Is eBay worth it???
I’m sitting on tons and tons of stuff and few if any sales. I feel like chucking everything. I’ve been a seller since 06 and have never seen a slump like this. I believe everybody is so stressed out during these political and financial times. Oh and add the weather
43 comments
1224fischer
OP1 year agoI have been listing 250 consistently and had a good pre Christmas but I think several things are colliding at once
Facebook Marketplace
a general anxiety over politics and the economy
The fact that sellers have to jack prices up for higher postage
And. And this is not the least, some sellers like thrift books charge so little it’s not worth listing
And the inroads of Temu I think mean lower sales. I’m still hanging in there but it’s getting old delisting nice things at a low price. Kitty
tarotfindsandmore
·1 year agoIs it worth what? Do you have better things you could be doing with your time? If so, then do them. Personally, I've never found an easier way to earn a living. It's a little stressful when things are slow, but in the forty plus years I've been earning money for myself, nothing else has provided me as much freedom with as little drudgery, aggravation, or physical discomfort. I've been paid to learn, teach, lift, throw, drive, sort, and write...all of which required me to answer to some a**hat or other. So, yeah, for me "it" is definitely worth it.
jersey..authentix
·1 year agoAnd exactly what is eBay them selves doing to create traffic. I have been saying this for years. You look at other sites and they advertise. The only time I hear or see anything eBay is when it is made in regards of a joke , or when your on line and the cookies track you around. All eBay has done for me is take their cut. Sales year by year are going in the downward trend. Never recovered after the housing crises of 2008
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoMaybe just devote a couple of hours a day listing/shipping the stuff and spend your time on something else. After all, it's already bought and paid for, might as well make it a source of semi-passive income.
anjofak
·1 year agoI price watch several things here and every other resales site on the net..
I've noticed here seems to only show a few and pretty much always priced similar while not so much on others.
luckythewinner
·1 year agoIt is definitely worth it for me.
I have no idea if it is worth it for you.
Is it?
fm2000
·1 year agoYour items are all long tail items, and just may take a long time to sell. I sell a lot of long tail items, and despite what some "eBay gurus" on social media say, "low sell through" items can still be profitable and worthwhile. Even great long tail items can still be frustrating at times because they sell so inconsistently. If worst comes to worst, you can always sell your items to another reseller and/or donate them (no need to "chuck" your items, we are living in times of extreme need and others can definitely use them.)
Just some advice from someone who sells similar items:
I'd bundle the Charlie Brown Cyclopedias into one lot, especially if you have a complete run or set of the books (volumes 1-8 etc.) They are super long tail, and the shipping cost versus individual value is very high, they are more desirable as a set and would be cheaper to ship them all at once.
I'd bundle the sewing patterns into lots of clothing of the same type (office wear, casual wear etc.) and of the same size range. (Plus size womens dressy and vintage styles tends to sell the best, in my experience.)
I'd try listing your Muppet Babies sewing pattern in a different category. The person who will buy that will probably be a Muppet Babies fan, not necessarily someone who is into sewing, and will want it as a collectible.
I'd put the date of your vintage dentistry book, welding structure book and copper book in the titles. Vintage science, industrial and medical books can sell well; put edition and printing information, author and publisher in the descriptions, people who collect those books want to see that information and may pass listings over that don't have that information. Take "GOOD" out of the title of the dermatology book, that is something the "media megaseller" listings have in their titles and some people avoid those sellers due to their unreliability.
isaiah53-57
·1 year agoI live in New England - Your Lego listing priced at $29(much too high I think) would cost $64 to ship from your PA location via USPS Ground Advantage - Is that an error on your part? If so, maybe you have a lot more of them - I would check my listings to start...Good luck
chariot_badges
·1 year agoI too have been doing this for decades.
Since Al Gore first invented the internet.
The first crash was right after 911.
Things went right into the toilet.
I was selling used books, and had a database of over 10k paperback used books.
I sole on my own site, (gentlyusedbooks dot com) and had a pretty large presence on Amazon.
In fact, the first year, Amazon used US for drop shipping.
After 911 things changed.
I heard hundreds of my fellow internet sellers "I am out of here. I knew the internet was a fad" LoLoL
I bought more inventory from them for pennies.
Actually rented warehouse space, set up special shelves and wrapping facilities, and hired people.
And, the crickets chirped.
Then they stopped.
And we were SLAMMED with sales.
I was making enough money to have a tax problem.
This was back in the day when there was no security.
People would send in an order over email. Unsecured email.
Someone had to stand at the credit card machine and manually punch in those numbers.
For hours, and hours.
My banker called me and asked "what the he|| are you guys selling .. porn?"
No matter how things are now -- just wait. It'll change.
If times are good ... they'll get bad.
If times are bad .... be patient, they'll get better.
Nothing good, or bad lasts forever.
isaiah53-57
·1 year ago@chariot_badges
I liked your post - We had similar "making too much money" problems back in the 2000's.
Though in respect to the last paragraph from your post quoted above...
I totally agree with the concept - But it doesn't mean this site will be around when the cycle runs its course. I believe the companys fate is inevitable due to too many MAJOR mistakes over the years - I'm seeing data showing US e-commerce market share for 2024 at approx 3%, down another .5% - Something else will likely take it's place - If it does, better be ready to get while the gettin' is good - That wax and wane cycle stops for no man...
chariot_badges
·1 year agoeBay might not be around then.
I may not either ... I'm 72, so every day is a 'gift'.
All I'm saying is that if enough people 'drop out' of this business model, it will simply leave more business for those of us too stupid to quit.
pickapaper
·1 year ago@fbusoni wrote: "I can honestly say that in nearly 26 years of selling on eBay, the occupant of the White House and the overall political climate in the USA has not made one scintilla of difference in my sales on this platform."
I have never noticed any difference in my sales because of that reason, either. I just find it interesting that politics get blamed for bad sales. When I have bad sales, I figure either nobody wants what I'm selling or they don't want to pay my selling price or the right buyer hasn't found my stuff yet.
Now, bad weather, that's a different story. I blame a lot of things on the weather.
grand-and-glorious-purpose
·1 year agoYou have low value low demand items.
I can't imagine when it was ever worth the effort for you unless ebay is a labor of love.
meme6253
·1 year agoA little cruel don't you think?
grand-and-glorious-purpose
·1 year agoMy favorite part is the part where you didn't say I was wrong.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoYou may be "sitting on tons of stuff" but you do not have tons listed. 200+ is not close to tons.
Without criticizing your items, I point out that I see nothing which I would identify as high demand, or even as a need.
They are all wants. There are millions of items which someone may want, but many of the people who want them cannot buy them today or tomorrow. Perhaps next month or the month after.
Some may have competition, and people on a budget might find someone who is asking less for some of them, or offering them in better condition.
Been selling online for many years, listing more has usually been the way I get out of a slump. More items draws more visitors, and some who come to look will buy the new items, and others will buy other items I am offering.
The past month has been a disappointment, worst in a long time, and I am not listing more because I don't want to. This sloth will harm me, but I know it will and accept that.
onefootflipper
·1 year agoI looked at your store, most of your items are better suited for either a live sale or to go into large lots. I would never even consider trying to sell a single sewing pattern by itself.
With that said, you have an 11.5 month sell through rate, which is a little worse than mine, but better than almost every other person posting in this thread (most of the names I am familiar with are at least over 12 months, some of them are closer to 5 years), so you are actually performing way better than average
chapeau-noir
·1 year ago😂Just because YOU would not consider buying a single sewing pattern doesnt mean that no one would consider it. Ive sold several hundred patterns on here, often in ones. Are you a tailor?
onefootflipper
·1 year agoI said I wouldn't consider selling a singular sewing pattern. No I am not a tailor. But the reason is that singular sewing patterns of the common brands have sell through rates that are between 40 and 60 months and usually have a very low profit margin. While I can make a lot move in a month or two every single time by pricing it aggressively.
sfau
·1 year agoMaybe unload some stuff at a garage sale or consignment sale so it does not feel overwhelming?
inhawaii
·1 year agoIt's worth it for some people.
It's not worth it for others.
jbbowers12012
·1 year agoHi, Having worked in retail sales for waaaaay too many years & in many different venues, I have noticed that there will always be ups & downs - good times & bad times. You will make money & you may loose a bit. There will also be many folks out there going a bit cukoo cukoo trying to figure out why. It would seem to me that, no matter what is going on in the world around us there will always be this retail ebb & flow. All that one can really do is to - keep doin' what your doin'. Retail sales is a tough business. Those who are willing to continue to put in the HARD work day after day - thru. good times & bad - will be successful in the long run. IMHO Of Course. (J.B.)
redmodelt
·1 year ago@1224fischer
Looked at some of your listings. Cool items but look to be mostly long time to sell, not things that might fly off the shelf.
Might I suggest bundling some of those items together? Like similar patterns or books for example.
Or remove some and add fresh listings then do some stock rotation relist before the 90 days are up with the ones you dropped.
Other than that, let them roll over and see what happens you are not paying anything for them to be listed just check daily for sales.
fbusoni
·1 year ago@1224fischer
There was a similar post several days ago. There are ways to shake things up.
You might want to spend a moment to read my reply that that seller here.
kh-stanley1
·1 year agoHi everyone,
This discussion is starting to go a bit off topic. Please bring the discussion back to subject established in the original post.
Thank you.
pickapaper
·1 year ago@meme6253 wrote: "Like you said the political atmosphere has been toxic, Finances have been dismal for most, & no one knows what to expect next, No prices are coming down, another empty promise, "
Not everyone agrees with your logic. Regarding prices coming down, did you honestly expect that to be instantaneous? The man has been in office for less than one month, for crying out loud.
doc-holmes
·1 year agoHe literally said he'd do it day one. Is he a liar or incompetent? Has to be one of them.
fbusoni
·1 year ago@pickapaper
I can honestly say that in nearly 26 years of selling on eBay, the occupant of the White House and the overall political climate in the USA has not made one scintilla of difference in my sales on this platform.
meme6253
·1 year agoBut he has done Nothing to deal with that, Instead he is going for his Vendetta on everyone HE considers wronged him, He has PO'd plenty of are allies, He is siding with Putin, He is tearing apart the entire government & rebuilding it for him & his cronies own personal gains & so no one can stop him from doing any of it!, A veritable legal criminal, Wan't to build Gaza Largo, I can go on & on , If you don't see what is going on here, You should because it's insanity!, Toxic!
sakic92710
·1 year agoI just ended most of my listings. Only left 2 up & lowered my prices on them. Will try to figure out what to list next. Marketplace is much better for me, but I hit some heavy dry spells there, too. Of 41 items I had posted, only **1** had more than 7 views in a month's time. 37 had 5 or less. How can anyone make sales with such dismal traffic? Once they started showing sellers how many 'real' viewers were visiting their pages, we got to see what a true ghost town eBay can be.
dentalsales4u
·1 year agoI am seriously thinking about ending my selling on eBay too.
I've been buying and selling since 2000, but since the end of 2023 my sales have taken a nose dive.
I used to average 60K a month, but that's been a long while now.
So far this month, I'm barely at 11K.
It just isn't worth the time and headaches any more.
I sell for a dental company and make a commission on the sales. The commission isn't even close to $500 a month any longer and it's been this way for over a year now.
sakic92710
·1 year agoMy eBay demise started in fall of 2021. 2 decades of getting 8-20 sales weekly sales dropped to single digits per month. I was lucky to get $200 a month. My flea market booth (one day per week) was keeping me going but COVID ruined that. It never recovered for me. Eventually, I had to close my booths. Now I depend on Marketplace for most of my sales. I removed many expenses from my life so, even making $40 a day, every day, would see me through easily - for the time being. Sounds so easy, doesn't it? lol Last Oct, I went 3 weeks with just $60 in sales. Last week, 1 sale for $50. Every day is a bleak mystery. lol
mod_50
·1 year agoIn my experience, it just takes longer now. There are just too many other internets out there. There are 500 more online distractions today versus the good days of 25 years ago. Some categories are very hard, and others still work fairly well. Ebay has made it harder to list items, because they have sanctioned keyword spamming, where as it formerly could get your listing taken down. I am mostly a vintage seller, and my items get 400-500 less views then 25 years ago. There are still buyers searching out there, but you might have to wait for them for months. I am switching to the M-place and C-list formats more, and have that working well as a replacement, you might take less, but have less grief.
My moto is don't price below what you will really accept. List items at auction mostly, as it may help to appear new to the few remaining searching eyes. Pray your bidder buyer isn't a psycho.
Categories made harder:
Car parts... --- just look at the item specifics one must work on, and do a search for vintage 1964 corvette shifter, you will get results for hundreds of items that don't have your keywords! The database and search game is horrible.... and they they did it to their own system. A seller has to spend too much time filling these specifics out, or no one will find your item.
HIFI stereo gear and vintage electronics: --- these items do good still do well, but the problem is selling items that are very vulnerable to bogus returns. The search engine works better here, less automated search results, but sellers often lack descriptions of the item in all categories. AI descriptions make me hurl, and ai will only further suck this experience into the toilet.
Mid Century modern furniture: --- the market is saturated with cheap repos, so you need to wait for the right buyer here, and identify the maker and present the item as vintage. Use all the keywords you can, and you must have an exact shipping plan in place for the lower 48 US states.
Used machine and tool parts: --- Still good as Joe lunchbox buyers can find parts and tools for obsolete items. Sometimes they even know the part number, and have a saved search. Vintage Delta DP-220 drills is a good search, as it actually brings back old drill machine parts, for the guys repairing machines. Same with vintage sewing machines.
I believe ebay has vaporized the GSP program, global shipping program, and global sales. The old GSP Kentucky international outlet for exports, got buried with no real explanation, and its EIS replacement must not be good enough. I formerly (pre 2010) did my own boxing, and customs exporting, then switched to GSP, then to EIS, and now nothing gets exported, after the pandemic. Also killing exports are the return rules. Now you are expected to take returns like we are amazon junk peddlers ? Really the export market was killed by them, not us. Returns is what ebay is all about now. I don't take returns, offer returns, but they still can force them on good sellers. I have worked to keep an ethical standard above normal, but its hard to keep the 1% psycho buyers from killing my desire to carry on. So in conclusion, I am leaning towards giving up finding items to sell and wind this down.
redlinear
·1 year agoThis should be the best answer IMO.
meme6253
·1 year agoLike you said the political atmosphere has been toxic, Finances have been dismal for most, & no one knows what to expect next, No prices are coming down, another empty promise, I'm still getting some sales & I'm thankful for that but they are sluggish, If you really don't feel like hanging in there anymore than donate your stuff, don't just chuck it., Best of Luck to you!
dirk12955
·1 year agoAdjust, adapt, Keep at it, Hang in there.
My sales have been inconsistent. But 2024 was actually
about 4% higher than 2023 and 8.5% higher than 2019
What I'm seeing? More than half my sales are to first time buyers. MY average
sales amount has dropped. More work for less profit.
One size does not fit all.
chariot_badges
·1 year agoWhen your income goes up 4% and your expenses go up 9% due to inflation -- you're not even treading water.
meme6253
·1 year agoSwim, Swim, Life raft please!
chariot_badges
·1 year agoYa'll are starting to scare me.
 
m60driver
·1 year agoThat all depends on one's margins and what one's percent of sales covers expenses. My actual expenses are quite low.
That being said my sales have been down rather significantly the past two years with another short-term drop over the past month or so coinciding with "DOGE' mucking around with the government. Having been in retail for about 50 years now I have seen plenty of sales swings. But this one just feels different. There is fear in the air as people realize the radical Project 2025 agenda is being fully implemented. But unlike my decision to close my brick and mortar store 10 years ago (one of the best business decisions I have ever made) it matters little whether I actually close down my small Ebay business as my cost of goods is marginal and everything has been paid for my prior sales. It won't be a business decision to end sales, just a personal one. I mean it costs little to keep my items listed but I am being rather conservative when it comes to buying new items to list.
meme6253
·1 year agoYep that's how it goes.
oaklandmaryland
·1 year agohow can anyone expect the prices to come down until new practices are given a chance to work - after all it took 4 years to increase them without too much complaining the prices were too high
loose_goose_garage
·1 year agoWorth it on my end, I have not noticed any decrease in sales in the past year.
Have you been continuously listing? That is one of the few times I ever noticed my sales slow down, was when I was not actively listing new items.