Thinking of starting an online toy store on eBay. adive and opinions needed.

[Princess-Sparkles]

So for a while now I have wanted to start up a small home business, whether it's home or online based. I at first wanted to start one with animals, but I think there's to much legal stuff for me to consider and could be fairly costly pretty quick.

I have always loved toys and it came to me to start up an online toy store on eBay. I get new toys consitantly because my fiance and I go to the markets every weekend pretty much. I wouldn't be one of those sellers that charge an arm and a leg for an item though I'd always ask for the price that the item is worth.

There's a few things that kind of worry me though:

Profit and loss
There's no point in having an online store if I am going to end up losing out on money. Some things that I think may cause it is petrol going to the markets, how much I am paying for the toys and how much I get back from sales. Postage materials, I'm thinking of buying in bulk if I do try and start it up that way it cuts the costs down a fair bit, I would like to try and not charge customers for the materials. Another couple of things I'm worried with this are eBay fees and Paypal fees. I hear that they can add up pretty quick for listings etc, I think it goes by the amount of days you list the item the more you have to pay? Those are the main costs I'm worried about. did I miss anything?

Non paying customers or dodgy customers
I hear a lot of horrible stories about non paying customers, people who give negative feedback for the most silly things etc. I'm scared that it's going to happen to me. While I can probably deal with non paying people, I don't think I can handle it if someone just gives a negative over something so silly. I will write in all of my descriptions that if there's a problem please contact me and we can work it out.

Not having enough stock
It will be a while before I decide to open up an online store anyway I want to make sure that everything is perfect and set up and I have enough stock to start with, but I think everyone knows that there can be times where finding things is hard.


Lack of experince
I haven't really sold much, but my fiance has sold a lot of things and always recieved postive feedbakc for everything. I'm worried about making mistakes. I will always try and rectify them though, but still I don't wanna make mistakes with anything.

Me not being able to let go of the toys
LOL yep. I get attatched while there is a lot of stuff I want to sell I still have that thought "hmm, maybe I can keep you" Once it's up online I'm fine, it's just getting there lol.

Okay I think that's all, I don't know if I missed anything. What do you guys think? A good idea? Or is it something that could go worng fast or not last long? I've though about this for a while now, I have noticed that on Australia eBay there's not many sellers for ponies or any old toys in general i think a store that sells them for decent prices would be great. Any advice or anything you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

~Princess Sparkles

[kezrob23]

Check out the ato website too, just to make sure it's not considered income. I think earnings under a certain amount can come under the hobby category and centrelink if necessary. Some years ago me and my sis had a small home biz that the ato considered hobby, but cause it had it's own bank account centerstink got wind of it when I applied for the dole, and we seriously had to do profit and loss statements for them. Lmao, they are an absolute joke!! But I hope you get it up and running, it's great fun working for yourself!

[Princess-Sparkles]

Check out the ato website too, just to make sure it's not considered income. I think earnings under a certain amount can come under the hobby category and centrelink if necessary. Some years ago me and my sis had a small home biz that the ato considered hobby, but cause it had it's own bank account centerstink got wind of it when I applied for the dole, and we seriously had to do profit and loss statements for them. Lmao, they are an absolute joke!! But I hope you get it up and running, it's great fun working for yourself!

I'm not with centrelink at all so would that still matter? Yeah I may have to check with the ATO. I don't wanna do anything illegal. I'm going to do some ressearch so I know what I'm getting into etc. I'm hoping this will be worth, I have always wanted to do this.

[Malancaiwen]

I don't know how things goes in the US but I know I'd love it if someone opened up a shop and cetralised some "special" toys, by this I mean things like handmade, good quality stuff.

I think if you list some regular and popular toys it may sell but competition will be pretty strong. If you could, however, centralise all the creators of your region and give them an online shop it might be nice but starting might be harder :s

Good luck though! As working for yourself is very enjoyable

[kezrob23]

Nope, no worries with centrestink if you're not with them

Post Merge: February 15, 2013, 08:22:48 PM

Oh and just to add, there's been many times when I've searched eBay for replacement toys that my kids have broken, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, so I reckon you could be onto a good thing

[Sunshine]

I know a lady who runs a "real" (as in, physical) toy shop devoted to vintage toys. She has amazing stock. Floor to ceiling, always moving stuff, always stuffed to the brim. Prices are a tad high, but she's so nice, she haggles all the time... but honestly, she doesn't make a "living" unfortunately. She's always been, and probably always will be, living day to day paying the rent and paying the bills and buying stock. So I don't know how well it would be for making money soley, but it is a good way to make EXTRA income for sure!

As far as the rest of your concerns, I run a small online eCrater store devoted to MLP... I've had, 2 unpaying buyers so far, and probably... 25 transactions (most transactions end up taking place through Arena or MLPTP, instead of strictly through the website). The worst I can say for that is, you get excited, you package the item, and you're left waiting.

If you're going for eBay, at least you have some backup to help you either... get paid, or be able to deal with nonpayers in some way, other than just, not being able to do anything except try to email a person and ask if they're planning on paying...
I think you learn with time how to be a better business person. You have to make mistakes, and of course, opening any business has the associated principle costs (stocking up on packing materials, the stock itself, paying for bulk fees on eBay or whatever...) - so you usually will start a bit in the red.

You always want to focus on your rate of return. If you're buying stock, always make sure you're only picking things up to make it worth your while. Try to learn "eBay" math, if you will, know what kind of fees you'd expect to list items in the format of your choosing (free listings vs BINs, etc), the cost of materials to ship it, and how much you could get out of it. Think in minimums always. If you can always think in minimum values of products and still be making a profit from the minimum, you should be alright. Of course, we ALL take losses on some items, it's inevitable.

I would say, go for it. Learn as you go, try to be an attentive seller, have good, open communication, and I'm sure in no time, you'd build a nice name for yourself and your store!

[Princess-Sparkles]

Nope, no worries with centrestink if you're not with them

Post Merge: February 15, 2013, 08:22:48 PM

Oh and just to add, there's been many times when I've searched eBay for replacement toys that my kids have broken, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, so I reckon you could be onto a good thing

Thanks heaps, I am really loving this idea.

I don't know how things goes in the US but I know I'd love it if someone opened up a shop and cetralised some "special" toys, by this I mean things like handmade, good quality stuff.

I think if you list some regular and popular toys it may sell but competition will be pretty strong. If you could, however, centralise all the creators of your region and give them an online shop it might be nice but starting might be harder :s

Good luck though! As working for yourself is very enjoyable

Thank you! I think anything I pick will be tough to start with, but it'll be a lot of fun.

I know a lady who runs a "real" (as in, physical) toy shop devoted to vintage toys. She has amazing stock. Floor to ceiling, always moving stuff, always stuffed to the brim. Prices are a tad high, but she's so nice, she haggles all the time... but honestly, she doesn't make a "living" unfortunately. She's always been, and probably always will be, living day to day paying the rent and paying the bills and buying stock. So I don't know how well it would be for making money soley, but it is a good way to make EXTRA income for sure!

As far as the rest of your concerns, I run a small online eCrater store devoted to MLP... I've had, 2 unpaying buyers so far, and probably... 25 transactions (most transactions end up taking place through Arena or MLPTP, instead of strictly through the website). The worst I can say for that is, you get excited, you package the item, and you're left waiting.

If you're going for eBay, at least you have some backup to help you either... get paid, or be able to deal with nonpayers in some way, other than just, not being able to do anything except try to email a person and ask if they're planning on paying...
I think you learn with time how to be a better business person. You have to make mistakes, and of course, opening any business has the associated principle costs (stocking up on packing materials, the stock itself, paying for bulk fees on eBay or whatever...) - so you usually will start a bit in the red.

You always want to focus on your rate of return. If you're buying stock, always make sure you're only picking things up to make it worth your while. Try to learn "eBay" math, if you will, know what kind of fees you'd expect to list items in the format of your choosing (free listings vs BINs, etc), the cost of materials to ship it, and how much you could get out of it. Think in minimums always. If you can always think in minimum values of products and still be making a profit from the minimum, you should be alright. Of course, we ALL take losses on some items, it's inevitable.

I would say, go for it. Learn as you go, try to be an attentive seller, have good, open communication, and I'm sure in no time, you'd build a nice name for yourself and your store!

Yeah I would love to one day own a vintage toy store, but I don't think I could afford it, this will be a hobby for me to get some extra cash and business experience. Your advice is awesome! That's pretty much how I'm going to go about it. I know at first I'll be in the red, but hopefully with sales it'll be get better and easier.

[FantasticFirefly]

  I got a lottery ticket for my birthday, told OH if I won I'd be able to fullfill my retirement dream now. The place we want to live is a bit of a tourist area in the spring and summer. I'd have a nice chunk of land with a house and a vintage toy shop. I doubt I'd make much money but it would be fun seeing people get excited and having people talking toys with me.

As for ebay, I used a fee calculator and realized that I'd be losing money selling some of my things there. I'm not exactly making money here either (my choice!), more clearing out space which I want desperately and recouping money originally spent on some of these ponies. These mostly were things that were originally bought for my collection, so when you seek out things JUST to sell them as sunshine pony said make sure it's worth the hassle. I only bring home items I find that I can sell when I have space, and I can make about 35-50% minimum.

So I didn't lose money
I added up what I spent on shipping supplies:
tape
printer ink
paper
bubblewrap
tissue
bubblemailers
small bags
white tissue
and cleaning supplies:
soap
conditioner

I've gone through a surprising amount!!!! It really adds up, so built it into your prices. Unless you don't clean items, and use strictly free/recycled supplies.

I figured the amount on average I would use on one pony if I were to send her alone. Large items use more packing, and filthy ponies I've ended up with used WAY more cleaning supplies so that skews it a little but oh well.... I added that number to  my breaking even price, then added enough to cover a bit of the fees to come up with my sale price.   As a buyer I don't like seeing a price and then someone telling me after I've agreed to buy that they're charging me additional costs I didn't know about that were unmentioned in the listing.

Maybe practice selling here first. Be clear with your terms. If you're friendly, take clear pictures, package well and send quickly you'll get people asking for sales items even after you've run out. Personally I enjoy the freedom of being able to pass a sale should someone seem crazy. That hasn't happened on the pony forums thankfully. but I got the odd crazy eBay customer I was stuck dealing with, then crossing my fingers they'd be fair with FB. 

[andibgoode]

I think it sounds like a great idea and that you're really thinking it through. Plus you can always give it a go!

I don't know how eBay fees compare to other sites but they could be an option? eBay moves faster of course (I had stuff up on etsy for months and zilch but it's only 20c a listing and then fees when you sell from etsy & paypal) than any other site which is why more people use it.

Anyway, good luck!

[Princess-Sparkles]

I got a lottery ticket for my birthday, told OH if I won I'd be able to fullfill my retirement dream now. The place we want to live is a bit of a tourist area in the spring and summer. I'd have a nice chunk of land with a house and a vintage toy shop. I doubt I'd make much money but it would be fun seeing people get excited and having people talking toys with me.

As for ebay, I used a fee calculator and realized that I'd be losing money selling some of my things there. I'm not exactly making money here either (my choice!), more clearing out space which I want desperately and recouping money originally spent on some of these ponies. These mostly were things that were originally bought for my collection, so when you seek out things JUST to sell them as sunshine pony said make sure it's worth the hassle. I only bring home items I find that I can sell when I have space, and I can make about 35-50% minimum.

So I didn't lose money
I added up what I spent on shipping supplies:
tape
printer ink
paper
bubblewrap
tissue
bubblemailers
small bags
white tissue
and cleaning supplies:
soap
conditioner

I've gone through a surprising amount!!!! It really adds up, so built it into your prices. Unless you don't clean items, and use strictly free/recycled supplies.

I figured the amount on average I would use on one pony if I were to send her alone. Large items use more packing, and filthy ponies I've ended up with used WAY more cleaning supplies so that skews it a little but oh well.... I added that number to  my breaking even price, then added enough to cover a bit of the fees to come up with my sale price.   As a buyer I don't like seeing a price and then someone telling me after I've agreed to buy that they're charging me additional costs I didn't know about that were unmentioned in the listing.

Maybe practice selling here first. Be clear with your terms. If you're friendly, take clear pictures, package well and send quickly you'll get people asking for sales items even after you've run out. Personally I enjoy the freedom of being able to pass a sale should someone seem crazy. That hasn't happened on the pony forums thankfully. but I got the odd crazy eBay customer I was stuck dealing with, then crossing my fingers they'd be fair with FB. 

Thank you do much for your advice this is pure awesome. I've written everything you've listed down and I'm going to try and work out the costs. I won't be selling ponies and toys that are filthy I will be cleaning all of them and storing them properly. I'm going to get a decent light box to take nice photos so it's honna be a while before I start selling.

My main aim is to get a good reputation for selling decent priced vintage toys and some recent toys, but there's no point if I lose money or break even I'd like to make some profit. I'm going to try on here first I think that might be best.

[andibgoode]

Have you thought about making your own light box? I've seen super professional level looking photos shot in DIY light boxes before. I keep meaning to make my own but have been too lazy.

[Princess-Sparkles]

I think it sounds like a great idea and that you're really thinking it through. Plus you can always give it a go!

I don't know how eBay fees compare to other sites but they could be an option? eBay moves faster of course (I had stuff up on etsy for months and zilch but it's only 20c a listing and then fees when you sell from etsy & paypal) than any other site which is why more people use it.

Anyway, good luck!

Thank you. ^_^

I have tried but failed miserably lol. I have on in watching that has an inbuilt light and everything.

[andibgoode]

You're welcome! Haha that's fair enough. I've never been great at DIY bits either

[FantasticFirefly]

I'm glad I helped. When I was in the city I didn't think much of adding in any of those costs. I'm VERY rural so now I have to plan all trips and get everything at once. If I forget something, it's at least a month before I can get it. Before I did a big sell last time I stocked up and had over $60 in cleaning and packaging supplies from one store. Then it hit me how much this stuff costs, vs. buying a pack of tape for one trip,  bottle of conditioner here, a pack of magic erasers there.

Well, my pictures arn't perfect. Very "poor mans" photo studio. If you click on my sales link you can see. But I used a dish tub turned to it's side, with the pony standing inside. I take my pictures in indirect natural light so there's no lights/camera flash/sun shining on the pony and hiding any flaws. As a buyer I like seeing any flaws or yellowing. then, strange as it sounds I often pay more vs. assuming the worst because I can't tell from the photographs.

Oh, if you wash items. leave them on an open shelf to dry. It might be overkill but anything washed waits a month before being stored (my collection is packed) or sold. I've bought ponies people washed, but had water trapped inside. The result is a steaming pony who's sopping wet and reeks of mildew. One lady washed them almost two weeks prior so she had no idea.

[Princess-Sparkles]

I'm glad I helped. When I was in the city I didn't think much of adding in any of those costs. I'm VERY rural so now I have to plan all trips and get everything at once. If I forget something, it's at least a month before I can get it. Before I did a big sell last time I stocked up and had over $60 in cleaning and packaging supplies from one store. Then it hit me how much this stuff costs, vs. buying a pack of tape for one trip,  bottle of conditioner here, a pack of magic erasers there.

Well, my pictures arn't perfect. Very "poor mans" photo studio. If you click on my sales link you can see. But I used a dish tub turned to it's side, with the pony standing inside. I take my pictures in indirect natural light so there's no lights/camera flash/sun shining on the pony and hiding any flaws. As a buyer I like seeing any flaws or yellowing. then, strange as it sounds I often pay more vs. assuming the worst because I can't tell from the photographs.

Oh, if you wash items. leave them on an open shelf to dry. It might be overkill but anything washed waits a month before being stored (my collection is packed) or sold. I've bought ponies people washed, but had water trapped inside. The result is a steaming pony who's sopping wet and reeks of mildew. One lady washed them almost two weeks prior so she had no idea.

Your photos are seriously awesome. I thought you used a light box. I'll starting washing them now up had no idea about that. I'll try and find adequate shelving for them.

Any advice in packing items. You're very knowledgeable