eBay status: access issues and outage reports

Problems in the last 24 hours

The graph below depicts the number of eBay reports received over the last 24 hours by time of day. When the number of reports exceeds the baseline, represented by the red line, an outage is determined.

Most Reported Problems

The following are the most recent problems reported by eBay users through our website.

• Website Down (63%)
• Sign in (23%)
• Errors (14%)

Live Outage Map

The most recent eBay outage reports came from the following cities:

City	Problem Type	Report Time
Preston	Website Down	5 hours ago
Thonon-les-Bains	Sign in	8 hours ago
Preston	Website Down	11 hours ago
Thonon-les-Bains	Sign in	23 hours ago
Preston	Website Down	1 day ago
Paris	Website Down	1 day ago

Full Outage Map

Community Discussion

Tips? Frustrations? Share them here. Useful comments include a description of the problem, city and postal code.

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eBay Issues Reports

Latest outage, problems and issue reports in social media:

• 
  Mike Palmer (シネフィル) 🎬 (@MikePalmerYT) reported 11 minutes ago

  Since July this year there are severe problems with orders from Japan and delivered from Japan Post in the European Union. I had three cases so far, and every parcel has been send back to Japan. A few days ago I ordered something very expensive of eBay.

• 
  J & C Collectibles (@JC_colleccoast) reported 11 minutes ago

  🚨 SOS Card Peeps! Need some help ASAP please. 🚨 I received an offer on My Acuff 1/1 card on eBay. The guy offered me a fair price and is now negotiating with me…I’m totally fine with that, but in our chat (on eBay) the user name keeps changing…when I click on the first name at the top of the chat it seems like he is a legit seller/buyer. When the other name pops up, it says “error” Is someone trying to scam me or is this some kind of issue with eBay’s messaging?!? Thanks in advance!

• 
  Alison Scott 🐻 (@bnosilagm) reported 12 minutes ago

  @CalBearsHistory Every time these are brought out for the season count down I have to tell myself to stay away from Ebay. I really don't need another thing to collect.

• 
  DeePlaysGaming (@DeePlaysGaming) reported 13 minutes ago

  @robert_m45 @Pirat_Nation then when your discs that you cant use become so rare you can charge 3 times the amount you paid for it on ebay blaming disc drives not working is lame when a game licence runs out that gets taken from you for good and you signed up for it...we all did with any digital game.

• 
  Card Shop Guys Podcast (@Card_Shop_Guys) reported 17 minutes ago

  As most of us know, there have been plenty of people opening and selling 30th anniversary product early across Whatnot and other platforms. Over the past week TPCi has decided to put their foot down, specifically with sellers on Ebay. Several sellers have been contacted by Ebay and informed that their early listings for raw Pokemon cards from the 30th anniversary set have been taken down. Ebay claims the listings were in violation of their stolen product policy. I wonder if TPCi will go after Whatnot themselves and other platforms to root out the source of the problem....

• 
  thanh (@thanhsells) reported 19 minutes ago

  @SeeifIhaveit Fifteen minutes while you were taking the eBay listing down is brutal. That's the one that gets you.

• 
  Kiro (@KiroIkigai) reported 21 minutes ago

  The most reliable way to misread an earnings report is to start at the bottom line. $GME just posted preliminary net income up roughly 78% on net sales down roughly 19%. Both numbers are real. Only one of them is about the business. The quarter, company figures: -net sales: $780M to $800M, vs $972.2M a year ago -net income: $290M to $310M, vs $168.6M -operating income: $150M to $170M, vs $66.4M The bridge from falling sales to rising profit is one line. Roughly $238M of gains on an eBay derivative asset and an equity investment, less roughly $75M of digital-asset losses. about $163M of pre-tax marks. For scale: that eBay exposure is carried at about $4.947B. the company books about $790M of sales in a quarter. when the portfolio is that big, the income statement is partly a report on the portfolio. Credit where due: operating income more than doubled. that is a bigger percentage jump than the net income line everyone quotes. smaller, tighter, better-run retailer. real progress. not the headline story. Keep this part: -net income up while revenue is down: find the non-operating line first. it is usually one line, and it is usually named -size the securities book against the operating result. a $5B position swamps a sub-$200M quarter, in both directions -falling sales with improving operating income is a cost story. real, but a different story from the headline I am fully invested, and none of this changes that. guidance direction and price reaction have been disagreeing all earnings season. last Thursday five of seven reporters raised guidance and four of the seven closed lower. reading the price as the verdict on the numbers is the error. The case against: I may be underselling the operating turn, which more than doubled at every point of the guided range. and these are preliminary figures. no call is scheduled, and complete results are due September 8. $GME $EBAY

• 
  Sam Parr (@thesamparr) reported 22 minutes ago

  Former CEO of PayPal + Inuit Bill Harris on Moneywise today. He broke down his portfolio and expenses (and what it was like working w/ Elon + thiel. - Net worth: ~$100m. Divorce cut it roughly in half - ~$50m in operating companies he's starting, ~$25m diversified securities, ~$25m bonds. No PE/hedge/alts - "absurd fees" - PayPal/eBay exit: personally "more than 20 million, less than 50" - Personal Capital: sold to Empower for $825m with $23b AUM; his take was north of $100m post-tax - New venture: ~$10m of his own money in - Total annual burn: ~$70-80k all in, property tax included ("well less than a hundred thousand bucks") - No mortgage (cottage paid off), no car, bikes to work - Owned a ton of stuff (houses, cars, planes). Sold it all because it took too much time to maintain.

• 
  Disgruntled_Maverick (@UncleVic13) reported 23 minutes ago

  What ******** @eBay !!! Why ******** do you make it imposible to talk to a live representative???? I pay a **** load of fees to be given the run around!!! Fix your ****!!!

• 
  Genius Business (@GeniusBusiness_) reported 25 minutes ago

  PayPal's real product in its early years wasn't payments. It was survival. The company was building something that regulators, banks and its own biggest platform had no category for. Stefan Heck: "It was a true disruption of a very established, very regulated industry, right? Payments, banking… and they were doing things that didn't fit an existing category." Not fitting a category meant almost everyone with power over PayPal had a reason to switch it off. Reid Hoffman, who became Peter Thiel's firefighter chief, describes the job he was handed: "Make sure eBay doesn't drive us off the service. Make sure Visa doesn't shut us down. Persuade the federal government that it's okay that we're not a bank." Nancy Lublin on the person they sent to handle it: "He was the wolf. I mean, he was the fixer." John Lilly remembers how routine the existential threats became: "I remember we had breakfast one time. He said, 'I have to leave at 8:30 because I got to get on the plane to New York to go talk to Eliot Spitzer, the attorney general of New York, who's suing PayPal for basically anti-money laundering type things.' And he's like, 'I just got to go fix this and here's how I'm going to fix it because New York was convinced that PayPal is being used for gambling, all sorts of other things at the time.'" There was no playbook, because the category didn't exist yet. So the company argued from first principles: "It was fun because part of what ends up happening is you say, 'All right, well, what's a bank? Like, what defines a bank? How do I persuade them? I've never talked to a regulator before. All right, let me go figure out how this looks.'" While all this was happening, PayPal was outgrowing its own ability to operate. June Cohen: "Their customer numbers had grown so exponentially that they could not keep up with customer service and they actually just made the decision that that was a fire they weren't going to fight at that moment." That was a decision, not a failure. The company sorted its problems by one test: "There was a whole set of fires at PayPal where if you didn't solve them, value of the company zero, out of business." John Lilly on how that worked in practice: "Here's the one, two, three top priorities. Everything else I'm not going to worry about right now because if I get these three things right, everything else will be okay." The fire that passed the test was eBay: "If eBay had turned us off, if we were no longer to operate on eBay, no initial users, no traction, no network effect, no ability to grow." And eBay had every incentive to do exactly that. John Lilly: "eBay had its own payment system that was competing with PayPal. PayPal was winning. And so I think those got very complicated and eBay very much didn't want to have to buy PayPal and eventually they felt like they had to." That's the ending. PayPal survived on someone else's platform long enough to become the thing that platform had no choice but to acquire. A reporter at the time: "We know these guys very well obviously because so much of their business is in fact on eBay. The synergies of putting these two companies together were incredibly outstanding and it just seemed like the right time to get this deal done." PayPal didn't win by solving its problems. It won by correctly ranking them and letting the rest burn.

• 
  Sweethoneyxd (@Gods_sunset) reported 27 minutes ago

  @JRho_11 Starting the video w/ that musty *** helmet he prob got off eBay is insane. Literally hit record while putting the helmet in frame andddd putting his top down. Mean time he prob circling an empty parking lot

• 
  Pokémon Deals, Restock and Alerts (@PokemonRestockr) reported 30 minutes ago

  @J_Vetter14 @Stassibaby12 @Pacho9_3 I assume it was ebay to took the seller down, keep me updated on what happens. Wild times

• 
  ♋️nahgem💫 (@danisnotesquire) reported 32 minutes ago

  @MarButHockey i bought boxes. and cards off ebay. some of the ebay cards are like im buying cards For my sid and geno cards. this is a Real Problem.

• 
  Alex Thompson (@sierrastrades) reported 32 minutes ago

  TL;DR Sales down, profits up, cash lower because they turned the eBay options into real shares. • Sales: $780–800M vs $972M last year. Drop is mostly Switch 2 anniversary, store closures, and selling France. • Operating income: $150–170M vs $66M. Core operations got a lot more profitable. • Net income: $290–310M vs $169M. Includes ~$238M eBay gain, minus ~$75M digital-asset loss. • Cash: $5.05–5.07B vs $8.69B last year. Cash fell because they converted the eBay derivatives into 43.4 million eBay shares, now worth about $4.95B. • Full results drop September 8.

• 
  k- 🏴‍☠️ (@_goinKuu) reported 35 minutes ago

  @eBay i’ve already done this, and ran into “ Technical difficulties “ when using the call me feature. I need an actual agent asap, because this was made in error. I have nothing that violates any policy as i’ve read everything on the Policy page.

• 
  Chris Swanski (@ChrisSwanski) reported 36 minutes ago

  @CoCCollectibles Yeah. Still nice though. Don't feel bad. I owned THE Brady card for a minute in 2004. Got it for $400 from Ebay back when the photos were usually terrible. Seller said it was NM, but I couldn't tell from the pics. I trusted him. It wasn't NM, so I sold it at a loss.

• 
  Archer (@Archer471653301) reported 38 minutes ago

  @NINJA_2029 @PanthoriusPrime Calm down ninja go to Ebay its a scalper sell out.

• 
  rack$ (@mnstacks) reported 38 minutes ago

  He built an autonomous Grok Bot named Reaper, handed it his credit card debt and told it to pay off his credit card debt for him. He gave the bot its own computer in the cloud and access to his email. Then he basically said: “This debt is your problem now. Don’t ask me for money. Just report back every night.” What Reaper actually did • canceled old subscriptions he’d forgotten • talked the credit card company into a lower interest rate • moved most of the balance to a 0% card • got a couple of charges refunded • sold his unused PlayStation and monitors on eBay • put every extra dollar it found toward the debt I spoke to him and he said he plans to work on more upgrades and refine its function He is fully onboard and will join the community to tell us about his future plans Ca;

• 
  Carolina24 (@c_collector24) reported 42 minutes ago

  @pasch_8759_eBay @CardPurchaser @tm1515152005 Had the same issue yesterday (TWICE) with the same Kirby Puckett card that I even talked to an eBay representative about and he suggested I just relist it? No idea what they’re doing with their new AI filters

• 
  Gerard Hughes ( @ghhughes.bsky.social ) (@ghhughes) reported 42 minutes ago

  @selStreams @austeregrim @RDKLInc You can't buy CPAPs, for example, on eBay. They are class II medical devices and their requires a doctor's prescription. Some people have tried to get around that by selling a CPAP travel bag for $300, which just so happened to have a CPAP in it. But eBay has cracked down on that, too. Not all medical devices require a prescription, though.

• 
  Mr Hankey (@hivanchi) reported 47 minutes ago

  @eBay your platform is hurting buyers(im also a seller) The return process is broken. Theres no way to talk to people in the US, either by message or call. Some of your reps read the same script over and over again. Ask you for useless information that leads nowhere.

• 
  Cori (DemShenaniganss) 🦝 | #TDST ⚡️ (@DemShenanigans) reported 50 minutes ago

  @Artemishowl_ Former SH staff circa early days (2010s) here: Can confirm, ebay kept the **** parts and got rid of the people like us who made sure that the same or better upgrades were offered. Afaik even shut down the main corporate office thay used to be in CT

• 
  Hago Community (@HAGOCommunity) reported 50 minutes ago

  Everything $1–$5 Store Business in the United States Business Model, Profit Methods, Required Equipment, and Startup Costs The Everything $1–$5 concept is based on opening a small retail store that sells a wide variety of everyday and impulse-buy products at simple, affordable prices ranging from $1 to $5. Instead of operating like a traditional store with hundreds of different price points, the store can be organized into clear pricing sections such as: $1 Zone – $2 Zone – $3 Zone – $4 Zone – $5 Zone This makes shopping simple, easy to understand, and attractive to customers. The low prices also encourage shoppers to purchase several items during one visit instead of buying only one product. A strong example of this type of retail model in the United States is Five Below, which offers many products within the $1 to $5 price range. However, a small independent store should not try to copy large national chains directly. The key is to stay small, control operating expenses, buy inventory at very low prices, and focus on fast-moving products. What Products Can Be Sold? The store can carry hundreds of small products, but it is usually better to begin with a carefully selected product mix instead of trying to sell everything. Suitable categories may include: Home accessories Kitchen tools School supplies Office supplies Small toys Party supplies Hair accessories Pet accessories Car accessories Storage products Seasonal merchandise Gift items Small decorations Socks Craft supplies Cleaning accessories Phone accessories Small household products The $1 Section The $1 section can be used primarily to attract customers into the store. Products may include: Pens Stickers Sticky notes Gift bags Small party supplies Small seasonal items Hair accessories Craft products Small household items The goal is not necessarily to generate the highest profit from the $1 section. Instead, the purpose is to create strong value perception and encourage customers to enter the store and continue shopping. The $2 Section The $2 section may include: Small kitchen tools Storage accessories Socks Cups Office supplies Accessories Small pet products Basic cleaning products Seasonal products The $3 Section The $3 section may offer stronger profit margins. Products can include: Home organizers Small decorative products Basic car accessories Cups and bottles Kitchen products Small toys Puzzles Pet accessories Better-quality office supplies Small gifts The $4 and $5 Sections These sections can become some of the most important profit generators in the store. Possible products include: Storage organizers Home décor Larger seasonal products Gift sets Office accessories Car products Pet supplies Toys Trend products Kitchen organizers Bathroom organizers The store does not need to carry the same number of products at every price level. A possible product mix could look like this: PricePercentage of Products$110%$215%$325%$420%$530% This would place approximately half of the store's products in the $4 to $5 range, where there is often more room for stronger gross margins. How Does an Everything $1–$5 Store Make Money? The biggest mistake would be buying an item for $4 and selling it for $5. That may look like a $1 profit, but the business still has to pay for: Rent Payroll Electricity Insurance Credit card processing Theft Damaged inventory Supplies Marketing Software Taxes and administrative expenses The products must therefore be purchased at significantly lower prices than their retail selling prices. A possible target structure could be: Selling PriceTarget Landed Cost$1$0.25–$0.40$2$0.50–$0.80$3$0.80–$1.20$4$1.10–$1.60$5$1.40–$2.00 The term landed cost refers to the total cost of getting the product into the store, including purchasing, shipping, transportation, and other related costs. The lower the landed cost, the more room the store has to cover expenses and generate profit. The Real Secret: Average Customer Transaction The goal should not be for a customer to walk into the store and spend only $1. The goal is to encourage the customer to buy several products. For example: One $1 item Two $3 items One $4 item One $5 item The total transaction would be: $16 If the average item price is approximately $3.20 and the average customer purchases five items, then: Average Transaction = approximately $16 This number is extremely important. A profitable discount store needs both customer traffic and a healthy average transaction value. Example of Store Profitability Suppose the average customer transaction is: $16 Assume the cost of merchandise sold represents approximately: 40% of sales The merchandise cost on a $16 transaction would therefore be about: $6.40 That leaves: $9.60 in gross profit before operating expenses. Credit card processing fees, bags, theft, damaged products, and other variable expenses must still be deducted. Therefore, the store may target a contribution margin of approximately: 50% to 55% depending on the merchandise mix and operating model. This is not guaranteed net profit. It is simply an example to illustrate how the business model can work. Break-Even Example Suppose the store has monthly fixed operating expenses of: $8,000 This may include: Rent Payroll Utilities Internet Insurance Software Marketing Administrative expenses If the effective contribution margin is approximately: 54% Then the store would need approximately: $8,000 ÷ 54% = $14,800 in monthly sales to reach break-even. If the store operates 30 days per month, that would equal approximately: $495 in daily sales If the average transaction is $16, the store would need approximately: 31 customer transactions per day to generate that level of sales. Actual costs will vary significantly depending on the city, state, rent, wages, insurance, and inventory costs. Important Ways to Increase Profit 1. Use Low-Priced Products to Attract Customers The $1 and $2 sections can contain products that appear to offer excellent value. The goal is to make customers curious enough to enter the store. Once inside, they may purchase products from the higher-priced sections as well. 2. Make $4 and $5 Products Major Profit Drivers If a product costs $1.50 landed and sells for $5, there is significantly more room to cover expenses and produce profit. For that reason, the store should not depend heavily on $1 products. The $1 section should support the business, but it should not necessarily dominate the inventory. 3. Create an Impulse-Buy Section Near the Checkout The checkout area should contain attractive, small products. Examples include: Accessories Trend items Small gifts Stationery Seasonal items Novelty products The purpose is to encourage customers to add another $1 to $5 purchase before checking out. Even a small increase in average transaction value can make a significant difference over thousands of customer visits. 4. Change Products Frequently One of the most attractive features of a discount store is that customers do not always know what they will find. A section can be created called: NEW THIS WEEK New products can be introduced regularly. This gives customers a reason to visit several times per month instead of shopping only when they need something specific. 5. Sell Seasonal Merchandise Seasonal products can generate strong short-term demand. Important seasons may include: Halloween Christmas Valentine's Day Easter Back to School Summer Graduation Thanksgiving The store should buy seasonal merchandise carefully. After the season ends, unsold inventory should usually be discounted quickly so that cash can be reinvested into newer products. 6. Follow Consumer Trends Low-cost trend products can generate fast sales. The store owner should continuously monitor: Social media trends Popular products Local consumer demand Seasonal demand Competitor merchandise Online marketplaces When a low-cost product begins gaining popularity, the store may be able to purchase it quickly and sell it while demand is still strong. 7. Sell Both In-Store and Online The same inventory can potentially be sold through: The physical store The store's website TikTok Shop eBay Facebook Marketplace Other online marketplaces This allows the location to function as: Retail Store + Small Warehouse + Online Fulfillment Center The physical store can therefore generate more value than retail sales alone. 8. Create Private-Label Products Later After several months of operations, the owner will begin to understand which products sell consistently. Instead of continuing to buy these products from middlemen, the business may eventually work directly with manufacturers. A private label can then be created under the store's own brand. For example: Everything $1–$5 Home Private-label products can improve margins and help build a stronger long-term brand. Recommended Store Size For a first-time business owner, a large store may create unnecessary financial pressure. A practical starting size could be: 500–800 square feet which is approximately: 46–74 square meters After the business proves itself, the owner may expand to: 800–1,200 square feet A smaller store offers several advantages: Lower rent Lower renovation costs Fewer employees Lower utility bills Less inventory required Lower shelving costs Easier management Choosing the Right Location Suitable locations may include: Strip malls Shopping centers Areas near supermarkets Residential neighborhoods Areas with families Locations near schools or colleges when appropriate Locations next to complementary retailers The most expensive location is not always the best location. For a low-price retail concept, manageable rent combined with adequate customer traffic can be better than a premium location with extremely high rent. Parking, visibility, pedestrian traffic, nearby businesses, and local demographics should all be considered. Equipment Needed Retail Shelving The store may need: Wall shelving Gondola shelving End caps Pegboards Hooks Display tables Used commercial shelving can significantly reduce startup costs. Shopping Baskets A small store may use: Shopping baskets instead of large shopping carts. Baskets take less space and are usually more practical for a store selling small products. Point-of-Sale System A POS system should be able to manage: Sales Inventory Barcodes Returns Sales reports Employee activity Card payments A small retail business does not necessarily need an expensive enterprise-level checkout system. A basic POS setup can be sufficient during the early stage. Additional Equipment Other useful equipment may include: Barcode scanner Label printer Receipt printer Cash drawer Computer or tablet Internet router Security cameras Surveillance monitor Regular printer Pricing label machine Hand truck Stockroom shelving Small ladder Box cutters Tape guns Storage bins Shopping bags Store Security Retail shrink can become a major problem in stores carrying hundreds of small products. Shrink may include: Theft Damaged products Lost merchandise Inventory mistakes The store should therefore be designed carefully. Useful security measures may include: Visible security cameras Good lighting Mirrors in blind spots Lower shelving Clear sight lines Higher-value products near the checkout area Even a relatively small level of shrink can significantly damage the profitability of a low-price retail business. Estimated Startup Cost in the United States The following numbers are general estimates only. Actual expenses can vary substantially depending on the state, city, lease, condition of the location, local wages, insurance, licensing, and construction requirements. For a store of approximately 500 to 800 square feet: ExpenseEstimated CostBusiness formation and licenses$300–$1,500Security deposit and advance rent$3,000–$8,000Paint, lighting, and basic improvements$3,000–$10,000Shelving and display fixtures$2,500–$7,000POS and checkout equipment$400–$1,800Cameras and security system$500–$1,500Storefront sign$700–$2,500Bags, labels, and barcode supplies$300–$1,000Initial inventory$8,000–$20,000Internet, utilities, and deposits$300–$1,000Business insurance$500–$1,500Grand opening and marketing$500–$2,000Working capital reserve$5,000–$12,000 A realistic startup budget for a small location may therefore be approximately: $25,000 to $50,000 if the property is already in reasonable condition. A larger, more professionally fitted store may require: $45,000 to $80,000 or more. In high-cost cities, startup expenses may be significantly higher. Can the Business Be Started With $20,000? It may be possible, but the operation would need to be extremely lean. A possible setup may include: 400–600 square feet Low-cost location Used shelving Owner-operated store Basic POS Simple interior design Initial inventory of approximately $7,000–$9,000 Limited product selection Continuous reinvestment of early profits Under favorable circumstances, startup costs may approach: $20,000–$25,000 However, the business would have a relatively small cash reserve. For that reason, a starting budget of: $30,000–$40,000 may provide a safer financial cushion. Example Budget With $35,000 A possible allocation could be: $10,000 inventory $5,000 rent deposit and advance rent $4,000 shelving $4,000 store improvements $1,500 POS, cameras, and equipment $1,000 licensing, insurance, and administrative expenses $1,000 sign and promotional material $500 bags and labels $8,000 cash reserve Total: $35,000 Maintaining a cash reserve is important. The owner should avoid spending the entire investment before opening day. Business Registration and Licensing Requirements depend on the state, city, and specific location. A retail store may need: Business entity registration EIN State tax registration Sales tax registration where applicable Local business license Zoning approval Sign permit Certificate of Occupancy or similar local approval Commercial insurance Requirements can vary widely across the United States. Before signing a lease, the owner should confirm that the location is legally approved for the intended retail use. Be Careful With Imported Products Importing low-cost products can improve margins, but not every product can simply be imported and sold without additional requirements. Certain product categories may be subject to safety or compliance rules. Examples may include: Children's products Toys Electrical products Certain consumer goods Regulated household products For a beginner, it may be easier to purchase a large percentage of the initial inventory from wholesalers and distributors already operating inside the United States. Direct importing can be introduced later after the owner understands the market, product demand, compliance requirements, shipping costs, and minimum order quantities. Where Can the Merchandise Come From? There are several possible inventory sources. U.S. Wholesalers One of the easiest options for beginners. Prices may be higher than direct importing, but purchasing is usually simpler. Closeout Merchandise Businesses may purchase discontinued or clearance inventory at reduced prices. Closeouts can provide excellent margins if the merchandise is still desirable. Overstock Merchandise Suppliers sometimes have excess inventory that they need to sell quickly. This can create opportunities to buy products below normal wholesale prices. Liquidation Inventory Liquidation can provide extremely low prices. However, buyers should carefully inspect the merchandise. Buying random pallets without understanding the condition or contents can create major losses. Direct Importing Direct importing may become attractive after the business has identified proven products. For example, if one product sells 1,000 units successfully, the owner may then negotiate with a manufacturer for a larger direct order. This approach reduces the risk of ordering large quantities of products that have not yet been tested. Products to Approach Carefully at the Beginning A new store owner should be cautious about categories such as: Food Cosmetics Children's products Complex electronics Perishable products Products requiring special regulatory compliance These categories may still be profitable, but they can create additional compliance, insurance, storage, safety, and inventory-management challenges. A beginner may prefer products that are: Easy to store Easy to display Durable Non-perishable Low return risk Simple to understand The Biggest Inventory Mistake One of the biggest mistakes is buying very large quantities simply because the unit cost is low. For example, a supplier may offer a product for: $0.50 The owner may believe it is an excellent deal because it can potentially sell for $3. However, if customers do not want the product, the business has not saved $2.50. Instead, it has locked money into slow-moving inventory. A better approach is: Test Small → Measure → Reorder Big Buy a smaller quantity first. Monitor sales. If the product sells quickly, place a larger order. If it sells slowly, discount it and recover the cash. Important Numbers to Monitor The store owner should regularly track: Daily Sales Total sales generated each day. Average Transaction The average amount spent by each customer. Units Per Transaction The average number of products purchased per transaction. Gross Margin The difference between product cost and sales revenue before operating expenses. Inventory Turnover How quickly inventory is sold and replaced. Shrink Inventory lost through theft, damage, or errors. Sell-Through Rate The percentage of purchased inventory that has actually been sold. These numbers are far more important than simply observing whether the store appears busy. Conclusion An Everything $1–$5 store can be an attractive small retail business in the United States. It does not necessarily require a large location, expensive machinery, or a large number of employees. However, the real business model is not simply: “Sell cheap products.” The stronger model is: “Buy intelligently, sell quickly, and encourage every customer to purchase several products per visit.” The $1 and $2 sections can attract customers, while the $3, $4, and $5 sections can become stronger profit generators. A practical starting model may include: 500–800 square feet Approximately $30,000–$40,000 in startup capital Carefully selected initial inventory Low operating expenses Owner-operated management during the early stage Frequent merchandise changes Strong focus on inventory turnover After the first location becomes profitable, the business can expand through: A larger product range A second store Online sales Direct importing Private-label products Additional locations With disciplined buying, tight inventory control, manageable rent, and strong customer traffic, an Everything $1–$5 store can develop from a small independent retail store into a scalable discount retail brand.

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  Jay (@TheLobbyistGuy) reported 52 minutes ago

  Even in 2024, I had to track them down on eBay

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  dave (@davejones3334) reported 53 minutes ago

  @LLMJunky @stevenharms I don’t sell much on eBay but almost every tech item I’ve had scammer issues. Luckily I didn’t lose any money and they were fairly low value items in the 100-300 range. I would not trust selling a multi thousand dollar item there.

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  Mike-E (@ATXCollectibles) reported 56 minutes ago

  @yanxchick A4: one of my 1/1 Colt McCoy Longhorn cards I communicated with the seller for about 6 years on eBay and YouTube until he was willing to come down to what I was comfortable paying. Originally asked $2k and I ended up paying $500.

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  DogsBeAwesome (@Glasz_Half_Full) reported 59 minutes ago

  @mikelectricstuf @FedEx Before brexshit I used to have a small ebay store that sent parts overseas. Royal Mail had the same problem too.

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  🕯️ (@sixlinekenner) reported 59 minutes ago

  resolution to not buy more dolls this week broken by $50 ebay pullip #yay

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  David Eyes (@EyesDavid88066) reported 1 hour ago

  @benonwine Ready for some enterprising youngsters to go and take down the tents and eBay them. Used once only.

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  GamerTex (@GamerTex) reported 1 hour ago

  @card_history @UpperDeckSports In 1999 Upper Deck told me about a few of the first Patch cards ever made. The best and worst as they put it. The WORST was a yet unreleased employee card with a distinct error i how the patch was inserted. A few months later the first Jordan employee card was released. After years of looking I never found the Jordan card that was described. The 'best' patch they described is attached. I found it after years of searching the newsgroups, sportsnet and ebay.