Operating Models for Catalogue-Based Businesses
This section documents the operating models behind catalogue-based resale and digital businesses.
It is for operators who already sell, already source, already list, but want clearer judgement, stronger margin control, and fewer avoidable mistakes.
The focus is practical:
- How marketplaces actually behave
- How to diagnose slow inventory
- How to protect capital
- How to structure assets so they remain durable
This is not beginner motivation.
It is decision discipline.
1. Marketplace Economics
Understanding the environment you operate inside.
Marketplace platforms shape demand, fees, visibility, and margin. Many operators misread what is happening because they focus on activity rather than structure.
These pieces explain how the platform layer actually works:
• eBay Sell Through Rate
• What Beginners Misunderstand About Selling on eBay
• The Hidden Costs of Side Hustle eBay Selling
• When eBay Stops Being Worth Your Time
• When I Allow eBay Promoted Listings and When I Refuse to Touch Them
• Why eBay Promoted Listings Quietly Punish Catalogue Sellers
• eBay Promoted Listings Don’t Create Demand They Tax It
• Why Ads Are a Diagnostic Tool Not a Growth Lever
2. Demand and Diagnostic Models
When items do not sell, most people optimise the wrong thing.
This section focuses on diagnosis before action. It separates demand problems from listing problems, and reaction from decision.
• How to Tell If You Have a Demand Problem or a Listing Problem
• What To Do When Items Don’t Sell and Why Optimisation Isn’t the Answer
• Bundling as Reframing Not Optimisation
• When Stopping Is the Correct Move and How I Decide
• Why Waiting Longer Is Usually a Decision You Didn’t Mean To Make
• January Cashflow and the Mistake of Assuming a Visibility Problem
• Where the Income Comes From and Where It Doesn’t
3. Capital Allocation and Risk Control
Resale and catalogue businesses fail through capital drift, not effort.
This section focuses on protecting margin, limiting exposure, and making deliberate buying decisions.
• The Reseller 2 Month Rule
• Break Even Price Calculator
• Margin Calculator
• eBay Fees Calculator UK
4. Asset Architecture and Finite Design
Catalogue businesses are not just about sourcing and listing. They are about building assets that remain structured and controlled over time.
This section explores how to design work so that it compounds rather than fragments.
• Finished Is a Design Choice Not a Phase
• The Difference Between Availability and a Launch
• Turning Experience Into a Durable Asset
• Updating a Product Without Breaking the Calm
• Why I Document Decisions Instead of Giving Advice
• Locking the Way I Work
• The Difference Between Tools and Judgement
If you work inside a catalogue-based business and want clearer decisions rather than louder tactics, this section is the starting point.