eBay

monitorseller · ‎08-12-2019

I've been an Ebay user since 1996 when nobody knew what Ebay was. Found it in a search engine one evening. I posted items from my computer software business until 2006 when I started my current business. Since 2006 I have always showed a positive growth in sales each year on Ebay using mainly buy-it-now listings and some auction style listings. Since Ebay cancelled the shorter listing format sales have crashed. I realize its summer and sales are normally down a bit but in 13 years I have never shown negative growth. This morning I am showing 17.1% down from this time last year. My inventory and selection is larger and better than ever before. Very scary. Buyers now have no sense of urgency to buy so they put off the purchase until tomorrow. Then tomorrow they either forget about your post altogether or put it off again because they don't feel the listing will get away. It will always be there. Ebay figures don't lie. Ebay sales are down! Ebay PLEASE do something and change back to the old format!

myangelandmyprincess · ‎08-12-2019

I don't think it has anything to do with any kind of sense of urgency. I don't think buyers really notice the difference the listings still have an end time shown on them and there is still the possibility of items becoming unavailable by being purchased by someone else or by the seller ending the listing.

“Birth certificates show that you were born. Death certificates show that you died. Photographs show that you have lived.” -Unknown

treschic53 · ‎08-12-2019

Sales are down, and my monthly 50 listings is almost gone because they automatically renew for me. Otherwise I need to cancel the listing before the 30 days is over, so I actually lose selling time. Many of my items can't be listed in auction format due to multiple quantity choice selection, (how many yards of ribbon?), and I often don't get the special extra listings offers that my sister gets, even thought I've been on Ebay for 15 years longer than she. Fed up now...but Etsy is not much better----they have their own bad ideas. We need to flood eBay with our calls complaining about this change. YES!!!!PLEASE EBAY!!!CHANGE BACK TO THE OLD FORMAT.

fern*wood · ‎08-12-2019

Do you think your buyers now being charged sales tax might have something to do with it? I've been wondering since my sales this month have been more sluggish than normal, and I even received a message from one buyer demanding I remove the sales tax from their purchase.

I see ebay started collecting in your state on July 1, just as my they did for my state. Of course, I always collected for purchases within my state, but out of state were not required to pay at the time of purchase and probably never did.

BTW: Beautiful wood.

mathostx · ‎08-12-2019

I'd say you're probably right, and it's why it is getting harder to sell certain things, at a reasonable price. I noticed just the other night for the first time when I sent an invoice to a customer, that it listed sales tax for their state as part of the price they paid. Which is really silly to see when you're selling used items, as you already paid sale tax on the item when it was originally purchased to begin with.

toyshnip · ‎08-12-2019

Sales must go somewhere. Many sellers have been complaining in the last few weeks on sales gone down. But where did all the sales go?

There could be 2 options to where the sales went:
1. It is moving around the ebay system.
2. It is moving away from ebay.

If it is moving around ebay system, it could be that long time sellers are losing sales due to the changes that are going on, but other sellers are gaining sales. For example, it could be sellers that were dropshippers are losing sales, while sellers who have inventory are gaining sales. Sellers who have big bulky items are losing due to the new USPS rates, while sellers who sell small items were not effected by it.

The other option is that sales are moving away from ebay. It could be that other platforms are pulling away customers from ebay. Another option is that the steps ebay did are pushing away sellers, and therefore less product are offered on ebay.
It could also be that the economy is slowing and less people are spending money. In that case, the steps ebay is doing may hurt ebay (if they are losing customers) or it is just the economy.

Things change all the time. Those who adjust to the changes can still find their way on ebay. Those who don't adjust will be in a disadvantage.

turquoisetulips · ‎08-12-2019

@monitorseller wrote:
I've been an Ebay user since 1996 when nobody knew what Ebay was. Found it in a search engine one evening. I posted items from my computer software business until 2006 when I started my current business. Since 2006 I have always showed a positive growth in sales each year on Ebay using mainly buy-it-now listings and some auction style listings. Since Ebay cancelled the shorter listing format sales have crashed. I realize its summer and sales are normally down a bit but in 13 years I have never shown negative growth. This morning I am showing 17.1% down from this time last year. My inventory and selection is larger and better than ever before. Very scary. Buyers now have no sense of urgency to buy so they put off the purchase until tomorrow. Then tomorrow they either forget about your post altogether or put it off again because they don't feel the listing will get away. It will always be there. Ebay figures don't lie. Ebay sales are down! Ebay PLEASE do something and change back to the old format!

They could at least try bringing back the old format to see if it makes a difference because at this point anything is worth a try . However I don't expect they will do much of anything just judging from everything I've read so far about their plans . They aren't interested in investing more in advertising in the near future either. More and more other selling venues are popping up everywhere which in turn adds more competition for the buyers that are out there . The big difference is the others are advertising and so I'm positive they are causing even some of the most loyal e bay buyers to go elsewhere . Advertising makes a huge difference in the rise of sales or else millions or even billions of dollars wouldn't be spent on it by countless other successful companies across the nation . Anyone who has ever taken a marketing class should be fully aware of this fact . Still it's not just that one issue that's the cause of all the problems here . It's a lot of things as in the GTC roll out you referred to . On the surface we wouldn't have expected it to be one of the negative factors but yet the huge drop in sales many sellers are experiencing seems to have coincided with the time it came out . Somehow and in some complicated way it's helped to gum up the works . I don't think e bay's top brass are listening to the sellers or even if they are our success doesn't seem to be their main interest . They are currently enjoying a growth in revenue by gathering millions of extra dollars from desperate sellers willing to pay them more money through promotional fee's . Every single seller who has come to these boards to complain about slow sales could quit tomorrow but it would hardly make a slight blimp on their radar . So when things look this good from their end then there's no rational motivation to make any changes . Tulips

kensgiftshop · ‎08-12-2019

I don't think it's just GTC causing low sales.

Shipping prices are higher then last year.

Some States having to pay sales tax.

Buyers complaining they can't pay for their orders.

Poor search results.

And all the other problems with the site now.

Have a great day.

turquoisetulips · ‎08-12-2019

It could also be that the economy is slowing and less people are spending money. In that case, the steps ebay is doing may hurt ebay (if they are losing customers) or it is just the economy. toyship

The economy has never been as good or as stable as it is right now . This is one of the reasons why new selling venues are popping up everywhere and are making money . In the last 6 or 7 weeks hardly a day goes by that I don't need to log onto e bay to remove an item that has sold elsewhere . Not a week goes by that I don't receive a special request from a potential buyer from somewhere else .I've read dozens of posts from sellers reporting the same thing . These are all from American businesses so if the economy was bad then they'd all be equally affected,, but they aren't . Tulips

gamersbaystore · ‎08-12-2019

Seems very hypocritical. Here you're complaining about how bad your sales are, but insist the economy has never been better. Makes a lot of sense.

If the economy is so great as you claim, you wouldn't be here with the rest of us complaining over how slow it is. You'd be working a good paying job somewhere.

I live in a state where half the population is unemployed and lives in total poverty. Trump isn't making anything great, just pushing us to starve to death.

At some you will have to wake up and smell reality.

pburn · ‎08-12-2019

@turquoisetulips wrote:

The economy has never been as good or as stable as it is right now .

Start with the Dow. I've lost quite a little chunk of change in my retirement account in just the last month.

Add to that the several lousy transactions I've had on eBay recently--MBG notwithstanding. Stir the increase in shipping costs. Put in a pinch of sales tax.

These are all from American businesses so if the economy was bad then they'd all be equally affected,, but they aren't .

I don't think that's a valid assumption. Economics 101 teaches us that not every business is equally affected by the economy. There are always winners and losers in any marketplace. Maybe people are trying the other venues because they're new--just like people flock to a new restaurant in town.

clu3 · ‎08-12-2019

Flea markets and multi-vendor markets seem to be more busy. Watch that space going forward, especially if we go into recession.

People are catching on that prices are lower at brick & mortar once the platform fees and shipping costs are removed. (I'm thinking shipping costs are big factor - even if you offer free shipping, it's built into the price).

I can take 20% off my price I'm asking online, if I put it in the flea market. The price I pay in rent is worth the time savings in photos, listing, shipping. And sales are final there, I don't have to be concerned with potential returns or scams for 30 days.

@kensgiftshop wrote:
I don't think it's just GTC causing low sales.
Shipping prices are higher then last year.
Some States having to pay sales tax.
Buyers complaining they can't pay for their orders.
Poor search results.
And all the other problems with the site now.

zamo-zuan · ‎08-12-2019

@pburn wrote:
@turquoisetulips wrote:

The economy has never been as good or as stable as it is right now .
Start with the Dow. I've lost quite a little chunk of change in my retirement account in just the last month.

Add to that the several lousy transactions I've had on eBay recently--MBG notwithstanding. Stir the increase in shipping costs. Put in a pinch of sales tax.

These are all from American businesses so if the economy was bad then they'd all be equally affected,, but they aren't .
I don't think that's a valid assumption. Economics 101 teaches us that not every business is equally affected by the economy. There are always winners and losers in any marketplace. Maybe people are trying the other venues because they're new--just like people flock to a new restaurant in town.

Regarding economic numbers, they aren't as great as the media spin sadly. But how the economy affects any of our sales depends on what type of items are being sold. Is it a luxury, for entertainment purposes, or is it a necessity?

For that reason, it's true. We can't say every business will be affected equally.

Venues I think are a different story. Being honest, if we found another venue that had strong traffic for auto parts we would be on there immediately. EBay has become a market you can rely on less and less over the years. It's too volatile, and volatility occurs on dates when there's not actually changes in customer habits, rather it coincides with the dates eBay releases updates.

Combine this with the non-stop issues that CSR's and Sr Management don't even assist you with/can't explain, and decline of top sellers, eBay is a pretty scary place.

More than ever it's dangerous to keep all your eggs in 1 basket. The eBay "basket" swings around too much and hasn't been doing a very good job of keeping the eggs safe.

lovefindingtreasures2 · ‎08-12-2019

I'm selling fine on other venues, and like you Tulips come here to remove items cross posted that sold on another platform.

Same exact items, often at higher prices too.

It IS eBay right now, else my items would not be selling easily on other sites 🙂

gizzme · ‎08-12-2019

I agree, Ken. Sales have TANKED ....the worst I have ever seen in all my years on eBay. Watchers do not turn into buyers. Shippers have raised prices numerous times and it's just not always smart to add free shipping to heavier dinnerware items that I specialize in. After fees, boxes and shipping costs and supplies, there is just not enough profit left to bother with listing many items anymore. Another BIG problem is the catering that eBay has done to big China sellers. I know of at least seven family and friends that no longer shop on eBay because they were stung on purchases of phones and cameras from overseas sellers. Because of time constrictions, their only recourse to get their money back was through PayPal. If I know of that many buyers who have permanently gone away, just how many more are there??? eBay talks about seller and buyer protections, but they have not always worked well. My sales are down to almost nothing in the last two weeks and the month of July was dismal. eBay keeps pushing managed payments, but, don't you need SALES in order to manage payments?? Yikes!! Right now, I am very sorry that I let my store subscription renew in June. If sales do not pick up in the last very important quarter, I will be done at the end of 2019. I would rather work part-time to supplement my retirement than put up with the clutter with my inventory and have no sales. Very sorry to see this happening. eBay used to be fun!