We've been selling since 2002; our main categories are vintage cameras & lenses, collectible porcelains, vintage books (mostly faith-oriented). We've noted what I'd calla "flight to quality and utility": The only cameras and lenses that sell are ones with established reputations. Gone are the days of selling offbeat brands that have only niche appeal. Porcelain and fine china sales tanked, we believe because younger folk don't give a dam about older items with timeless beauty and fine craftsmanship. Faith-centered books and Bibles sell well - more people may be realizing this world is going the wrong direction, and are looking for truth and comfort.
I echo what others have said about the hostile environment for sellers. The new endless lists of "required categories" seem to be designed to allow lazy buyers to ignore the listing copy and just eyeball checklists. And while I was trying to write this comment, eBay jammed a "please take a survey about your experience" in my face. That sort of thing is not uncommon, and is not appreciated.
You've also likely noted that, unlike in the days of Paypal processing, you can no longer download an XLS spreadsheet of your activity. You cannot even download a simple list of your purchases. These two factors added a couple of hours to my year-end tax prep.
After two experiences with the Global Shipping Program (GSP), I will never use it again. It saved me zero time and very few dollars on shipping costs - at the price of no expediting information. Shipments go into behind a cloak of invisibility and as a result you cannot track their progress.
We've tried Etsy and were not impressed with it as an alternative platform. I'd launch our own web store but don't know how to draw traffic effectively. Oh, well ... welcome to "the new normal" where we get half the results for double the effort.
