puzzled in 2024, not sure what to do

[keziak]

I increased my auctions but basically the only thing selling are manga. Which is great, not complaining. The problem is all the other stuff not selling. I am trying to puzzle it out but coming up with nothing. There could be an argument that auctions are not the way to go, that I should switch to fixed price. If I listed all that at fixed price my house would explode from storage. I do have a climate-controlled unit, should I stash listed stuff there? 

If this is a legit trend for 2024 I will have to do some hard thinking about how to use ebay. I've talked before about walking away but that is scary. Maybe not as scary as buying and listing stuff that won't sell though. 

[dhbookds]

how long have you had the "other stuff listed"?   Seems like you just started?   Need to give it a chance.....fixed priced may NOT sell fast. 

[fern*wood]

We all have this type of question about our stuff.  It's pretty much impossible to know what buyers will do or want.  You might think a trend has started one day and the next day it's over.  If I had a climate controlled storage unit, though, I sure as heck would be using it.   I feel I know more about the ebb and flow of your sales than I do my own. 😄

[aeparts1]

With 33,000+ items sold, you should be telling us what to do & how to be successful on eBay!

I do agree, buying stuff that doesn't sell is scary. Maybe take a break from buying, no matter how good the deal seems.

[keziak]

I get that all the time, don't know why people think I have more answers than the next person. Ebay keeps changing and I have to figure out what is going to have to change about how I do things. For example my single-title FB listings have taken a dive in sales, don't know why. So I am spending more time listing those books on Amazon and not taking the time to list them in my store. 

I have books and media that are best for lotting up due to the per-unit cost being too low to send singly. I guess I need to figure out if the l ots are still worthwhile and maybe try them at Fixed Price (storage problem), or I should pitch the stuff as being too low priced to deal with (for example, boxes of hunting DVDs). Then maybe finally get rid of all this stuff and spend a much  higher percentage of my time elsewhere.

[redlinear]

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@aeparts1 wrote:

With 33,000+ items sold, you should be telling us what to do & how to be successful on eBay!

I do agree, buying stuff that doesn't sell is scary. Maybe take a break from buying, no matter how good the deal seems.

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No, those with that kind of sales are puzzled as to why their items are not being seen, or difficult to be found.
They are the ones that notice there's a problem.
The sellers that are selling a few things think it's awesome and no issues.  But, they don't have anything to compare it to. 

[redlinear]

I see quite a few sellers trying to cross list their items on several selling sites.  There's a reason for that and there shouldn't be.  Shouldn't be needed.
I have some items that are the BEST DEAL compared to other sellers like items.
I can check sold and the avg sold per month is about the same.  But, the sales are divided up amongst sellers.
It "appears" eBay shuffles the search results deck so much, buyers are grabbing close to the 1st one they see (thinking it's the best deal).
But not seeing the whole picture.  Not eBay search smart enough to find. (they just don't know all the tricks one must know in order to search)

[keziak]

My sales are best when they have the most views . 🤔 Too many auctions are not getting views. The reasons for this have been discussed at length on this board. I told my husband that this business has more unknowns than many others. Say for example in a store where people might pick up an object, look at the price, put it down and leave. Or they report w hat they want is not in the store. I don't know if my descriptions are lacking, prices too high, shipping too high. Or if I have Best Offer t hey don't understand what that feature means. Who knows? I could poll my buyers but can't think how to crawl into the mind of people who do not buy. 

I'm pretty sick and tired of this but lack the fearlessness to just quit. My husband says why don't you, then you can make time to garden (I presently make a lot of time to exercise). He wouldn't care if I retired and live on "his" money (I want to make my own, however meagre).

[natoman777]

I rarely do auctions these days.  Unless I have a super sought after rare item, I try to determine price by comps and research and list as buy it now.  I feel like many don't want to wait auctions out and want to purchase at the moment

[keziak]

I agree but I don't have much space to stockpile stuff on Fixed  Price. 

One thing I could do in my research is stop trying to auction stuff based on recent sales at Fixed Price. If I limited my completed listings to auctions I may have better insights into what might sell. 

[lakefor94]

I have read a lot of your posts over the years @keziak . Here and over yonder.

As an outsider looking in (I don't sell books and DVD's) I would think the hunting DVD's might be best at Fixed Price and sold in lots. 

The only thing I would run at auction would be the highly desireables that I know would sell. Everything else at Fixed Price and list the slow movers in lots. Keep reducing the price throughout the year until they sell or you donate them. 

Product in and product out. Focus on "product out" all year. 

[krazzykats]

Figure out the least you can take on the long-tail items. 

Sometimes I will sell at a loss just to get items out the door and get some money for it. 

I think lots will work better for some of your titles.  Lot up those hunting DVDs and test it...🤔

[luckythewinner]

I am trying to puzzle it out but coming up with nothing

The first listing of yours I looked at:

Workshop Projects : Fixtures and Tools for a Successful Shop

Your price: $20 total

Lowest current listings: $6.91 and $7.58 total

Only sale in last three months: $6.91 total

[krazzykats]

Lucky is correct, you need to check the sold prices. 

I use a cashback program that will note if there is a better price somewhere else.

[redlinear]

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@keziak wrote:

My sales are best when they have the most views . 🤔 Too many auctions are not getting views. The reasons for this have been discussed at length on this board. I told my husband that this business has more unknowns than many others. Say for example in a store where people might pick up an object, look at the price, put it down and leave. Or they report w hat they want is not in the store. I don't know if my descriptions are lacking, prices too high, shipping too high. Or if I have Best Offer t hey don't understand what that feature means. Who knows? I could poll my buyers but can't think how to crawl into the mind of people who do not buy. 

I'm pretty sick and tired of this but lack the fearlessness to just quit. My husband says why don't you, then you can make time to garden (I presently make a lot of time to exercise). He wouldn't care if I retired and live on "his" money (I want to make my own, however meagre).

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You do your research and list your item at the best price for the quality (the best deal).  You also promote it at eBay suggested rate PLUS 2%.   
TO me, that should put it at the top of a search result.  AND, it should be all over, inside of, other sellers listings (cross promoted/sponsored adds).
And it might be?  For a day or two. (but probably not)
THEN, "you" have difficulty finding it a few days later (and you KNOW it's there....somewhere).
   How can you possibly sell your item quickly when it's just not being seen??
SO, you search the item and check "sold" listings.  Only to find several of the same item's sold, and sold after you listed yours?  Higher priced ones, Worse quality ones.   With the ONLY explanation being "those were seen and yours was not".
   
And you have shoppers upset because their searches are pulling up LOTS of unrelated results.

It sure seems running an eBay search is no different than pulling a lever on a slot machine. 
As if eBay wants everybody to have a sale every now and then, whether they deserve it or not