Has the current Corona Virus outbreak worldwide affected your sales?

[citrine146]

I was planning to go back selling on Ebay on a larger scale but this time the Corona Virus which has affected most countries worldwide happened.  It could get worse, no one knows.

With airlines and all being affected ie flights slashed to a lot of destinations,  I was concerned that perhaps it could affect sales too.

Any experIences worth mentioning so far ?  Any comments would be highly appreciated.

[richard1rst]

@chapeau-noir 

So it turned out mostly to be a lot of people like myself on support staffs putting in overtime and then staying overnight in various offices and server rooms making sure, you know, nothing blew up, destroying civilisation as we know it. But like most prevention, normalcy is the measure of success, and since that sort of outcome is not exciting or sexxy, no one got much credit.

***

And that is precisely the reason I do not get all frazzled over media hyped quasi-problems. While the media is running around doing their level best to scare the bejabbers out of everyone because it sells papers, I have absolute confidence that people like yourself are working on and finding an answer to solve the problem.

It is sort of like the plane crash: When a plane crashes it is all over the news. When a million planes land safely you never hear a word. So without balance you are left to believe planes are unsafe.

For example, I was at the VA the other day for one of my routine checkups (everything’s fine). In the past I could just walk in and go to my appointment. This time they had a long table at the entrance and EVERYONE coming in the building was being screened. And if you exhibited symptoms you were immediately whisked to an emergency room doctor. Bet you didn’t see that on the news. ‘Cause it doesn’t advance their agenda.,

Hence my reference to Bartholomew.

[richard1rst]

@mansons2005 

Then there is the case in Dartmouth where an individual was displaying symptoms. So he was told to stay home and self-quarantine. He ignored the request and went to a party and infected others.

In the words of Pogo: We have met the enemy and he is us.

Being a hermit has its perks.

[coolections]

@richard1rst Recent reports show 280,000 hospitalized and 16,000 deaths from the flu this year. No major coverage ?

[richard1rst]

@coolections 

I never said there was no major coverage. I simply contend that they are overhyping it. While 16,000 deaths is of course tragic, last year there were 56,000 flu deaths (source CDC - Chicago Times). So where was the overblown rhetoric last year? It was overshadowed by Russian Collusion which has been swept aside so now they need a new horse to whip.

And you hear almost nothing about the work being done to control and cure it. THERE is the major coverage that is missing. Fear sells papers.

[richard1rst]

Oh and by the way, according to the Washington Post it is 300 cases and 17 deaths in the United States.

But 280,000 and 16,000 is just so much more juicier, eh?

[coolections]

Yes, I agree. Maybe you misunderstood. Maybe the dems are hoping it will be Trump's fault ?

[turquoisetulips]

The only problem I'm having due to the virus is a few of  my orders from China  have been  somewhat delayed in arriving . One merchant even messaged me to say  their area was not  affected  by the virus which I suppose meant there wouldn't be any delay with them . I've been waiting on one particular order for two months to get here  and that does have an impact on what I'm able to create  with my jewelry .  Tulips 

[turquoisetulips]

Wait, grocery stores deliver right to your door now (never done it myself, yet), I bet your beer and wine needs could be quickly satisfied. The contents inside the bottles or cans for sure won't have virus, just blasts the bags with your Lysol spray, wait a few and imbibe! ifyouloveit 

Yep !  they do and we have used it a few times  ourselves . They really don't offer a wide variety of stuff  like when you actually go to the grocery store ,, it's sort of limited  .  However they deliver your cold items  in some really nice insulated  carrying cases ,, pretty big too .  They pick them back up  when they deliver  your next order .  We only did it a few times and then stopped  so we got to keep two of the cases  which are perfect for keeping stuff cold.  Tulips 

[turquoisetulips]

Yes, I agree. Maybe you misunderstood. Maybe the dems are hoping it will be Trump's fault ? coolections 

Hoping ? He's already been blamed  for the virus ..  but ya know  any ole '' excuse ''  in the storm will do .  Tulips 

[jerzee908]

I was a teen working in a supermarket during the whole Y2K fiasco.  My position was in the stores office and I handled a lot of price tag/sign responsibilities.  I was also privy to a lot of the stores sales numbers.........

We had a record-breaking December in sales.  I think we did over 2 million in one week which is crazy for a store and at the time.  We sold out of everything almost.  People were freaking out over it.  

To answer the OP............no, not really........

[j2774]

I was about to ask the same question.  The virus probably has not had any impact on my sales because I am not a big seller.  I think it has had some impact on my purchases.  I purchased an item from France that departed France on March 4th, and it still does not show received in customs in the U.S.  

There are reported outbreaks of the virus in two of the largest cities in my state, and local news reports it has had a pretty noticeable impact on shops here with a lot of shops raising prices and some stores, e.g. Costco, selling out of things like bottled water, etc.   Hospitals in my area have revved up for it, but no one knows just how widespread it will be given another few weeks or months especially if someone who has contracted it does not become sick for six or more weeks.  That person will infect tens if not hundreds of people who in turn will infect tens if not hundreds more people, and so forth and so on.  My doctor told me it was like a flu virus and not to worry too much over it.  I do not know what to think.  

I have a related question for everyone.  Will you cancel doctor appointments, hospital visits, out patient procedures, etc., now given this situation?  I had a doctor's appointment last week that had been set up months in advance.  If I had missed it, it would have been months more before I could have gone again, so I kept the appointment, but I was very uncomfortable going there.

[j2774]

Oh, I wished to add that restaurants must surely have been effected by this situation, especially those restaurants like Golden Corral and similar that thrive on their all-you-can-eat buffets.  The workers behind the counters handling the food all wear gloves, but the customers all use the same utensils to put the foods on their plates.  That is a great way for a virus to spread really fast.

[femmefan1946]

On a separate note, yesterday I saw an article about how Ch***'s economy has been affected thus far, and it showed that over 1 Billion was lost to their economy, as of yesterday. I do not believe for one moment that they have only lost this much. It must be several Billions more, if just ONE show in Chicago led to 77 Million in loss.

https://www.investopedia.com/insights/worlds-top-economies/

The Chicago losses would not just be the losses to the potential exhibitors.

They would also include hotel rooms, taxis, restaurants, as direct costs.

Then the cleaners, drivers, cooks and wait staff are affected by the employers' losses.

Then the grocery stores, gas stations, bus company, clothing shops, toy stores, that those workers use.

I find these predictions difficult, like saying the Prime Minister cost the taxpayer $XXXX.xx when he flies in an RCAF plane to a meeting, ignoring that the plane exists and is maintained and the pilots etc are being paid, whether he flies or not.

However with Wuhan's 11million+ inhabitants effectively quarantined and not working in the factories of that industrial hub, the one billion loss in the two months(?) that COVID-19 has been identified, could easily be higher even just in direct costs like lost wages.

[femmefan1946]

I purchased an item from France that departed France on March 4th, and it still does not show received in customs in the U.S.

Umm... an item from overseas has taken four days (including a weekend) to clear Customs? Shocking.

Will you cancel doctor appointments, hospital visits, out patient procedures, etc., now given this situation? ... I kept the appointment, but I was very uncomfortable going there.

Our family doctor works through a walkin clinic, and I kept an appointment on Thursday.

They did have a sign saying the walkin service was suspended that day, but it is not unusual for that to happen by noon on any day. The walkin clinic at WalMart is often not taking more patients by 9:30am.

Appointments were being kept as usual, but the doctor was running about 15 minutes late at 2pm, so I guess she was a bit busier than usual.

[mrdutch1001]

despise restaurant buffets, stopped doing them nearly 20 years ago...

I also refuse to go on cruise ships...