Tell Vendors the Truth About Where You Sell (from January's newsletter)

This one comes back to me time and time again. Because some of you eBay sellers still think eBay is a really big secret and don't want to tell vendors that you sell on eBay. Hey, it's not a secret so don't tell them you have a store or something else when you know you're listing everything on eBay. The reason this comes up is that many vendors have restrictions on the merchandise they receive, and they have to be careful about whom they sell it to.

For example, some companies don't want their merchandise sold in certain geographic regions, on eBay, on the internet, or whatever. And people who don't tell the truth about their business, get the merchandise, and sell it on eBay, cause problems for the vendor, which makes it hard for anyone to get anything in the future because now these companies would rather sell overseas or to Podunk Off-Price in the middle of nowhere to avoid having the stuff show up where they didn't want it.

And now vendors are going to start asking for proof that you have a store instead of just taking your word for it.

But here's another problem. If you sell certain brands, you may know that certain companies are starting to close down auctions left and right, like Gucci (more on that later). Well, many vendors are aware of this. You tell them you have a store and you want Gucci, you will get Gucci. You go and sell it on eBay and then your auctions are nixed, don't get mad at the vendor because you didn't tell the truth. Had you said you were going to sell on eBay, that vendor probably would have told you that Gucci is shutting down eBay auctions left and right.

There are other reasons, but I think you eBay sellers should be more straightforward with vendors because they might be able to give you better advice on what to buy if you do. There are just some things that are better for eBay and others that are better for a store.