Sales drop: Ebay removed Quantity Sold number from all multi-quantity listings
At this point, it looks like Ebay permanently removed it, after putting it on and off and moving it to different areas of the listings for a while.
For us, this change is a disaster. Our sales have dropped drastically since the removal (at the time of writing, the drop has been 100% for the past two days. This is unprecedented in our case). In our line of business, the trust inspired by the display of numerous sales is essential, because low quality counterfeits are flooding our market. Now, in the eyes of potential buyers, we're equal to any scammer who arrived yesterday or the day before.
But more generally, it's clear that a visible history of numerous sales is an advantage for any online seller. Personally, I also refer to this history when I buy.
For us, this change is a disaster. Our sales have dropped drastically since the removal (at the time of writing, the drop has been 100% for the past two days. This is unprecedented in our case). In our line of business, the trust inspired by the display of numerous sales is essential, because low quality counterfeits are flooding our market. Now, in the eyes of potential buyers, we're equal to any scammer who arrived yesterday or the day before.
But more generally, it's clear that a visible history of numerous sales is an advantage for any online seller. Personally, I also refer to this history when I buy.
And just to make things worse, I've never bothered to stimulate feedback on our page. So we have a good seller rating, but with a low number of feedbacks. So we can't even compensate for the loss of the sold items number with numerous feedbacks (we had thousands of sales, but only +/- 500 feedbacks).
What a mess. I strongly hope Ebay will reverse this catastrophic decision.
10 comments
mam98031
·1 year ago@electro_55
On my listings the number sold is BACK. I'm hoping others are seeing this on their listings too. If not, keep watching as it looks like they are giving it back to us.
I do see them on your listings as well.
HURRAY !!!!!
lakefor94
·1 year agoSame, saw it today while working.
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoAs a buyer, I'd rather look at feedback, then how many of something has been sold.
You might sell 500 of an item, but if there's a problem with the 500 items you sold, that number isn't going to tell a buyer anything, like feedback will.
lawnmowerpartsstore2
·1 year agoAs a buyer this makes a BIG difference to me. When i can see that the seller has sold multiple of said item and their feedback is good, it makes me want to push the buy button. Now without the sales record it makes a real big difference 😞
mam98031
·1 year agoThat is a great point !!!
mam98031
·1 year agoEbay has been testing different versions of how listing present for a long time. This is just another one of those tests. If you follow the Community, there are plenty of complaints about this change. I'm with you, I don't like it either.
The other thing they have done recently as well is regarding the category you list your item in. On the listing it use to appear at the top. It is now at the very bottom of the screen. You have to drop past all the sponsored listings to the very bottom of the listing to see the category.
Neither of these changes however would have any affect on your sales. It may seem that way to you because they happened around the same time as your sales dropped, but neither of the changes could have any impact on your sales.
You have plenty of feedback. But it is a voluntary system and there is no way to force buyers to post feedback. Most just don't anymore. For me less than 1/4th of my buyers leave feedback. It has been that way for many years. I do however understand that you want more current feedback. I get that. But it is what it is and we all have to deal with it. Again this likely has nothing to do with your drop in sales.
Looking at your sold items, it appears April has been your best month in the last 90 days. What may help you get more sales is to list more items. Buyers like a variety.
electro_55
OP1 year agoWith the greatest respect, you are mistaken because you are missing information: our sales have increased because we have added a considerable number of new products. However, our main product, the one for which the Quantity Sold number is so important, has seen its sales drop to zero, which is completely abnormal.
I disagree with you: it's perfectly reasonable to believe that the Quantity Sold number helps to increase sales because it gives buyers confidence by showing that your product is popular and has been selling for years. Likewise, the disappearance of this number can certainly have a negative effect on sales, and in some cases, a very negative one.
lakefor94
·1 year agoI was seeing the amount of solds in search results this morning, but as you stated, not when actually looking in the listing itself.
Should be in both places, imo.
electro_55
OP1 year agoThe amount shown in search results is just some random number that seems to come out of nowhere. In our case, our listing that had more than 2000 items sold before the Sold Quantity number was deleted, now appears in search results as "108+ sold." Yesterday, it was "70+ sold." Go figure.
gator08041971
·1 year agoThey could be referring the number of X+ sold based on how many sold since the listing was last refreshed, or the last time it was edited instead of a lifetime number.
But I'm completely guessing on that line of thinking.
All of my listings look normal, but I'm also not selling hundreds or thousands of the same item. The listings in question have less than 40 or so items at most, many are under 25 items total. Or were.