Ebay is now all but pay to play
Summary: mdinyeg expresses frustration with eBay's new ad rates, noting a significant drop in visibility for their listings, particularly rare vintage items, leading them to consider alternative platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Poshmark. Several participants discuss potential reasons for the decline of eBay, such as increased competition and rising costs. eburtonlab suggests it might be due to incorrect listing categories or keywords. dhbookds acknowledges the challenges but points out that eBay remains strong for others. ten_o_nine shares a positive experience selling without promotions, while tobaccocardyahoo suggests that supply might exceed demand for the items mdinyeg is offering. Overall, the discussion reflects differing experiences and strategies related to online selling challenges.
Ever since ebay brought in their new ad rates I have noticed that, if I do not choose to boost my listings, some don't show up AT ALL when I search for them, even when they are rare vintage labels. Most now have ZERO views as a result. So ebay is dead to me. It was on life support right after Trump removed the de minimis $700 import exemption -- most of my customers were American -- and now it's completely dead. So I'm now sticking with facebook Marketplace for local sales and Poshmark for national sales -- at least for now: Poshmark have also introduced Promoted Closet fees (which are exorbitant), but not enough people are using it to kill off the rest of us, but I guess it's just a matter of time before sellers get squeezed there too. Anyway, bon voyage, ebay. Your greed got the better of you.
luckythewinner
·2 weeks agoCan you give us an example of an item you cannot find in search?
I have never promoted a listing in my life, and my sales have been steady for years across six selling accounts.
mdinyeg
OP2 weeks agoI did a search for Michael R. Dan jeans this morning. Others came up but not mine. (Just checked again after lowering the price, and now they come up.)
kandf_vintage_finds
·2 weeks agoYou really can't expect too much with 6 listings. If you want more views list more
mdinyeg
OP2 weeks agoI had more listings before but took them all down a year ago after sales died with the tariff war. Decided a month or so ago to relist a few to test the waters and have had little to no response. I used to do nothing to boost and always had views and watchers, etc. Not anymore (except for my D&G skirt). I'm not a big seller, never have been; mostly just clothes that don't fit me anymore or a few vintage finds. That's certainly part of it: ebay benefits large sellers much more. But the changes have certainly had a negative effect on smaller sellers like myself.
ten_o_nine
·2 weeks agoI listed a camera last night as BIN with no promotions, it received 82 views in 16 hours and sold this morning. I did not choose to boost.
mdinyeg
OP2 weeks agoWhere are you located? I think this has affected sellers outside the US much more.
mozartbach1971
·2 weeks agoCan we assume it was a very high quality camera at a great price?
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 weeks agoIf anyone cares about your rare vintage labels and is looking specifically for them. they will be found.
If you are hoping they will look for all rare vintage labels, you will not succeed.
Supply of vintage labels exceeds demand. You will need a larger selection, and adequate time to find a buyer. It is unlikely promotion will be enough to sell the few items you have listed.
vintage-camerastuff
·2 weeks agoDon't forget to remove your 6 listings. Happy selling wherever you may go.
dhbookds
·2 weeks agoYou are in Canada and I imagine the tariff thing has been a problem for you......people have been predicting ebay demise, based on their individual situations, for many years....... So far it's still going strong. Sorry for your problems......and wish you more luck elsewhere...... You do still have 6 items listed here....
grann-4629
·2 weeks agoThe tariff issue hasn't caused any issues for me ... it's the eBay eIS costs that are slowing down my puchases.
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks agopeople have been predicting ebay demise, based on their individual situations, for many years
I would say that most of the rationalisations I read for why 'eBay doesn't work', or 'why sales are down', or if eBay is going to last, is based on the poster's individual situation. I'm not sure how many people even break out of their own little worlds to see the bigger picture.
eburtonlab
·2 weeks ago · Edited@mdinyeg
Which item numbers can't you find, and how are you searching? That might be a sign you are listing in the wrong category, or using the wrong keywords for your search. Or it could be a sign of a shipping issue of some kind.
I can see six items you have listed in Canada, one of which may not ship to the US.
grann-4629
·2 weeks ago · EditedThere are a few reasons why eBay and other on-line buy and sell venues will die off ... this is just one of them. With 18 billion items for sale on eBay, the chances of yours being seen is not great. The rising costs of fuel and things associated with moving stuff is also making the cost on on-line buying a little more out-of-reach for most people. And, the number and sophistication of scammers is getting out of hand and will continue to get worse as AI gets smarter in figuring out how to steal your money. Bad guys use AI too ...
On the plus side, business in malls is on the increase so people will be able to actually go outside to buy stuff at a better total cost 😎
shado-x
·2 weeks agoAI gets smarter in figuring out how to steal your IP. Oh wait, we know about the authors, but CNBC is silent for the rest.
grann-4629
·2 weeks agoEven the authors are afraid of what they are doing ... at least one of them has left the business because he figures AI will kill us all within the next 10 years. As soon as AI is able to gain control of military systems we are in trouble.