I have noticed more and more that sales from month to month have been very consistent, even as days pass by with one or two sales. To put this in perspective, we have almost 2,700 items listed. There is no rational reason that we should have even a single day with under 10 sales. And days with 20 or more sales should be common. Yet the former happens frequently and the latter occurs very infrequently.
It is common to have a few days with very low sales and then a "catch up" day with a bunch of sales. To me, this shows clear signs of eBay "metering" our sales. In other words, not allowing the market on eBay to be fair. In a fair market, reputation, price, low shipping rates, delivery timeframe, low return rates, etc., are the primary drivers of placement and therefore sales. eBay appears to have their thumb on the scales, favoring new sellers to get them "hooked" on the platform, favoring sellers who pay the highest "bribes" (promotional fees), and keeping sales just high enough for reputable sellers so that they don't leave the platform.
A lack of transparency in search does damage to the buyers as well as the sellers. Why? Because they aren't being presented with products sold by the best sellers in Best Match. I ask eBay what I can do to improve my sales and they essentially say "nothing," as we are following all best practices. Well, not entirely true. They DO tell us to increase our bribe even higher than we already pay to get better placement. Unfortunately, we don't sell cheap junk with huge margins. We actually have to pay FAIRLY for our inventory.
I'm interested in finding out if other reputable sellers have the same experiences, and if they have found a way to improve things for their stores.
