Slow~ non-existent views or sales

[jimw1776]

I am ready to just donate my stuff!!! 

 I have been selling  about 16  years, and I know there are ups and downs.

Most of my items are clothes

 I know clothes aren't a popular category these days. 

BUT...I'm tracking sales and sellers, and clothes are selling. I seem to be stuck in some kind of negative algorithm...my items are simply not being viewed or watched.

What gives, eBay...do you just want the big sellers.

Anyone...any advice, please

[atlasesattic]

The end of the month and beginning of the months are slow due to ppl have rent, utilities, other bills due on the first , after the 5th of the month my sales pick up again until the end of the next month like clockwork 

[mam98031]

I completely understand and there are multiple active threads on this very subject.  If you look at some of the threads on the Seller Forum you will see that quite a few sellers are experiencing the same thing.  You are not alone.

I personally don't think it is any one reason but instead what some might call the perfect storm of various things coming together to create this mess many of us find ourselves in.

There are some serious site issues causing little issues here and there for buyers and sellers.

The economy is still a very scary thing for many of us.  Some parts of the US are worse that others.

This time of year is typically slower for many sellers and then picks up again in the fall.

And the list goes on.  There are lots of real solid reasons that come together to create this awful effect.

I would suggest refreshing your listings using the Bulk Editor.  You can do something like change you Handling time by a day.  Wait 24 to 48 hours for them to reindex and then you can change it back if you wish.  I try to do this about every 3 months, it does help a bit.  I always get at least some sales after the listings reindex.

Use the Markdown Manager and run a sell.  I do 10% off sales.  They help me.

I hope this turns around for all of us very soon.  Good Luck!!  Stay strong, the sales will return.

[chapeau-noir]

I would suggest sourcing some seasonal items to mix in with your current offerings. People are definitely spending, but the demand right now is for fresh, casual summer styles.

[bai_996595]

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@jimw1776 wrote:

I am ready to just donate my stuff!!! 

 I have been selling  about 16  years, and I know there are ups and downs.

Most of my items are clothes

 I know clothes aren't a popular category these days. 

BUT...I'm tracking sales and sellers, and clothes are selling. I seem to be stuck in some kind of negative algorithm...my items are simply not being viewed or watched.

What gives, eBay...do you just want the big sellers.

Anyone...any advice, please

---

Don't lose hope, dear seller! Your dedication and experience speak volumes. Remember, trends come and go, but there will always be a demand for quality clothes. Stay positive, continue tracking your sales, and explore different strategies to attract more visibility. Remember, success on eBay isn't reserved for just big sellers. With perseverance and creativity, you'll find your niche and thrive. Keep spreading your unique style and passion. Good luck!

[movieman630]

You're better off promoting your listings 10% then offering a 10% discount.  In my experience, 10% off doesn't do much, however 10% to ebay to promote your listings WILL have a visible effect on your site.

[toysaver]

You don't really sell clothes.  They don't even make clothes anymore.  You're selling fast fashion.  Made to be disposable.  An industry long overdue to be overhauled.  

[stevemartin60]

Do not listen to anyone trying to tell you this is just a short term trend, or that it is your fault somehow.

If you are refusing to be extorted by the "promoted listings" racket, that is the major factor.  PERIOD.

[ham*i*am46]

I personally think the cost a buyer has to pay for shipping has a lot to do with my sales.  I do not sell high end items and when the cost to mail is almost as high as the item itself, the buyer is not going to purchase it.  They can buy something new and have it shipped for free from an online retailer.  I now promote my listings and have done a little better but of course that cuts into my profit.   

[mam98031]

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@movieman630 wrote:

You're better off promoting your listings 10% then offering a 10% discount.  In my experience, 10% off doesn't do much, however 10% to ebay to promote your listings WILL have a visible effect on your site.

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OUCH that would be giving 20% off.  Many sellers can't offer that and still make a profit.  In fact many would likely take a loss on that, which having a sale for a loss won't help the seller.

I disagree that a 10% off Markdown sale doesn't do much good.  I do them from time to time and at least for me they help.

[mam98031]

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@stevemartin60 wrote:

Do not listen to anyone trying to tell you this is just a short term trend, or that it is your fault somehow.

If you are refusing to be extorted by the "promoted listings" racket, that is the major factor.  PERIOD.

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Can you prove that PL is a "major factor"?  

And how can they be a "major factor" when they represent a minority of listings on the site?

I'm not defending PL, just asking where you are getting your information.  I don't personally use PL as I don't like the program for myself.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

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@stevemartin60 wrote:

Do not listen to anyone trying to tell you this is just a short term trend, or that it is your fault somehow.

If you are refusing to be extorted by the "promoted listings" racket, that is the major factor.  PERIOD.

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Unlikely it's a short term trend and as folks noted it's multifactorial.  Promoted Listing is unlikely a concept that just seemed a good idea at the time, its nothing new in the annals of commerce online or off.  Company revenues have been boosted by them and said revenues were on the wane.  Site has lost buyers again certainly multifactorial reasons, competition online and off post Covid.  Economics as eBay has tended to be a "This is the price I want site competitive," now that's changed, its Web competitive for the dollar/sales."  Any buyer taken these days on the Internet in hard goods sales is unlikely to be back, everyone has their own rule, "Take me once... Never twice," on and on.  Consumers have more options in buying places now than they've had in many moons and some great deals.  Promoted Listings IMHO are a response to all such factors and more OR they have to come to be as the company has been informed Government regulatory measures are no longer an "If" but indeed going to be a reality.  If that is or were to be the case, 30-35% FVF fees at a minimum be required as regulatory measures would slice eBay's seller public down to the bones.

As to the immediacy of sales yes people are spending and they've many places to do so BUT that spending is both anticipatory, wiser and more frugal, that's the just the tip.  Everything is still up in price, worker wages are not and inflation historically doesn't just settle down when prices come down...  It takes years and years for folks to forget, open back up, spend, spend, spend as they once did.  All sorts of current impactors exist outside that of personal economics, college students need start making loan payments, housing costs are still through the roof (no pun), rent is up, far far more competition especially online for consumer dollars now in comparison to pre covid levels.  Sure there was a spike during covid due to the giveaways that now in part spurred inflation and more that impact spending now.  Was all quite predictable, especially in the USA.  The administrations response to covid resulted in the USA having among the worst covid response in the entire world, they literally ignored everything that had been learned about pandemic.  President shifted blame unto those professionals who helped create the very protocols for pandemic that said administration threw out the window and never implemented.  It's literally unbelievable!

Many folks here in these forums who want underpin some sort of eBay conspiracy need first ask why an enterprise level entity of eBay's profile would attempt limit sales and hence their own revenues.  They need ask themselves why would the company deploy a promoted listings program which is nothing new to the web or commerce.  There is no one answer, everything in this age of commerce is multi-factorial.

My personal opinion given my expertise completely aside of the complex economics, competition and more is the government is going to after third party commerce in rather big fashion.  The Safe Shopping Act was shot down, call it a "moon shot" bill.  It sought to make third party commerce companies libel towards usage of trademarked terms and more.  That means using, "Nike" as a term or "Onsies" as a term in any listing would make for example eBay libel to fines as a result.  Countless law firms stated, "Its the end of third party commerce" and the big winner be Amazon as they are a retailer AND that she site by nature does not really allow sellers to create listings.  Atop that, FBA can filter illegit product on and on... Sure, Amazon would need adjust but of third party commerce entities they are the only one that sits in a position to make such significant adjustments.  Call it puppet on the string... Government could do away with 99% of the issues surrounding third party eCommerce if one capable entity is all that exists.  Again, that bill was a moonshot but as is normal in Government moonshot legislation shoots high knowing full well the target is somewheres below that.

If I had to give advice every seller need look at where they are at.  Every sellers should have "Make an Offer" activated and make offers to watchers and not those that are save 5%.  Instead of thinking about "My Profit" need be thinking, "If I were the potential buyer..."  Amazon works for 3P sellers via competitive price of competitive condition, low price wins sale.  Same here when making offers.   Any profit in the pocket is better than something sitting around waiting for someone to come along.

Get rid of things instead of buying more as we are in tumultuous times.  Whilst everything seems to be coming back to normal in peoples daily lives in compare to Covid times it is far far far far from true.  Just as one example one in three people who experienced Covid have residual symptoms that require medical attention and thus resources.  There is both global and domestic instability and both may easily flashpoint towards fires not seen in 80 years not to mention the prospect of third party ecommerce regulatory measures.  It doesn't take 6 months or two years for the globe to recover from that which it has been enduring... Think more like twenty years, the globe is like the Titanic, it doesn't handle like a Ferrari with a race driver behind the wheel.

[mam98031]

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@ham*i*am46 wrote:

I personally think the cost a buyer has to pay for shipping has a lot to do with my sales.  I do not sell high end items and when the cost to mail is almost as high as the item itself, the buyer is not going to purchase it.  They can buy something new and have it shipped for free from an online retailer.  I now promote my listings and have done a little better but of course that cuts into my profit.   

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That is where selling what buyer need or just want will really help sales.  I sell craft stuff and the books especially are not always easy to find locally.  

I'm sure you are aware that no one actually ships for free.  The seller/retailer has to increase pricing of the product to cover the shipping.  Even big / mega size retailers.

Does the amount of additional sales you are getting pay for the additional fees paid due to using PL?  That is just an innocent question.  I don't use PL at  all.

[atlasesattic]

I agree, I've done 50 percent off on items that I've had a while as well as buy 1 get 1 free, I also upped my promoted listings to 20 percent recently to see if that makes a difference, I did do 13 sales this weekend and I don't really think there is much of a summer slow down, not everyone goes on vacation,most  people still work there 9 to 5 and come home, also people may be out and about all day during the summer but they are home at night and do there online shopping still, alot of my sales are after 6 pm when people get home from work and settle in for the night

[coolections]

You are on the right track and it is a good idea that you go through all those clothes that have no interest such as zero or one view and donate them. Only keep the stuff that people are viewing and watching. It will help you have a better sell-through rate and actually improve your chances of selling things.