Invalid category ID messages.

We have reports that filters are being intermittently rejected at times for invalid category IDs.   This is an eBay issue likely related to a misconfigured or down server.  We cannot resolve it at our end.

As a workaround, we have disabled the filter checking so that your filters will not be disabled when this occurs.

If you are not receiving items for a new filter, you will need to verify your category numbers.

You can also use more precise keyword filters and the All Channels option to avoid category searching altogether.  This approach has the added benefit of not being impacted when eBay changes category numbers.

 

 

VieBuy 4.4 released

VieBuy.com is now running version 4.4

This update enables the option to include Auctions with Best Offer when searching for BIN listings.  This option has no effect when searching for auctions or All Listings, since they are already included.

Items found by this feature will have Auction: added before the title.

eBay has forced Best Offer on some auction listings without the seller’s prior consent, so buyers may object to offers in some cases.

eBay does not currently allow auction listings to have both Best Offer and Buy It Now, so these listings will only display an option to view the item without a buy button.   It is possible that both options could be available if eBay forces the Best Offer option on an auction with Buy It Now set.

If the version number displayed at the top of the page is not 4.4, refresh the web page to run the current version.  You may need to clear your cache it still doesn’t load the new code.

Viebuy 3.9 Released

VieBuy.com is now running version 3.9

View buttons and ImageOnly mode now land on a faster item detail page by default.  The preview popup in Image Only mode has been replaced by the item detail page.

The item detail page provides a faster workflow for reviewing item details before purchase. It uses much less bandwidth and typically loads faster than the eBay item listing page.

This option can be disabled in Settings.

If you have issues with the site appearance, please clear your cache and reload the page.

VieBuy 3.8 Released

An update to VieBuy.com has been released on the site.  This corrects an issue with the file export feature.  Recent browser releases are blocking the mechanism used in prior releases for security reasons.

The export feature has changed so that instead of a popup appearing, you will be prompted to save a file.

The exported files can be imported using the settings option.  You can use this feature to backup your filters, or to copy your filters from one browser to another on the same computer or different computers.

 

Release Status – BINSniper Sidebar for Firefox Quantum 57

This post is being updated regularly with current status, please check back.

Complete!  Posted!  Available!  Unbelievable!

Thanks again for your patience.

Poll results:  incognito/privacy mod is nice to have, but not critical.   As it turns out, Firefox does not yet implement what we need to be compatible with incognito mode, so this is a future wishlist item.

Documentation of the new feature is complete and available at:  BINSniper Sidebar Firefox Add-on for eBay    There may be some minor doc updates yet.  These docs were adapted from prior releases and there may be some changes needed to make sure they are current all the way thru.  This will be done on an on-going basis and does not impact the release.

Aside from scheduling and other time demands, the majority of issues delaying this were related to the WebExtension migration, which was more trouble than expected and required some workarounds.

Thank you for your patience.


The new edition is a streamlined version of prior releases designed to work well with the new requirements of Firefox and back to BINSniper’s roots.

  • New priority based icons replace the stars and colors.
  • Sorting is simplified.
  • This release is focused on fixed price items and new auctions listed with Buy It Now.
  • Auctions w/ Best Offer are now supported.
  • New display modes

And more apps are coming…

  • Auctions are being moved to a separate web app that will be useful for auction buyers and for sellers to track their own auctions.
  • Mobile features are being moved to a separate mobile web version.
  • The streamer function, which is no longer supported by Firefox, is being moved to a separate web based version.

The supported prior releases will continue to work under older Firefox releases until our migration to these new apps are completed.  Uptime is our number one priority.

 

Reselling with VieBuy.com

VieBuy.com is a monitoring tool to watch eBay for newly listed items in real time.  In this article, we’ll focus on acquiring items for reselling items

High Activity Categories

By far the highest activity categories are smartphones and electronics.  Deals are constantly available as new eBay users sell off old equipment.  Discount lot sales are also sometimes available.  Because of the high demand these categories are monitored by many buyer, and competition is fierce.

High Value Categories

On the other side of the spectrum are high value categories such as industrial and business equipment.  Here you can find items that are more specialized and have a wide price range.  Liquidations, new old stock (NOS), and reclaimed equipment can be had at low prices and resold or used for your own purposes.

Markup on the low end

Probably the easiest way to get a decent markup, is to focus on low priced items.  This is where the Chinese market can be your friend.

Let’s look at a current example: Tactical Pens.  A Tactical Pen can be used as a pen, or as an emergency tool for breaking windows.  If you’ve ever seen the movie Bourne Identity, you’ve also seen a pen used as a weapon.  This flexibility makes them legal to carry, but effective for other purposes.

For our purposes, we focus on resale.  Tactical pens are being sold out of the Chinese market on eBay US at auction for pennies in some cases.  These low end auctions are often under $2 with shipping included.

Pens sold out of the US market fetch around $6-10 at fixed price. Here are examples from the completed items page on eBay:

So by watching low end auctions, you can acquire these items individually at low price and low risk and resell them on eBay.  After eBay fees, free shipping, PayPal fees and packing materials, a $1 item can net you $4, a 300% profit.  With a constant stream of these items and other items with similar markup, you can have a steady income.

An important point to consider is the overall market for the items in question.  If you are buying items individually in a steady flow, risk is minimal, you can simply stop buying and you won’t get stuck with inventory that you can’t sell.  But you will want to sell as many as possible, as fast as possible, without waiting for a buyer to show up.  Focusing on items that have a large demand, like the tactical pens, helps insure that a steady market exists.

To determine the market, look in the eBay search results for live items. Multiple item listings display how many have sold as shown in this example.  2271 sold items shows demand for this type of item.  You have to look in live items because multiple quantity listing info like this does not appear in the completed items pages.

You should also pay attention to item details here.  The two earlier items from the complete items page are identical.  But the item with 2271 sold is somewhat different from the Chinese items.  While they are functionally similar, the differences can be significant for some items.  If you are buying individual items, you can test the resale performance of different types to determine how these differences impact your sales.

Chinese Sellers on eBay

Because the Chinese government sponsors the low cost e-Packet program, Chinese sellers do not have a high shipping cost associated with selling small packages into the US.  They can ship for nothing and compete with US sellers on lightweight packages, while the US sellers have to pay US package rates, currently at $2.60 and up.

This trade imbalance is good for US buyers, but very destructive to US small businesses.  But by buying in small quantity from the Chinese sellers using e-Packet, US small business resellers can leverage the Chinese advantage to their own end.

This also provides a service to US buyers who are not as worried about cost, but want items quick without the multiple-week shipping delays that can come with buying from China.

Buying in lots

Lot buying is often preferable.  You can usually get much better pricing on items by buying hundreds or thousaads at once.  Simply add the word lot to your keyword search to find lots.  You may want to do some price filtering as well, because small sellers sometimes use “lot” to describe two or three pieces.

The advantage that Chinese sellers have with small packages disappears with heavy packages and lot orders may not come with free shipping out of China.

The free freight-in shipping advantage that the continuous small purchase approach has will be harder to find with large lots, but the price discounts usually make shipping charges less important.

Lot buying also minimizes the amount of time you have to spend bidding, paying, and handling materials.  It’s also easier to list items when they are all the same.

Off-eBay sales

Another big factor is arbitrage – buying on one market and selling in another.   While we already addressed buying from China to resell in the US, there’s also the approach of buying on eBay and selling in other online marketplaces (Amazon, Etsy, Craigslist, etc).

Online buyers usually prefer one market or the other and it isn’t uncommon for price to vary between markets.  You can choose the market that gives you the best profit.  Each market comes with it’s own issues.  Some are more time consuming, some have unreliable buyers, and some are specialized.  You can test selling in other markets to determine what works best for your item.  It may be that eBay is the best place for both buying and selling.