Can Power Sellers on eBay Really Make a Profit?

[BlessedWifeMommy]

Did you ask how then you could order out of the catalog?

No, but I'm feeling a follow up question...

 

[pc_jessica]

No, but I'm feeling a follow up question...

you should ask then how you are to order if there is no consultant info to order with??? just play innocent

 

[BlessedWifeMommy]

Here is what I wrote back...Then if I bid on the auction, how am I going to order out the the catalog?

 

[aslion]

I still can't believe that anyone would pay that much for a catalog that we freely give to customers not to mention that you can see the whole catalog online for FREE!

 

[BlessedWifeMommy]

I still can't believe that anyone would pay that much for a catalog that we freely give to customers not to mention that you can see the whole catalog online for FREE!

I know, I wish there was some way to turn them in. UGH!!!

 

[pc_jessica]

ooooo good question! any response back yet?!?! i wonder if this seller is getting suspitious (spelling?) of you lol

 

[Judybabe]

well, I'm gonna add my two cents for whatever it's worth. I sell or I should say have sold quite a bit on ebay. mostly old dress patterns, antiques and bridal gowns from my store that is now closed. Even though we were not supposed to, bridal shops all over the usa sell gowns on ebay. how else to get rid of overstock, dead stock or make a quick buck. Most dresses do not get sold at a profit. Knowing what we paid for them... no profit. just a write off.

Other products like pampered chef is the same. I see alot of pampered chef on ebay, usually between 2500-2800 sales auctions at one time. some, they are making money, getting retail price. some more and some less. I guess for them it must average out.

If they can sell it and come out ahead at the end of the month look at the commission checks they receive. Incentive trips, tax write offs etc. They are pretty smart.

you have to remember that people are a part of Pampered Chef to make money. Plain and Simple there is no sin in profit. Nobody is going to hold them up at the pearly gates and say, hey you broke the rules on that chopper you sold on ebay 40 years ago.

My opinion is this, and it is only my opinion. HO does little because 1)it's a huge problem. 2)they are making money with the sales too. they have top sales people doing it and they don't want to risk offending them.

yes it's in the rules, but it's only paper. I got hugely upset with a lady a week or so ago promising Carol's file to customer's who purchased the dcb. This was on Facebook.

I truly believe, coming from my angle as a wedding gown owner that PC can do nothing to these internet sellers. Once the product is sold legitimately, they control nothing more. Same thing with my gowns. I bought them and paid for them. How I dispose of my inventory is my business. They can threaten me with cutting me off, but in over 12 years. Never happened to me or any store I ever heard about. There are websites just like this for bridal gown store owners and they complain just the same.

I took the advise of some sage advisors on this site and got over it and am focusing my energy on other directions. has it come up to me at a show that an item can be purchased on ebay? Once, so far. All I said was there are pros and cons with purchases no matter where you make them. Wal-mart versus the grocery store. Same product. you just gotta check all the angles and add it up.

I won't get into facebook (frankly don't know how or care to) but PC info is on all my personal email signatures.

let it go. don't let what other people do drag you down.

 

[BlessedWifeMommy]

Just in case you are wondering, here is what the seller said...Hello. I apologize, but I do not understand your question. Please advise. Best regards.

 

[BlessedWifeMommy]

well, I'm gonna add my two cents for whatever it's worth. I sell or I should say have sold quite a bit on ebay. mostly old dress patterns, antiques and bridal gowns from my store that is now closed. Even though we were not supposed to, bridal shops all over the usa sell gowns on ebay. how else to get rid of overstock, dead stock or make a quick buck. Most dresses do not get sold at a profit. Knowing what we paid for them... no profit. just a write off.

Other products like pampered chef is the same. I see alot of pampered chef on ebay, usually between 2500-2800 sales auctions at one time. some, they are making money, getting retail price. some more and some less. I guess for them it must average out.

If they can sell it and come out ahead at the end of the month look at the commission checks they receive. Incentive trips, tax write offs etc. They are pretty smart.

you have to remember that people are a part of Pampered Chef to make money. Plain and Simple there is no sin in profit. Nobody is going to hold them up at the pearly gates and say, hey you broke the rules on that chopper you sold on ebay 40 years ago.

My opinion is this, and it is only my opinion. HO does little because 1)it's a huge problem. 2)they are making money with the sales too. they have top sales people doing it and they don't want to risk offending them.

yes it's in the rules, but it's only paper. I got hugely upset with a lady a week or so ago promising Carol's file to customer's who purchased the dcb. This was on Facebook.

I truly believe, coming from my angle as a wedding gown owner that PC can do nothing to these internet sellers. Once the product is sold legitimately, they control nothing more. Same thing with my gowns. I bought them and paid for them. How I dispose of my inventory is my business. They can threaten me with cutting me off, but in over 12 years. Never happened to me or any store I ever heard about. There are websites just like this for bridal gown store owners and they complain just the same.

I took the advise of some sage advisors on this site and got over it and am focusing my energy on other directions. has it come up to me at a show that an item can be purchased on ebay? Once, so far. All I said was there are pros and cons with purchases no matter where you make them. Wal-mart versus the grocery store. Same product. you just gotta check all the angles and add it up.

I won't get into facebook (frankly don't know how or care to) but PC info is on all my personal email signatures.

let it go. don't let what other people do drag you down.

All this justification doesn't make what these consultants, who supply these seller, are doing right. Every consultant signs that they will not sell for resale. I really hope you are wrong when you say that HO isn't going to do anything about it.

I understand your statement about not letting this drag me down, it is just really upsetting when I put so much work into a show to have eBay come into play at the show.

 

[pampchefrhondab]

I wonder if they sell the product on ebay w/o actually having the product on hand - at least new products. Once they receive an order and payment they place the order on their personal website or as an individual order in PP and direct ship to the customer. Or possibly they have bids all ending on the same day and then put it in as a show - then get free products from it.

 

[esavvymom]

Holly- they do try, and there are consultants who've felt the results of their actions. But it's a big ocean of rule-breakers out there unfortunately. HO can only do so much and commit resources to it. I disagree with the previous post that HO does little because they are making money and don't want to offend top sellers. We have no way of knowing how much they do.We all agreed to the Policy, therefore are legally bound by it- should they choose to terminate you as a consultant for breaking rules, there isn't a thing you can do about it. But I wouldn't get hung up on what other consultant's are doing. Run your business honorably, and don't worry about those others who feel the rules don't apply. Regardless of the other details- they are breaking the rules no matter how they paint the picture to justify it. I'm not one to believe in "karma", but definitely "you reap what you sow!" Side note though - I do wish we could sell retired/discontinued products on e-bay and such...as long as it wasn't an item on the Outlet or otherwise available through PC. I've got several things I'd love to get rid of. oh well.....

 

[ShellBeach]

2)they are making money with the sales too. they have top sales people doing it and they don't want to risk offending them.

I've bought and sold stuff on eBay, too. In fact I watched eBay for quite a while before signing as a PC consultant, because I ws considering either PC or jewelry. PC stuff at least seemed to hold its prices on eBay, unlike direct-sales jewelry.

I have seen new things that only directors and above could have, being offered on eBay the week that directors got them. It happens every season when the new stuff ships.
Now whether PC can DO anything about it, I have no idea, so I agree with you on that point, Judy. Best to let it go.


Rhonda, I have thought the same thing....they are direct-shipping orders to customers.

 

[Chef Bobby]

I wonder if PC has any kind of tracking numbers on some of their products? My other company has them and had to use them as evidence to stop someone from buying cheap in the U.S. and reselling higher overseas.

 

[ShellBeach]

That's the thing - I don't see how PC could tell, unless they actually bought the stuff from eBay! If someone was repeatedly direct-shipping to customers from eBay I suppose PC could eventually track them down, but it would be expensive for PC to figure it out. If the eBay sale is not direct-shipped, how could they track it? A FedEx shipping number and show number has nothing to do with eBay.

Just from my own eBay purchases, I don't see the person's real name until they send my purchase, and then it usually has their actual name and return address on it....and some of them do not even put this, they put their eBay store name if they are a top eBay seller.

Ah well, nothing I can do about it, and I have quit worrying about it. It did upset me years ago when I saw new director-only stuff on eBay the first time.
I've had time to get over it