Allow me to beat this dead horse…
Forgive me for bringing this up again, but I’m less than a year in to my eBay selling journey and wanted to bring up my thoughts and observations on the slow sales.
I started out really strong in 2022 with consistent sales and top seller status in a few months. Then something happened around March/April 2023: the consistency disappeared.
• I’ve noticed one week I’ll do great and the next, crickets. Rinse and repeat.
• I’ve been using PLs regularly to no visible benefit. Most of my shop is promoted at 2-3% now.
• I’m not buying the “times are tough†theory.
Anyone else have any observations they’d like to add?
85 comments
willsonestop
·3 years agoHad the same issue a few months back and it's definitely NOT the economy. This is what we did. Of course, not all things will work for everyone. But, What made a huge difference and dramatic rise in sales for us was: 1. Change slow selling items to auctions (just move product)
This does several things. The more sales of anykind will get you more sales. Sales get more Sales. It impacts your visibility in the search, It will drive people to see what else you have. As the sales go up and more people start buying they will spend more time going through your listings to see what is COMING UP, as opposed to what they just see that day or week. Sometimes you may lose a little but the exposure will more than make up for it. Just make sure to set your start/end times out(not just in "prime time") remember that most people have a limited amount of time to spend, but it can be at 7pm or 5am (this will reach all time zones and especially if you sell internationally.)
2. Try to sell products that people NEED, and NOT just what they WANT (use your own consumers view and not just the "what's hot or trending" at least have a majority of your items geared towards NEED.
3. This is what really made a huge impact. SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA.
Listings with few or no views, we share them to social media as much as possible. The overwhelming majority of our sales in July was from incoming buyers from Social Media. This is were a huge number of shoppers go daily to search for items they want or need. The dont necessarily simply do a "search" engine anymore. Also, ebay LOVES it when you share to Social Media and especially if it results in New Buyers or Even buyers that haven't been active on ebay for awhile. This also helped with buyer's reaquainting themselves with the "New" ebay. And all the changes. They also tend to be more appreciative to rapid responses to questions and definitely more patient if you have good metrics they can see, we saw alot less "unreasonable" actions and or questions than we had previously.
4. Utilize the Promoted Listings option, you can always try it and if you dont see the results you want, you can just cancel it. Or you can adjust it with a New campaign to whatever works for you.
Again, this is just what worked for us. Hope this helps. It's definitely NOT the economy, people still need stuff, but they will always look for the best deal, the most convenient way to shop they can get, busy schedules, kids back in school, etc. Time savers will always win out. Just make sure it's a better deal to buy on ebay and not have to worry about it, rather than just going to the store, and the added frustrations that can cause.
animal-house-8
·3 years agoSo you have your items advertised at 2-3% which I'm only assuming is not what ebay suggested? When they say suggested rate they are not fooling around.
electrola_man
·3 years agoI see this too. I'll list something and it will get almost no views, then relist it, with no changes at all, and the next week it gets lots of views. I can't figure it out, either.
yyproductionsllc
·3 years agoIt's not a dead horse, eBay is flooded with cheap "international" products that kills US stores or the community that actually built the platform. Alongside that large chain stores are dumping their products for cheap and eBay's algorithm that's not only pushed towards high promotional sales for you to actually earn, but its no longer a platform for small sellers to earn. Just got to pivot and sell on your own and stop selling on eBay for they don't care about you the every day seller..
Anyone saying otherwise are just coping/lying/not making any money
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoBit of a broad brush there.
bryo_3145
·3 years agoDeadhorse Alaska now there is some oil up there.
bryo_3145
·3 years agoGlobal economy? Ebay is classified as a global marketplace? Not just the United States?
yuzuha
·3 years agoI don't know about you, but I get sales from buyers using freight forwarders all the time, so yes. In just the past month I've had one sale to a Japanese buyer and another sale to a Spanish buyer.
bryo_3145
·3 years agoInteresting how well Amazon profit soared 220 percent as pandemic drove people to online shopping.
During the pandemic, shifting sales online and consumers flush with stimulus checks. Amazon reported $108.5 billion in sales in the first three months of the year, up 44 percent from a year earlier. It also posted $8.1 billion in profit, an increase of 220 percent.
mam98031
·3 years agoEbay did quite well during the Pandemic which in turn meant that many sellers did very well too. I know in respect to sales, I did quite well during this period of time.
I see you are an advocate of comparing Ebay and Amazon, even though it isn't apples to apples. The two sites do have some similarities but they have even more differences. Amazon also doesn't always have a profit each quarter or even year.
siamjane8
·3 years ago@mam98031
Amazon also doesn't always have a profit each quarter or even year.
Mam- what you said her is interesting and true...... and it is because amazon reinvests nearly 100% of profits back into itself to improve, support and grow. Amazon has a forward thinking plan of growth an does not succumb to weekly whims and design changes, always chasing a penny. As far as shareholders go - how can a company still have a growing stock value if it never makes money..... because it has value- the profits stay within the company and that is why it is growing 10 fold over ebay.
I think we all just wish ebay would reinvest in ebay for a change instead of the board and the management using the company as personal piggy banks. ultimately its a people problem.
mam98031
·3 years agoI didn't get into the details, I just stated they aren't / weren't always profitable. I'm well aware there are many reasons for that. Some good and some bad. That wasn't the point.
I personally don't think Ebay has to operate the same way Amazon does. The two companies are very different. There are good things and bad things about Amazon. There are good things and bad things about Ebay.
Stocks are also different. Different types of stock. Not all stock is created equal.
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoInteresting how well Amazon profit soared 220 percent as pandemic drove people to online shopping.
During the pandemic, shifting sales online and consumers flush with stimulus checks. Amazon reported $108.5 billion in sales in the first three months of the year, up 44 percent from a year earlier. It also posted $8.1 billion in profit, an increase of 220 percent.
These days it's not really fair to compare eBay and Amazon. While both started out pretty much the same Amazon has moved WAY beyond simply being an ecommerce company. While eBay appeases its shareholders with dividends and only a minor increase in the value of the stock, about 20% over the last 5 years, Amazon divested into about everything and appeases its shareholders with increased stock value, 52% in the past 5 years.
Another thing interesting about Amazon is what they pay, or don't, in taxes. Due to the re-investment of those gross profits in other ventures their net revenue is sharply decreased. They have some sharp accountants
bryo_3145
·3 years agoUnreal. That's very interesting. Very sharp accountants.
bryo_3145
·3 years agoIt's interesting to hear these corporate facts. Shareholders. Meanwhile the hard-working middle class in this country, both spouses work, raising a family. Increasing taxes pulled out of their pay checks, then end up paying and owing money at the end of the year. Just making ends meet. Keeping a roof over their head. Trying to make some extra change to bring their families to Disney World. No wonder the divorce rate is so high in this country. Then you turn on the TV, there's the reality of things "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."
mam98031
·3 years agoOMG now you are blaming Ebay for the divorce rate. Talk about reaching! Now I've heard everything.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoIf people are so gullible as to be duped into believing the Kardashians are anything but media holograms and are actually trying to 'keep up' with anybody, they get what they asked for.
bryo_3145
·3 years agoKind of like the ebay Community forum.
vintagecraze50
·3 years agoI can not stand that show or their gluttonous need to flaunt their money and their butts all over social media. Bad examples of what life is really about. Why people watch them I have no idea.
bryo_3145
·3 years agoNo, I blame the Kardashians. They're divorce rate is also high. "How did you get ebay out of that?"
mam98031
·3 years agoIt isn't how it reads to me. The statement about the Kardashians was the last sentence, it seemed almost like an afterthought.
"It's interesting to hear these corporate facts. Shareholders. Meanwhile the hard-working middle class in this country, both spouses work, raising a family. Increasing taxes pulled out of their pay checks, then end up paying and owing money at the end of the year. Just making ends meet. Keeping a roof over their head. Trying to make some extra change to bring their families to Disney World. No wonder the divorce rate is so high in this country. Then you turn on the TV, there's the reality of things "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." "
bryo_3145
·3 years ago"There are wealthy people in our country today that don't have to pay taxes." Or know how to get around it. The middle class has to work.
bryo_3145
·3 years agoWe are nearing a time when there will be more unmarried adults in the United States than married ones, a development with enormous consequences for how we define family and adulthood in general, as well we structure taxation and benefits. Of course, the unmarried and unpartnered portions of the population very among demographic groups.
onestopnerdshop
·3 years agoThere was a theory a while back about how eBay wasn't investing in enough servers/infrastructure and their solution was to "cycle" accounts in and out of active servers.
In my experience, this seems to be the case. I have another family member in the same house with a separate account and they alternate like a pendulum. One site starts selling and the other drops off, and vice versa, every week for years now.
Also when I put my PL below 5% I basically got shadow banned. When I brought it back up to 5% I magically started getting sales, promoted or otherwise.
Thats been my experience anyways. The economy and eBays parade of glitches certainly aren't helping either.
bryo_3145
·3 years ago"Maybe when the student forgiveness loan bill passes people will have money to spend?" That'll solve all of our problems.
siamjane8
·3 years agoAll things considered- i think we should all be able to understand that there are many contributing factors that have effected sales negatively. There is no singular issue.
That being said it is reasonable to believe that ebay does not have control over many of those factors....
This however is an ebay seller board. Is it also not reasonable for its members to discuss the issues that effect us in relation to ebay ? Why do some posters here chastise others for pointing out some of the deficiencies of ebays policies or how ebay is choosing to tackle the obvious sales declines?
We cannot change the world of course but shouldn't we be able to discuss and point out the obvious issues on the platform that we choose to do business with? If you do not think that ebay policy and glitches and the pushing of promoted listings over showing relevant organic search results have effected sales negatively- then you are not being honest with yourself. If you think that showing over 120 PL ads on the listing page view before the item description, and showing buyers competing listings for the exact item immediately after a purchase saying -"you might like this also", has hurt sales and increased cancelations- then you are kidding yourself.
If you think that it is better for buyers to have to go off platform to find active ebay listings because the ebay search algorithm chooses to flood search with irrelevant items and PL's instead of accurate results, then you probably do not understand the value of buyer time and energy and providing a simple and enjoyable shopping experience.
Ebay cannot control inflation. Ebay cannot control world events or cyclical trends. Ebay cannot control the economy. Nobody here is asking ebay to be able to do that- all we are asking is that ebay do the best at what is in its capacity to mitigate the problems that it and sellers face. Currently we feel that ebay is doing the opposite of what will help increase sales, and instead chasing after very short term gains that ultimately hurt sellers and the platform in general.
Is it not reasonable for sellers to want to reinvest in the very company that we run our businesses on?
To think that ebay has no control or ability to improve the platform and increase sales conversion is just wrong- if that was the case then there is no hope for this company. They can do it, they just need to invest in ebay and the future, not just the next fiscal quarter.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·3 years agoJust a general response:
ebay is not perfect. There is plenty of room for improvement. I have no control over ebay.
My store is not perfect. There is plenty of room for improvement. I can take steps to try to improve my store.
fashunu4eeuh
·3 years ago“I’m not buying the “times are tough†theory.â€
Although some may say “recession fearâ€is overplayed, most accept it is reasonable to believe these troubling times do affect the free market. Why even the possibility of a recession affects how businesses spend, how venture capitalists invest, and how people shop.
bruceh1409
·3 years agoYes sales have decreased since new management has been added to the corporate side of eBay, when it was suppose to help sellers reach out to more buyers, in fact it has only helped a few stores
Sales fell 57 percent the last 8 months
We do sales events & promote listings
Sometimes we feel like eBay staff is the only one seeing or buying our products
Times are tough but Its not the economy because retail stores like Walmart is still showing profits
It has to do with marketing Ebay site
Amazon is showing profits
mam98031
·3 years ago@bruceh1409
Would you be so kind as to be more specific. What "new management"?
"Amazon is showing profits" Which they many times don't. But I still don't understand as Ebay has been showing profits too. So what is your point?
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoI am not sure what you are expecting you have sold over 600 items in the last year, 233 in the last 90 days. Lots of sellers would be thrilled with those numbers especially with the number of items you have listed. Selling on eBay is like watching the stock market it's never predictable up one day, down the next, flat on occasion.
laststopgeneralstore
·3 years agoYou need to list better items and fix your pricing. You're listing items that have very very slow sell thru rates or they have a decent sell thru rate and you priced them to high. For example those 5.11 Tactical Jeans, they have over a 100% sell thru but you are priced just over market without best offer. I'm not saying they won't sell because they most likely will but your going to have to wait. If you drop them to $30 they'll probably sell within a day.
Then you have stuff like Ron Jon, Hot Topic, Lands End etc... which all have very very slow sell thru rates.
Yes I know I"m only pointing out the clothing because that's only what I sell and have not had any issues with sales but I'm sure if I had time to pick apart your store and sit down and research your items, the majority probably is stuff that isn't selling and has really slow sell thru rates.
Turn on best offer, run some sales or a public coupon.. Use the tools that eBay gives us. 64% Of my overall sales are from best offers. Some people just want a deal whether it's $1 or $5. Keeps your cost of goods low so you can take offers like that and in the long run you'll move more inventory thus making more money rather than waiting to get all of the money on less items. That's what's worked for me thus far and my sales havn't stopped.
stevemartin60
·3 years agoYep, it's ALWAYS your fault, OP. Ebay's horrible AI search, extortion racket "promotion," advertising all your competitors' items on your pages, hiding your items from common searches, etc., has NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.
teacheric2
·3 years agoMy two cents: building on the cyclical comments, is seasonally sales can reflect the economic priorities of your buyers. School starting up in a month or two will shift a family's or buyer's focus on eBay items like clothes, supplies, books, etc. Summer can be notorious for where disposable income goes (i.e., vacations).
Keep grinding. If you slow down at all, it will reflect on your sales. Less items posted most likely will equal less revenue.
Best of luck.
sfau
·3 years agoYour sales seem to be good. Summer slows down.
mn467462
·3 years agoInattentional blindness at its finest.
You better start believing it, because you're living it.
m60driver
·3 years agoWhat dead horse? Your sales are decent. Like many folk's sales there has been a slight dip. And I don't know how you can ignore the macro economy. And please don't conflate the larger economy with the stock market. As one salient example, the stock market is up but then so is economic inequality and the associated rise in homelessness.
stevemartin60
·3 years agoEbay has made it clear they don't want small sellers, unless you're being extorted with outrageously high promotional fees.
Screw the "economy" and "cyclical" nonsense. If you aren't near the top of the extortion list, your itms aint getting views. PERIOD.
mam98031
·3 years agoThere you go passing BAD info around again. It is really so simple. If Ebay didn't want Small sellers, there simply would be NO small sellers. Period. They would just shut us all down. They have the power to do that and the right. It is their site. They aren't required to keep us around. Well except that we are about 80% of the sellers they have and we generate a lot of revenue for them.
Again bad info. I can't tell you how many sales I've gotten over the years on listings that didn't have a single view. Not a one. But it sold.
mam98031
·3 years agoYou are welcome to ignore my posts if they cause you concern.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoYeah they are.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoSummer is always slow, and consistency is key.
Also, new sellers do get a bit of a boost here - it's common for any marketplace.
People disagree about the economy all the time, but the truth is, the secondary market (us) generally does well if the economy gets a bit tight (and it's true, inflation is easing here and much better than many parts of the world, the job market is strong and wages are improving, but there are still snags in the supply chain. As for rent, it's been a joke and a scandal for years).
One thing I *do* know is that the secondary market is also flooded - thrifts are putting a lot online and sellers jumped into it during the pandemic and enough have stayed that online selling even in a brisk secondary market is very competitive.
But honestly, this subject is talked to absolute death. It may be even be overwhelming to read the hundreds to thousands of threads and posts about it. 😣
mn467462
·3 years agoSo then how do you explain my slow winter, spring, and fall?
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoDunno - I can't tell with this apparent posting ID what you sell, but I was addressing the OP, and what we sell seems to overlap. I want to encourage them to keep going.
stevemartin60
·3 years ago"Cyclical economy" of course. Ebay is pefect, and any suggestion to the contrary is "sour grapes."
mam98031
·3 years agoCreating your own summary??? No one has said that. You might consider reading what others have posted instead of assuming what they wrote. There are lots of reason outside of blaming Ebay for the problem of lack of sales. But there are problems here on the site too. It is a mixture of things, no any one reason why so many sellers are experiencing slower than normal sales.
bryo_3145
·3 years agoPeople are blaming ebay for everything. Even for the economy being in the toilet. Inflation, cost of living is high. Just go to the grocery store. Doesn't help that the national minimal wage is $7.25 dollars and hour. "Been for years now" No wonder people are choosing the streets your better off. More benefits. No tax. Why work. People are blaming ebay for poor sales? and mother nature? Pandemic? Really. Let's just sweep everything under the rug. It's pretty obvious. Unless you live in LA La Land. Obviously, some of these people do not do their own grocery shopping. Look at the prices of homes and cars. Really what planet are these people living on. I could not even imagine being a young person and having 4 kids right now. Even fast food is outrageous in price. We are in a global economy.
maxine*j
·3 years agoOnly on quick comment, because I know nothing of your sales history so it may or may not apply to you, but it is something I've seen over and over again:
People who start selling accumulated personal belongings and collections do well at first and then sales taper off for the very simple reason that the winners that they had have sold, and now it's just their also-rans on offer. Even if they're replacing inventory with stuff they find at thrift shops and yard sales, the chances are that the subsequent inventory is not as good as the initial inventory.
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stainlessenginecovers
·3 years agoWell, of COURSE the economy is not an issue and EVERYONE needs a used Bruce Springstein ticket vs the 2 lbs of Hamburger to feed the kids.
frugalmarketplace
·3 years agoThe economy is NOT an issue. I do not know why that is always brought up. The stock market is booming, the job market is good, people are traveling, housing market great, and regardless of what you think, interest rates are low. In the 70’ when we bought out first home interest rates were 12-14%. They are between 6.16 and 7 right now. Additional the $$$ is strong…that is the relationship to other currencies.
Talk about a subject that has been beaten to death! I recommend look of the statistics on these things that reflect on the status of our national economy.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoPerhaps the economy is not an issue for you and others; however, I saw the price of almost everything at the grocery store rise, some by almost 50%. I saw the price of gasoline rise dramatically also. As a senior on a fixed income, I always enjoyed shopping on eBay for things that were not exactly necessities. Have pretty much curbed that impulse now (see sentences about grocery store and gasoline). And am willing to bet that I am not alone in that regard.
Yes, some of those prices have dropped a little bit. Coincidentally, that happened at the same time as some of my utilities took a steep hike, thereby balancing out any gain for me.
frugalmarketplace
·3 years agoI am for sure much older than you. 78 to be exact. My husband is the grocery shopper and know s the price of everything. He only shops at Walmart because their prices are considerably less than Safeway and Frys which are the three main stores here. We have fun doing price comparison’s and normally the other stores are considerably higher. Also we don’t eat out or eat fast food, because there are no good restaurants around here, and fast food is awful. We also have a small garden , yes in Arizona, and have fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. also we do not buy prepared food. We buy nothing from the frozen food section except for orange juice.
Now the price of gas. We have a Honda CRV and a Nissan Xterra which we drive very seldom because it gets low gas mileage. Gas prices were higher a few years ago than they are now, but many people forget that. I think it is around $3.50 a gallon. We have always been thrifty about driving, and where we live everything is close by.
Utilites. We pay $10.10 a month for water, about $40 for sewer, gas about $25 (higher in the winter) we put in two new HVAC’s systems in our house and our electric bill dropped by 50%.
I do not agree the the price of food, fuel Has gone up 50%. Also, since the pandemic we have started traveling again. No Cruises, as they do nothing to prevent the spread of covid, and my husband got covid in February from a cruise. However we do go to Hawaii at least once a year.
Inflation is a natural occurring phenomenon. You may not agree, and I will say things are more expensive, but not like some think.
When we paid 25 cents a gallon for gas in 1970 my husband made $600 a month. 🤫
Just my 2 cents.
bonjourami
·3 years ago"I am for sure much older than you. 78 to be exact."
Im looking forward to the response to this.
frugalmarketplace
·3 years agoAre you older than me?
bonjourami
·3 years agoYes I am, by years, but Im waiting for the person you addressed that comment to, to respond.Should be interesting.
maxine*j
·3 years agoJust a couple of things to keep in mind about the inflation rate in the U.S.:
The "basket of goods" used to calculate the CPI has changed over the years, so the comparison is not absolutely direct, year over year.
Through the years, the methodology used by the BLS to calculate the CPI has changed so, again, year-to-year comparison is not absolutely direct.
Originally, the calculation was a cost of goods index (COGI) not a cost of living index (COLI) as it now is as a result of Congressional pressures for changes through the years.
For an example of a change, "substitutions" are now used to calculate the CPI. At the last calculation, the basket had "x" food item in it. Now the price of "x" has increased substantially. However, the price of similar food item "y" has not gone up as much, or even remained stable. Under the original calculations, the inflation rate would reflect the increase in the price of "x" in the old basket and the new basket. Under the new methodology, the cheaper "y" food product is substituted in the basket because, so the reasoning goes, that's what consumers did.
Nor does the calculation take "shrinkflation" into account for many items in the basket. A box of crackers may have cost $2.39 last year and $2.41 cents this year; but last year the box had 14 ounces of crackers and this year it has only 12.
I could on, and probably bore everyone even more, but my point is that the CPI is flawed, most of the revisions to its methodology through the years have been designed to make inflation appear lower than it is. Government knows people hate and are hurt by inflation, so they want it to look as low as possible. Government also has obligations tied to the CPI, such as SS COLAs and returns from TIPS. And the CPI affects the GDP figures, making the economy look less healthy.
All governments do this. We lived in Canada for many years and in the 1970s when inflation hit double digits, the government made "refinements" and "resets" to the base and voila! the figure improved instantly.
In any event, the effects of inflation are not the same on any two people. One person shrugs off an increase in her electric bill but to her neighbor it means he can't refill one of his prescription medications this month.
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cardxcraft
·3 years agoInflation is not a naturally occuring phenomenon...I have no idea how you came up with that. I think you just made a mistake. Naturally occuring are things like earthquakes, tornados, etc.
stainlessenginecovers
·3 years agoA house in 2020 was $650k in OC Cali at 3% interest meant a $2667 mortgage.
Same house 2 years later sold for $850k at 5% mortgage is now $4563
$2667 vs $4563; 70% increase
Neighbors rent went from $1000 to $1100 to $1250 in 7 short months. A 25% increase from 1 year ago.
Stocks? DJ was 36338 Dec 2021; is now 34418. Only down 5.7%.
I put $40k in 2021- went down 10-15% and is NOW just even.
So, I earned 0.00% in 2 years. Wonderful!!
Electric went from $180 to $250 in 1 year. 39% increase.
Chlorine for the Pool went from $27 a month to $50- an 85% increase.
Eggs went from $2 a dozen to $9 back down to $5- so it's only NOW a 250% ($2- $5) increase.
But, I guess I can just ignore all that since you said so.
mam98031
·3 years agoYes.
And just look at the rental market. OMG My kids are young adults. I can't believe the amount they are having to pay for rent. 5 years ago or so they could have bought a house and had their house payment me less than what they pay for rent now.
Food, OMG the prices of food.
And while not widely acknowledged, there are still places in the US that have shortages of all kinds of different stuff because of supply chain issues. From Food to Cars. I personally had to order a car and it will take 2-4 months to come in.
stainlessenginecovers
·3 years agoHere's some hard numbers in Southern California
1980 I was 19 and minimum wage was $2.90 ($116 week, bring home $98)
2 Bdrm Apt BRAND NEW apartment in Orange California was $240.
2.4 Weeks of paycheck; get a roommate/girl/boy friend to split and 1.2 weeks
Now, my 35yr old Son pays $3100 for a 2 bdrm Apartment in Fullerton CA.
Min wage $15.50 ($496 typ bring home)
Rent is 6.25 weeks pay.
1980- 2.4 weeks pay
2023-6.25 weeks pay (impossible without roommate)
frugalmarketplace
·3 years agoDoes your son make minimum wage ?
Here are real figures on inflation
Dollar inflation: 1970-2023Year Dollar Value Inflation Rate
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month
theteamsetguy
·3 years ago@stainlessenginecovers ,
Here's another example.
Tuition at the University of MN 1988 Less than $3,000.00 per year including books living at home.
I was a teller working FT in the summers at $9.00 per hour and part time during school. I made enough during the summers to almost pay for the tuition.
Tuition for University of MN 2022 is $17,500.00 per including books for commuter.
Teller pay per hour $18.00 today. Not even close to paying tuition working FT during the summers.
Tuition has went up almost 6 fold while wages have only doubled.
frugalmarketplace
·3 years agoI bet your children make a lot more money than you did. Think about it. For example a nurse makes over $100,000 a year.
mam98031
·3 years agoIt is all relative. When I was my kid's ages, housing and food didn't cost what it does today.
BTW neither of my children are nurses. While I'm not going to publicly state their income, it is a struggle. Most rental places around here require you have a Gross income of at least 4 times whatever the rent is. While that may not be a lot to you, for many it is.
We all don't walk in the same shoes. Understanding the diversities here and everywhere is important. Not everyone or everyplace is the same.
frugalmarketplace
·3 years agoDollar inflation: 1970-2023Year Dollar Value Inflation Rate
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month
frugalmarketplace
·3 years ago@mam98031
did you see the chart of inflation that I have posted twice. I doubt if your children make minimum wage, and are struggling. Yes things cost more and they make more too. My first apartment was $135 a month, and I think that included utilities. I made a little more than $400 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force.
frugalmarketplace
·3 years agoThat is the incorrect way to factor inflation. You can figure that out easily, and it is NOT using only figures from ONE year. Enough said.
I will tell you a secret ..don’t have a mortgage. Don’t buy such an expensive house. Oh we didn’t have a pool until 2 years ago. Our pool charges are about 10% higher because we dumped the other guy because he didn’t do a good job.
Statistics lie when you manipulate them to prove a non-truth.
prsportscardsandcollectibles
·3 years agoYeah, a great economy. One where no one can afford anything unless you're rolling in cash. No wonder there's slow eBay sales.
huntfishdie45
·3 years agoeBay is a Main St. marketplace not a Wall St. marketplace. The economy is great for the haves but not so good for the have nots.
prsportscardsandcollectibles
·3 years agoYes, interest was high in the 70s, but people weren't paying a million plus for a home then. People can barely afford rent, mortgages, or food even with GOOD jobs. Who cares how good the economy is if people can't afford to exist in that economy. This is why we see slow eBay sales.
mam98031
·3 years agoIt's all relative. Salaries are much higher now than they were in the early 80's as are the expenses of living, eating, etc.
willsonestop
·3 years agoNow that's funny. lol.
NEED vs WANT...NEED wins everytime.
Unless you starve your kids..for Bruce Springsteen, who wouldn't 🙂
Unavailable member
·3 years agoWhat happened is this….. the pandemic serge in sales that lasted from 2020 into 2022 is over. End of story.
meme6253
·3 years agoThat is only part of the problem,There are many, many Issues, All of which have been mentioned here extensively, To repeat them would only be beating a dead horse!
frugalmarketplace
·3 years agoYes, it is a dead horse. I recommend you can read many thoughts and comments on all of these threads
https://community.ebay.com/t5/forums/searchpage/tab/message?advanced=false&allow_punctuation=false&q=Slow%20sales
thriftgnome
OP3 years agoSo if we pretend it’s not a problem and stop talking about it, it will go away. Gotcha.
bonjourami
·3 years agoEbay has always been cyclical.
frugalmarketplace
·3 years agoYou can talk about it, but business is always in cycles. Historically I do find it averages out.
mam98031
·3 years agoNo one said that. You are the one, by your own admission, wanted to start a new thread on a subject that has been discussed extensively on other threads. Then you get annoyed by someone that brings this up???? What did you expect?? Most people don't like repeating themselves over and over and over again.
Your lack of willingness to recognize that the world, yes the world has a real issue with inflation doesn't dismiss that as being part of the problem. Recognizing that some people have higher priorities to spend their money on some of the stuff many of us, including you, are selling here is a real issue whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.
Summer is also usually a slower time. Just a fact that I've had to deal with for all the years I've been selling here. Now some sellers do great during the summer, but some of us don't. It is a mixed bag.
No one has asked you to "pretend" there is a problem. That is your frustrations talking. I understand that.
Be kind, you chose to bring this subject up again on a new thread instead of just chiming in on one of the other many options for the same subject.
maxine*j
·3 years agoYOU are the one who you are "beating a dead horse," which is defined as, "wasting energy on a lost cause or a situation that cannot be changed; a futile effort; an ongoing action or argument that is useless."
If you have something you want to discuss, why introduce it with a phrase meaning that any discussion is pointless?
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mam98031
·3 years agoTheir post simply made no sense. The title they gave the thread recognizes that we have discussed this very problem / topic to the point of annoyance. And then they said we are "pretending" there is no problem. They appear to want it both ways, which makes no sense at all.
dubsteesllc
·3 years agoI bet you're a card at parties!
maxine*j
·3 years agoWhat I am at parties is irrelevant, since this is not a party. Perhaps you're the life of any party, which is a dandy thing, indeed. However, your ad hominem attack here just means you lack the ability to address, analyze, or counter anything I said so you're reduced to making a fatuous personal attack.
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downunder-61
·3 years agoNo, but it would be prudent to read first and then add your thoughts to one of the latest (of hundreds) of threads already here instead of clogging up this board with as you admitted "dead horse" repetitive subjects"
as per community rules: