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 · ‎04-20-2019

"Ebay decision makers obviously do NOT understand that buyers fear losing out (FLO) so they will buy before the item goes to another buy. When I put myself in the buyers shoes, and I see GTC, I have NO REASON to buy. "

I guess I don't understand what you are saying. I get that some buyers have a fear of losing out to another buyer, one who clicks Buy It Now sooner. But what does GTC have to do with that? The possibility of another buyer buying first is present with a fixed price listing, AND with a GTC listing. The risk is the same. If I don't buy it now, someone might buy it sooner. That has nothing to do with whether the listing is 30 Day FP or GTC.

rschissler · ‎04-20-2019

Seriously? Having to manage 50 items a month is too much work?

sweetpieces4you · ‎04-20-2019

Adios .

mbima · ‎04-21-2019

Ebay is nothing but a money grubbing, corporate greed machine with more lawyers working for them than competent customer service reps.

Helping sellers? Are you kidding me?
Raising FVF over the last few years from 4/5% to over 12% NOW?

I am looking elsewhere unless they reinstate the 3, 5, 7, 10, 30 day fixed price listings.

maxscoins · ‎04-25-2019

Been on ebay 19 years now. 12K + Positive feedback. Was a Silver level Powerseller at one point. Top rated seller on & off 2 or 3 times without really tryin' and eBay was a great source of income up until now. They are really shooting themselves in the foot here with this GTC garbage. I've seen a lotta lousy policies from this company but this one takes the cake. I have discontinued listing any of my 4 thousand + item inventory in protest of this unwarranted and unneeded change that is being forced upon us. eBay: LEAVE GTC AS AN OPTION NOT AS A MANDATE! We as sellers deserve to be able to choose how we sell and what works for each of us.

sd-brightis · ‎04-25-2019

Yes it is, cause you have to constantly cancel them before they end

maxscoins · ‎04-26-2019

same boat here!

shariefae · ‎05-06-2019

Same story here. I closed my store and canceled my ads today after being a seller on eBay for over 12 years with over 3550 positive feed back's, and a 100% rating. My husband and I built up this store over the years and were very proud of it. We were not a big store, but we made it work for us. I only sell "Buy it now" and don't want to have to babysit all my ads everyday to keep from getting charged a automatic fee. I just don't have the time for this. This GTC rule makes me feel like I have lost control of my store. I will not reopen my store again until this GTC rule stops.

weschurch · ‎05-06-2019

@shariefae wrote:
Same story here. I closed my store and canceled my ads today after being a seller on eBay for over 12 years with over 3550 positive feed back's, and a 100% rating. My husband and I built up this store over the years and were very proud of it. We were not a big store, but we made it work for us. I only sell "Buy it now" and don't want to have to babysit all my ads everyday to keep from getting charged a automatic fee. I just don't have the time for this. This GTC rule makes me feel like I have lost control of my store. I will not reopen my store again until this GTC rule stops.

The loss of control is what irks most sellers. Sorry to see you go, I'm sure you had some great items that brought buyers in

mongoose26 · ‎05-06-2019

@fabreedwar wrote:
OP:
If your sales really are dead now with GTC, and assuming you haven't been using the "Accept Best Offer" (or however it's called) option, maybe you can get some sales if you check the option that tells buyers you'll accept offers. Start your initial price higher than you normally would, and then hope for offers that are near the price you actually want.

This is the true problem with eBay. When eBay started and everything was an auction, the goal of eBay and its sellers aligned with wanting to get the highest price for an item. Now eBay wants the lowest price for an item, it the race to the bottom, just as long as it sells, no matter if sellers make a profit, if it sells for a penny, eBay makes a profit.

mongoose26 · ‎05-06-2019

@micsett-99 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.
This is really a hysterical this reply. You must work for ebay or something, because all I see on these boards is you chiming in telling people who are coming on here saying out right that they are going out of business basically?

That they are wrong, etc, and that somehow YOU know better than everyone about how to run their businesses..Or know more than them about their sales, or anything else..

Wow...I mean just wow

Did you read this persons post? I think they made it very, very clear (crystal clear actually) that the GTC change is NOT working for them..

And I think they did a very good job of explaining exactly why that is..

And I personally agree with them 1000%. I'm experiencing almost an identical problem for exactly the same reasons.

So exactly what sense does your reply make in response to this post?

How exactly do you get the nerve and have the audacity to come on here and tell someone who is on screaming at the top of their lungs basically, that they are going out of business and no longer getting sales?

That "this change shouldn't effect them"...

I mean are you serious here?

I have never in my life read a more condescending, arrogant and ridiculous reply in my life.

Maybe this change isn't effecting YOU..And that's fine and well.

But who are you to tell this person that they are NOT being affected here, when quite clearly? They are??? In their own words, and after reading their whole post??

I think actually you and people like you are the entire problem here. Just like ebay you somehow "selectively negate" the things you don't want to hear, and that don't fit with your "version" of the reality you have constructed for yourself.

And continue instead to spout on with rhetoric that doesn't take into account anything anyone else is saying, regardless of whether or not what you are espousing? Even makes sense, or is relevant to anything that is really going on.

For example, no matter how many times you call ebay and scream at them that "I"M NO LONGER GETTING SALES SINCE GTC!! CHANGE THIS!!"? They routinely go to a "talking point" sheet they've all been given to shut sellers up who complain about this.

Thinking that somehow if these "talking points" make enough sense?

The seller will forget about the fact that this is NOT working for them, they are NOT getting sales anymore, and they are being put out of business thanks to this.

I'm sorry, but no amount of "talking" is going to help someone, once you shoot them in the knee caps as business, with a horrible decision like this. You can "talk" until you're blue in the face, but that's not gonna bring sales back. and it certainly is NEVER going to make the other person "wrong", because obviously they KNOW what they are experiencing...

Your reply reminds me very much of this attitude, and frankly it amounts to nothing more than I can label as "malevolent delusion"...And t's exactly this? That's going to sink this entire site I think.

Along with the arrogance, condescension, "dismissiveness" that management is displaying now in response to all their sellers voice their complaints about this. Which is exactly what you have also just demonstrated, in exactly the same fashion.

God, I love you!

mongoose26 · ‎05-06-2019

@mam98031 wrote:
There are lots of upset members over this change and it is very understandable for many. This change just doesn't work for everyone, there is no doubt of that.

Just the nature of discussion boards is that most come here to vent, share stories, find help, learn and/or lend a helping hand when they can. All Ebay employees are well labeled when they respond. For the most part we call them Blues. It is also not uncommon for those that disagree about something someone else has shared to call them an Ebay employee or something else in an effort to dismiss or minimize what the other poster said.

The boards to not represent the majority of sellers for this subject or any other. While each and every member that comes here to post are important to the community as a whole, we do only represent a fraction of the sellers active on the US site.

I NEVER said anyone was wrong. Not did I say that I "know better than everyone". Those are your words, not mine.

Some of the upset over this change is simply because it is a massive change / disruption to any given sellers way of doing business. When that happens, whether it is a good change, bad change or otherwise just a change, it causes upset. It happens every single time there is a big change. I'm not saying that to minimize anyone's concern over this change because it is extremely impactful to those that were using other listing options.

Some will be able to adapt and some won't. It is something that each seller has to decide for themselves. Your viewpoint is not the only viewpoint nor is mine. There are a variety of opinions here and that helps us all learn.

It's OK to disagree with the opinions of another. This is a DISCUSSION board. I hope whatever you decide to do works well for you.

Ever heard of a poll? You know, ask 1000 people who they are going to vote for, then display the results. Does that 1000 people represent 350 million in America? According to you, no, its just a tiny fraction and those opinions should be ignored, the population as a whole didn't take the poll and thus the results are invalid. Ever think the fraction of people posting here could be a representation of the community as a whole?

mam98031 · ‎05-06-2019

Ever heard of a poll? You know, ask 1000 people who they are going to vote for, then display the results. Does that 1000 people represent 350 million in America? According to you, no, its just a tiny fraction and those opinions should be ignored, the population as a whole didn't take the poll and thus the results are invalid. Ever think the fraction of people posting here could be a representation of the community as a whole?

@mongoose26

I know you are upset. This change is huge. And it absolutely will not work for many sellers. But misrepresenting what I said does not bolster your position. It only means you are misrepresenting what I said.

There is no post by me that you can find on this thread or any other that says your voice is not important or should be ignored in any way because it is NOT something I've EVER said.

Are the voices here a fraction of the active sellers on Ebay in the USA. Yes, that is a fact, not my opinion.

Do the voices here represent the majority of seller's on Ebay regarding this subject? Probably not. I don't say that to be rude or dismiss your concerns. I say that because 80%+ of listing on Ebay prior to this were FP listings. That would include a whole lot of sellers already using GTC.

But again, it still is a VERY important issue for many. I respect that. I significantly impacts how many sellers function on this site. And YES your voices are important to hear. But then I've never said any different.

I know this is all a very upsetting subject for many and that really is as it should be due to the nature of the change. Is it likely that Ebay is going to ease up on this mandate? Honestly it isn't likely as it is the way most sites similar to ebay has gone because of how it impacts internet searches.

My position has always been that this change is harmful to many sellers. Some will find a way to work with it and some won't. We will lose sellers over this change. And I personally think that is not a good thing.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

mongoose26 · ‎05-06-2019

@mam98031 wrote:

I know you are upset. This change is huge. And it absolutely will not work for many sellers. But misrepresenting what I said does not bolster your position. It only means you are misrepresenting what I said.

Are the voices here a fraction of the active sellers on Ebay in the USA. Yes, that is a fact, not my opinion.

Do the voices here represent the majority of seller's on Ebay regarding this subject? Probably not. I don't say that to be rude or dismiss your concerns. I say that because 80%+ of listing on Ebay prior to this were FP listings. That would include a whole lot of sellers already using GTC.

But again, it still is a VERY important issue for many. I respect that. I significantly impacts how many sellers function on this site. And YES your voices are important to hear. But then I've never said any different.

I know this is all a very upsetting subject for many and that really is as it should be due to the nature of the change. Is it likely that Ebay is going to ease up on this mandate? Honestly it isn't likely as it is the way most sites similar to ebay has gone because of how it impacts internet searches.

My position has always been that this change is harmful to many sellers. Some will find a way to work with it and some won't. We will lose sellers over this change. And I personally think that is not a good thing.

I am not upset, so please do not put words in my mouth.

How do you know that the sentiments expressed here are not the majority? I seriously doubt that 80% number to begin with, but the vast majority of those using GTC before were the mega sellers, the big box stores, the Chinese conglomerates. While they may represent a majority of items, they do not represent a majority of sellers.

greg5000 · ‎05-06-2019

@mongoose26 wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
There are lots of upset members over this change and it is very understandable for many. This change just doesn't work for everyone, there is no doubt of that.

Just the nature of discussion boards is that most come here to vent, share stories, find help, learn and/or lend a helping hand when they can. All Ebay employees are well labeled when they respond. For the most part we call them Blues. It is also not uncommon for those that disagree about something someone else has shared to call them an Ebay employee or something else in an effort to dismiss or minimize what the other poster said.

The boards to not represent the majority of sellers for this subject or any other. While each and every member that comes here to post are important to the community as a whole, we do only represent a fraction of the sellers active on the US site.

I NEVER said anyone was wrong. Not did I say that I "know better than everyone". Those are your words, not mine.

Some of the upset over this change is simply because it is a massive change / disruption to any given sellers way of doing business. When that happens, whether it is a good change, bad change or otherwise just a change, it causes upset. It happens every single time there is a big change. I'm not saying that to minimize anyone's concern over this change because it is extremely impactful to those that were using other listing options.

Some will be able to adapt and some won't. It is something that each seller has to decide for themselves. Your viewpoint is not the only viewpoint nor is mine. There are a variety of opinions here and that helps us all learn.

It's OK to disagree with the opinions of another. This is a DISCUSSION board. I hope whatever you decide to do works well for you.
Ever heard of a poll? You know, ask 1000 people who they are going to vote for, then display the results. Does that 1000 people represent 350 million in America? According to you, no, its just a tiny fraction and those opinions should be ignored, the population as a whole didn't take the poll and thus the results are invalid. Ever think the fraction of people posting here could be a representation of the community as a whole?