eBay

fine_find · ‎03-23-2018

I don't think our stuff is being shown to all that many buyers anymore. I'm a buyer and seller also and when I try to look for something specific, I am shown only a few listings when I know for a fact that eBay has a lot more of that particular item. I have found more by simply using my browser to look on the web and it shows me that there are more listings with eBay, only eBay didn't let me see them when I tried to look from my home page on eBay. The buyers are not allowed to see what every seller has anymore and that is why your business is down as well as mine. The buyers do not even get to see what you have for sale. EBay is attempting to control what buyers can buy and from which sellers they buy from. Plain and simple. They have been doing this for awhile now and we are all suffering from the side-effects. Makes you feel sick, doesn't it?

uncseniorsportsfan · ‎03-24-2018

While ebay has stated that they are limiting the number of items being returned by search - presumably in an effort not to overwhelm buyers with thousands of items - I think the impact of that depends on both what you sell as well as how definitive a buyer's search is.

I just listed some Pokemon plush - if the buyer searches simply for Pokemon plush - the odds of my items appearing in his search are far less than if he searched for Pokemon plush squirtle. And if he limits his searches to free shipping or cheapest - they likely won't show at all.

I have not experienced any siginificant decline in overall traffic or sales over the past 8 years, but I think that is in part because I sell primarily collectibles and not new merchandise. Plus I try to sell items that have little competition. Yes some of my relists may only attract a couple of views, and according to paypal few of my sales are made from mobile. And I don't pay any attention to ebay's free shipping, best offer, free returns, list at auction, or pricing recommendations. I sell the same way I have ever since I've been on ebay.

As to what's wrong with ebay - I do think ebay has lost it's identity as the place to go to for used or hard-to-find items, and their management has been responsible for that. I've been on ebay since the beginning when you could accept checks and money orders, and scammers were as bad then as they are today - just the type of scams being used have changed. Customer service has always been either non-existent or inept.

There are many things that have made it continually harder to sell on ebay (only a few of which ebay is responsible for), but for what I sell I have yet to find a site that works better for me so I will continue to adapt.

theposhmermaids · ‎03-24-2018

For those of you being charged for making changes on you listings---what changes are you making? Are they major ones? I've made several changes lately and have not been charged. Most of mine are small things or price changes. Just wondering if we're doing things differently. I don't have any secrets to how I am making changes without being charged---it must just be dumb luck! I'd like to know so I won't get charged in the future.

retrose1 · ‎03-24-2018

@timemachine777wrote:
@retrose1wrote:
And when everyone gets finished paying ebay an extra 20 cents per listing to revise their listings so they will work for the search criteria ebay has now - ebay will change the criteria and set out a new hoop so that the sellers will have to do it all over again.

ebay is all about new hoops to see just how many sellers will jump through them and how ebay can make money off that.
Then it would be like eBay was sabotaging our listing format, for extra fees.

It wouldn't surprise me..

But it's more ebay manipulating the criteria to get shown in search for extra fees.

Just as I believe that soon the below standard sellers will be getting more sales that trs ones because they'll be paying an extra 4% to ebay as punishment for being below standard.

(*Bleep*)

timemachine777 · ‎03-24-2018

@retrose1wrote:
@timemachine777wrote:
@retrose1wrote:
And when everyone gets finished paying ebay an extra 20 cents per listing to revise their listings so they will work for the search criteria ebay has now - ebay will change the criteria and set out a new hoop so that the sellers will have to do it all over again.

ebay is all about new hoops to see just how many sellers will jump through them and how ebay can make money off that.
Then it would be like eBay was sabotaging our listing format, for extra fees.

It wouldn't surprise me..

But it's more ebay manipulating the criteria to get shown in search for extra fees.

Just as I believe that soon the below standard sellers will be getting more sales that trs ones because they'll be paying an extra 4% to ebay as punishment for being below standard.

It's like the promotions. Give everyone a temporary bump in visibility and sales, so that they will apply promotions to more of their listings and spread the word. Once they all start to nibble the bait. Set the hook. Eventually sales drop again and in the meantime most will up their % to try to increase sales again, until they are back where they started, and eBay made a bunch of money in extra fees.

twistedcycle · ‎03-24-2018

My sales have been slow for 6 or 7 months, I've now gone 3 weeks without a sale. I don't understand it.

retrose1 · ‎03-24-2018

@timemachine777wrote:
@retrose1wrote:
@timemachine777wrote:
@retrose1wrote:
And when everyone gets finished paying ebay an extra 20 cents per listing to revise their listings so they will work for the search criteria ebay has now - ebay will change the criteria and set out a new hoop so that the sellers will have to do it all over again.

ebay is all about new hoops to see just how many sellers will jump through them and how ebay can make money off that.
Then it would be like eBay was sabotaging our listing format, for extra fees.

It wouldn't surprise me..

But it's more ebay manipulating the criteria to get shown in search for extra fees.

Just as I believe that soon the below standard sellers will be getting more sales that trs ones because they'll be paying an extra 4% to ebay as punishment for being below standard.
It's like the promotions. Give everyone a temporary bump in visibility and sales, so that they will apply promotions to more of their listings and spread the word. Once they all start to nibble the bait. Set the hook. Eventually sales drop again and in the meantime most will up their % to try to increase sales again, until they are back where they started, and eBay made a bunch of money in extra fees.

Agree.

I think that not that many sellers were sucked into promotions, so ebay has to generate fees from somewhere. The 20 cents revision fee and the sudden % off if you buy something is telling me that the quarter is not going to look good at all.

(*Bleep*)

flp · ‎03-24-2018

Thanks for your advice! I just revised each one of my listings following your directions and remembered to click the Save at the bottom. But, when I went back to see if it worked, it hadn't fixed on any of my listings even though it said,good to go. Sigh.

timemachine777 · ‎03-24-2018

@retrose1wrote:
@timemachine777wrote:
@retrose1wrote:
@timemachine777wrote:
@retrose1wrote:
And when everyone gets finished paying ebay an extra 20 cents per listing to revise their listings so they will work for the search criteria ebay has now - ebay will change the criteria and set out a new hoop so that the sellers will have to do it all over again.

ebay is all about new hoops to see just how many sellers will jump through them and how ebay can make money off that.
Then it would be like eBay was sabotaging our listing format, for extra fees.

It wouldn't surprise me..

But it's more ebay manipulating the criteria to get shown in search for extra fees.

Just as I believe that soon the below standard sellers will be getting more sales that trs ones because they'll be paying an extra 4% to ebay as punishment for being below standard.
It's like the promotions. Give everyone a temporary bump in visibility and sales, so that they will apply promotions to more of their listings and spread the word. Once they all start to nibble the bait. Set the hook. Eventually sales drop again and in the meantime most will up their % to try to increase sales again, until they are back where they started, and eBay made a bunch of money in extra fees.

Agree.

I think that not that many sellers were sucked into promotions, so ebay has to generate fees from somewhere. The 20 cents revision fee and the sudden % off if you buy something is telling me that the quarter is not going to look good at all.

I think the promotions were eBay's way of trying to recoup the fees that they were getting from the active listing ads, that I called Hi-jacking portals, that they had embedded in all our listings. Google forced eBay to remove them when they did the HTTP crackdown.

eBay liked those click fees and higher commissions vs what they got from us. An...poof, they were gone.

cookingpinkpanther · ‎03-24-2018

Spot On!

stuff4divas · ‎03-24-2018

@grannywith6wrote:
Agree....My sales were $2000 to $4000 a month...Now I am lucky to sell $1000 and my listings are better than ever. I complied with all their updates (hours/days of work)...I am ready to retire....Was going to list another few years but with all the fees and the lower sales, I am making what I made babysitting when I was a teen in the early 1970's. (per hour)....Feel like I am wasting my time that could be spent with my family the last 15-20 years of my life.

Maybe u need to buy some new PJ's 😄

mg152 · ‎03-24-2018

They are purposely showing the 4 cheapest items or somesuch nonsense now.

Patricia
eBay member for 25 years

dk1958 · ‎03-24-2018

I'm a long timw small seller and frequent buyer on eBay. Thank goodness I don't depend on eBay for any income or I'd be homeless. I'm here for the pure enjoyment of it. But Ebay is no longer a pleasure. log our of eBay and trying searching for your own items. Very seldom am I even in the first 100 listings. Yet I I offer clean items, hard to find items, and collectibles, just like them and mine barely get the views.

Plus... I get offers so low they don't even cover the ridiculous shipping charges and fees. I'm sure other sellers can relate to the losses I've taken due to crooked buyers that want womething for nothing.... I give it to them in the hope of not getting a negtaive because the buyer is a liar, and sometimes don't even get the "defective item" back.

Ebay is not worth the time, the frustration and honestly the mess I find myself in trying to find space for all the stuff I have listed. It's surely not the place it used to be. As a buyer, I feel like I'm fighting with eBays rules fees regulations and blatent catering to the buyers and sellers from China constantly. Ebay should appreciate sellers like me with 100% ratings, and good customer service that can make them money. Instead I feel like I'm forcing myself and my stuff somewhere it's not wanted and not appreciated. I am soooooo close to walking away from eBay completely. As soon as I sell...................

div_style · ‎03-24-2018

I've had 12 sales since noon today, so somebody's looking and some items are showing up.

List more, sell more. Goodwill that other, uh, stuff.

Feeling sleepy? There's an app for that.

mr_lincoln · ‎03-24-2018

@div_stylewrote:

I've had 12 sales since noon today, so somebody's looking and some items are showing up.

Good for you! I think that's wonderful ...

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

annadryl · ‎03-24-2018

I really miss the days whn you could open a desk drawer, pull out a fistfull of random knicknacks, and sell it all with little effort. I made a living by browsing thrift stores and just picking up stuff I thought was neat. Then I'd sell it all and buy groceries.

Now it won't buy my coffee

Oh well, times change. Many of us have moved to greener pastures. Cuz ebay ploughed theirs....