March Break
I am really hoping March Break was the reason for a terrible week with online sales. Although, I do not know why that would be the case. It only affects some parents & college students. It should not keep any other possible buyers away from normal online activity. Am I wrong?
42 comments
vanpatrick2005
·5 months agoSales have been rough this months, the crickets have come out chirping early this year…
lakefor94
·5 months agoMarch has easily been my best month of the year, so far. Totally my doing because I busted my azzz November thru and into February.
I was going to simmer down the online sales at 70-years-old (in 18 months) but after chewing on this for a year, decided, what is the point of that. So, I am going to build out the business more going into age 70.
The key, as always, is sourcing what the audience needs.
As far as all the this and that going on in the world, I get up every morning thankful and pull on the big girl pants, (add suspenders if needed) and go after the day.
Make things happen, it is up to me, not the gov't, not the economy, gas prices, postage costs, stock market, PL's or anything else dreamed up won't dictate any of my successes or failures.
It all starts with the pants. Every day.
Best to all. Tear it up.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoAmen! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
gurlcat
·5 months ago@lakefor94 I hope my big girl pants aren't too risque for the Community.
Fuzzy cupcake p.j. bottoms, cut off for shorts because it's Spring.
They must be working because my auctions closing tonight are doing pretty well.
lakefor94
·5 months agoI find that actually quite becoming, nice.
I do hope you get the best of auction winners this evening.
Go Gurl !!
chapeau-noir
·5 months agoYou're tearing up your pants? 😧
lakefor94
·5 months ago@chapeau-noir
I have torn up (fence) a pair or two shorts recently outside catching up on the yard. I was able to rectify that, this morning at Wally World while picking up the veggies list My Queen dictated this morning.
The carnitas were awesome.
chapeau-noir
·5 months agoWell, I put my track pants on backwards the other day. The only way I noticed was my side pockets were all weird, like my hands were on the wrong way or something. And I didn't notice until I was at the gym halfway through my workout. 😣
Carnitas sound delicious!
lakefor94
·5 months ago@chapeau-noir
Hell yeah, we can both cook, though she is the gourmet, no doubt. The slaw she made to go with it was divine.
I made one trip to Wally World and the wardrobe is complete going thru March 2027.
3 pair of cargos for after 5. Definitely legal in most Texas establishments aside from Eddie V's and the like.
Have to be cargos as I don't travel light. Let's Go!!!! Lol.
tools*
·5 months agoThe censors have cleaned the building.
frugalmarketplace
·5 months ago@tools*
Unfortunate to say the least…
gurlcat
·5 months ago@frugalmarketplace I cannot even guess why your reply to me was removed; it wasn't the slightest bit rude. What the heck is going on here???
tools*
·5 months agoReality is the scariest thing to a censor.
frugalmarketplace
·5 months ago@gurlcat
I don’t know. 🤫
gurlcat
·5 months ago@sakic92710 In March, sales of used, unnecessary items (which I also sell) are way less a factor of school breaks than TAX REFUNDS. This is the one time of year when people who normally have no 'mad money' suddenly do, and it shows in my sales like Christmas season does for some other sellers (if anything, my sales slump in the lead-in to Christmas).
Feb. 15th is the earliest day the IRS will release refund checks to anyone with child credits and/or Earned Income Credit, but of course not everyone files as early as they can, so basically all of Spring should be your annual windfall.
If not, what do you think is wrong?
gurlcat
·5 months agoOf course I'm not going to argue about whether the wealthy get unfair tax rules, but that has nothing to do with tax returns, especially income tax refunds. Someone earning a million dollars a year isn't doing so at a jobby-job where they get regular paychecks with pre-deducted taxes showing on a pay stub. They just don't pay all year but then have to pay whatever they owe at tax time. I assure you they don't get refunds.
Rich people are rich year-round. Working Class people are "rich" in Spring, albeit just rich enough to maybe catch up on bills, and if they're lucky a little bit of splurging.
mel*s_ell
·5 months agoYes, I have spent the last few days amping up my listings. I feel I have a good variety of items up with very reasonable prices. Yet, I haven't had a sale since March 8 ☹️
frugalmarketplace
·5 months ago@mel*s_ell
As the shipping rates skyrocket..the items you sell are really hit by that. I understand.
mel*s_ell
·5 months ago@frugalmarketplace
While shipping may be a factor, I sell a lot of smalls that are around the $10 mark or lower. A see some sellers that I follow that are still making sales, so ❓
I opted out of the discounted shipping costs (since I was constantly getting lower offers and could make up a little this way) Perhaps I need to go back to that since I pivoted to BIN only.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoI would highly recommend you opt back in to the discounted shipping program and pass the discount on to your buyers, especially if you're selling lower ticket items. Buyers are not stupid, and will not accept high shipping fees when there are a zillion other sellers offering discounted shipping or free shipping on the same items. The only time they might accept higher shipping costs is when you have a one-of-a-kind item or your item cost plus shipping is lower than your competitors.
frugalmarketplace
·5 months ago@tarotfindsandmore
Are you referring to the eBay “discounted” shipping when we print our labels on eBay. if so, yes they are less, but they still are a reflection of our high USPS current rates,
Frankly I like the way another platform , has a flat ground rate for up to 5 pounds. If that were on eBay it would certainly help customers as well as sellers.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoYes. Our rates have gone up, but if you look at the difference between what we pay and the retail rates at the counter, there's no comparison. The difference is quite significant.
ETA: Here's a comparison. This package shipped via USPS ground advantage with the ebay discount cost 10.00.
frugalmarketplace
·5 months ago@tarotfindsandmore
I thought I was missing something. Thanks. I have always printed labels from eBay. Yes we do save some money, but not enough. I sold and umbrella..not heavy, just long and obviously oversized. The USPS online wanted $17 plus, UPS was $7. it went UPS.
chapeau-noir
·5 months agoThat's Poshmark. It's one of the few things that keeps me selling there as the rest of the platform has turned into a hot mess since it was bought out. But that shipping- I like!
It would be very difficult to institute that on Ebay, given that it's so complex.
frugalmarketplace
·5 months ago@chapeau-noir
Yes, Poshmark, I make a couple of sales a week…do not like the games that platform has, but do like the flat shipping.
toomuchstuffagain35
·5 months agoIt only helps if you're selling items that ship for over 2 pounds. It doesn't help sellers who ship lightweight items.
frugalmarketplace
·5 months agoI cannot ship a 2 pound package from the West to the other side of the US for what customers pay there
pickapaper
·5 months ago@sakic92710
Any time a topic like this comes up, a lot of people chime in and blame all sorts of things, usually economy, politics, etc. Sure, those things have a bearing on sales, but I also feel like a lot of it has to do with the right person coming along and actually finding our items, especially those of us who sell a variety of different items. If a buyer is obsessively looking for a particular item and have it on their "saved search" list, they might find one immediately, but if it's just something they think about occasionally, they might not look for it but once a week or once a month.
Don't forget, there are a lot of people who actually can afford to buy things, regardless of the economy, politics, etc.
It appears to me that if some buyers want something, they are going to buy it whether they can afford it or not. Credit card debt is at an all-time high; I'm sure some of it is out of necessity but I'm also sure a lot of it is for "want" instead of "need". How many women nowadays get their nails done at a salon? Tattoos? Designer handbags or sunglasses? Other things they really can't afford but are going to do it anyway because they aren't going to do without. Same thing with buying on eBay; if they want it bad enough, they will buy it, whether they can afford it or not.
frugalmarketplace
·5 months ago@pickapaper
I quit getting my nails done over a year ago. Frankly it wasn’t money, but I was not going to continue paying $80 plus a tip..I do my own.
Do people cut back? I don’t know for sure. However everything I have read is how “everything” has hurt consumer spending.
pickapaper
·5 months ago@
Me, too, on my nails. I had my nails done for 15 years and finally got tired of it; it was never about the money. But I was just saying, how many of these young women are paying that kind of money once or twice a month and then complaining that they can't afford necessities? If you are in a group of people and look around, there are more women with salon nails than there are without.
Maybe everything you have read is how "everything" has hurt consumer spending, but it's actually where you read or watch on TV as to how it is reported. If you read certain publications or watch certain news programs, that's the way that media reports things, for the most part negative gloom and doom. They rarely report about the good things going on.
frugalmarketplace
·5 months ago@pickapaper
I am very selective about the news. Most of it has degraded to be more like a reel from some social media site. I check NPR and Reuters in the morning and stay away from mainstream news, as so much is AI and just garbage. I remember watching the news at 5:30 every evening …It was news..not a social statement.
I don’t watch TV at all. We will stream a movie or a documentary in the evening and that is it. Normally it is something that makes you “feel good”.
Totally agree about the nails.
frugalmarketplace
·5 months ago@sakic92710
Let me see
Gas Prices
Conflict in the world
Stock Market
Uncertainty
I could add more…Take your pick. It sure doesn’t make me feel good and want to spend money.
kibble-net
·5 months agoElections have consequences, and it affects everything in our day to day lives. But be careful, the care bear moderators will censor your post for mentioning the w*r in the middle east.
frugalmarketplace
·5 months ago@kibble-net
That actually is a “conflict”. Right ? Since it has not been legally approved per the constitution. yes that all has
a tremendous impact on consumer spending.
christworks
·5 months agoThere were some slow days this past week and my 31 day sales dropped off, peaking around -20%. They started turning around on Thursday, and I'm at +4% now. YoY for March I've sold 3 more things when compared to March 1-22, 2025 and that should be much higher because I have about 700 more items listed than I did a year ago. My gross and net sales numbers are excellent though. That's coming from the fact I am selling better inventory and have gotten rid of a lot of the old stock that was keeping my average sales price down. Also giving my net a boost is adjusting what I am promoting and when I'm promoting it. It doesn't put a whole lot extra in my pocket but it puts some.
I do believe it will get better, so do not lose hope. Now is the time to make progress with your death pile, if you have one. This way when sales pick back up, your virtual shelves are stocked.
ten_o_nine
·5 months agoNo March Break in a March Slump. 😊
njtoyreseller
·5 months agoI feel like its been following the stock market! When stocks drop, so do sales!
@simba6 I will agree with rising gas prices, people may be a bit tighter with their cash.
simba6
·5 months agoeBay sales have always had some ebb and flow. There has been a lot of rough weather too. With gas prices going up some may have cut back on purchasing. While it's unfair, in a down turn salt and pepper shakers shaped like dairy cows are always the first thing people cut in their budgets.
sakic92710
OP5 months agoI am talking about online sales across all platforms. MP has been dead.
meme6253
·5 months agoI do get tired of the ebb & flow explanation that is consistently used, I really believe there is more to it than that, & If that is the case there has been far more ebb than flow!