Is Anybody Selling Stuff On Ebay From Thailand - Pros And Cons?

[expatsupreme]

I want to start selling stuff on ebay, thai stuff, vases, paintings, cups, statues

is ebay the way to go?

what if costumer claims back the payment and not send me back the item?

do people actually purchase stuff if they dont live in Thailand?

and what about the law, is that classified as working in Thailand? can i get panalized?

[notmyself]

Grey area.

[TeeKay]

Chances are eBay sales from Thailand are not common, if at all, because of logistical cost, delivery times etc. I've seen Thai made products similar to what you have an interest in selling in the US and Canada. Chances are these items were imported by the container load making it profitable by sheer volume alone. Then again there's no great risk in trying to make a go of it on eBay. Good luck

[CharlieH]

Listing fee's, Commission on sale, paypal fee's, hammered on exchange rate, postage risk of breakage (vases etc), claims it never arrived, or charge-back because it takes awhile for International Post. The list goes on and on.

The main aspect I think is the fee's everywhere eating into your sale price, add all the fee's and expenses on top of a reasonable profit and it isnt really as easy as it would seem.

You would need a really healthy profit margin to make it pay.

Remember they charge-back, you lose the item and the postage and all associated fee's, they lose nothing.

Edited September 1, 2012 by CharlieH

[Soutpeel]

"and what about the law, is that classified as working in Thailand? can i get panalized?"

You are purchasing product in Thailand and selling on-line from Thailand...you need a WP as in effect you are running an export business

So yes its classified as working...not a grey area at all

[pigeonjake]

the postage would kill it, and to unreliable, if it was that easy everyone would be doing it,

give it a go though dont take our word you might make it

[phuturatica]

Selling on ebay has always had its cons. It doesn't matter where you're selling from. The consumer could say the item did not arrive, item was not as described and all that jazz etc. However I think it has a lot of pros too.

If I was going to sell on Ebay, I would just leave my location set to the UK (as that's where I'm from originally)

Airmail in Thailand normally takes about a week to another country so just make sure you tell them that.

[thenervoussurgeon]

Why is it that nobody believes my wife when she tries to sell he r genuine mullberry handbags on e bay ,from here in Thailand?

[CWMcMurray]

I would guess that this is no longer as popular as it was I'm the past

When I first got to Thailand about 8 years ago, I knew lots of people doing the eBay thing... But now none of them are doing it any more

Reasons....

Fx rate... Lost 25% of margins just due to this factor, which in may cases eliminated all of their profit... Then adding in increased cost via PayPal and increased cost in local prices...

Bottom line , it no longer works for them, as they can no longer

Ale money at it

[LucidLucifer]

A friend of mine in Thailand has been selling things through his own website and ebay for over 10 years now. He makes enough to live on (he's not a big spender) but he is far from getting rich. Personally, I couldn't live on what he makes, but it would make a nice supplementary income.

His items are high value items that he gets made for between 1500-3000 thb, and then sells for $250-450 US. Business is very hit and miss, and some months he cashes in, and other months makes virtually nothing.

A Ukrainian friend of his also started doing this (although different products) and has now moved on to large scale exports to the Ukraine and other countries. He has made loads of money, and when I say that, I mean he is loaded even by western standards.

It can be done, but with the cost of postage, high value items are the way to go if sending to Europe and N.America.

[evadgib]

If I was going to sell on Ebay, I would just leave my location set to the UK (as that's where I'm from originally)

Ebay & Paypal don't seem to have embraced the 21st century to that extent yet. Try explaining "I'm from UK but live in Thailand" to them & you'll see what I mean. They also insist on VAT when your geographic location renders you exempt & they'll ask for info that in my opinion leaves users wide open to fraud. I rendered my passport & other documents prior to submitting to one such request. They didn't like it. I found them decidedly mickey mouse & closed both accounts.

There are some useful 'anti ebay/paypa'l blogs online for those that need them.

Edited September 1, 2012 by evadgib

[farang000999]

You need to make a large order in Thailand and then export it into your home country and then mail it locally from there. Otherwise you will be swamped in shipping fees. The fees charged on Amazon and Ebay have gotten crazy since when I first started selling as a teenager 11 years ago.

Otherwise to sell from Thailand you are going to need a very high margin to make up for shipping.

Amazon dot com has a system where they will store your product in their warehouse and ship it for you.

in closing, you probably should look into teaching english

Edited September 1, 2012 by farang000999

[damo]

Postage EX Thailand is expensive, without tracking and insurance you leave yourself open to being screwed so your cost base is steep to start off with unless your selling something physically small or big ticket. Then you have to either be unique which will last for 1 day or compete with others and race to the bottom. I love buying from e-bay but only sell on e-bay to get rid of things.

Maybe look at operating your own w/s retailing, develop a customer base and aim for return sales.

Edited September 1, 2012 by damo

[jacktrip]

the quality of products here and shipping cost will prevent much profit being made.

definitely need a permit if your shipping products out, easy to trace.

Edited September 1, 2012 by jacktrip

[expatsupreme]

so I will not do it.

the best way is to just buy a container and because I live in Eu I can ship it around that way

dhl for 25 kilos is 6000 bht, that is cheap, am I correct?

[expatsupreme]

Why is it that nobody believes my wife when she tries to sell he r genuine mullberry handbags on e bay ,from here in Thailand?

what is mullberry bag? omg do you have a picture of that thing?

[arthurwait]

.

Edited September 1, 2012 by arthurwait

[arthurwait]

Selling whimsical buys to countries hit with a struggling economy amongst many, many other competitors may not be the best money maker even if you ignore all the costs and legalities involved.

Will you also get stuck with 30% import tax on returns ?

[blossombkk]

so I will not do it.

the best way is to just buy a container and because I live in Eu I can ship it around that way

dhl for 25 kilos is 6000 bht, that is cheap, am I correct?

I don't think you should overlook this option. Selling on ebay gives you exposure to millions of people and this way you can lower your profits per item but still make money. You just have to calculate all expenses and profits beforehand. I would give it a try if I were you.

[CharlieH]

so I will not do it.

the best way is to just buy a container and because I live in Eu I can ship it around that way

dhl for 25 kilos is 6000 bht, that is cheap, am I correct?

I don't think you should overlook this option. Selling on ebay gives you exposure to millions of people and this way you can lower your profits per item but still make money. You just have to calculate all expenses and profits beforehand. I would give it a try if I were you.

Just remember when send your 25kg to the UK (as an example), you'll have value of shipment (invoice), plus postage cost x 20% import duty x VAT, then Parcel force will charge you an additional 18 quid for "processing" it.

Also depends what the items are, are they legal, made from acceptable materials etc and wont be destroyed for inadequate supporting documents. (especially true for anything made of wood) Import etc is a real headache unless you do it BIG and use an agent, which means another hand wants his share.

Edited September 1, 2012 by CharlieH

[breadbin]

Totally incorrect.

Plenty of stuff on eBay UK from Thailand.

Research is your friend!

Chances are eBay sales from Thailand are not common, if at all, because of logistical cost, delivery times etc. I've seen Thai made products similar to what you have an interest in selling in the US and Canada. Chances are these items were imported by the container load making it profitable by sheer volume alone. Then again there's no great risk in trying to make a go of it on eBay. Good luck

[breadbin]

you cannot leave your loacation as UK if in Thai.

There are rules and feedback would give you game away anyway.

Be an honest person, what has Thailand done to you.

Selling on ebay has always had its cons. It doesn't matter where you're selling from. The consumer could say the item did not arrive, item was not as described and all that jazz etc. However I think it has a lot of pros too.

If I was going to sell on Ebay, I would just leave my location set to the UK (as that's where I'm from originally)

Airmail in Thailand normally takes about a week to another country so just make sure you tell them that.

[barefoot1988]

nt sure about fedex, dhl but someone in thai post reported to other authorities when you start to send many parcel within a month. don't ask me how i know, pm me if you want to know more. only take one person to report you and you are officially screwed

[theblether]

I've sold on Ebay as a business seller for 8 years......I still do today.

Ebay and Paypal changed some policies about 3 years ago that slanted too much power to the customer.......I noticed that within a month just about every other transaction was being disputed as the customers cottoned on early that it was often easier for the retailer to give an additional discount rather than fight the case.

( Incidentally, at the time I had a 100% feedback and was turning over £14,000 a month, growing nicely, and earning about £4000 a month. ).

Some of the disputes were ridiculous......I can say with pride that I have never lost a Paypal dispute however!!!......I got to the point that the aggravation level was so high I stopped selling through Ebay, and I now use it as an advert for my shop. I get requests every day to ship items all over the UK but I point blank refuse.

The benefit I get from Ebay now is that local customers ( usually within a 30 mile radius of Glasgow ) come to my shop and buy direct from me. happy days, and it saves the fees.

I happen to know that Ebay have realized that they are penalizing honest sellers far too much and they have announced a series of changes to the policies which I think take effect around now. I haven't paid a lot of attention to it as I will not return to offering a shipping service.

Okay.......that's my experience working in the UK.

Lucidlucifer is correct in what he is saying......follow me here......

Don't be a busy fool.......it takes the same level of effort and aggravation to list and sell, and subsequently ship an item at $1000 as it does $1.00.......and you risk the same negative feedback if things go wrong at $1.00 as they do at $1000. In fact, some of your competitors will buy items from you at a $1.00 just to ruin your reputation by giving you a negative.

Jewelry is the perfect item in your case.......it's small and can be very high value, as well as very high profit margin. I have a friend ( more than one ) that visits Thailand every year and goes on a jewelry buying mission, they stay in Asia for 5 months all told every year and the money they make when they return to their home countries pays their holiday and living expenses for the whole year. That should give you a clue as to how much money can be made.

( Incidentally I have three friends that do this, all females........ and the shortest stay in Asia is 3 months, I say Asia as they move around to skip the visa issues, one English lady, one Dutch, and one from the US ).

The best way to do it in my opinion is to buy the stock, ( enough to satisfy at least two weeks of demand ) and send it back to your family in your home country. As it is ordered in your home country, ( don't complicate things and go for international sales initially ) you can do all the processing work for the sale in Thailand and ask your family to label and post the item for you. Small items, high margin, high sale value, that's the way to go otherwise you'll end up a busy fool.

I know because I've been down the busy fool route,

In fact some folk still think I'm a bit of a fool

They may be right

Hmmmm

[Phronesis]

I was a Ebay powerseller in Australia for over a decade. I had two stores. One sold stuff for blokes and the other stuff for women. I had agreements with designer labels to buy what they called "close out stock". This wasn't seconds, but rather larger orders, that for some reason (i.e. the orderer going broke or not paying their bill) were returned to the factory. I used to purchase job lots from these companies for $10 per item regardless of the item. It was a bit of a lucky dip. Sometime I would get cartons of tee-shirts that had a RRP of $29.95 so hard to make a profit there. But on other occassions I would get boxes of high value items such as jeans or winter jackets with RRPs in the hundreds of dollars. I used to put about a day a week into running both stores and the year I finished trading I made $45kAUD PROFIT. Not bad for a day a week.

For what it is worth here are my tips for success:

1. If possible do not even use Ebay. Learn to build your own website and promote it. As with any small business there are two ways to make money. The first is profit on the things you sell. The second is the capital gain you make if and when you sell your business as a going concern. For many small business they slave away on minimum wages for years but when they finally sell the business they get a lump sum from the sale. You can slave away building the most popular store on ebay...but when you want out you have nothing to sell. The feedback system Ebay uses is also unfair and bias towards the buyer. You can do everything perfectly, and even provide a refund, and then still have some B_STARD leave you with negative feedback. Sellers can no longer leave negative feedback for a buyer.
   
2. When selecting products to sell online make sure you pick items that are post friendly. Also try to select items that appeal to the gen Y customers that are currently shopping online. Here is an example from my own store. A few years ago the skater dude Bam Margera was all the rage with the young skater/emo crowd. I puchased thousands of A4 sized sheets of BAM stickers (each sheet had dozen or so stickers on it) for $1 per sheet. I had a STARTING price at auction for ONE sheet of $9.95. Many of the auctions bid up to over $20 and the record was $42.95. Yes, some kid (and he paid immediately via Paypal) spent $42.95 on a set of stickers.
   
3. Research postage costs very closely to maximise your profits. For example, I sent the BAM sticker sheets in an A4 Australia Post tough bag with a piece of thick cardboard on each side of the sticker sheet to protect it. With Australia post an A4 envelope that is less than 20mm thick can still be sent as a "large letter". By memory the rate back then for a large letter was 95c. But I used to charge $2.95 as a postage and handling fee. The A4 tough bags I purchased in bulk for circa 30c each. So regardless of the final sales price of the stickers I would still make a $1.50 on the postage and handling component. It is a good idea to try to make enough just on your postage and handling to cover the cost of your listing. Back then it was $1 to list. I also used to sell designer name Bikinis. I also packed them flat and sent them as large letters.
   
4. Try to ensure there is continuity from your supplier of the items you wish to sell. For example, I also got my hands on some BAM wallets. These things also sold like hot cakes (for ridiculous bid prices) but once my initial stock sold out, I was unable to get any more. Selling one off high profit items is okay, but there is a lot of additional work created by taking new photos and drafting new listing content. One advantage of being located in Thailand is that this problem is easier to address. For example, you could start by selling items commonly available in Tesco. This would give you two advantages. First you would not need to have any of your capital tied up in stock. You need only buy one item to photograph it for your listings. The second is that you should always have continuity of supply. What is a good product to sell from Tesco you ask? What about the Fitna style weight loss coffees brands. Good offshore market for weight loss products and readily available at Tesco for a fraction of what they cost abroad.
   
5. So, in summary, don't use ebay if you can avoid it. Start your own site. Make sure you establish a Henry Ford conveyor belt approach to your online business. This will maximise the return on your efforts. Sell items that have continuity of supply. Try to buy items that are of similar dimensions (flat items are great) so that you only have to buy a minimum selection of packaging. Buy your packaging in bulk to minimise cost. Get friendly with the staff at your local post office (though if you haven't got a WP then it would be better that your partner does the postage). I often had a bikini in a envelope that was way thicker than 20mm but because the lady at the Post office knew me she would let it go as a large letter instead of a parcel. Sometimes this amounted to a saving of more than $7. Sell items that appeal to the types of people that are shopping online. Stay at home mums and Gen Y kids are two relevant examples. Communicate regularly and clearly with your customers throughout the delivery phase.
   

Good luck and remember to have fun...

Edited September 1, 2012 by Phronesis

[theblether]

Make sure you establish a Henry Ford conveyor belt approach to your online business.

I love that line Phronesis.......too many people try to be all things to all people on ebay and other online shopping portals. Pick the items you believe will sell and run with them.....if they don't sell out quickly enough then reduce them and clear them.

Every single retailer I know, and I'm included in this, makes misjudgements and buying mistakes. The mistake is not in the buying.......the mistake is in not realizing you have made a mistake quickly enough and clearing the stock, even at a loss.

I don't know Phronesis, but I bet he can tell you about some nightmare items that he bought........one of the worst I bought were ornamental elephants. I still had them 3 years later......I couldn't even give them away they looked so stupid.

Anyone that hasn't made a mistake in business hasn't been in business........over to you Phronesis, what was your bad buy that still scars your dreams?

[BookMan]

Lucidlucifer, Phronesis and theBlether all make good points and give good advice.

I have done a fair bit of ebaying myself over the years and I recommend to anyone getting into it to keep things simple, sell products that are easy to post or similar to each other, and direct people to your own website (for repeat customers etc) so you save fees and make a bigger margin. i would also look at wholesaling where you can. My biggest buyers tended to be those who bought one item (books) and then i would offer them another 20 or so at a similar price.

Things have swung dramatically into the buyers favour over the past couple of years. Going back 10-12 years ago it was a goldmine as a seller. Now Paypal and ebay tend to side with the buyer during disputes and while you can fight most, it is a time wasting exercise and on low profit items hardly worth it.

I noticed an ebay email the other day where they are going to rank buyers who give 0-1 day shipping or have free postage and/or offer a 30 day money back guarantee, higher ranking in search results, making it harder for the seller again.

One other thing I have noticed re: ebay. I have met scores and scores of people who have taken to it full time over the years but I haven't met anyone who makes over 50k (aud) a year profit. I'm sure they are out there but I haven't met them.

If i was doing it from Thailand I would definitely be picking non breakable items to sell and id be looking down the avenue of high margin items also, with accompanying trackable postage, that the buyer pays as an additional cost.

When you have a low value item and have to refund because of some reason, if you are refunding postage (or offering free postage, having built in the cost of postage to the item) your profit for the item has gone.

Phronesis mentioned items from tesco and it is not a bad idea, if you can find some to make a good margin on. Certainly not having to outlay monies is a bonus.

[arthurwait]

Lucidlucifer, Phronesis and theBlether all make good points and give good advice.

I have done a fair bit of ebaying myself over the years and I recommend to anyone getting into it to keep things simple, sell products that are easy to post or similar to each other, and direct people to your own website (for repeat customers etc) so you save fees and make a bigger margin. i would also look at wholesaling where you can. My biggest buyers tended to be those who bought one item (books) and then i would offer them another 20 or so at a similar price.

Things have swung dramatically into the buyers favour over the past couple of years. Going back 10-12 years ago it was a goldmine as a seller. Now Paypal and ebay tend to side with the buyer during disputes and while you can fight most, it is a time wasting exercise and on low profit items hardly worth it.

I noticed an ebay email the other day where they are going to rank buyers who give 0-1 day shipping or have free postage and/or offer a 30 day money back guarantee, higher ranking in search results, making it harder for the seller again.

One other thing I have noticed re: ebay. I have met scores and scores of people who have taken to it full time over the years but I haven't met anyone who makes over 50k (aud) a year profit. I'm sure they are out there but I haven't met them.

If i was doing it from Thailand I would definitely be picking non breakable items to sell and id be looking down the avenue of high margin items also, with accompanying trackable postage, that the buyer pays as an additional cost.

When you have a low value item and have to refund because of some reason, if you are refunding postage (or offering free postage, having built in the cost of postage to the item) your profit for the item has gone.

Phronesis mentioned items from tesco and it is not a bad idea, if you can find some to make a good margin on. Certainly not having to outlay monies is a bonus.

Do used cushions sell well ?

[BookMan]

Lucidlucifer, Phronesis and theBlether all make good points and give good advice.

I have done a fair bit of ebaying myself over the years and I recommend to anyone getting into it to keep things simple, sell products that are easy to post or similar to each other, and direct people to your own website (for repeat customers etc) so you save fees and make a bigger margin. i would also look at wholesaling where you can. My biggest buyers tended to be those who bought one item (books) and then i would offer them another 20 or so at a similar price.

Things have swung dramatically into the buyers favour over the past couple of years. Going back 10-12 years ago it was a goldmine as a seller. Now Paypal and ebay tend to side with the buyer during disputes and while you can fight most, it is a time wasting exercise and on low profit items hardly worth it.

I noticed an ebay email the other day where they are going to rank buyers who give 0-1 day shipping or have free postage and/or offer a 30 day money back guarantee, higher ranking in search results, making it harder for the seller again.

One other thing I have noticed re: ebay. I have met scores and scores of people who have taken to it full time over the years but I haven't met anyone who makes over 50k (aud) a year profit. I'm sure they are out there but I haven't met them.

If i was doing it from Thailand I would definitely be picking non breakable items to sell and id be looking down the avenue of high margin items also, with accompanying trackable postage, that the buyer pays as an additional cost.

When you have a low value item and have to refund because of some reason, if you are refunding postage (or offering free postage, having built in the cost of postage to the item) your profit for the item has gone.

Phronesis mentioned items from tesco and it is not a bad idea, if you can find some to make a good margin on. Certainly not having to outlay monies is a bonus.

Do used cushions sell well ?

Those ones sell a treat!

The Japanese did it with used women's undergarments, so I thought I'd give my used cushions a go, spice things up a little. It really has turned into a cushy earner for me.

Edited September 1, 2012 by BookMan

[tebee]

I sell things on ebay and although my business is based in France we ship most items from Thailand as the postage cost is considerably less. My wife does the shipping when I am not in Thailand.

Strangely enough on some occasions we have had to ship part orders from both France and Thailand and usually find that that the Thai part gets there first. We are shipping small light items and use ordinary post without any tracking. Do "lose" about 5% of what we sell but the margins are adjusted to take care of that and the Ebay and Paypal fees .

We also sell directly through specialist forums and are in the process of setting up our own online shop.

All profits are declared in France as the business is registred there, but my wife works elsewhere as well and pay taxes from that.