Slow Sales for Everyone

[z50com]

It's the ECONOMY again.

People are scared to spend money they don't have!

And with the looming war with North Korea things are only going to get worse.

I've been storing water for months now, because when the grid goes down you won't be able to pump water out of the ground.

[ymeagainlord]

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@desertratmotosports wrote:

lol.  I agree with the matress theory on cash, but we have to make assumption most Americans are "awake"....and that my friend is a big assumption.  Did you know for most major banks it's against policy to store money in your safety deposit box?  You can store diamonds, tangible assets, etc....but not cash.  Why?  Who cares? 

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Presumably because they want actual cash in their bank (where they can use it) not stored in their bank (where they can't touch it)?

[desertratmotosports]

@fi.ra

Probably one of the better post I've read. 

Huge auto overflow.  Search it, read it, go on craigslist.  You can lease a car so cheap right now it's not even funny, but the cost of a new car is arm and leg due to low interest rates.  The leases are now expiring from the  intial low interest rate surge and are coming back to the dealers.  Manufacturers had to offer insane lease deals to get movement on the lots. 

Auto auction lots are flooded as we speak from people turning in leased cars and new cars not moving.  I'm in a good position financially and there is no way you will find me running out to buy a new car let alone create another loan. 

He is right.  Wait for the sale, even then I'll buy used.  Ever see these news releases how Gander Mountain, Macey's, Kmart are closing and blaiming it on online sales.  Some of that is true, however I personally believe it's a change of buying habbits.  There are YouTube channels where these people go investigate abandoned malls across America.  Cities still have buildings unoccupied from closing of businesses that are an eye sore.  Sadly, you could use these big abandoned buildings to house homeless people and veterans.  Allow shelters who rely on charity funds a very good rate to put in cots, books, and place for people to sit down with mentors in.  Help people, help themselves as they say.  Some people don't want it, but I bet there some that do.  Even cynical as I am, I haven't given up completely. 

[fi.ra]

And to clarify myself. Not only luxury clothing, but any clothing at all. The clothing market is well beyond oversaturated. The clothing industry is going to experience a cataclysm in the coming months and year(s). I can't put my finger on it precisely, but it's no doubt going to be very bad. 

[sockmonkeydave]

@fi.ra

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@fi.ra wrote:

And to clarify myself. Not only luxury clothing, but any clothing at all. The clothing market is well beyond oversaturated. The clothing industry is going to experience a cataclysm in the coming months and year(s). I can't put my finger on it precisely, but it's no doubt going to be very bad. 

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You bet, my work pants are 20 years old, same for my boots.

My carheart coveralls, late 70's

I do buy new sox and underwear, every 10 years.

Here the mall lot is empty, but the good will store is packed.

But GW wants ebay prices.

Even yard sales are dead.

Seems like we all downsized.

[fi.ra]

Thanks. I know what I'm talking about and that's not to sound cocky. It's tough to articulate on this platform. But I read a lot about what's going on and I could talk more about it. In a strange way, I'm not exactly insinuating that we're heading for a large scale depression, so I want to be clear about that. What I am saying is that materialism is in purgatory right now. Buyers are not buying and sellers are not adjusting quickly enough. Transactional, we're probably down anywhere from 30%-70% on a per sale basis since early 2016 depending on what industry you're in. That's created a massive bubble of inventory across the board. We're fat, for a lack of better words. We need to trim that fat and there are going to be a lot of losers that are also fat this time and these are going to be us, the normal people. This is different that 2008. Or even 1999. What comes next are the prices of these material items which has lagged the slow sale market for a bit, will drop. What we have is a massively over-inflated market both in price and inventory. But not housing, not entirely. It's weird, I know. Housing still has value. A 1977 Ferrari still has value. A $2500 Saint Laurent leather jacket still has value. We're in the early stages of this cycle, but I'm telling you now, housing, stocks are going to be the last assets to adjust in value, if at all, this time around. Usually it's the housing crash or a stock market crash, that sets a recession in motion, but those events are usually orchestrated by the Fed or Banks (Private and public). This is different. I could go on for hours..I'll leave it at that. But soft assets are going to be the first to go this time around. It's been happening already. I wouldn't be surprised if we're buying a tube of Crest toothpaste previously $3.49 for $1.19 soon directly from the manufacture and sold at Walgreens. Like real deal. Not some Amazon or eBay 2nd or 3rd cast off nearing expiration...You all get it now?!

[thenobletuckylife]

Ok...then you open up another whole situation (which I think you are correct by the way)

Idle Chinese workers...by the millions.

Mr C

[desertratmotosports]

@thenobletuckylife

LOL.. exactly.  So what do you do with million people with no work and nothing to do? Start a war.  Keep the machine going?  Ok seriously, I don't know.  That's a deep thought though. 

[fi.ra]

Bingo. Sadly, war is the most likely result and this is probably getting a little too deep for an eBay platform. I do believe the U.S. and China are poised for a war. We're getting it. A lot of people can't compute this possibility, but it's extremely likely over the next 5 years. We're not talking nickels, which pales in comparison to the Puerto Rico default, or Mexico's issues, even Argentina's 4th default. These are mere hundreds of millions, maybe a couple billion. No, the trade issues with China likely number in the multiple trillions. War seems inevitable with them and neither will be right or wrong. 

[fi.ra]

And to state clearly for any sellers reading this, people with stores selling mundane and unimportant stuff between $1.00 and $20.00. Really anything of meaningless value, dump it. I don't even know if there is a wholesale option at this point, so assess your best cash position, take loses if needed and get any cash you can - like now. Because within the next 6-12 months these items are going to be worth $0.00. I'm not joking. And not to contradict an earlier statement I made about working with a consignment shop in my case and how it will produce greater results. It's not. Those $285 shoes I have listed will likely list for $200 at the shop and I get $100. At least they'll sell in the next 30 days and this is in a high traffic location on NYC. So I'm following my own advice too. 

[misslittlelilly]

So true!  I don't understand why people want to sell their items for what it cost them to buy it, I just don't understand it.  I closed down my Premium store, I now have a Basic store and am trying to just get rid of inventory, its very painful when you can't sell it even with a 50% off sale, I really miss the glory days use to be fun, now it's very depressing

[campesinoplastic2014]

"Sales are so bad that I can't buy on eBay any longer Z........"

This may be a bigger factor than most can see

[mr_lincoln]

@z50com  Another "slow sales" thread?  There were like a dozen last week if memory serves.  Anyway, here are some comments:

1. Grid going down: we have a 30 AMP Honda Whisper Quiet generator so pumping water out of the well is not an issue ... generator runs on LP and we have a 100 gallon tank out back ... can light up the house like a Christmas tree during our normal multi-hour power losses being at the end of the power distribution grid.

2. We are not going to war with North Korea, period.  Fake news ... just a small country wanting to play in the big sandbox ... give it time and the government will changeover ... maybe they'll figure out they can make a bigger impact by producing world class athletes like their Southern neighbors ... golf comes to mind.  A handful of South Korea's Professional golfers (men and women) make millions of dollars in total each year ... MILLIONS!

3. People are NOT scared to spend money ... they may be cautious but I think this has more to do with what one is selling and who is buying

4. Diversify what you sell

5. Diversify what you sell

6. diversify what you sell

7. Diversify what you sell

8. Get away from your computer for 1/2 the day ...

[z50com]

"2. We are not going to war with North Korea, period."

Wanna bet?

I say we attack before the 4th of July

It's the ONLY solution to Kim Jong Un's neclear ambitions. . .

[mr_lincoln]

@z50com

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@z50com wrote:

"2. We are not going to war with North Korea, period."

Wanna bet?

I say we attack before the 4th of July

It's the ONLY solution to Kim Jong Un's neclear ambitions. . .

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If Kim Jong really wanted a war he would invade South Korea like North Korea did the last time ...

[skatesave]

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@fi.ra wrote:

And to clarify myself. Not only luxury clothing, but any clothing at all. The clothing market is well beyond oversaturated. The clothing industry is going to experience a cataclysm in the coming months and year(s). I can't put my finger on it precisely, but it's no doubt going to be very bad. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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 There are always going to be Divas, so clothing is not a bother.

The real estate market, and the stock market are the areas that need correcting.  Real Estate is 45% over-reached, Worldwide,  and the stock market should be corrected to 6,000, it has no business being at over 20K period, when it only reflects the top 1% and not the rest of the purchasing world.

The stock market should never have been allowed to go over 10,000. and to go even farther back in time, the World changed forever when it allowed the Silver Standard to be changed to the Gold Standard.  That is when the train went off the tracks, and trains were not even invented yet.