Poor Sales do to the Economy???

[tennesseebootery2017]

I don't know about the rest of you sellers, but sales have petered off for my store from 3 k to less than 1 k per month in the last 24 months. Deduct the fees from that and your in the RED.  Store Promotion Sales do no good, cut prices in half don't help, gave free shipping didn't help, and eBay's return policy is a killer but that is another story horror.  I am about to call it quits and join the unemployed to get all the freebies and give all my stock to local Charity's and churches, then write it all off and say Good by eBay, and  thanks. I have been selling on eBay since 1999 and this last year or two has been down hill all the way.  Been audited by the IRS because the 1099-K received in my mail was different than the 1099-K Paypal  sent to the IRS, that was a $1000's plus fine this month and had to eat that on top of poor sales. The Economy is hurting no question about that, people just don't have any extra money or no money at all. I sell only things people need, not wants, not collectibles, I am swamped with emails "would you take and free shipping" and get plenty of watchers but buyers want it so cheap and free shipping-- there is no profit in that and Can't do that either. I rather give it away to a needy organization, at least there are no fees collected that way.

[182dclarry182]

Ebay doesn't give a **bleep** about you....They are only obligated to look out for stockholders. You need to sell all your **bleep** and buy stock if you want to make money with ebay. Ebay is digging their own buriel hole. Go short not long.......The end is near because Ebay is going to deep six the private auctions in favor of the Amazon business model. Ebay don't give two **bleep**s about small business  

[sharingtheland]

" No measurements.  No returns.  Some with only one photo.

I agree with most of your points, except 1  the return shipping for the item by the seller.  Most sellers on eBay are not in the Amazon, Sears or Zappo's league, their Mom and Pop's selling items on in new or used condition and can not afford the cost of return because "they did not fit" or Just "did not like it".   Fit is an issue if the seller does not give the buyer all the needed information. Returns forced by eBay are driving by "buyer" satisfaction, regardless of the true reason for a return based on "paying the return postage" not the true reason.  True  the buyers is always 99% backed by eBay. 

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I didn't explain myself well enough (quelle surprise).  What I was trying to say was that a listing such as I described, with no returns, would never get a second look from me.  I am more than willing to pay return costs for fit issues.

I didn't mean every seller should always pay for return shipping in all circumstances but many, many other sites do and that is the competition and part of the problem.  

It's not the economy; it's ebay.  

Enjoying the discussions here.  I will not go into my personal/financial situation but let's just say our lives did a 180 in 2008 and we will never recover; we're too old to start all over.   Do I blame President Obama for any of that?  No.  And my husband would have been denied medical coverage if not for the ACA, and he would be in a wheelchair in constant horrible pain.

Blame the insurance  and pharmaceutical companies for many of the staggering costs.

My children are extremely well educated, happily married, well employed.  I do plan to move in with them someday.   Payback is so sweet - hah !

Edit:  And thanks for the glasses tip !

[emerald40]

My state has a governor that should be into his 10th year in Federal Prison

I would hate to tell you how many ex elected officials from my state were or are still in jail.  The mayor of our biggest city was and then actually tried to run again.

[mistwomandancing]

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timemachine777 wrote: 

I'm always finding sellers that are doing great and I look at their competitors and usually their doing horrible for no good reason. Until someone can come up with a valid reason why any 2 sellers that mirror each other and are doing everything the same, have two completely, 180 degree experiences selling on eBay. My money is on eBay manipulating both accounts.

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But the thing is, you can't tell that two sellers mirror each other.  You can see the number of feedbacks they each have received, and whether they each leave feedback.  You can see the neutrals and negatives each have received over the years they've been selling on eBay.  You can compare those sorts of things. 

You can even compare their listings, inch by inch.  Do they each include the identical number of photos for the buyers?  Have they each truly filled out the Item Specifics area fully?  Have they each really crammed that Item Condition box with all the relevant information?  I mean, I come upon listings that tell me the condition of the item is... used.  That it.  That's the entire information I'm given about an item's condition.

And even when you compare the listings of those two sellers, that's about as far as you can delve into their apparent *sameness*... because you really don't know how many time the one may have shipped just a tad late when the other never has, or those couple of times when the one was Out of Stock and had to refund the buyer.  Etc.  There just isn't a way for you to know those Out of View DEFECTS that one account may have weighing it down below the quality of the other seller.

Just saying.  It isn't as easy as just looking and beholding The Truth. 

[clothescloseouts4u]

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@emerald40 wrote:

My state has a governor that should be into his 10th year in Federal Prison

I would hate to tell you how many ex elected officials from my state were or are still in jail.  The mayor of our biggest city was and then actually tried to run again.

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Do they not have a consience or any feelings at all?  It all pretty much comes down to greed.  There was a time when people wanted to do the "right thing", - help their fellow human beings. What happened to that?  I know there are still people that do care, but greed, wow!  In the recession all the big companies could do was try to cover their tracks, and now they are back to business as usual.  Did anyone there even BLINK when people like me and you, lost all their life savings????  Not many.

And Ebay, - they could still make money, - granted not as much, - but still help the people in the U.S. that desperately need to have a small business going.  Nope, - just another big company putting big money over the people in their own country. 

I am not Catholic, - don't need to be to admire the Pope's message, - help each other, take care of each other.  I hope that many listen to his message.  Sometimes there is more to the bottom line than who makes the most money.  I would like to think that if I ran a big company I would treat my employees well.  I am retired from a company that did just that.  Somewhere along the line big companies have come to figure there is not room for a heart in business.  It is just dog eat dog. 

[on_isle9 · Accepted solution]

Our local news said the food banks only have one month in advance stock and are asking for donations, this was like last Wednesday.

They said even with jobs being better people are struggling between food and rent.

The Democrats say everything is so great.

The food banks say different, and they would know. I was surprised by that report, but things are NOT better. Michigan

[emerald40 · Accepted solution]

I am glad that people with health concerns can now afford insurance to save their lives.

But there is also the other end to think of.  My son and most of his friends cannot afford health insurance because Obama care was placed strongly on their backs.  Young men and women are bearing the burden of the cost.  We had a great policy for a good price.  Now we have a lousy policy at almost 3 times the cost.

[tennesseebootery2017 · Accepted solution]

Those sites that give paid returns by the seller in all instances genereally the price of the item reflects that the shipping is part of that price and generally those sites like AMAZON GET A 75% REDUCED SHIPPING CHARGE based on millions of packages being shipped daily, ebay sellers just can't compete with amazon or zappos when it comes to shipping cost returns for any situation. I believe if the item is not discribed or defective the sell should pay the return and originial shipping back to the buyer if ligit. That's just my feelings but ebay has the last word, regardless.

[moondogblues · Accepted solution]

Somewhere along the line big companies have come to figure there is not room for a heart in business.  It is just dog eat dog. 

I think that statement is pretty much true of all of human history.  Feudal lords, and serfs, industral barons and slave (ish) labor.  The Trangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Bhopal (anyone remember that?) the Chinese built railroads (and then they were all deported later), the child labor, outright slavery (everywhere in the world), And it's not just big business.  Most anyone who wants to make a lot of money in a capitalistic society does so at the expense of others.

And the expense to the environment....unthinkable....Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, Three Mile Island, parts of Africa poisoned perhaps forever due to big oil, Chernobyl, a still undisclosed area in France sealed off...Love Canal...it boggles the mind.

[moondogblues]

That would be TRIANGLE........need to go get some sleep!

[got_a_lot_to_sell]

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@moondogblues wrote:

Somewhere along the line big companies have come to figure there is not room for a heart in business.  It is just dog eat dog. 

I think that statement is pretty much true of all of human history.  Feudal lords, and serfs, industral barons and slave (ish) labor.  The Trangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Bhopal (anyone remember that?) the Chinese built railroads (and then they were all deported later), the child labor, outright slavery (everywhere in the world), And it's not just big business.  Most anyone who wants to make a lot of money in a capitalistic society does so at the expense of others.

And the expense to the environment....unthinkable....Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, Three Mile Island, parts of Africa poisoned perhaps forever due to big oil, Chernobyl, a still undisclosed area in France sealed off...Love Canal...it boggles the mind.

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And there's 80-something people controlling evething now!

The Irish also built the railroads along with the Chinese and they were treated just as poorly. Many of both got to stay.

[mississippi*mercantile]

Spectrums, no I'm not there. Where is it? You can say it or e me.

[sharingtheland]

AMAZON GET A 75% REDUCED SHIPPING CHARGE based on millions of packages being shipped daily,

You think ebay isn't getting a kickback on shipping fees?

[clothescloseouts4u]

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@sharingtheland wrote:

AMAZON GET A 75% REDUCED SHIPPING CHARGE based on millions of packages being shipped daily,

You think ebay isn't getting a kickback on shipping fees?

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And that would be in addition to the cut Ebay already takes on shipping from the Sellers! 

[daneiac]

pal takes place at the swap meet too.. if a guy gets greedy feeling (like me for example) at the swap meet and spread the merch too thick on the tables and tarps, and I do not leave "lanes" for them to browse the items they miss things they probably would have purchased if my greed had not cluttered it up so badly that they (shoppers) could not find it, even though I had what they were looking for at competitive pricing..when I set out fewer items you can see the shoppers handling things way more often, and when they handle and inspect more, they generally buy more..