Best Value Site for Selling and Shipping Items to US Audience. Alternatives to eBay?

podiacide on 11/07/2023 - 17:33
Last edited 11/07/2023 - 18:15 by 1 other user

Hi OzB,

Long story short. I have a bunch of men's razors that arent selling here but are in big demand in the US (product is mainly used by african americans)

I have about 250 of these razors selling for about $80 on ebay. But by the time I pay postage fees (less than 100gms), ebay's different sales fees and taxes I have less than $40 left.

What other alternatives do I have so I can make more money per sale?

I've looked into amazon but I'm not sure I'd be better off.

Would any other site like Square actually get enough US Eyeballs for me to get sales?

General Discussion

Comments

  • Hybroid on 11/07/2023 - 17:38

    You could go the Square or Shopify or Woocommerce route but lots of people are wary of those random sites full of scams that disappear in the night.

    Fulfillment by Amazon might be your best shout. Ship the entire 250 pack to them and get them to do the warehousing and all the last mile local shipping & delivery. You get tons more search eyeballs too and can raise prices accordingly to cover fees.

    People are far more amenable to paying an extra $1-2 for something shipped by Prime (especially when local stock so quicker) than saving a bit by ordering off a random site internationally.

    https://sell.amazon.com/fulfillment-by-amazon

    • podiacide on 11/07/2023 - 18:04

      Thanks, thats very helpful.
      I'm looking into fulfillment by Amazon. Might be a dealbreaker if they require me to prove I'm an authorised seller from the manufacturer (they have gone out of business)

    • AustriaBargain on 11/07/2023 - 18:32

      A well designed Woo site will look better than a Shopify store. Though making a well designed Woo site isn't easy, the cost of paying someone to do it would probably be more than the profits from 250 razors.

  • AustriaBargain on 11/07/2023 - 18:34

    Can you source more of these razors cheaply? Maybe you could turn it into a real business. How curious it would it be if an Australian created a small grooming empire in the US catering to black customers.

    And are you sure the razors are being bought and paid for for $80, or are they just listed for $80? You can check in completed listings. And no just completed, but actually paid for.

    • podiacide on 12/07/2023 - 15:25

      Yeah I've been selling a pack of 4 for $80AUD, sold probably 40 packs so far, they go quickly. They used to retail in the US as $5USD for a pack of 4.This is for a pack of 4 plastic single blade disposable razors like the cheap BIC ones you get at Woolies. It's just that they have a small difference in design that means they dont cut as close. I think I'm the last person on ebay to sell them. I get offers all the time to buy my whole stock but even after ebay fees I cant find anyone who will buy them for a worthwhile price.

      My original intention was to get them made in china and create a business. But I realised that, apart from the difficulties in getting them made in china, that the main issue was brand recognition. This brand was popular in the US, it was sold at walmart etc. It would be very hard as an aussie to be able to create a brand with that much demand. But after recent sales I'm thinking about it. It's crazy the price I'm getting for them - they arent that great.

      • AustriaBargain on 12/07/2023 - 15:48

        Has the trademark on them expired yet?

        • podiacide on 12/07/2023 - 16:07

          Trademark transferred to a big MNC in 2022. But they seem to have done nothing with it. It's weird. But every site I've seen that mentions these razors says they are a discontinued item and every razor fourm has men lamenting that they cant get any and there are no real alternatives that suit them. It must be very niche.

          • AustriaBargain on 12/07/2023 - 16:19

            @podiacide: You could clone the branding at least, like how Aldi do with their knockoff products.

  • brendanm on 11/07/2023 - 19:14

    How do you come to have 250 razors designed for African Americans?

    • podiacide on 12/07/2023 - 15:17

      These razors are for men who get severe shaving rash due to having curly coarse facial hair. I have this and decided to import some years ago and try and sell them locally but I couldnt get traction. Put them in storage and was about to throw them out when I went on ebay and saw that the manufacturer stopped making them and they were selling for crazy prices.

      • [Deactivated] on 12/07/2023 - 16:10

        Don't you need them?

        • podiacide on 12/07/2023 - 16:11

          Nope. Beards look better on me. haha

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