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VikingRobotHipster & the plight of Ebay LED Makeup Mirrors

VikingRobotHpstr

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Hey guys! VikingRobotHipster here. First time member.

Just wanted to introduce myself and what I've been doing in the entrepreneur space.

I naively invested $400 Canadian back in December of last year, into Pocket sized LED Makeup Mirrors because I saw a guy making a killing on Ebay and thought "If I can do half as well, I'd be good." Sales have been slower than a tortoise, I've sold online about 4 or 5, total. I recently started paying for advertising through facebook, ebay, and google ads, respectively, but I've gotten no sales from it. I'm selling mostly on ebay, attempts at selling on amazon have been a disaster (seemingly can't sell more than 2 color variations of the mirrors) but I do have 2 listings up (0 sales thus far).

Due to the fact that I've invested so much in the mirrors, I don't just want to give up and stop selling them but I've also realized I probably won't do as well as I initially thought. I just don't know where to begin research for a new (this time successful) product.

This isn't my first rodeo in the entrepreneur space. I've sold things successfully on Ebay before and I want to get back to that feeling where I would wake up and have notifications for multiple sales, hear a ding in the afternoon saying I sold 2 more of the item, and then 3 more dings at night. My friends, it's such a beautiful feeling when you sell like hot cakes.

I'm not sure if this allowed but here is a link to my ebay listing: S.X.Y. Brand Makeup Mirrors with 8 LED Lights Canada Portable Compact Handheld | eBay

If any of you fine folks have feedback or advice, I'm definitely all ears. Thanks for reading!
 
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MHP368

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Unload them at a flea market and a garage sale or craigslist? (Or the ebay / craigslist clone apps like 5mile etc)

Are you pondering how to gaige demand for an import product I presume? (Given that amount of starting funds)

Maybe get the terapeak free trial and then an ebay to amazon arbitrage software (also free trial) , find something you can source no trouble from aliexpress bit thats close to but not exactly like something already selling?

How did you land on led mirrors? What was the market research for that?
 

Vigilante

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You did the same thing I did when I brought in my first Asian sourced product. You're way too excited about this, way too over promising this, and your listing is confusing. This is a simple product that you have made complicated.

  • What woman wants to buy from a company named VikingRobotHipster? What the F*ck is that?
  • Does the product say SXY mirrors on it? The main image makes it look like it does. It shouldn't.
  • Is SXY mirrors a brand name? Does a 40 year old professional traveler female want to buy a SXY mirror?
  • Your first image needs to be just a white background professional image.
  • Why are you emphasizing in your main image the fact that you ship Canada post? Nobody cares. That is NOT a selling feature.
  • Why are your first four images essentially the same thing?
  • Why are you showing a picture of your cheap shitty generic chinese packaging?
  • I am a half dozen images in before I am getting to images I like.
  • Why are you charging $10 canadian for shipping?
  • 19 year old girls don't shop on eBay, so why are you pushing SXY mirror branding?
  • Why a cute narative story about it being cold outside? What if it is summer in Canada?
  • Why can't I use this at home? Your customer is limited to females, traveling in the cold, in the dark, in a car, that didn't put on makeup before they left?
  • Did you have a female review this listing for you? You wrote it like a man trying to sell a product to a female, Viking Robot.
  • You said professional retail packaging. You have overpromised. It is in a poly bag with a generic chinese header card. Don't oversell. Don't over hype.
  • Does it come with batteries? What type? Can you add an AC adapter?
  • Why 75 available? No sense of urgency then. You have too many listed.
  • Why is your headline so short?
  • Why do you have a bunch of other garbage available when I click to see what else you sell? Is this a flea market item or are you a serious brand? I think you answered that question already though with the Viking Robot store name.
I like your initiative, but hate almost every aspect of your eBay listing. You are me, 8 years ago. Your listing sucks, you overthought it, you overpromised it, your brand sucks, your first half dozen photos suck, your packaging sucks, and your description is terrible. Other than that, this looks pretty good.
 

Ernman

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I like your initiative, but hate almost every aspect of your eBay listing. You are me, 8 years ago. Your listing sucks, you overthought it, you overpromised it, your brand sucks, your first half dozen photos suck, your packaging sucks, and your description is terrible. Other than that, this looks pretty good.
Great feedback Vigilante. One of the many things I enjoy and continue to learn from in this forum. Direct, unbiased, honest feedback...while still being supportive of honest efforts.
 
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VikingRobotHpstr

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Unload them at a flea market and a garage sale or craigslist? (Or the ebay / craigslist clone apps like 5mile etc)

Are you pondering how to gaige demand for an import product I presume? (Given that amount of starting funds)

Maybe get the terapeak free trial and then an ebay to amazon arbitrage software (also free trial) , find something you can source no trouble from aliexpress bit thats close to but not exactly like something already selling?


How did you land on led mirrors? What was the market research for that?

1. The flea market/local selling is a good idea. I already have a listing up but I guess I need to make some changes to it.
2. Yes I am. I used a jungle scout variant to note down some demands and some ideas but haven't yet followed through on them as I'm occupied with these mirrors.
3. I tried terapeak a few times and found it to largely be unhelpful with sourcing. It showed me products that were stiffened with competition from other sellers and products that were branded already.
4. My research was to look at what was selling on ebay, particularly in the North American market, with a low entry barrier, and reasonable margins. I came across a few sellers really making a killing with the same exact makeup mirrors, they still are in fact. I naively thought I could make it work, even if I did half as well, I would be making a killing.
 

VikingRobotHpstr

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Mar 19, 2019
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You did the same thing I did when I brought in my first Asian sourced product. You're way too excited about this, way too over promising this, and your listing is confusing. This is a simple product that you have made complicated.

  • What woman wants to buy from a company named VikingRobotHipster? What the F*ck is that?
  • Does the product say SXY mirrors on it? The main image makes it look like it does. It shouldn't.
  • Is SXY mirrors a brand name? Does a 40 year old professional traveler female want to buy a SXY mirror?
  • Your first image needs to be just a white background professional image.
  • Why are you emphasizing in your main image the fact that you ship Canada post? Nobody cares. That is NOT a selling feature.
  • Why are your first four images essentially the same thing?
  • Why are you showing a picture of your cheap shitty generic chinese packaging?
  • I am a half dozen images in before I am getting to images I like.
  • Why are you charging $10 canadian for shipping?
  • 19 year old girls don't shop on eBay, so why are you pushing SXY mirror branding?
  • Why a cute narative story about it being cold outside? What if it is summer in Canada?
  • Why can't I use this at home? Your customer is limited to females, traveling in the cold, in the dark, in a car, that didn't put on makeup before they left?
  • Did you have a female review this listing for you? You wrote it like a man trying to sell a product to a female, Viking Robot.
  • You said professional retail packaging. You have overpromised. It is in a poly bag with a generic chinese header card. Don't oversell. Don't over hype.
  • Does it come with batteries? What type? Can you add an AC adapter?
  • Why 75 available? No sense of urgency then. You have too many listed.
  • Why is your headline so short?
  • Why do you have a bunch of other garbage available when I click to see what else you sell? Is this a flea market item or are you a serious brand? I think you answered that question already though with the Viking Robot store name.
I like your initiative, but hate almost every aspect of your eBay listing. You are me, 8 years ago. Your listing sucks, you overthought it, you overpromised it, your brand sucks, your first half dozen photos suck, your packaging sucks, and your description is terrible. Other than that, this looks pretty good.

Thanks for being so straightforward. It's always tough to hear that you're doing a shitty job but trust me when I say it's worth more than any dollar I've spent on advertising.

· I tried creating a brand that would give off a sense of “joy.” This current brand is my third re-brand. What is a name that you would suggest would be more suitable?
· Not it doesn’t say SXY on it. I’ll fix that.
· SXY is supposed to be the brand name but touché. I see what you’re saying.
· I’ll fix that.
· I figured putting an emphasis on Canada post would attract more Canadian buyers. I borrowed the technique from other sellers.
· Ebay suggests the more listing pictures the better your listing will do, but I’ll fix this.
· I’m guessing you like the images with the lipstick on the side that show the mirrors open with the leds on?
· Regarding $10 shipping – my break-even point (after all fees + shipping) for this product, selling through ebay, is $10. The $10 shipping to international customers (outside of Canada) is to cover my international shipping costs. The current listing price I have it set to is the lowest amount amongst my competitors.
· The headline is short because I’ve read that keyword stuffing on ebay doesn’t get the same effect it does on Amazon. I shortened before I made the post on this forum.
· I’m trying to be a serious brand. I’m selling other things because I want to make full use of my ebay store, get rid of things I no longer need.


What were the few specifics things you thought were pretty good from this listing?

If I’m you from 8 years ago, what advice would you give? Where do I go from here – do I continue with these mirrors or move on? My next step is do implement all the suggestions you made, pause the advertising and maybe think of yet another rebrand.

Again, thanks for your well written input and I hope I didn’t come off as "curt" in my response. I realize I have a long way to go to achieve the success I want and any knowledge I can soak up on the way is worth its weight in gold!
 
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Bekit

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I checked out your listing. The copy is good - the story about craning your neck to see in the vehicle mirror is right on.

But you're missing one crucial detail. Nowhere does it say if this is a normal mirror on one side and a magnifying mirror on the other side. One of the photos hints at it (the lady's face appears a bit larger in one half of the mirror than the other) but this is not good enough information to go on. This is a crucial feature for mirrors like this, but it's not clear if it's the case.

A makeup mirror is not an item that I'd pay $20 + $10 s/h for, even if it is in Canadian dollars. Mirrors are a dime a dozen and you always get one free in every makeup compact that you buy. I have had the same mirror for daily use for 10+ years, so it's not something I have a reason to re-buy. So I'm not sure that it would be easy to skew value on a product like this or attract a large buying audience.
 
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VikingRobotHpstr

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I checked out your listing. The copy is good - the story about craning your neck to see in the vehicle mirror is right on.

But you're missing one crucial detail. Nowhere does it say if this is a normal mirror on one side and a magnifying mirror on the other side. One of the photos hints at it (the lady's face appears a bit larger in one half of the mirror than the other) but this is not good enough information to go on. This is a crucial feature for mirrors like this, but it's not clear if it's the case.

A makeup mirror is not an item that I'd pay $20 + $10 s/h for, even if it is in Canadian dollars. Mirrors are a dime a dozen and you always get one free in every makeup compact that you buy. I have had the same mirror for daily use for 10+ years, so it's not something I have a reason to re-buy. So I'm not sure that it would be easy to skew value on a product like this or attract a large buying audience.

Thanks a lot for your input! It's very beneficial to have a female perspective on this matter, as that is my target market. Regarding the magnification, you make a very critical point and I will be sure to address it (it doesn't have magnification).

Just some questions for you:
I know you said it's hard to skew a value but what would be the most you would pay for a product like this?
What do you think of the brand "VikingRobotHipster?" Is it off-putting?
I have some ideas I want to implement - get sticker paper and line the entire top of the mirror with a picture of a cute dog/animal - you think this would be worth it?

Thanks again!
 

VikingRobotHpstr

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It is criminal to have a username like VikingRobotHipster and not have a profile picture of one

Because you asked so nicely, I went through the painful trouble of resizing the picture just so you could see it! I hope you enjoy :)
 
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Bekit

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Thanks a lot for your input! It's very beneficial to have a female perspective on this matter, as that is my target market. Regarding the magnification, you make a very critical point and I will be sure to address it (it doesn't have magnification).

Just some questions for you:
I know you said it's hard to skew a value but what would be the most you would pay for a product like this?
What do you think of the brand "VikingRobotHipster?" Is it off-putting?
I have some ideas I want to implement - get sticker paper and line the entire top of the mirror with a picture of a cute dog/animal - you think this would be worth it?

Thanks again!

Glad my feedback was helpful to you.

Regarding the name VikingRobotHipster, yeah, it's kind of off-putting, but then again, if it's just your ebay username, that's not a big deal. I understand that lots of people have a strange or quirky ebay username. I've been an ebay user since like 1999, so I'm not put off by the variety of usernames that people might have. The critical question is, do you have good feedback. That makes your name basically irrelevant.

Speaking of brand names, though, I found the brand name S.X.Y. totally cheesy. On the image, it says that this stands for Stylish. eXquisite. Yours.

I'm sorry, but that sounds like a brand name that a non-native speaker of English came up with.

Your idea of the stickers... ***SHUDDER*** NOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo....

But I mean, maybe that's just me. I would personally HATE and loathe a mirror that someone had applied a sticker to. I would peel that thing off and get out the goo-gone immediately to get rid of it. What's wrong with a sticker? Well, if it gets wet, it gets gross. If it gets kicked around in your purse for a year, it gets gross. Now when you touch your mirror, your hands feel gross. So you feel distaste and hostility towards your mirror because it's gross.

But I mean, again, maybe that's just me. Not everyone is going to object to a sticker. I personally feel like a sticker would cheapen it. To me that seems like something that only a teenager would want. But maybe teenagers are a great target market for you.

So it's probably worth testing. Do a run of 10 items with the sticker and see if they sell quicker.

The thing that might be cool, if you're thinking about stickers, is to do some kind of rhinestone stickers. Bling it up a bit. Again, I personally would prefer it sans stickers, but it could be something else to try.

Finally, what price would I be willing to pay?

It's hard to say. I feel like $8.99 is more in line with what I'd expect to see in a store. But I have no idea. A little makeup mirror for your purse is so easy to get for free that it would be hard for me to fork over ANY money, honestly. And all I need for any little "mirror moments" is my phone (looking at myself on the screen with the selfie-camera on).

Sure, the lights are a nice upgrade. I've never actually used a mirror like this with lights, so I can't speak to that. I wonder if the lights would drown out your ability to see the actual mirror, kind of like how you can't see anything except the headlights on a car when it's dark. So it's the kind of item that I would want to see in person before making a purchase.

Hope this is helpful!
 

ShamanKing

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The listing says no returns accepted but the description says 30 days w/ original packaging. Did you forget to change it.
 
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VikingRobotHpstr

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The listing says no returns accepted but the description says 30 days w/ original packaging. Did you forget to change it.

Thanks for pointing that out. I originally had it as returns accepted but changed it yesterday and I forgot to update the listing.
 

VikingRobotHpstr

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Glad my feedback was helpful to you.

Regarding the name VikingRobotHipster, yeah, it's kind of off-putting, but then again, if it's just your ebay username, that's not a big deal. I understand that lots of people have a strange or quirky ebay username. I've been an ebay user since like 1999, so I'm not put off by the variety of usernames that people might have. The critical question is, do you have good feedback. That makes your name basically irrelevant.

Speaking of brand names, though, I found the brand name S.X.Y. totally cheesy. On the image, it says that this stands for Stylish. eXquisite. Yours.

I'm sorry, but that sounds like a brand name that a non-native speaker of English came up with.

Your idea of the stickers... ***SHUDDER*** NOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo....

But I mean, maybe that's just me. I would personally HATE and loathe a mirror that someone had applied a sticker to. I would peel that thing off and get out the goo-gone immediately to get rid of it. What's wrong with a sticker? Well, if it gets wet, it gets gross. If it gets kicked around in your purse for a year, it gets gross. Now when you touch your mirror, your hands feel gross. So you feel distaste and hostility towards your mirror because it's gross.

But I mean, again, maybe that's just me. Not everyone is going to object to a sticker. I personally feel like a sticker would cheapen it. To me that seems like something that only a teenager would want. But maybe teenagers are a great target market for you.

So it's probably worth testing. Do a run of 10 items with the sticker and see if they sell quicker.

The thing that might be cool, if you're thinking about stickers, is to do some kind of rhinestone stickers. Bling it up a bit. Again, I personally would prefer it sans stickers, but it could be something else to try.

Finally, what price would I be willing to pay?

It's hard to say. I feel like $8.99 is more in line with what I'd expect to see in a store. But I have no idea. A little makeup mirror for your purse is so easy to get for free that it would be hard for me to fork over ANY money, honestly. And all I need for any little "mirror moments" is my phone (looking at myself on the screen with the selfie-camera on).

Sure, the lights are a nice upgrade. I've never actually used a mirror like this with lights, so I can't speak to that. I wonder if the lights would drown out your ability to see the actual mirror, kind of like how you can't see anything except the headlights on a car when it's dark. So it's the kind of item that I would want to see in person before making a purchase.

Hope this is helpful!

Thanks a lot for your advice. You've given me invaluable advice that I have already started to put into action. I really appreciate it!
 
D

Deleted50669

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Much appreciated!!
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