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

[pjcdn2005]

Tracking from Canada overseas works just as well as to the US but ebay Canada Post rates to the US are much more reasonable.  It’s expensive to ship anything overseas these days.

Reminder that Canada Post lettermail rates are going up on Monday.

[chapeau-noir]

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@farmalljr wrote:

They are not my opinions, they are statements of facts. Like it or not, it's human nature to become emotionally attached to "things". Sellers become emotionally attached to their inventory. If that were not true, there would not be storage units EVERYWHERE, full of junk people hoard. A unit where they throw/store their junk they don't really need, because they can't bring themselves to throw it away or sell it. 

Seller are the same way here. Junk listed for months/years on end that won't sell and they can't bring themselves to get rid of it in some fashion or form. Stores do not have the same emotional attachment to inventory. If it's not selling, they get rid of the inventory and move something else in it's place. They aren't going to let inventory collect dust for months or years waiting on that ONE special buyer to stumble in and buy one. 

Often times when people find the truth "offensive" it's because they don't want to face the truth. Ask yourself something. If something happened to you today, would your kids keep and cherish your inventory, or would they dumpster it or call an auction house to deal with it? Most things you may see as valuable and "not hoarding" would be seen as junk and a problem to deal with by others. We hear this ALL the time from other, aging sellers, who's kids do NOT want to deal with their junk if they would happen to die. 

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This is a logical fallacy assuming that all things equal the same value to all people, and if they don't, then these 'things' (in this case inventory) are in themselves valueless. The kids may not 'keep and cherish' inventory simply because they're not in the sales business.

There are an awful lot of assumptions assigned to a look-through of some stores and accounts on ebay, all of them subjective.

[mam98031]

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@sakic92710 wrote:

What do you think the rule should be if a buyer is refunded on Thursday THEN tracking shows delivery on Monday?

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Ebay doesn't need to make yet another rule.  As far as Ebay is concerned they are finished with the transaction.  Now it is up to the buyer and seller to work this out.

Because this happens I always advise sellers to make sure they sign up for tracking updates so they get an email every time there is movement.

What I have consistently advised sellers to do over the years is to first wait a day and see if the buyer contacts you to tell you the item has arrived.  That is really the best thing and makes it so much easier to work out.

I suggest giving the buyer two options.  

1.  If they would like to keep the item, you can re-invoice them in PayPal [or some other type of electronic service that is acceptable to both] and the buyer can pay from that invoice.

2.  Mark it as Return to Sender and stick it back in the mail.

If the buyer contacted you to let you know the item arrived, chances are it will be easy to get them to pick 1 or 2.  

If the buyer did not reach out to you and let you know the item arrived, I recommend sending an email with the same two options however I would state that I'm aware that the item has arrived as I've been notified by the carrier.  And that they need to pick an option.  They usually do.

Some however will just be a problem, but it is usually fewer than you might think.  But if they don't and the buyer refuses to communicate or they refuse to pay or return the item.  Notify them that you will be reporting them to Ebay, USPS for mail fraud and any place else you think appropriate.  Sometimes that will give them pause.

But there will always be a small number of buyer that simply will do nothing and you are stuck.  Unless the item was of enough value that you want to file police reports and then maybe even a claim in Small Claims Court.

[mam98031]

No, it simply is NOT a fact that "Most small sellers (those who buy inventory to resell) are actually hoarders in disguise."  That is your opinion.  Small seller typically don't have storage units of stuff unless they only list a small amount of their inventory at any one time.  I don't have a storage unit, many small sellers don't have storage units, some might but maybe it isn't to store stock but to store some of their personal items.

I'm not at all "offended" by what you have said as I know it is untrue.  

[mam98031]

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@farmalljr wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@yuzuha wrote:

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@gurlcat wrote:

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@farmalljr wrote:

Most small sellers (those who buy inventory to resell) are actually hoarders in disguise.  They buy more junk to sell then  they actually sell.

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And how/where did you get this idea?  

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Looking at their prices, I would imagine. There are a lot of sellers who are totally delulu about how much the stuff they're selling is actually worth.

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What does that have to do with hoarding?

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Emotional attachment, that's what. 

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Yet another assumption.  Likely true for some but that doesn't mean it is true for most.

[mam98031]

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@meme6253 wrote:

Ebay will probably start suspending accounts unfairly for lack of performance/sales

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That is anger talking, not anything factual.  Besides "unfairly" is an opinion and most sellers that come to the threads because they have been suspended for one reason or another claim it is unfair.  That doesn't make it true.

[chapeau-noir]

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@chevymontecarlo88 wrote:

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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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It would be the Cybertruck of the ecommerce world.

[farmalljr]

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@selsa84 wrote:

That's ridiculous. Small sellers aren't hoarders. If they were they wouldn't want to sell that stuff. 

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Have you actually shopped on eBay before? Obviously not. If you had, you would have run into lots of sellers who overinflate their prices and will not entertain reasonable offers. Heck, you must not even read the boards here. You don't have to even be a buyer to understand many sellers here aren't really interested in selling. 

Large sellers, who are actually SELLING products are selling on LOWER MARGINS. The average small seller here thinks that anything less than a 100% mark up is an insult. 

All it takes to figure out most sellers are hoarders, is to look at the # of items listed, and the # of items sold over the last 90 days. 

[mam98031]

Not to worry, they always think there opinions are facts.  

[campanaelia]

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@mam98031 wrote:

Not to worry, they always think there opinions are facts.  

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Now that's a fact

[selsa84]

Yes I buy on eBay and probably much more than you have. Having a lot of items isnt hoarding it's called inventory. An eBay seller can set his price at whatever he wants. It's called capitalism, quit complaining so much. 

[yuzuha]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@yuzuha wrote:

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Looking at their prices, I would imagine. There are a lot of sellers who are totally delulu about how much the stuff they're selling is actually worth.

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What does that have to do with hoarding?

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In the sense that there are a large number of sellers who end up as hoarders because they refuse to compromise on their prices. I see this literally all the time when I am checking comps to decide how to price my own items-- sellers who have their items listed for two to three times (or sometimes more!) the actual going rate.

At that point, they aren't running a store, they're running a museum, because they aren't interested in actually moving their inventory.

[gurlcat]

Let them call small sellers hoarders.  These arguments were the goal after all, so why satisfy that sad need?  

You know what I've noticed?  Some of the coolest, smartest, most interesting, original, creative, wise and empathetic people I have ever known were some degree of hoarders.  And you know what else?  Most of the biggest BLEEPs and BLEEPEDY-BLEEPs were neat freak minimalists, clean white everything, empty space everywhere in their surroundings, to go with the emptiness in them.  -Please take your shoes off at the door, my floor is more important than your company.  THOSE kind of people. 

If small sellers are mostly hoarders, awesome!  I'm glad to be among good company. 

[solidguitar1961]

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@meme6253 wrote:

Ebay will probably start suspending accounts unfairly for lack of performance/sales

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I highly doubt that considering how hard Ebay lobbied and fought against the $600 threshold for a 1099

[solidguitar1961]

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@farmalljr wrote:

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@selsa84 wrote:

That's ridiculous. Small sellers aren't hoarders. If they were they wouldn't want to sell that stuff. 

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Have you actually shopped on eBay before? Obviously not. If you had, you would have run into lots of sellers who overinflate their prices and will not entertain reasonable offers. Heck, you must not even read the boards here. You don't have to even be a buyer to understand many sellers here aren't really interested in selling. 

Large sellers, who are actually SELLING products are selling on LOWER MARGINS. The average small seller here thinks that anything less than a 100% mark up is an insult. 

All it takes to figure out most sellers are hoarders, is to look at the # of items listed, and the # of items sold over the last 90 days. 

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Unless it is a very high dollar item that you can flip very fast . You're not making much with anything less than a 300% mark up . Do you spend $10 on any item to make $4?