Is eBay what it used to be..

[geeky*plush]

I have been selling since 2003 off & on but sales are extremely slow this year 😩…

[isaiah53-57]

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@kath.layn wrote:

My sales are down as well.  From about $1500/mo to about half that.  After reading all the posts on here, I’m glad my sales aren’t worse.  I keep listing things and I promote everything at 5%.  I run sales.  I try to shift to items that sell better.  Yes, the game is changing.  Good luck to us all.  I’d sure hate to be forced to get a “real” job.

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I'm speechless - how do you possibly respond to this post - I'm not gonna even start - I will ask this though... How do you pay for your health insurance? @kath.layn

[sakic92710]

Everything has changed over the course of 20 years & NOTHING has changed for the better.  2022 was, by far, the worst year I had & by the time 2023 is over, it will be even worse.  No sales since Apr. 22.  Less than 10 sales in 90 days.  Now I may lose all of the money on a sale because eBay refunded before the item is delivered.   Yes - there is tracking.

[isaiah53-57]

I'm sorry, but do people really have nothing better to do than just post the obvious with all the overt statements about change? I see constant posts about how things change - well of course they do... But here's a different take...

To quote Solomon, "There is nothing new under the sun...".  Most things DONT change - Sure technology changes and how we do things change, but WHAT we do and WHY we do it does not change - Making the same mistakes over and over and the follies of human nature do not change. The insanity of trying to grab everything you can while you are here, things you cant take with you when you go, that doesn't change - the importance of short term gain over long term betterment doesn't change. The only things that truly change are the digits of the years when we celebrate New Year.

but to answer your question, is ebay what it used to be? - Well, they had an approximate 3.5% domestic market share last year down from about 12% 10+ years ago - so theres that - But dont believe the passes that the company gets from some posters because, well, everything changes - No, the companies decisions have put them where they are, not the ticking of the clock - ebay was not destined to change for the sake of change for the better, or for the worse over the last 20 years - In fact, given that they were once on top, there were greater odds that the company would change for the better over the last 20 years - I can see of no reason why they couldn't stay there, but it certainly wasn't necessitated because "everything changes". In my most humble opinion, poor decision making and myopic short term vision is what put them where they are...

[ed8108]

What is ebay's plan should there be a continued decline in sales this year ?

possibly another Increase of fees  ?

[kath.layn]

I’m retired. So eBay is not what I depend on. I have social security, Medicare, and a 401K. Otherwise, as you say, I wouldnt know where to start either. 

[coolections]

Not just Ebay, but nothing at all is like it used to be 20 years ago. This is 2023 so think about the way things are today. The past is gone forever.

[dbfolks166mt]

     Is eBay what it used to be? Well yes and no. They are still a company that provide an interface service that allows sellers and buyers to list and purchase items, and they have retained that core appearance, but that is about where the "Yes" ends. You can't make the same statement about Amazon that started out as a bookseller. 

     About everything else about eBay has changed both externally and internally over the last 20 years as it has with most companies. Those that did not change simply ceased to exist. 

[chubbycatcollectibles]

Funny, it is the past that so many people are trying to rejoin.  It is sad that todays youth don't like to collect.  I tried to get my grandchildren into old baseball cards and not a one took me up on it.  The Country is in serious condition.

[llulua]

Been here for 23 years. So far, this years is the slowest, yet. And I thought last year was goofy. After messing around with prices, I don't think it matters much since there aren't the buyers. I used to get lots of views on each item. Now most have none.  I need to find something that sells...like iPhones for $1 😆

[llulua]

Competing with Amazon is a big factor for many sellers

[ms.rodriguez*]

Nothing is like it used to be. There are too many selling sites.  There are too many companies selling online too.  Look at the number of stores that have closed. Entire malls are closing.   The main mall near me lost a big Sears store and a big JCPenney.  The Sears is going to reopen soon as part of the Stony Brook University Hospital system. It will be all kinds of doctors.    Add in the high cost of food, high fuel bills, the war in the Ukraine, etc. etc.  Not many folks have cash for collectibles.  Also today's younger generation does not really collect stuff.  Neither of my sons collect anything anymore.   I am selling their toys but it's taking a while to unload.   Hang in there.   Maybe try selling different types of items. I admit that I did not check out what you sell but some categories are very satuarated.  Goodluck.

[mam98031]

@geeky*plush 

No it absolutely isn't what it was in the beginning, nor should it be.  The world has changed a great deal since then and so has the buyers.  

Consider this.  If Ebay was what it was in the beginning, it would no longer even exist as a site.  

Progress has given buyers the ability to do electronic payments which is a big deal.  We did not have that in the beginning.  Progress has given us the ability to shop via a Mobile App, that enhancement brings Ebay 60+% of it's traffic.  

We have all likely experienced ups and downs with our sales.  I know for me the most recent boom in sales was 2020 to early 2022.  But now as individuals we have all kinds of things to contend with.  Many of us didn't get money back when we filed our taxes due to tax law changes from 2019ish.  Many of us live in areas where the supply chain is a real issue and some of our regular food items we need are outrageously priced.  Housing prices for renting are going up, up, up.  And the issues just go one and one.

Heck where I live we still have a 4-5 month wait on New Cars due to that computer chip supply issue.

What I do when sales are down is I run sales with the Markdown manager to encourage sales.  Or I will bulk edit something in all my listings so that the reindex which will boost them in the search returns for a little while, which in turn boosts my sales.  

I hope you find a way to increase your sales, but one thing you should NOT do is just sit back and wait for the sales to come.  Add a new line of something, ease into it.  Run sales.  Do something, it isn't all on Ebay.  We must participate in the process too.

[stuff4divas]

@geeky*plush   No, eBay has accumulated more wrinkles over the last 20 years 👵 👴

[stuff4divas]

@chubbycatcollectibles   Just viewed a You Tube last night showing a 42 lb cat named Patches who got adopted and is on a strict diet by her new owner 😾

[mam98031]

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@stuff4divas wrote:

@geeky*plush   No, eBay has accumulated more wrinkles over the last 20 years 👵 👴

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You find nothing positive in the past 20 years?

While there are changes I am not so fond of and some that I'm firmly against.  I still find I can sell things here that I can't normally sell on my own from home.