No Sales, There is something going on here No Sales, No Sales, NoSales

[chernobly41]

Hey Folks;

My sales are down by 50%. There is something going on here on ebay. Just read the current Q3 report release and sales off ebay has dropped 10%, Active Buyers Declined by 5% ,  GMV up 9%.  Ebay is making money off the backs of sellers with higher fees, 90% growth off Managed Payment systems, offside ads with no sales.  

Ebay is charging enormous fees with no sales off Sellers. This is bad news for sellers here.  This will result in sellers leaving and diversifying more to other sites, social media sites, their own SEO sites to make a living. 

What is ebay going to do to help sellers?

[duncanvr]

Slow or no sales. Well firstly they started Pay Per Click a few weeks ago which seems to have affected sales for a lot of sellers. Next they asked many sellers to update hundreds of item specifics if these are not done then your items are probably being lowered in search results. And at some point items not updated will be pulled.  Lastly they changed the store fronts which is looking horrible in my view. Finally there are reports of item search results not being correct. I searched for some of my collectible ephemera and got instant noodles in the results. I am also seeing with mine listings ebay suggested item specifics are often completely wrong. They ditched a pile of sub categories to. All this is supposed to make it easier for a buyer to find what they want?? Your in a niche your only going to have a certain amount of buyers. You may want to try adding in a few more different types of items. On the other side of the coin I hear other sellers doing very well who are selling a bit of everything. Overall ebay still has millions of buyers.

[7198dave]

ever since i filled in requirements, my sales have stopped. But I also haven't been putting in much effort lately. ebay is just so unfun to be on. 

[movieman630]

"Pay per click"?  What's that?  First I'm hearing of this.

[toysaver]

You only have one line of goods; guitar parts, plus you ship from Canada.  That may be a factor.  I would not order anything from outside the US at this time.

[downunder-61]

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Pay-Per-Click-Promotions/td-p/32292643

[kathieskorner]

Actually eBay's conference call explained a lot of the changes being made but not announced during their fall update.  Please note this is what the exec said. 

1.  eBay is driving more traffic to stores.

2.  ebay is driving more traffic to promoted listings.

3.  eBay is focusing on higher value items.

Bottom line: if you are a small seller who can't justify the cost of a store or paying extra for promoted listings, you items will only be seen if there are no similar items available and maybe not even then.   That would certainly explain the huge drop in traffic I've noticed over the past couple of months, and why sports collectibles with no competition are the only thing selling with any degree of frequency.    It would also explain why higher priced items have been selling better lately - no more race to the bottom in pricing on eBay - your items won't be seen unless they are priced at the higher end.    Guess I'll be raising my prices when re-listing items so eBay can make more money and increase the GMV. 

[bauble-babes]

My sales are down 67.3% as compared to last year this time and so is my sanity. Have ALWAYS made great $ in October! Since The Great Ebay Debacle (Oct. 14), I've had 4 sales and 1 was from a friend trying to help me out. WTH eBay???

[bauble-babes]

@duncanvr  "Lastly they changed the store fronts which is looking horrible in my view."

irResponsible parties should be fired. See my WHITE GLARE post concerning our New Broken store features.

[bauble-babes]

@7198dave  "But I also haven't been putting in much effort lately. ebay is just so unfun to be on."

Same here, I've lost my impetus to do much because nothing I do seems to improve my now dismal situation. Historically, I've been rolling in the dough this time of year.

[dbfolks166mt]

Actually eBay's conference call explained a lot of the changes being made but not announced during their fall update.  Please note this is what the exec said. 

1.  eBay is driving more traffic to stores.

2.  ebay is driving more traffic to promoted listings.

3.  eBay is focusing on higher value items.

Bottom line: if you are a small seller who can't justify the cost of a store or paying extra for promoted listings, you items will only be seen if there are no similar items available and maybe not even then.   That would certainly explain the huge drop in traffic I've noticed over the past couple of months, and why sports collectibles with no competition are the only thing selling with any degree of frequency.    It would also explain why higher priced items have been selling better lately - no more race to the bottom in pricing on eBay - your items won't be seen unless they are priced at the higher end.    Guess I'll be raising my prices when re-listing items so eBay can make more money and increase the GMV. 

     What they failed to mention with regards to item 1 is the drive is to B&M stores. Everything they mentioned is to the benefit of eBay's bottom line which is to be expected. What they failed to mention with regards to item 3 is the increased risk to the sellers associated with high value items the longer holds on fund transfers, etc. All to the detriment of the sellers. I would neither list or buy high priced item on eBay. I can almost always find a better deal generally from a B&M store and I can look at the item before I buy it, don't have to worry about shipping issues or dealing with returns. 

[bauble-babes]

@kathieskorner  "eBay's conference call explained a lot of the changes...Please note this is what the exec said."  Thanks for posting this, Kathie!

1. eBay is driving more traffic to stores. When they arrive at my once lovely store, they will flee because eBay has ruined it with their changes. Looks horrible & tacky plus harder to navigate when it used to be so easy.

2. ebay is driving more traffic to promoted listings. All my listings are Promoted Standard and Impressions have tanked to near nothing since Oct. 14.

3. eBay is focusing on higher value items.  Much of my Antique Jewelry is higher value and I've not even had an offer since the 14th. Of course, I suppose "higher value" should be defined.

[sagehill03]

Lucky you, only 50%? I have been selling postcards on FeeBay for years and I have not sold 5% of normal volume in the last 2 weeks. 

As for your last question, probably nothing.

[parts_and_diecasts]

"I would not order anything from outside the US at this time."

why is that?

I ship from Canada using USPS via a freight forwarder, it adds only 1 business day to normal Continental US shipping time. I sell in a time-sensitive category (eBay Motors - Parts & Accessories), never had a complaint about shipping times, on the contrary. The OP unfortunately lives in a remote area that does not have access to such freight forwarding service so you have a point in his case, but please avoid blanket statements like that. I ship to FL and TX within 4 business days, even faster if on the East Coast, CA takes the longest and can take up to 6 business days. You have an US$800 per diem limit when it comes to imports, customs delays are not an issue when using said freight forwarding service.

[chernobly41]

Most of my customers I ship to the USA with UPS tracking. No issues. that isn't the problem, there is something else going on here on ebay