eBay is all ruined

[richards*rock*collection]

I have been talking to people at my church and the shop and everybody agrees eBay is going down. They wont buy or sell on it anymore, and it looks like it has a snowball effect, and it's tied to the global economy. The bad thing is, I have not had enough sales to keep the endeavor going, and I really hate telling my friends and co-workers the bad news and that they should stay away from trying to buy and sell on eBay, because I am.

[fab_finds4u]

If you hate trying to influence your friends not to use eBay why do that?

Because your sales are bad doesn't  mean everyone else is in the same boat.

Try lowering your prices because on some things they're really high. 

[m60driver]

My own sales are down slightly bit not a huge amount.  I don't think you can extrapolate from some of the more narrow niches that you sell in, such as polished rocks and minerals, to the more general market.  Yes, Ebay has become a less friendly platform to small casual sellers and everyone has to accept some losses from returns and scams just as one needs to accept shrinkage (theft) in the brick and mortar world.  But all this is not a barrier to those who can source well and price correctly.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

ebay has been going down for 20 plus years. I'm just along for the ride.

[laststopgeneralstore]

So just because a bunch of people at your church agree that eBay is "going down" that it you're going to stay away from it? That has to be the most ridiculous reason to stop doing something that I've every heard. Other people's opinions do not matter, including your friends. Why doesn't eBay work? What exactly did your friends say were the reasons eBay is going down hill? Is it because they have "slow sales"? Their is absolutely no context at all here. I have had consistent & growing sales for almost 2 years now with little to no issues at all. Yes eBay has its flaws & glitches but when they come up I don't freak out about it and waste my time making a thread about it on the boards. I move on and continue doing what I'm doing & try again later. You say you aren't getting enough sales, just taking a quick look at your store, it needs some help. Your titles could be better as well as your photos & descriptions. What is your competition doing that you aren't? Are you utilizing all of the tools that eBay gives you? Promoted listings(if applicable to the category), coupons, sales, combined shipping etc... You should be utilizing all of these tools to drive sales. If you want to get 100% of the money all of the time & don't want to use all of those tools then expect to sit around and wait. But remember that the fast nickel will always beat the slow dime. Also, if your comparing your sales by the day, week or month, not only are you going to drive yourself crazy but it doesn't mean much. Their is a reason big businesses only compare sales every 90 day. You can't say that you have slow sales just because you had one good day & one bad day or week or month. Compare your sales every 90-180 days & if it's starting to dip then you need to start adjusting & making changes. I also see that you are very inconsistent with your listing. You listed 1 item on the May 5th, 1 item on April 30th, 1 item on April 28th & a plethora on April 24th. Why should eBay feed you consistent sales if you aren't consistent in your listing? You have your work cut out. Clean up your store, fix your titles, research your category & find what the absolute best keywords are & title structure, research your competition & most of all make sure you are using all of the tools that eBay gives you. Cheers & good luck.

[vintage-camerastuff]

My sales are up and have been going up for the last 4 months.   You may want to add a few new items each day to your inventory,  lower your prices a bit and try promoted listings to boost your sales.

[divwido]

First, and no offense to this unnamed church, but so what?   My sales are not down.   I've shipped multiple packages every single day this week-including today.   So maybe the issue is your sales are down because you sell things people don't want or need.

And who says the people at your church have any idea what is going on?  

[dhbookds]

Why would you think your experience is the same as the other 24million sellers (+-)? 

[inhawaii]

Do you realize that people have been predicting

the downfall of ebay EVERY DAY for the last 20+ years?

Thanks for the warning, but the rest of us are doing just fine.

BTW, why do you still have things listed for sale?

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@richards*rock*collection 

Richard, you just focus on your pretty rocks and let your church friends focus on what ....well whatever they focus on! Carry on rock star.

[lindyslucky]

I agree.

I stepped away for a bit last year& am still checking on how things are going.

My sales were steady, even a little better since I got better at using a template & listing.

With increased postal fees (plus EBay fees) & ebays constant increases, (promoted items) I was selling, but making less.

That all changed with the loss of classic view.
I tried I really did. 

I quit.

I still have things  I would like to sell That are perfect for eBay. 
I have had some luck on marketplace.

Best of luck.

PS. I’m sorry for so much meanness in the replies.

The community used to be more supportive & help oriented. It seems now that it’s gotten to be sellers putting  others down. 

Of course things change with selling.  No one seem to have the secret to selling on eBay. Just guesses. 

I will say, eBay does not share info. While sellers may think they have ideas, no one truly knows why sellers sales go down. And you won’t know. It’s all guessing. 

It’s nice that you talk about eBay to people, when I do, I often hear “is eBay still a thing?”

And I buy here a whole lot less. 

[fern*wood]

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@lindyslucky wrote:

PS. I’m sorry for so much meanness in the replies.

The community used to be more supportive & help oriented. It seems now that it’s gotten to be sellers putting  others down. 

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Frankly, the OP didn't sound like they were interested in support or help.   Why should we offer either when the title is "Ebay is all ruined"?   It sounds like they are making a proclamation and hope to have others agree.    So when others try to offer help, it usually ends in a dumpster fire.

[house*of*paws]

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@richards*rock*collection wrote:

I have been talking to people at my church and the shop and everybody agrees eBay is going down. They wont buy or sell on it anymore, and it looks like it has a snowball effect, and it's tied to the global economy. The bad thing is, I have not had enough sales to keep the endeavor going, and I really hate telling my friends and co-workers the bad news and that they should stay away from trying to buy and sell on eBay, because I am.

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Hi @richards*rock*collection 

That could just mean you only talk to like-minded people.  

I doubt that you would do anything you “really hate” to do … but you are free to try to influence whoever you want.  Why are you telling us?

[katzrul15]

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@richards*rock*collection wrote:

I have been talking to people at my church and the shop and everybody agrees eBay is going down. They wont buy or sell on it anymore, and it looks like it has a snowball effect, and it's tied to the global economy. The bad thing is, I have not had enough sales to keep the endeavor going, and I really hate telling my friends and co-workers the bad news and that they should stay away from trying to buy and sell on eBay, because I am.

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So you are staying away by having $400 rocks listed and you're confused on wants vs needs?

You want to know why no one is buying $400 rocks? 

Well, let's see...I put gas in today at $4.96/gallon.

I bought groceries that totaled $293 for the week, barely any meat or fresh veggies or fruit, for 3 people and it will not last the whole week, but gonna give it the college try.

My utility bills are up 78% over this time last year, even though my usage is down 11%.

We gave up cable, but our wifi and internet and cell phone bills just keep climbing.

Recd our Property tax assessment last week - bill went up 13%, even though no improvements  or changes.  

Our homeowners insurance, business insurance, car insurance...our monthly installments are up $72/month over last year.  Crazy high compared to 3 years ago and no claims for auto or home since 1998. 

College tuition went up 6% for the year just ended and raises 7.2% for fall.

I'd love to buy $400 rocks.  Except my bills just keep coming.  No yachts or boats or giant RVs on that bill list.  No fancy cars, no lambos or teslas.....just another family trying to cover their day to day.

Wants vs needs.  It is that simple. 

[maxine*j]

Well, if people at some church in Oregon say that eBay is all ruined, that must be gospel.   Thank goodness for Christian fellowship, though, which means they will continue to turn to you for all their rock and mineral needs.

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