Sales are dipping since switch to eBay-regulated payments

[jewelburrito]

I'm just a part-time casual seller, but recently eBay switched me to eBay-managed payments. Since then, I've noticed a big drop-off in sales. Have other sellers experienced this? 

Also, eBay is always telling me my sales will increase if I switch to one-day shipping and offer free returns, plus eBay will promote me as a top seller. I can't do one-day shipping because a snow day in the fall/winter will usually delay shipping (I live in the South where snow is more rare and my city doesn't have a ton of snow plows). Free returns, to me, seem to invite fraud. Yeah, "use this item I just sold you and return it to me in 30 days when you're done with it" doesn't seem like a good business model; after all, I'm not Target. What are other sellers' experienced with one-day shipping and free returns, and will offering those things **really** increase my sales? 

Thanks, 

[forward-motion]

That's right,  people like to see the word free. Adjust your prices accordingly and offer free shipping. It isn't winter right now so offer the 1 day handling and see how it goes. If all goes right you will have minimal returns. The increased sales should more than cover the expense.  

I went from a casual seller to doing about 300 sales a year at 20k. One more thing, if you are late on shipping due to weather you can appeal the defect. If you are thinking about leveling up, do it, there are people here that will help you get there.   

[chapeau-noir · Accepted solution]

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@jewelburrito wrote:

I'm just a part-time casual seller, but recently eBay switched me to eBay-managed payments. Since then, I've noticed a big drop-off in sales. Have other sellers experienced this? 

Also, eBay is always telling me my sales will increase if I switch to one-day shipping and offer free returns, plus eBay will promote me as a top seller. I can't do one-day shipping because a snow day in the fall/winter will usually delay shipping (I live in the South where snow is more rare and my city doesn't have a ton of snow plows). Free returns, to me, seem to invite fraud. Yeah, "use this item I just sold you and return it to me in 30 days when you're done with it" doesn't seem like a good business model; after all, I'm not Target. What are other sellers' experienced with one-day shipping and free returns, and will offering those things **really** increase my sales? 

Thanks, 

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@jewelburrito   As to your first question - MP isn't going to impact sales - the only thing the buyer sees with managed payments is that they can pay with more payment systems (mobile, for instance), and they can still use Paypal as usual.  I buy on here and can't even tell if the seller is in MP or still in paypal unless I look carefully.

As for the 'free' returns and one day shipping - there are so many metrics that go into listing ranking that I doubt the one-day and free return shipping make that much difference unless one is selling the same old commodities everyone else has, where it becomes a competitive edge. 

As for the rest of us, I don't think free returns increases sales save for people who want that option, and as a pre-owned clothing seller, I don't make enough margin for people to buy just to try on (which would be legit under free returns system) - I offer 30 day returns buyer pays. 

I used to be one-day shipping but when our post office closed I went to two day - I didn't see any difference in sales.

ETA: As a fellow small seller, it looks like given what you've got listed (I see a lot of winter clothing) and the amount, your sales are pretty right on.  I'd do less auctions on the books, though.

It's also slow all over right now.

[skeletonstore]

I wouldn't say the payment system changed sales but some other changes to ebay could have interfered with sales.  Item specifics and the new concentrated categories I think hurt.  I also know certain items take a while to sell and if you either don't have enough of like items and or you're not listing regularly ebay will not luv you anymore.  Ebay's algorithm only likes very active sellers.  Basically you're behind the 8 ball when you don't list regularly because your listings easily get stale in a few days.  You have to keep on appearing in best match based upon relevance for one offs.  It can take a while for this to kick in because you have to accumulate a certain amount of unique items or fresh items constantly appearing or refreshing to create the snowball effect.  You have only 59 items.  I have 200 and I admit I really need 800 or 10 times as much to regularly sell. I'm once bitten twice shy though.  My advice is to list anything you can find,  even if it's a $5 free shipping throw away.  

[tdumonde2014]

You might want to mix up your inventory a little. 25% of your inventory are cook books, but you have only averaged one sale per month for the last three months in this category. 16% of inventory are sweaters, mostly Christmas sweaters, probably a bad time of the year for them.

[certifiedcitynet]

My friends and I have had the identical experience. The positioning of a listing in searches changes every time it is revised. All of your listings were revised to managed payments at the same time, hence the crash in sales due to their lower positioning in searches. But they should recover within several weeks, as is happening to us now. 

[little*blackdog]

It's slow everywhere. 

Yes, eBay would love for you to do free this and that, but that's because it would benefit eBay, not you in all cases.  I tried free shipping but found it was a nightmare because I'm located in Florida and it's nearly impossible to figure a fair "add on" to cover the free shipping when it's based on distance and weight.  If I added too much for shipping, I was cheating local buyers.  If I didn't add enough, I was cheating myself!  Also when I went to reduce prices I'd forget I had free shipping on certain items and ultimately gave a lot away! LOL

So now I only use free shipping if I'm really ready to give something away and just get it out of here and break even.  Regarding SALES, I don't see a difference with or without free shipping.  It's the item that counts.  If it's something people want, it will sell... if not, it won't.

Also, I feel the exact same way you do about returns.  I'm not here to rent stuff or offer free samples. 

[chapeau-noir]

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@skeletonstore wrote:

I wouldn't say the payment system changed sales but some other changes to ebay could have interfered with sales.  Item specifics and the new concentrated categories I think hurt.  I also know certain items take a while to sell and if you either don't have enough of like items and or you're not listing regularly ebay will not luv you anymore.  Ebay's algorithm only likes very active sellers.  Basically you're behind the 8 ball when you don't list regularly because your listings easily get stale in a few days.  You have to keep on appearing in best match based upon relevance for one offs.  It can take a while for this to kick in because you have to accumulate a certain amount of unique items or fresh items constantly appearing or refreshing to create the snowball effect.  You have only 59 items.  I have 200 and I admit I really need 800 or 10 times as much to regularly sell. I'm once bitten twice shy though.  My advice is to list anything you can find,  even if it's a $5 free shipping throw away.  

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Agree - like most sites eBay definitely rewards activity and daily activity makes a difference.  I sell regularly with less than 200 items but I list almost every day.  If  don't, sales really peter out.  Even if I can only list one item, I'll do it.  It's not easy grinding out that may items per day (a lot of prepping goes into my items) but it's what I have to do.  I know I sell in a super-saturated, over-burdened category with competition from huge consignment dealers, so I have to be selective and really hustle - good SEO, do my best with photos, etc.

It's always rewarding to look at one's own listing methods, title SEO and the like to see how we can distinguish ourselves from the rest. 

Those Christmas sweaters, for instance, probably won't move now, but will closer to holiday season unless the Ugly Sweater thing has petered out (that's another problem - tastes and fads change). 

Lotting up some of the same-author books may help, people love series and you can offer the same shipping but for more books and instead get more for your books.

[skeletonstore]

I'm too easily jaded.  I really don't want to sell junk anymore.  I did that for top rated.  I'm ready to go back to manufacturing.  Taking too long to accumulate cash(raw materials).  However I know I can do better.  I have more junk I can list and I should just liquidate this weekend as the rains come.  I know a lot of the tricks. I don't like what ebay did to my categories or trees.  They're forcing me to experiment again and list in OTHER categories.  I refuse to be listed with those sweaters which basically I am.  Ebay owes me some sales.  My Spock photoshop does entertain and I've relisted 4 or 5 times in a few weeks or 10 days.  That's another thing,  you've got to stay engaged.  Years ago I would roll out of bed at 3 a.m. to answer a question(midnight left coast).  Even back then ebay and especially the customer appreciated availability.  Really ebay is really a concentration camp,  we're all slaves to the system. As I always say the idea is to get ebay's algorithm drunk with activity.  It also helps to have things people want....but buyers will buy anything, i mean anything.  

[femmefan1946]

eBay switched me to eBay-managed payments. Since then, I've noticed a big drop-off in sales.

There are certainly reports of this, but people do come here if they are having problems.

Happy sellers are not here very often.

Cross-check you sales this past month with May-June 2020 and May-June 2019 and 2018.

If you don't have a record yourself, you might try looking at your PP accounts.

And keep in mind that apparently your IRS is going to be looking more closely at online sellers, so keeping records in future will be useful.

I can't do one-day shipping because a snow day in the fall/winter will usually delay shipping

You can use a promise of next day shipping from March to November and remove it from December to February.

Depending on how many listings you have this could be a one click change or you might do a dozen every day for a month. It doesn't have to be onerous.

Free Shipping does work.

But it is never free. The seller is moving her costs of shipping into the asking price.

Which is cheaper? A $5 item with $10 shipping? A $10 item with $5 shipping? or a $15 item with Free Shipping?

There is no right answer.

Some shoppers like the low price and pay the shipping for the bargain.

Some shoppers are horrified by the high price of shipping and buy the $10+$5 item from the seller who isn't "gouging" on shipping.

Some shoppers love the **Free** shipping and snap it up.

Free returns, to me, seem to invite fraud.

I agree.

Do remember that NO RETURNS does not mean No Refunds.

As long as you cooperate with any Disputes that come up, and Disputes are very rare (see problems, above) your selling account will not be affected.

There are a few perks to Top Rated Status, but frankly a badge that buyers don't understand and a tiny discount on shipping doesn't mean much to me.

TRS doesn't, in my opinion, make much difference to actual sales.

To be clear, I have a Global TRS status on two of my accounts, not being a US-based seller, and our benchmarks are slightly different (for example, we don't have to track, which is very important because most tracking outside of the USPS is devilishly expensive-- like Montero -level devilish!)

[femmefan1946]

The positioning of a listing in searches changes every time it is revised.

One trick is to put some of your slow moving items on your Unsold List and leave them there for a bit (a week? a month? your choice) and then relist them as Sell Similar.

They should trick the AI into thinking they are new listings, even if they have been languishing in stock for years.

And about the auctions, books are long tail, I have some titles that have sold only after four or five years in stock.  For those Fixed Price /Immediate Payment Required and Best Offer with the accept/refuse option enabled is, in my opinion the best way to list.

[katzrul15]

One trick is to put some of your slow moving items on your Unsold List and leave them there for a bit (a week? a month? your choice) and then relist them as Sell Similar.

Or end the listing and re-vamp it/change it up will usually work without the wait.  Sometimes just re-arranging the wording in the title, etc does the trick.  

Good luck on whatever you choose to do!

[shag182]

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@jewelburrito wrote:

I'm just a part-time casual seller, but recently eBay switched me to eBay-managed payments. Since then, I've noticed a big drop-off in sales. Have other sellers experienced this? 

Also, eBay is always telling me my sales will increase if I switch to one-day shipping and offer free returns, plus eBay will promote me as a top seller. I can't do one-day shipping because a snow day in the fall/winter will usually delay shipping (I live in the South where snow is more rare and my city doesn't have a ton of snow plows). Free returns, to me, seem to invite fraud. Yeah, "use this item I just sold you and return it to me in 30 days when you're done with it" doesn't seem like a good business model; after all, I'm not Target. What are other sellers' experienced with one-day shipping and free returns, and will offering those things **really** increase my sales? 

Thanks, 

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Just wait till FEEbay tells you to offer your items for FREE.....LOL!

eBay is bumbling and stumbling worst than uncle Biden....HAHA!

[chapeau-noir]

I once got a big pile of items that simply hadn't moved and rejigged the listings - I even took some more photos of quite a bit, and made new listings.  About half the stuff sold and I didn't have to sink more $$ into inventory - an expensive proposition around here.  I do that seasonally. 

eBay loses my listings on a regular basis and sometimes I gather up all those lost items and make new listings shifting the images around - frustrating to find some of my listings gone after barely 30 days, but OTOH, it's like finding free inventory.

Other things I just give up on and shift them to the cheapo clear-out I run on another site.

[deltilogical]

I don't think I can blame low sales on MP (as much as I'd like) - its transparent to the buyer really.

I think the weather has gotten nice, masks are off, people are hitting their gardens.