So I promised back when we first signed up for Bonanzle on September 30th, 2008 that I would let you know when we had a sale. A random PayPal payment came through today and after much trying to figure out what site it was from, we looked on Bonazle and, lo and behold, we had made our very first Bonanzle sale!
Instead of emailing you when you make a sale, Bonanzle emails you when you get an offer and then the sale comes as a surprise when the offer is accepted which is kind of fun but really confused the heck out of us this morning.
Luckily the item that sold is one that we have a lot of inventory of and sell all the time so we can make all sorts of direct comparisons now.
How did the fees compare? Well we have the exact same item with the exact same terms listed on eBay so we saved 56 cents by selling it on Bonanzle which is cool (eBay fees were $1.56, Bonanzle $1). We don’t pay a fee when we sell this item on Amazon so I cannot make a comparison there. The only thing that is really weird is the Bonanzle BETA eBay fee comparison calculator told me we saved $34.38 in eBay fees which is obviously a bit more than 56 cents so I thought I had sold way more than I really did and got all excited and then got a little sad when I realized it was just totally wrong. So, yeah, I guess that’s why it’s in Beta. 🙂 But still, while 56 cents is no $34.38, it is a good chunk of change and I could see savings like that really adding up in the long run if you did a high volume. (Overall: For higher priced items, Bonanzle is usually the cheaper deal though some under $5 items are cheaper on eBay so you have to look.)
What does this mean in the long run? From Sept 30th to Jan 13, we only made one sale on Bonanzle. But within that same exact time period of that exact same item with the exact same terms (free shipping, same price) on eBay we sold 12 and on Amazon we sold 3.
So, while Bonanzle did save us 56 cents, we sold more on both eBay and Amazon (though not much more on Amazon, you slacker). This item is 5 year old inventory so we don’t expect sales to be on fire, but the more we move, the better.
What does this mean? Not much. We are going to try to duplicate some of our eBay inventory over to Bonanzle to see if we can move some of it but, so far, things are moving faster and in greater quantity on eBay so that is going to stay the focus. Not to sound like a broken record but, in the end, while I appreciate the lower fees, I appreciate sales more and we have to focus on the platform moving the stuff. But finally moving something, even if its only one item, does give me a little more hope for the platform.
That said, it’s nice to finally sell something through Bonanzle and to get to try the after sale experience so we are going to continue to play with it and list duplicate inventory there when we can.
Have sales picked up for you other Bonanzle sellers or are you still in a drought like we were?
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This is a test…Wow you have an rss feed for those who leave a comment…Now That’s Incredible…I”ll have to look into that…Be Well Martin
martin’s last blog post..The Lone Rangers Gun, Plus The Pistol I’d Have If I Were a Vaquero…
This is a test…Wow you have an rss feed for those who leave a comment…Now That’s Incredible…I”ll have to look into that…Be Well Martin
martin’s last blog post..The Lone Rangers Gun, Plus The Pistol I’d Have If I Were a Vaquero…
I actually have a post coming about that at some point this week. I try to spread my posts out so they are not all on the same day but, yeah, I wanted to share the love with my commentators! 🙂
I actually have a post coming about that at some point this week. I try to spread my posts out so they are not all on the same day but, yeah, I wanted to share the love with my commentators! 🙂
I recently closed my eBay store last week and opened a Bonanzle booth and had a sale within one day of opening.
As more people become familiar with Bonanzle I believe that the site will pick up traffic.
As an experiment I have a few items listed on Ebay, as BINs, even though I no longer maintain a store presence on the site.
Cindi ~ Moomettesgram’s latest blog post..Bonanzle ~ WAHM Ventures Into New Online Marketplace ~
I recently closed my eBay store last week and opened a Bonanzle booth and had a sale within one day of opening.
As more people become familiar with Bonanzle I believe that the site will pick up traffic.
As an experiment I have a few items listed on Ebay, as BINs, even though I no longer maintain a store presence on the site.
Cindi ~ Moomettesgram’s latest blog post..Bonanzle ~ WAHM Ventures Into New Online Marketplace ~
I've started a booth on Bonanzle and have been wondering about how others sales are going. Nobody I talk to has ever heard of Bonanzle. I haven't had a single bite from anybody interested in my stuff. I'm going to stay on Bonanzle but I'm also going to work on Ebay, and Big Daddy. I don't know much about Big Daddy's fee's yet, but if it means more sales and better exposure then thats what I will go with. Do you have an opinion about Big Daddy any experience with that web site?
To be honest, I've never even heard of Big Daddy. I can try to look into it for you though!
Maybe the difference between the .56 and the $34 is that during this entire time you have been paying listing fees at eBay, where on Bonanzle, isn't it listed free until sold? When I take that into consideration between my items on eBay and amazon, that's what I run into. Amazon may charge us a little more per sale, but I don't pay any fees to them UNTIL sold. eBay fees are really adding up these days, especially if it is an item that doesn't move quickly. Just a thought…
I agree that I think that is their logic. But considering that same time frame I was selling hundreds and hundreds of items on eBay for my store fee and only 1 item on Bonanzle, I have to find some fault with their logic in including the store fees in the calculators for a single item.
Bonanzle blows. It's like setting up in a lonely hallway, waaay at the back of the flea market that is Online Sales and hoping some lost soul comes by who is actually looking for what you sell. eBay has traffic. So does Amazon.
On a side note, I love how Bonanzlers can't bring themselves to even SAY “eBay”. Funny and sad at the same time. Back to the post:
Sure people are friendly on Bonanzle (the ones that don't take your vowels away), but that doesn't put food on the table or pay rent. When I want to meet with friends, I STOP working and go someplace different and socialize. That's how the real world works. If I sat around my job and socialized all day, I'd get fired.
I work to make money, NOT make friends. Bonanzle is totally backwards on this. The window lickers continue to praise Bonanzle but there is no way that Bonanzle is their main source of income. No way on this great big blue ball we live on.
Just my two cents. Which is about how much you'll make on Bonanzle.
SAY… while I'm here. Have you had a SECOND sale on Bonanzle now that it's 2010??
Just curious.
I have not, sadly. I had a near, almost sale where the person emailed me to say that he wanted to buy from me on Bonanzle but kept getting an error. We went back and forth for a long time trying to fix the issue and he finally just bought the item from me on eBay. So still only a single sale on Bonanzle in all this time.
I have a few items up in my Bonanzle store still but I must confess, I've pretty much given it up as a ghost town. But I'm leaving some items up in case buyers find it in the future.
Sorry to hear that. My efforts on Bonanzle were actually worse; not a single sale to show for all my efforts. And when I complained on the boards, they first Took My Vowels, then deleted my posts, then cancelled my account. Real friendly, those Bonanzle folks…
I am on Etsy now selling my magic wands of dubious origin in my Second Hand Sorcery shoppe. Sales there are also slow but at least there are occasional sales. eBay fees eat me alive so I mainly sell locally.
Thanks for the reply and good luck in your endeavors.
Rob
Sorry to hear that. My efforts on Bonanzle were actually worse; not a single sale to show for all my efforts. And when I complained on the boards, they first Took My Vowels, then deleted my posts, then cancelled my account. Real friendly, those Bonanzle folks…rn I am on Etsy now selling my magic wands of dubious origin in my Second Hand Sorcery shoppe. Sales there are also slow but at least there are occasional sales. eBay fees eat me alive so I mainly sell locally.rnrnThanks for the reply and good luck in your endeavors.rnRob