stopping me getting 45s at a reasonable price never mind bargains.

 

Still in the main cheaper than buying in the UK and under "book" value.

 

Gotta be bargain if less than the book. Er.......

 

ROD

Listing at .99p would still cost 0.05p as i'm a business seller and i would also pay the end of listing fee. The point is that there are very few buyers out there regardless of price!

 

That's just reminded me, as a private seller, do we still get 100 free per month at 99p ?

I get that Vince which is why I suggest selling on here.

 

My experience is mixed.

 

As I said US Ebay items seem to go IMO.

 

Selling generally face to face is nothing like it was but then the reason often given is EBay. Selling on here is pretty good I think but it is rare to get more than one request for a particular record or big response to an auction item.

 

May be everybody wants a bargain ?

 

ROD

Another dimension as a pretty serious soul collector with a large collection, Ebay is full of very average - sh*te records, I've seen a thousand times before. It's like a constant merry go round with the same boring spins popping up time and again - hey a bit like the northern scene ha ha….. I've got most of the ones I want. There is very little of excitement on there these days, excepting when a known collector is putting up some rarities, acetates, or a rare occasion when a genuine hard record is put up by someone. 

Edited June 12, 201410 yr by Steve G

The boots and pressings on ebay is a disgrace and has turned what used to be a collectors site into a big tacky pile of shit; sometimes 20 listings of the same shit bootleg.

The extraordinary glut of boots and re-issues over the last few years has done nothing for music, as is sometimes claimed; no normal people buy them...normal people rip off youtube or download of I tunes, these only sell to shit wannabe djs, who proceed to all play tbe same records, which are also piled up on ebay and pretty soon all the mystique and excitement of great music is lost to all but the enthusiasts who the re-issuing parasites exploited in the first place, and that's that.

some twat paid over £100 the other week for a fake jt parker...words cant describe how shit that whole event is. It's like when you find out that queues form on motorways because people slow down to gawp at accidents : makes you ashamed to be a human.

anyway, regarding the actual subject, i just put up 30 buy-it-nows, must have sold 20 within a week, none less than £20, I was surprised.

t

I don't bother with buying from.e bay but I do a lot of selling.It's a trickle though.I buy most of my soul stuff from here.You can trust most of the seller's and you don't have to wade through tons of rubbish.I'm now finding a few new record shops opening which is surprising and I'm.getting back into fairs for the Psych and beat stuff.I think the shine has rubbed off e bay for sellers...returned items,disputes,fees etc etc.

Well Ive been selling my collection on here & ebay. for the last 15 months

Ive sold ex copies of a record valued at £50-£75 for 4.99 because to be honest the whole scene is saturated.

Yes I would like £20 for a record valued at £75 but even though it suggests a bargain at £20 to most these days they aint even gonna pay £20 unless its an absolute want  and  Im not buying at a cheap rate to punt on for an extra £10 cos its just not working.

Guestimate! Ive sold 20 records in the last 6 months on ebay book valued at maybe a £600 - £700 for less than £150 . That's the reality of it and £150 in my pocket as against nothing but pieces of plastic I no longer want- well as they say Beggars cant be choosy!

Trouble is everyone's a dealer. Because of the recession and people being made redundant for years now, every man and his dog are playing on eBay to try and make some cash. It's not just records either. Any idea you come up with to make money, a thousand other people have had the same thought before you did.

 

As for records on eBay. I am being out bid on nearly everything I want to buy, but these are quality top end tunes. People have realised, if you are going to collect vinyl, it's better to buy one good one rather than ten nearly good ones.

As a buyer, I'm amazed at how John Manship manages to get such high values and I think what sets him apart is the fantastic selling job he does in his description If I had the money, I would snap up almost everything he has to offer. Just go and read his descriptions. Even if you have never heard the track before, he makes you want to own it. He manages to find something unique as a selling point, even if it is obvious to most of us.  Anyway, I'm bound to get shot down now, but just my perspective on it.

 

Kev

Trouble is everyone's a dealer. Because of the recession and people being made redundant for years now, every man and his dog are playing on eBay to try and make some cash. It's not just records either. Any idea you come up with to make money, a thousand other people have had the same thought before you did.

 

As for records on eBay. I am being out bid on nearly everything I want to buy, but these are quality top end tunes. People have realised, if you are going to collect vinyl, it's better to buy one good one rather than ten nearly good ones.

 

Well yes, but there are also a lot of people who only want trophy records and that drives prices up too. While everything else languishes unsold or with one bid.

Even on e-bay USA, there's so much junk that keep getting relisted over and over again. After awhile you don't want to even look because its the

same 45's you saw last year ! In less than a week, over 10,000 Soul 45's have been listed because e-bay is having another free listing special.

And wading through Country and Pop 45's that have no reason to be in the Soul section gets boring quick.

  I think e-bay has just gotten too big!

That's just reminded me, as a private seller, do we still get 100 free per month at 99p ?

No, you get 20 free listings per month starting price what ever you want or buy it now's. Think the final value changed from 9% to 10% though.

Most of the high end stuff is going for more than Manship's price guide on eBay. People are investing in vinyl again, as a commodity. Just like vintage motors, art, antiques etc. that's why they are buying the trophy records and aren't interested in the cheap stuff.

As a buyer, I'm amazed at how John Manship manages to get such high values and I think what sets him apart is the fantastic selling job he does in his description If I had the money, I would snap up almost everything he has to offer. Just go and read his descriptions. Even if you have never heard the track before, he makes you want to own it. He manages to find something unique as a selling point, even if it is obvious to most of us.  Anyway, I'm bound to get shot down now, but just my perspective on it.

 

Kev

 

Ignore the bullshit and just listen to the sound file. Use your taste to decide if it's any good. 

SO WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU IAN

KEV

 

Discogs since 2008 Kev.

 

https://www.discogs.com/seller/Mastercuts

 

Ian D

Delrays inc  Destination unknown   pressing   sold for £245.95  two days ago on e bay , so if you have the ones people want , the demand is still there .

Haven't bothered with ebay uk for records used to always look on US  but for the past year I have probably bid on 2 records,

Just search now and buy from discogs or music stack.

Vince, don't be too disheartened son. Your records are worth owning, even though most of them are common, run-of-the-mill tunes; trouble is, factor in postage costs for a single record purchase and the buyer loses out. Many collectors have these sort of records, probably picking them up early in their gathering habit. The hard-core collectors are looking for high-end, mint condition sounds but these are so scarce, they crop up only infrequently - a few of these in a list gives the commoner sounds more exposure, and crucially, budget conscious multiple buyers will dabble in the minor sounds if the condition is right. As Ian says, the record market slumps in the summer and peaks in the winter so perhaps have a break to stockpile a decent haul of in-demand tunes and nicely-priced 'bargains'.

I agree that it's really hard to shift decent lower value tunes on Ebay nowadays. I hardly bother putting them on Ebay. Last few things I had, not just soul, but also some doowop and reggae, went for peanuts, like 1 Euro or 3/4 euros max. Even though they were worth much much more.

 

On the other hand, I had three 70's tunes for sale on SS, each worth 300+. None of them sold. Even with price reductions. Eventually I put them on Ebay, But-It-Now prices at my initial prices. They all sold in the end.

I think Ian's right with his peaks and troughs theory so I guess the next month whilst the World Cup is on will be bad for UK sellers.  From a more global perspective I also believe that eBay, in their quest to bleed the last penny out of everyone, have made so many changes in the last 12 - 18 months that have turned out to be negative that they have succeded in messing up what was a simple and fairly well balanced system thereby putting many folks off. For example I still buy quite a lot of records from the .com site but now that the Global Shipping Program has become more commonplace a lot of these listings are now overpriced as a record that should cost around $13 to ship is now often >$17 + import fees.

Actually, I should probably qualify things slightly. If you have a massive stock that is none too specifically targeted and you're not in a hurry to sell stuff, then Discogs is probably the right operation for you. I have across the board stuff that covers a lot of areas so I find Discogs perfect for me. No big ticket Northern items but thousands of easily affordable nice copies of great tunes that appeal to a wide section of buyers and that for me is where the market is on Discogs. I've been thinning down my collection for the last 10 years and have a healthy week-to-week tick-over via Discogs.

 

However, I've noticed more and more Northern stuff going on there over the last 12 months especially. There's not much to lose by listing Northern on there at the price you want. It takes circa 30 seconds to list with no upfront fees so why not? I notice even Manship's begun listing on there. On the rare occasions when I actually buy stuff these days, it's almost always through the U.S. listings on Discogs. There's bargains galore for people like me and more and more stock is being loaded on daily. E-bay's been kinda dead for a long time in my view......

 

Ian D

As i'm writing this i currently have 166 45s on ebay with only 21 having bids on them, this is not unusual as many people bid at the last minute. The thing that scares me is as i look down the columns all i see is zero's & one's in the watch columns. Now i'm not arrogant enough to think i have the best 45s on ebay but i do have a good cross section of 60s & 70s soul, funk, modern & northern and i would normally sell about half to two thirds of daily sales on the basis that the vast majority are £7.99 start and represent reasonable value. Last night i had 33 45s on and 4 sold! and they only made the start price! It was a similar thing the previous 2 or 3 nights with only a couple of sales. Are there any other ebay sellers on here experiencing the same thing?

Vince

 

I'm selling well on Ebay, pretty much every record has a bid and some have already gone over "in my mind minimum" - looking at prices for knownies I would say the opposite, prices are way up.  

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Records-/176985/m.html?item=261499783126&ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_ssn=watchguyone&rt=nc

Edited June 12, 201410 yr by Chris L

Discogs just keeps picking up steam, I'd recommend it to anyone looking to buy or sell.   It's definitely easier. 

Most of the high end stuff is going for more than Manship's price guide on eBay. People are investing in vinyl again, as a commodity. Just like vintage motors, art, antiques etc. that's why they are buying the trophy records and aren't interested in the cheap stuff.

Aye, you can tell that a whole different market has developed for the top end 'investment pieces', as the difference between mint price and anything less is growing, matching that of other investment markets like jazz lps, british beat and coins - djs would never have cared about condition so much.

'Soul investors' - a contradiction in terms if ever I saw one!]

As a buyer, I'm amazed at how John Manship manages to get such high values and I think what sets him apart is the fantastic selling job he does in his description If I had the money, I would snap up almost everything he has to offer. Just go and read his descriptions. Even if you have never heard the track before, he makes you want to own it. He manages to find something unique as a selling point, even if it is obvious to most of us.  Anyway, I'm bound to get shot down now, but just my perspective on it.

 

Kev

 

Is everyone so easily led?

Most of the so called top end stuff seems to be going for more than they are generally considered worth.  Who will be left to sell on to especially at the prices paid, not too many IMO as it seems to be DJ's who are buying. Boom and bust comes to mind.

As i'm writing this i currently have 166 45s on ebay with only 21 having bids on them, this is not unusual as many people bid at the last minute. The thing that scares me is as i look down the columns all i see is zero's & one's in the watch columns. Now i'm not arrogant enough to think i have the best 45s on ebay but i do have a good cross section of 60s & 70s soul, funk, modern & northern and i would normally sell about half to two thirds of daily sales on the basis that the vast majority are £7.99 start and represent reasonable value. Last night i had 33 45s on and 4 sold! and they only made the start price! It was a similar thing the previous 2 or 3 nights with only a couple of sales. Are there any other ebay sellers on here experiencing the same thing?

   The strange thing is that i sold a load of heavy rock, prog and metal LPs recently and the interest was huge, everything sold and all items had tons of interest and loads of watchers! It's as if someone has switched off the "Soul" light. I take a lot of time hand picking my items and making sure they all have soundclips but i feel i'm doing this to simply lose money. Is it simply the case that there are so many soul 45s out there and not enough buyers or do all the collectors have what they want?

   I have been a buyer/seller/collector of soul music for over 30 years and have noticed a slow decline over the last few years but have never known it this bad! Any thoughts?

 

Vince

Well there we are, another night of futile sales, i had 34 on last night and sold 6 with a grand total of £54, the records probably owed me £60+, utter waste of time!

Vince - I've stopped selling on ebay for nearly a year now.  I have a permanent stock of between 1500 and 2000 records on Discogs which cost me zero to list, and I pay them 7% when I sell something.  I've sold 989 records on there since last August.  Most is stuff that would never have sold out of a sales box or on ebay.  It shows you how many copies are for sale of each title, and who's selling them.  

Hi Vince.

 

Try them set sale on here. I'm only an occasional buyer. I've bought a dozen or so this year. 11 on here and one on ebay US.

About the only positive with ebay is as a buyer people give you positive feedback. On here sellers are desperate for positive feedback, but only 2 (None this year) have given me any even if I paid immediately 

 

It is easier than ebay to get you record up in the sales section. The only fees are paypal unless you can get the buyer to circumnavigate their charges for you. No selling fees etc etc.

 

Also it is Cleggy this weekend. lots of dealers will be there, and people will be saving their money to buy the records, and have them in their hand. Without waiting on the postal lottery.

 

Hope to see you soon bud.

 

Mike

Edited June 13, 201410 yr by in town Mikey

Hi Vince.

 

Try them set sale on here. I'm only an occasional buyer. I've bought a dozen or so this year. 11 on here and one on ebay US.

About the only positive with ebay is as a buyer people give you positive feedback. On here sellers are desperate for positive feedback, but only 2 (None this year) have given me any even if I paid immediately 

 

It is easier than ebay to get you record up in the sales section. The only fees are paypal unless you can get the buyer to circumnavigate their charges for you. No selling fees etc etc.

 

Also it is Cleggy this weekend. lots of dealers will be there, and people will be saving their money to buy the records, and have them in their hand. Without waiting on the postal lottery.

 

Hope to see you soon bud.

 

Mike

 

Mike I have to be honest - I totally forgot that you can leave buyers feedback - Gods honest truth.

A few years ago I could buy records on ebay US and sell them for a profit on ebay UK. Then I started only selling from my web site to cut out ebay fees as the margins got thinner. Then I stopped buying records that would only sell on for £20 quid or less as I couldn't sell them. Then I stopped actively buying records to sell on.

 

I used to regularly look on ebay UK and pick up records for myself, particularly those in the £10 - £20 price bracket that now cost too much in postage to buy from the states.

 

Unfortunately anything listed at between £5 and £10 pounds now just disappears in amongst all the boots and other crap that are being listed. I can't be bothered to wade through pages of boots to find the odd record that I might want to pick up.

 

These days I only ever bother looking on ebay UK now and again to try and search out a bargain, something that has been started low that is worth a lot more, something that isn't a popular item but I think I might be able to sell on, something that I want for my collection that is hidden in all the sh*t. Unfortunately this takes ages and I only hit on about one record a month, I rarely look at any of the listings below £15 now as that's where the dross generally starts.

 

ebay US is a little bit different (less boots) but good records seem to usually go for good money and when you take into account the postage and customs charges there are not many bargains to be had. Anything rare, known and in good condition normally goes for more than I'm willing to pay. I occasionally pick up a good bargain to sell on but these are usually hidden in the wrong sections and I'm only alerted to them because the seller has listed a record that I have a search set up for. Most US sellers now start records at too high a price to be worth buying anyway, in the hope that someone with too much money just decides to buy them anyway.

 

The majority of the records I've bought to keep over the last few months have been on here or the rare soul sales group on facebook, the majority of records I've bought and sold have been from eBay. The latter fund the former.

 

So for me eBay UK is a chore that I only look at now and again, occasionally picking up stuff to sell on; ebay US is a source of good records but I don't buy many these days as they go for too much or the condition is too poor, to keep or to sell on.

 

Lastly, I've found that trying to find a buyer in 7 days for records that are not really in demand is just a recipe for losing money. I list stuff on my web site to sell and some things stay there for months. Anything that I think is going to sell quickly I will list on here before putting it on my web site, ebay is a last resort for me.

 

Just my tuppence worth.

And of course there's the fact that Ebay have consistently sh*t on their customers for years but constantly raising their percentages, making it difficult for sellers who get stuck with dishonest buyers, taking away the right to leave anything but positive feedback.  Who'd want to sell on there?

Mike I have to be honest - I totally forgot that you can leave buyers feedback - Gods honest truth.

 

It wasnt a dig Pete it was a bit tongue in cheek. The added advantage of buying on here is pretty much someone knows the seller. So IMO sellers are morelikely to be genuine and the descriptions more accurate.

 

It doesnt look like the feedback box exists any more anyway.

It wasnt a dig Pete it was a bit tongue in cheek. The added advantage of buying on here is pretty much someone knows the seller. So IMO sellers are morelikely to be genuine and the descriptions more accurate.

 

It doesnt look like the feedback box exists any more anyway.

 

"ADD FEEDBACK" facility shows in Sales Forums and PMs.

 

I always leave fb on payment. Often I don't get a message to say received never mind fb.

 

ROD

Hi Vince.

 

Try them set sale on here. I'm only an occasional buyer. I've bought a dozen or so this year. 11 on here and one on ebay US.

About the only positive with ebay is as a buyer people give you positive feedback. On here sellers are desperate for positive feedback, but only 2 (None this year) have given me any even if I paid immediately 

 

It is easier than ebay to get you record up in the sales section. The only fees are paypal unless you can get the buyer to circumnavigate their charges for you. No selling fees etc etc.

 

Also it is Cleggy this weekend. lots of dealers will be there, and people will be saving their money to buy the records, and have them in their hand. Without waiting on the postal lottery.

 

Hope to see you soon bud.

 

Mike

I know what you mean about FB Mike. I have loads of outstanding from ebay sellers and I rarely get any on SS purchases. I know I'll probs regret this, but I don't buy any more from the buyers who don't leave FB