Eggs, eggs! I am inundated with eggs! (Mille Fleur Cochin Bantams)

[Happy Chooks]

You certainly have beautiful birds. I just think a lot of people aren't hatching at the moment. I watch the auctions, and I've seen a lot of them ending without anyone buying.

 

[Funky Feathers]

Quote:
Rio_Lindo_AZ gave you very good advice. The majority of people don't think 6 months of selling is a long track record. Try lowering the price, selling out every hatch, then raising your price to market slowly... By that time you will be one of the "other guys" that gets the full price! Good luck. I would buy a dozen, but then my 4 egg omelette's would be way too expensive!

6 months is not how long I have been selling eggs. I have been selling eggs (chicken and duck) for 7 years. I have only been selling MFC eggs for 6 months. Just to clear that up. I had an Excellent selling reputation on eggbid, over 600 positive feedbacks! I have 20+ pos. feedbacks on ovabid. 100 percent. So I think I have built up a pretty good selling reputation. Funky Feathers is quite well known.

 

[team edward]

I almost bought those you have up for sale!!!! They are beautiful birds but *sigh* I have to wait until spring as I already have some deleware eggs bought. I cant wait to recieve some cochins from you!!!!!!

 

[onthespot]

You should post a notice on Mahonri's New Year's Eve Hatchathon thread. I bet you could unload some of your eggs to those people. Ordinarily I don't even try to sell eggs this time of year, what with shipping, unreliable weather, PO delays, shorter days, colder weather lots of people don't like to hatch in the winter so much. I usually get less eggs so I try to hatch some, because some will be roos, half will be mottled (from my stuff at least) and I keep the best and eat, sell, or give away the rest.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

There's a variety of reasons that people aren't buying one particular sellers eggs over another and as a seller you have to figure out what that is. Are you offering good customer service? Are you polite to everyone, not only your customers but to people who inquire about your eggs? Is your shipping priced too high? What are your packing methods like? Do you have word of mouth going for you? Do you have repeat customers? And of course are your prices reasonable?

I've been selling eggs on Ebay for about 18 months now. I gave up trying to sell here on BYC, nothing I ever post sells but I sell on Ebay and I used to sell quite a bit on Eggbid as well. Anyway, I have quite a few repeat customers on Ebay and I had quite a few on Eggbid too. On Ebay, I have at least 5 customers that have bought from me at least 7 times a piece.

Why? Good customer service! I always send tons of extras, I start my auctions out low, I offer incentives, (free items ie..start n grow, niacin for ducklings, etc). If I get a complaint, I take care of it immediately, broken eggs? I'll offer replacements (although I've only had 2 incidents of a cracked egg)

Look at other people's auctions. See what they're doing that you're not. Fine tune your auctions. I am by no means an expert. I've only been selling eggs for 18 months but I've been selling on Ebay for about 9 years. Good customer service and being polite to EVERYONE really is key. That person that you were rude to may have been a prospective customer down the road or they may one day be asked about you and they will relate how you were impolite, rude, didn't have time for them, whatever.

Good luck

Laurie

 

[Funky Feathers]

I know all that, thanks, I bend over backwards to give good customer service, I am very polite, I always give as many extras as I can (depends on my girls), and I offer lots of free advice to the newbies. I don't see anything I could be doing wrong. In my 7 years of egg selling I have had very few unsatisfied customers, and those people couldn't be satisfied. I include a duckling care sheet with my duck eggs. I have sent replacement eggs the few times any were cracked or infertile. What else can I do?

And YES, I'd say my prices are reasonable, when others are charging $50 a dozen and I am only asking half that much!

Oh, and packing technique? I have been touted as "the best egg packer on eggbid" by many customers. So apparently I do have word of mouth going for me. And I do have repeat customers.

 

[RioLindoAz]

Quote:
Rio_Lindo_AZ gave you very good advice. The majority of people don't think 6 months of selling is a long track record. Try lowering the price, selling out every hatch, then raising your price to market slowly... By that time you will be one of the "other guys" that gets the full price! Good luck. I would buy a dozen, but then my 4 egg omelette's would be way too expensive!

6 months is not how long I have been selling eggs. I have been selling eggs (chicken and duck) for 7 years. I have only been selling MFC eggs for 6 months. Just to clear that up. I had an Excellent selling reputation on eggbid, over 600 positive feedbacks! I have 20+ pos. feedbacks on ovabid. 100 percent. So I think I have built up a pretty good selling reputation. Funky Feathers is quite well known.

Ok, why not telling buyers that on your auctions?


If you were to sell more, your rep will boost. The only way to sell more is to lower your prices. I certainly suggest laying of the BuyItNows and moving towards the auction side. Start at $25.00 a dozen,,,I dare you. You'll have a bunch of people knocking on your door, and the more people bid, the more others want to join. Trust me, you'll be making more money than you are now.

 

[BooBear]

It is probably just the time of year.
Reasons that could affect folks purchasing eggs:

With X-mas around the corner it is harder to get time sensitive goods shipped by USPS in a timely manner (unless it is sent Express to where they are supposed to guarentee the shipment).

Alot of folks are away from home visiting family and friends during the holiday season which makes it difficult for them to be able to monitor and wait for hatches.

Winter weather is a big contributar as alot of really cold zones makes shipping eggs more dicey than normal.

 

[serendipityfarm]

While I can't vouch for your eggs, I can certainly say the Cochin babies I got from you are fantastic!
I would be tempted, but honestly, just hatched some Silkies yeaterday and am worried they are going to be inside ALL WINTER. It's already below freezing at night here in New England.
I would guess other cold climate people feel the same. I bet things will pick up in the Spring.

Here's my favorite little Mille hen sitting on her one egg. I had snuck it under my broody Silkie, but then this one went broody and so I gave it back to her. It may be by my Splash roo though. Hmmm... maybe blue Mille's are in my future

~Terry

 

[ultasol]

If they aren't selling at the price you set, you could try starting them at $1 and set a separate shipping cost. People get caught up in bidding and sellers seem to do ok that way in some cases.

Market sets the price. Cold temps in many areas of the country (in my area of WA, normally mild here, got below zero twice last week) plus the holidays, shipment delays, need for gifts for the holidays, and people planning on being away from home during some period when the eggs would be in the incubator would be reasons for lower sales. Not to mention babies in winter.