eBay

lovebomb · ‎11-30-2022

I started off listing on eBay.ca. After about 1 month with no significant amount of views despite the fact that I was using promoted listings, I moved to .com. It is like coming home in a sense, as I sold from here in the past, as I did better here than on .ca (because our shipping rates suck to mail domestically).

However, I have had listings live here for ten days now. Listings have gotten 2 actual page views from 1160+ impressions. Nothing is moving. Nothing. No questions, no views, no nuttin'. I get that the global world is problematic. Is this something most new sellers deal with now, or is it more related to that the products I sell are not essential/the global state of affairs?

Oh, and I can't promote here like on .ca.

firesteel_surplus · ‎11-30-2022

@lovebomb wrote:
Interesting advice, but for the record, it's comparing a wholesaler to a retailer, and comparing specialty sales to bulk sales. Still, I get that it's on the same platform, but that differential would exist on any platform as well. I cannot align my retail prices with wholesale prices.

But that is your competition on ebay. And that is just one seller. I can post probably 20 more just like them.

THAT is your competition. You cannot just flippantly write them off here. And at least in my very humble opinion that is why you are not selling. I understand that you are selling a specialty stone. Great. But when I can buy 1/2 pound of them from another seller...let alone another 20 sellers...I can see why you are not moving products.

As a used computer and parts reseller here, I've learned to find my niche market and I am not going to lie....it's been tough. The fact that little ole me has found a place in this big conglomeration of a smoke belching gear chugging monster of a machine and it hasn't eaten me up and spit me out in itty bitty pieces yet is just short of a miracle. But it's tried.

Speaking of smoke belching gear chugging monster machines...Mortal Engines was a pretty good movie. I just saw that 🙂 Highly recommended.

Mike

Firesteel Surplus

firesteel_surplus · ‎11-30-2022

@lovebomb wrote:
I see we can't edit posts here, so this separate response. I forgot to say--thanks for the advice. All advice is appreciated and considered accordingly. I noticed eBay seems a vastly different animal than it was in days of yore. My aunt became wealthy selling here. I cannot do what she did, as marketing that way is no longer possible...or so it seems.

@lovebomb

You can edit but there is something like a 10 minute time limit.

You're quite welcome on the advice. That is the one thing that is still free here from me at least...advice. Although I can be rather blunt at times. Maybe not Simon Cowell blunt....ummmm....yeah...Simon Cowell blunt.

I've been here since 1995 and I'm still not wealthy. But if I could take my ebay knowledge from today back to 1995, I'd probably become really wealthy.

Nah. I'd buy Apple and Microsoft stock and call it a day. And then Amazon.

Mike

Firesteel Surplus

rugerskick · ‎11-30-2022

I see you are big into semiprecious stones and minerals. What was your normal sell rate for these, to compare to what you are (aren't) seeing now? I don't know whats normal for these to sell at or how fast they sell.

lovebomb · ‎11-30-2022

Past sales varied for me, entirely based upon two factors--how many new listings I had up and how many of them were possible to send by lettermail. Alas, now lettermail is a thing of the past, that's another thing that has to be worked with and that ultimately will prove to be an obstacle. There is no way around the fact that nowadays there are no items whatsoever that can be sent by lettermail.

In the past, if an item was listed as sendable by lettermail it was highly likely to sell within 1-30 days of listing. At times when I had listings constantly going up, I could sell 2-10 items a week. I was a little slow at getting listings up, and could have done better if I was faster. Back then, the camera I used and the process to upload images was awkward and slow.

lovebomb · ‎11-30-2022

I should add, that the more unusual a stone is or the more unique or appropriate to specific metaphysical processes, the more likely it is to sell. Fine mineral specimens are also highly sought after.

firesteel_surplus · ‎11-30-2022

@lovebomb wrote:
I should add, that the more unusual a stone is or the more unique or appropriate to specific metaphysical processes, the more likely it is to sell. Fine mineral specimens are also highly sought after.

And see...that is where I am having trouble with helping you out here. I see "rocks." Now a box of rocks for sale on ebay may not equate to a single rock on another sale. In fact when I was searching for your like items, I could not find *exact matches*. But to be fair to me, I didn't look that hard either.

And I can tell you too...my sales have taken a huge beating. But I let my inventory slip during the summer but I'm starting to post now. I'm hoping now that I'm getting inventory up...maybe...my sales will increase.

We'll see...

Mike

Firesteel Surplus

elektrified · ‎11-30-2022

It's not just you. Take a look at this thread https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Ebay-Sales-completely-stopped-in-last-2-months-October-2022/td...

I'm down 85% in sales the last two months (on my other account).

Anonymous · ‎12-01-2022

Been having the same problem. Again. This happened during the summer too with their last updates. It seems the draconian ebay programmers cannot leave well enough alone, like Amazon does. Every update they do does the same thing to sellers. 0 views. 0 sales. They hate making money from us sellers. They hate us. They just hate us...

onefootflipper · ‎12-01-2022

Your old business model is obsolete now. It no longer works. If you just look at solds for the type of stones you have you can see that all that sells is bulk lots, large incredible specimens and small ones similar to many of yours from China for almost no money at all.

It doesn't matter what people bought before in the past with different shipping costs and possibly no competition from China. What matters is the current environment and the things that people currently buy and the prices they currently buy them at.

lovebomb · ‎12-02-2022

I have sold successfully before on eBay, hence am fully aware of who the competition is. It is not the competition I am trying to learn about here, it's about how to make eBay work for me, right?

Competition has always been part of the game plan. In the past I created a strategy, that worked well then but does not work today. To be clear, competition creates limitations but does not negate the possibility for me to sell, here on eBay. I think a huge part of it is the ridiculous change in Canada post prices and parcel regulations. I am frustrated.

Get this: eBay won't let me promote my items until I sell something, though I have a seller history from before. Also, they make it sound as if I am required to bring in the first sale, like, they won't facilitate it to come from eBay. I am not sure on that, but it's how the eBay agent's explanation to me came across.

Selling on eBay is getting more and more challenging, it seems. For Canadians, more and more impossible, if shipping other than paper-thin items.

earthdreamer · ‎12-02-2022

Some of your strawberry mica quartz pieces look more like strawberry lemurian quartz to me, which are far more expensive and may help you make quicker sales.

ten_o_nine · ‎12-02-2022

2 page views from 20+ items in 10 days

____________________________________________________________

You probably visited that page twice.

ignatia · ‎12-02-2022

That's horrible. I hope things improve for you soon.

firesteel_surplus · ‎12-02-2022

@lovebomb wrote:
Get this: eBay won't let me promote my items until I sell something, though I have a seller history from before. Also, they make it sound as if I am required to bring in the first sale, like, they won't facilitate it to come from eBay. I am not sure on that, but it's how the eBay agent's explanation to me came across.

Selling on eBay is getting more and more challenging, it seems. For Canadians, more and more impossible, if shipping other than paper-thin items.

Sounds like to me that ebay is making too much money and doesn't need the added capital from your promoted items. I don't know what else it could be....That just seems.....dumb....but obviously they have a good reason for it. I am sure it makes sense too.

I cannot even imagine jumping through those hoops. I jumped through my fill of them after working for the feds down here for just short of 31 years.

Hoop jumping is not my favorite pasttime by far.

On a good note. I had two sales yesterday! I'll send good vibes your way.

Mike

Firesteel Surplus