Looks Like A Bumpy Road Ahead

[pls-consignments]

Now that eBay has released their Q1 report, sellers may wonder what's ahead for Q2 or Q3? From what I'm reading and watching, even from Lannone himself, it looks a little concerning. If you're struggling now as a seasoned seller, or if you're new to the platform, the next few months (or maybe longer) will most likely be challenging to say the least.  My advice is to prepare proactively instead of facing disappointment reactively. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVYWEyoeti4

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ebay-shares-fall-weak-revenue-202514910.html

https://finance.yahoo.com/video/ebay-etsys-q1-earnings-signaling-160255150.html

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@adamcartwright 

"I'm just here to learn from the experiences of people who've been doing this a lot longer than I."

Well, now I'm curious.

What have you learned so far?

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@selsa84  Well, from what they said during the conference call, they obviously got a huge boost when they added the halo rule to PLS. And they said they've really been pushing adoption of the ebay ad tool for offsite ads. And they just recently ended PLE for auctions, replacing it with PLS , which will likely increase overall ad fees as well.

But sure, they could take even more steps to increase their take rate, whether from ads or FVFS or both (And remember, every time the carriers increase their rates, it is a de facto increase for ebay fees, since the fees are calculated based on total price, including shipping.

Still, they are claiming they expect to see an actual, honest to goodness GMV increase by Q 3 or 4, so they must feel that they will finally increase revenue through increased sales as well as a possible increased take rate.

I can't say I feel strongly confident that they will succeed with a really substantial GMV increase, but it's the first they've really talked about it as even a goal in quite a while. So, I'll take it a hopeful sign, even if I won't increase my expectations.

[chapeau-noir]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@pls-consignments " My advice is to prepare proactively instead of facing disappointment reactively."

This is good advice anytime. 

Personally, unless the country/world goes really crazy---nuclear war, for example---I don't expect the next quarter for ebay overall to be any more bumpy than most. For individual sellers, of course, it will vary: smooth for some, bumpy for others, and even worse for some others. 

I expect many of us will muddle through just fine. And, if not here, then on other venues. 

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Yes, and when has it not been bumpy? I remember wailing about 'no sales' or whatever almost 20 years ago. I still remember one guy crying WE'RE FIGHTING FOR OUR LIVES HERE!! insofar as his sales - that was like 2002 or 2003? The draaaaaaaaama....

People have a right to complain, sure, and there are definite problems here, but when it gets to like "I'm not getting enough free shipping supplies and I'm insulted", I think we've gone round the bend.

[dogofwar777]

There are certain items I like to buy on ebay, but lately sellers have been pricing them at what I would pay retail so why would I want to deal with paying shipping and having to wait for an item to (hopefully) arrive when I can just buy it at a store? 

[yuzuha]

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@gurlcat wrote:

A recent "good-ole-days" poster even cited paper checks and money orders as a sadly bygone thing.  Doesn't sound very fun to me!     

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Right? I absolutely do not miss getting a check or a money order in the mail and then having to walk all the way into town to cash/deposit it when I was selling in college.

[rugerskick]

Its been the only plan for years now.

[rugerskick]

Probably.    🙂

[gurlcat]

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@adamcartwright wrote:

Maybe the sellers are not "stubborn and ignorant," but simply running their businesses as they see fit?

People have legit reasons for doing or not doing all the things on your list.

But if you don't like hearing people whine, then just scroll past the post.

Many of these sellers complaining are old timers and should know how eBay works by now.

But I've noticed people here like to engage for the social aspect -- this forum is treated like social media, by some.

I'm just here to learn from the experiences of people who've been doing this a lot longer than I.

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Yes they always have a "legit" reason ready to cite, and I agree that doing things as one sees fit is perfectly legit .... IF they're also aware that it means fewer sales, and they're fine with that.  But that is not the case; they whine and blame eBay for their poor sales (and fees and refunds and everything else they could have avoided or minimized if they understood the policies and put in the effort needed).  I'm not saying I think eBay's practices are 100% fair; I think some are actually pretty harsh, but not uniquely so because they're the same or even worse on other platforms.  So given that online selling is a somewhat hostile landscape, it's unreasonable to think you should have all the success you want by doing everything as you "see fit." 

And as for just scrolling past, well when the title of a post tells me it's a pure vent rant, I usually do scroll past.  But for some embittered sellers, authoring those standalone posts is not enough; they have to go into other people's posts and inject their bitterness there too.  They seek only thumbs up and the sense that they can drag anyone else down with them.  They DELIGHT in telling someone with a problem that they're screwed "because eBay" -often incorrectly.  

[gurlcat]

Piece of advice you can take or leave: watch your tracking and reach out to buyer when you notice it getting stuck.  It takes only a few minutes a day and as a result I've never had an INR, not even when postal catastrophes have been system-wide (like winter 2020). 

Buyers LOVE IT because they're not used to it, they never get personal recognition of their frustration like this from Amazon or Walmart.  And that's why they think nothing of filing INR's and leaving negative feedback, etc. -if you act like a corporation that's all they think you are, whereas a personal message reminds them (maybe even INFORMS them) that you're a regular person just like them.  

Never forget that their money isn't yours until they have the item and are happy with it.  But being a regular person can be an advantage as well as a vulnerability.  So use it.  


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[gurlcat]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@gurlcat wrote:

I could be wrong but I'd suspect that true hobby and clutter-ridding sellers make up a very small portion of the eBay seller base.  You'd have to be pretty well-off to not literally NEED more money nowadays.  

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I don't believe that is true.  The number may have changed, but the last time I saw it, small and casual sellers make up about 80% of the seller base on Ebay.  We are the largest section of sellers on the site.

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Sure but I didn't use the word "small" for a reason.  Sellers' volumes and sellers' goals are completely separate things.  I'm relatively tiny, with only around 50 items listed at any given time, but my goal is to pay all my bills and have bit left over for reinvestment and pleasure.  Meanwhile someone else could have 1000 listings just to thin down their collection of something or to stay engaged with people in that hobby, to where that's all they would lose if their store was shut down today, not that they would suddenly be unable to afford any costs of living.   As @inhawaii indicated, eBay is not their main source of income but supplementary and necessary.  

[baydealz]

They are just done...a dotcom era relic that out-survived most.  For years they were heralded as the leaders and forefathers of online 'trust and safety' - paving the way for AirBnB, Uber and all the phone apps that came later that needed that trust-safety-network loop.  Instead of maintaining that, they foolishly (Donahue?) tried to become Amazon, yet they were a different model with different strengths.  Now they are a fragmented, disparate kluge with no focus (just as Sears, et al had done, and failed). 

Poshmark is a focused market, and seems to have had some struggles post-Covid, but I'm intrigued by their niche and unique approaches (live sales, community, etc.).  That's more of an ecommerce site with potential for fraud, but I've seen and heard of zero nonsense.   I think because though buyers probably expect to be able to return anything in 30 days (thanks Amazon), Poshmark hold a no return policy, more like a thrift store, but allow sellers to arrange on their own if they'd like, and many do. 

Another is coming on strong (I don't want to mention, to not bring in ebay creeps) with return policy, but THEY pay for the shipping, so it pleases all, instead of none like ebay.

TikTok willl probably just buy ebay, to compete with Timu so they can continue to just sell cheap Chinese junk in bulk, apparently that's the coveted market, but not for me.   I guarantee there is a market that is no longer being addressed, someone will pick it up.

[gurlcat]

Do you have any idea how many years have come and gone with people posting that eBay is "done"?  It reminds me of how people have been saying for centuries that they were living in the End Times, and they say it still; the apocalypse is always just ahead, just you wait and see.  

[ltldpr]

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@campanaelia wrote:

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@pls-consignments wrote:
If ad revenue is keeping them from falling off the cliff of irrelevance, then even AI isn't going to sustain them.

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Sustain them? Ebay has been using AI for the last few years now and IMO the site has become more user unfriendly to both buyer and sellers with every change. I can't even think of one positive change and think most would agree.

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100% agree! 

[chevymontecarlo88]

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@gurlcat wrote:

Piece of advice you can take or leave: watch your tracking and reach out to buyer when you notice it getting stuck.  It takes only a few minutes a day and as a result I've never had an INR, not even when postal catastrophes have been system-wide (like winter 2020). 

Buyers LOVE IT because they're not used to it, they never get personal recognition of their frustration like this from Amazon or Walmart.  And that's why they think nothing of filing INR's and leaving negative feedback, etc. -if you act like a corporation that's all they think you are, whereas a personal message reminds them (maybe even INFORMS them) that you're a regular person just like them.  

Never forget that their money isn't yours until they have the item and are happy with it.  But being a regular person can be an advantage as well as a vulnerability.  So use it.  


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Exactly! Great post!

[chevymontecarlo88]

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@baydealz wrote:

TikTok willl probably just buy ebay, to compete with Timu so they can continue to just sell cheap Chinese junk in bulk, apparently that's the coveted market, but not for me.   I guarantee there is a market that is no longer being addressed, someone will pick it up.

My bet is on X (Twitter) - Not that Elon will purchase Ebay but he has teased having something similar before.

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