eBay

crownsfieldcellular · ‎03-23-2019

I've been selling on eBay for over 15 years..I'm a Top Rated Plus Seller with over 3100 positive feed backs, and I have a 100% positive rating. I pay close to $1000 a month or more in selling fees, and I have a store subscription...

I really, really have to thank eBay in a big way for this latest update. I had such a good thing going on here, we were both making money, and there's just nothing like that wonderful feeling of watching all your hard work go up in smoke; and realizing that this must have been done PURPOSEFULLY by the venue that you've been paying out the nose to for years.

eBay? If you were trying to put me out of business? For some bizarre, absolutely moronic reason? I can see very clearly now that you are going to succeed in doing this in a very big way with this new change.

I sell ONE OFF high end iPhones on this site, I have no repetitive inventory, and I RELY on the URGENCY that 3 Day BIN auctions create during a certain time every week to make all my sales.

My very tried and true method of selling all of my inventory weekly (which I HAVE TO DO to stay in business and keep cash flowing), was to list everything I buy through the week on Saturday morning on a 3 Day BIN which ended on Tuesday.

This is the peak buying time with my customers, and that 3 Day TICKING CLOCK was SO POWERFUL in creating urgency with them over the weekend? That typically I would sell everything I had in that 3 day time frame..And even if a few phones did not sell in those days? I would simply lower the price a bit and run another 3 day BIN auction starting on Tuesday, and by Friday? Everything was gone and we were both making a great deal of money.

This system I devised didn't happen by ACCIDENT. It took me a great deal of experimentation to find out what WORKED, and start seeing the kind of success I have seen over the past year or so of selling these phones. This took A LOT of hard work and persistence, but I got it done and I was making great money.

This mandatory GTC listing insanity started this week, and SURE ENOUGH, just like I knew it would - It has already destroyed my sales.

I have sold exactly ONE PHONE this week, with 6 other high ticket, high demand phones lingering there getting "watchers", but of course NO BUYERS - Because the buyers no longer have ANY SENSE OF URGENCY TO BUY. This is because there is no longer a TIME LIMIT on my listings where people HAVE TO ACT before a listing ends.

GTC Not only DOES NOT WORK TO SELL MY PRODUCTS, It is going to actively DESTROY my business.

This change TOTALLY undermines the system I have developed, TOTALLY ELIMINATES any kind of Buyer URGENCY or DEMAND FOR ACTION.

This entirely KILLS MY BUSINESS ON HERE...ENTIRELY. The proof?? I have not had ONE SALE SINCE TUESDAY - NOT ONE!! And I'm selling items that used to have an over 85% sell through rate on this site..

With GTC I can no longer TURN MY INVENTORY OVER QUICKLY, TO RUN MY BUSINESS..Unless of course I just want to sell everything for no profits, but obviously THATS NOT GOING TO WORK FOR ME...

I have been selling on this site for over 15 YEARS and I KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT and what I am DOING...GTC listings are for STORE LISTINGS, and for sellers who have LONG TAIL INVENTORY....GTC DOES NOT WORK FOR SELLERS SELLING ONE OFF UNIQUE ITEMS THAT THEY HAVE TO TURN OVER QUICKLY!!! NOT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM!!

Everyone is complaining about the possible added fees with this change???...Let me tell you something? I would have taken a 2% FVF INCREASE OVER LOSING THE ABILITY TO SELL MY ITEMS COMPLETELY!!!

I CANNOT HAVE ITEMS SITTING THERE FOR 2 WEEKS, 3 WEEKS, 30 DAYS, 60 DAYS - THIS IS NOT THE WAY MY BUSINESS WORKS!!

And I CERTAINLY am not alone...This change has to be affecting AT LEAST 30% of sellers who GTC SIMPLY DOES NOT WORK FOR...GTC IS NOT A BLANKET LISTING THAT IS IDEAL FOR EVERYONE'S BUSINESS!!

WHERE IS THE RATIONALE AND DATA SUGGESTING THAT IT IS????

Do 30% of YOUR SELLERS have to LEAVE THE SITE eBay, or ACTUALLY GO OUT OF BUSINESS ON HERE BEFORE YOU FIGURE THIS OUT??

OR DO YOU HAVE TO DESTROY THE WEBSITE COMPLETELY BEFORE YOU UNDERSTAND THE RAMIFICATIONS OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING HERE??? I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO KNOW...

SOMEONE AT EBAY NEEDS TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION HERE TO CORRECT THIS AND GIVE US OUR SHORTER TIME BUY IT NOW OPTIONS BACK, THIS IS TOTALLY, TOTALLY INSANE AND YOU ARE PUTTING PEOPLE OUT OF BUSINESS!!!

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎03-23-2019

I know nothing about high end phones and so forth, but a possible suggestion, based on something said on another thread, about the new ability (not yet rolled out to everyone) for sellers to make offers to watchers. It sounds like you do get watchers on these phones, for you say "I have sold exactly ONE PHONE this week, with 6 other high ticket, high demand phones lingering there getting "watchers", but of course NO BUYERS - Because the buyers no longer have ANY SENSE OF URGENCY TO BUY. This is because there is no longer a TIME LIMIT on my listings where people HAVE TO ACT before a listing ends."

But if you send your watchers an offer, there is a TIME limit for them to accept it at the lower price (and if ebay sends the offer to more than one watcher per phone, there would not only be a sense of urgency, but a sense of competition as well.)

Like I say, I know nothing about what you sell, and have no idea how well this might work for you. Also, unfortunately, the way this works is ebay has an algorithm that selects which items can be sent offers, and which watchers of those items get offers. So, even if this is rolled out to you and you have watchers, it's possible your listings won't get the feature. But if you get this new feature (ebay has said it should be rolled out to most everyone by the end of the month, and rumor has it you can call ebay CS and try to get it sooner, but I don't know about that)....anyway, if you get it, you might want to give it a try. It doesn't cost anything to use it

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mam98031 · ‎03-23-2019

If your sell through rate shows that the vast majority of your items sell in less than 30 days, being a GTC listing will not change that. And since the item sells, it won't renew. So for the majority of your listings the GTC mandate should not negatively impact you. I do understand on the few that don't sell, that could cause you more work if you feel you need to end them and repost them or whatever your normal policy is on those that don't sell in under 30 days.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

crownsfieldcellular · ‎03-23-2019

@mam98031 wrote:
If your sell through rate shows that the vast majority of your items sell in less than 30 days, being a GTC listing will not change that. And since the item sells, it won't renew. So for the majority of your listings the GTC mandate should not negatively impact you. I do understand on the few that don't sell, that could cause you more work if you feel you need to end them and repost them or whatever your normal policy is on those that don't sell in under 30 days.

I TURN OVER INVENTORY WEEKLY - TO DO THIS EFFECTIVELY I NEED A SHORT TERM 3 DAY BIN OPTION. GTC IS NOT WORKING TO DO THIS, MY SALES HAVE TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY TANKED AS A RESULT OF THIS COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS LOSS OF SELLING OPTIONS..

cashvaluerecovery2011 · ‎03-23-2019

Mam you didnt get what the OP was saying.

Imagine a flea market where an great deal on a phone you might want is sitting for sale. But this flea market is only open saturday and sunday. You have no idea if this phone will be available next weekend. You have been wanting it. Its here and available but not for much longer. Someone else might get it if you wait. This was the OPS schtick.

Now imagine you are on ebay. Same phone. Same want and desire. But its not ending for another 28 days. The sellers isnt going anywhere. Doesnt look like anyone else is chomping at the bit to get it. No sweat, lets watch and see what happens.

Point being. A seller having more choices = better for the seller and better for the market place. Ebay does not own the products or sell the products. Us business owners are suppose to adapt to the market and make it happen. Losing options and choices to make stuff happen makes for a very stale dull marketplace. The OPS niche that was working is now gone instantly.

weschurch · ‎03-23-2019

The fact that Ebay is trying to profit from items NOT SELLING kind of shows the confidence thy have in their business.

mam98031 · ‎03-23-2019

@crownsfieldcellular wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
If your sell through rate shows that the vast majority of your items sell in less than 30 days, being a GTC listing will not change that. And since the item sells, it won't renew. So for the majority of your listings the GTC mandate should not negatively impact you. I do understand on the few that don't sell, that could cause you more work if you feel you need to end them and repost them or whatever your normal policy is on those that don't sell in under 30 days.
I TURN OVER INVENTORY WEEKLY - TO DO THIS EFFECTIVELY I NEED A SHORT TERM 3 DAY BIN OPTION. GTC IS NOT WORKING TO DO THIS, MY SALES HAVE TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY TANKED AS A RESULT OF THIS COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS LOSS OF SELLING OPTIONS..

Ok, then what about a 7 or 10 day auction with a BIN on the listing? Would that work for you? Just asking since you feel that GTC is not going to be right for your business. I am only trying to help. I am not endorsing the Ebay change. But the fact is the change is here, so if you wish to continue to sell here, you must find a way to work within the change. Like it or not. We all do.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

mam98031 · ‎03-23-2019

@cashvaluerecovery2011 wrote:
Mam you didnt get what the OP was saying.

Imagine a flea market where an great deal on a phone you might want is sitting for sale. But this flea market is only open saturday and sunday. You have no idea if this phone will be available next weekend. You have been wanting it. Its here and available but not for much longer. Someone else might get it if you wait. This was the OPS schtick.

Now imagine you are on ebay. Same phone. Same want and desire. But its not ending for another 28 days. The sellers isnt going anywhere. Doesnt look like anyone else is chomping at the bit to get it. No sweat, lets watch and see what happens.

Point being. A seller having more choices = better for the seller and better for the market place. Ebay does not own the products or sell the products. Us business owners are suppose to adapt to the market and make it happen. Losing options and choices to make stuff happen makes for a very stale dull marketplace. The OPS niche that was working is now gone instantly.

The buyer doesn't know it is going to renew after 30 days unless they are keeping up on the seller changes. Nothing on the listing tells the buyer that the listings is a GTC and if it doesn't sell it will renew.

So my point remains the same. If you are a seller that has that high sell through rate and most everything you list is sold in the first week you have the listing posted, then GTC really is a non issue because everything you are listing is likely to be sold before the time to renew ever arrives. When the listing is sold out, there is nothing to renew.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

crownsfieldcellular · ‎03-23-2019

@cashvaluerecovery2011 wrote:
Mam you didnt get what the OP was saying.

Imagine a flea market where an great deal on a phone you might want is sitting for sale. But this flea market is only open saturday and sunday. You have no idea if this phone will be available next weekend. You have been wanting it. Its here and available but not for much longer. Someone else might get it if you wait. This was the OPS schtick.

Now imagine you are on ebay. Same phone. Same want and desire. But its not ending for another 28 days. The sellers isnt going anywhere. Doesnt look like anyone else is chomping at the bit to get it. No sweat, lets watch and see what happens.

Point being. A seller having more choices = better for the seller and better for the market place. Ebay does not own the products or sell the products. Us business owners are suppose to adapt to the market and make it happen. Losing options and choices to make stuff happen makes for a very stale dull marketplace. The OPS niche that was working is now gone instantly.

Thank you. I could not have possibly said this better myself or made a better analogy.

markart · ‎03-23-2019

Today I canceled all of my listings. I will relist all of them when fixed price duration flexibility is returned to the options. I will not list for the now required 30 days. I have called ebay to let them know I am not happy with the policy. I was told that lots of other people are unhappy as well. Ebay makes it's money from us when we sell. If we keep the pressure on they will change. We do NOT have to accept this!!

evodoor · ‎03-23-2019

Oh my God! I am not alone, someone else does business just like I do! I sell vintage and upcycled jewelry. I listed for 5 & 7 days. Everything sells, usually within no more than two listing durations. I rely on the ending soonest boost. I can't afford to wait 30 days for that boost! I only sell about 10-15 items per week, but I have now sold NONE! I have no money to buy the supplies (more vintage jewelry items) to make more inventory, which I buy almost exclusively on eBay. This is disastrous! And I'm betting that there are thousands of us who know that this is going to sink us, so none of us are buying.

EBay, you've lost your mind. Do the right thing, and give us back our shorter duration fixed priced listings!

crownsfieldcellular · ‎03-23-2019

@mam98031 wrote:
@cashvaluerecovery2011 wrote:
Mam you didnt get what the OP was saying.

Imagine a flea market where an great deal on a phone you might want is sitting for sale. But this flea market is only open saturday and sunday. You have no idea if this phone will be available next weekend. You have been wanting it. Its here and available but not for much longer. Someone else might get it if you wait. This was the OPS schtick.

Now imagine you are on ebay. Same phone. Same want and desire. But its not ending for another 28 days. The sellers isnt going anywhere. Doesnt look like anyone else is chomping at the bit to get it. No sweat, lets watch and see what happens.

Point being. A seller having more choices = better for the seller and better for the market place. Ebay does not own the products or sell the products. Us business owners are suppose to adapt to the market and make it happen. Losing options and choices to make stuff happen makes for a very stale dull marketplace. The OPS niche that was working is now gone instantly.
The buyer doesn't know it is going to renew after 30 days unless they are keeping up on the seller changes. Nothing on the listing tells the buyer that the listings is a GTC and if it doesn't sell it will renew.

So my point remains the same. If you are a seller that has that high sell through rate and most everything you list is sold in the first week you have the listing posted, then GTC really is a non issue because everything you are listing is likely to be sold before the time to renew ever arrives. When the listing is sold out, there is nothing to renew.

@mam98031I appreciate that you are trying to help here, but you still seem to be missing the point of why a timed listing that is going to end at a certain date? Is better for sales than an indefinite listing with no expiration date at all.

You are correct that with GTC the buyer does not know it is going to renew. They also do not know it is even going to END ever, because there is no time information displayed on the listing at all. Therefore there is absolutely zero urgency to act.

A buyer can take their time, watch the item, wait a few days, twiddle their thumbs, keep shopping around...There is no powerful call to action that is pressing them to pull that trigger.

And believe me, I was hoping that what you are saying above was GOING to be correct since I am selling high demand items with a very high sell through rate. Everything you are saying? I was crossing my fingers to see happen, and NOT what I am actually seeing (which I knew was going to happen deep down because I've been dealing with GTC listings since they came out with the feature)..

I was really hoping given my type of products, that the ticking clock was not going to be a very big factor, and it would be business as usual.

Very, very unfortunately? That is not what I am seeing, and that is not the case. GTC? = Slow or non existent sales for me right now.

And I know this is true for many, many other sellers who sell one off's like me, because they are all over the boards complaining and saying the same thing I am.

I used to have STORE inventory, and I used to use GTC for all my long tail store inventory where I had 100's of an item at my disposal and was not in rush to sell anything because I had so much listed (thousands of items). In that case? GTC was the only way to go to manage a store like that. You were a fool with that much inventory to not be using that feature. And since you have 1000's of items, you dont care about the listing urgency so much, because you are getting a ton of exposure with all your thousands of listings...THAT is what GTC is for.

And I'm sure there are a lot of other instances where GTC is good as well, depending on people's business models.

But for items that sell most EFFECTIVELY using the buyer URGENCY of a 3,5, or 7 day BIN listing? GTC is actually your WORST option, and it's the one that prior to this change? Any expert on selling on eBay would tell a beginner never to use for an item they wanted to sell fast.

GTC is NOT designed for fast sales, it was never meant for that purpose, it was never the option intended to facilitate quick turn around selling. It has the opposite effect with buyers, UNTIL the listing really heats up and you have sold A LOT of items from the same auction? THEN, once a GTC listing has enough sales history and gets a good ranking and enough social proof? Then it can be a real power house for sales and almost nothing can beat it.

HOWEVER, in my situation? And millions of others situations on here? Since we will NEVER have a GTC sales history, or a "hot" GTC listing that's selling a lot of one item? Because we only ever have ONE of every item.

The GTC feature is not only worthless to us, it is a MAJOR MAJOR hindrance, and it is down right destructive to force EVERYONE on this site to use this feature for any BIN.

I appreciate your advice also with the short term auctions using a BIN feature. Here's the problem with that though as well: First off your auction has to start 30% below your BIN price. So let's say I'm selling a $700 phone? I have to start that auction price at $490, and hope and pray either someone does the buy it now, OR that it auctions up to where I need it to go. It's impossible to run a business this way and control costs.

Plus heres the other problem = There is no immediate payment required with auctions. So people can bid all day long, win, and then you are never guaranteed to get paid for the item, and you might have to start all over again.

So eBay has really, really stuck it to us who are selling unique items that DEMAND the buyer urgency that short burst BIN auctions offer. They have really, really in essence screwed themselves as well..But they can apparently take the financial blow that this is going to result in with all the lost FVF they are going to experience...Myself and other smaller sellers can not..This is one big idiotic "experiment" to them I think, that is going to 1000% fail and blow up in their face..But until it does? All of us who this is screwing have to take it on the chin, or not sell on here anymore..Thats the very unfortunate bottom line..

pcobra93 · ‎03-23-2019

a 3-5-7-10 day BIN listing shows up in a "time ending soonest" search as most of us have. some use "time newly listed". with a 30 day BIN or GTC an item has action the firs 3 days or so and then sits until a week before it ends.....because nobody searches that way.

kensgiftshop · ‎03-23-2019

@cashvaluerecovery2011 wrote:
Mam you didnt get what the OP was saying.

Imagine a flea market where an great deal on a phone you might want is sitting for sale. But this flea market is only open saturday and sunday. You have no idea if this phone will be available next weekend. You have been wanting it. Its here and available but not for much longer. Someone else might get it if you wait. This was the OPS schtick.

Now imagine you are on ebay. Same phone. Same want and desire. But its not ending for another 28 days. The sellers isnt going anywhere. Doesnt look like anyone else is chomping at the bit to get it. No sweat, lets watch and see what happens.

Point being. A seller having more choices = better for the seller and better for the market place. Ebay does not own the products or sell the products. Us business owners are suppose to adapt to the market and make it happen. Losing options and choices to make stuff happen makes for a very stale dull marketplace. The OPS niche that was working is now gone instantly.

If the buyer really wanted the phone, they will buy it when they find it.

Buyers don't know if item or even buyer will be here tomorrow, so most won't wait.

Have a great day

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎03-23-2019

I know nothing about high end phones and so forth, but a possible suggestion, based on something said on another thread, about the new ability (not yet rolled out to everyone) for sellers to make offers to watchers. It sounds like you do get watchers on these phones, for you say "I have sold exactly ONE PHONE this week, with 6 other high ticket, high demand phones lingering there getting "watchers", but of course NO BUYERS - Because the buyers no longer have ANY SENSE OF URGENCY TO BUY. This is because there is no longer a TIME LIMIT on my listings where people HAVE TO ACT before a listing ends."

But if you send your watchers an offer, there is a TIME limit for them to accept it at the lower price (and if ebay sends the offer to more than one watcher per phone, there would not only be a sense of urgency, but a sense of competition as well.)

Like I say, I know nothing about what you sell, and have no idea how well this might work for you. Also, unfortunately, the way this works is ebay has an algorithm that selects which items can be sent offers, and which watchers of those items get offers. So, even if this is rolled out to you and you have watchers, it's possible your listings won't get the feature. But if you get this new feature (ebay has said it should be rolled out to most everyone by the end of the month, and rumor has it you can call ebay CS and try to get it sooner, but I don't know about that)....anyway, if you get it, you might want to give it a try. It doesn't cost anything to use it

ms.rodriguez* · ‎03-23-2019

One thing that I was thinking of trying was a 7 day auction with a BIN. In the description I will tell the buyer that if they hit the buy it now, I will refund x . X will be a 1.00 or $3.00 or whatever depending on the price of the item. I would explain that the refund, x , will be refunded once I print the shipping label.

i hate that ebay will get a higher commission if the BIN is chosen. I would only do this on an item that has already done at least 1 cycle on eBay.