A drastic reduction in sales

[jokolino23]

Hello friends, I would like this issue to clear a huge problem. I sell on eBay for 4 years. I developed my account and had quite good sales during that time. But since the beginning of this year, my sales have suddenly dropped by 90% - which is inexplicable.Does anyone have any observations or some information about why this happens and how to solve this problem?

Thanks in advance!

[walwalwill]

Out of curiosity, what do you consider "quite good sales"?

Your items would appeal only to a segment of the population and the international shipping costs up to 1/3 of the cost of the item itself.

Frankly, the number of sold listings you're showing is in line with what I'd expect your sold listings to be for those pieces.

[lookbuylove]

LOG OUT OF EBAY

Then check your profile. Makes sure that ALL your items show up (check how many items ebay says you have there)

Reference by post
http://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/MASSIVE-BUG-OVER-500-PAID-INTERNATIONAL-ITEMS-NOT-SHOW...

[jokolino23]

Hello, thanks first for the answer.

I do not think you understand the issue well.

For four years, I was selling 30-40 items per month - often more. Since January this year sales have been 1-2 a month.

It is an impression that I have almost no sales from the states, and my main customers were from there.

[duncanvr]

OP sales have been down for a large number of sellers since January. People can guess any number of reasons why sales are down. Looking at your site you only have 25 listings, probably not enough listings to be found in the first pages of the ebay search results unless someone is specifically searching for an item you sell and lands on one of your listings you may not even be seen. Have you checked what others are selling similar to you? How many listings have they got? How is other sellers prices on similar items? Unless your items are unique probably other sellers are undercutting your price on similar items. Your also asking $20 for internationally shipping. Other sellers maybe selling similar unique silver items and offering free shipping. You need to be putting new listings on every day and some how offer cheaper or free shipping. You need to pay for promoted items if you want to be found easier. Promoted items head to the first pages of search results. Everything else is pushed lower in the results and probably not every buyer has time to search all the pages of similar listings to find your items. That's a big reason why you may not be being viewed. Try some promoted item campaigns. List more items each day. See if it helps.

[doubledz-a2z]

In the past four years folks have become sellers more than buyers.  Look at all the FB selling groups in your city or zip.   Many more sellers have found ebay and other internet selling sites.    Plus sellers here keep screaming for free listings.  I remember when I started in 1998 you could throw a gum wrapper on ebay and someone would buy it.  TV shows have leaked the secrets to buying storage, cleaning garages,  buying at baggage auctions, TINY HOUSES.  EVERYONE IS NOW A SELLER.  I see it at the flea market with folks on their phones checking prices before they buy something to see if they can run home and put it online.   It is getting tough.

[duncanvr]

Hi doubledz-a2z same near here some aldi stores have specials on TVs here and the ebay sellers line up as soon as the store opens the entire TVs on special price are sold out and 30 minutes later appear on ebay with seller listing the item for sale in the car park. Its not just TVs on special that sell out, another example is tons of Chinese sellers selling baby products on wechat and they have to fight at the stores to get the products any seller who gets to store late morning can no longer find the stock cause another sellers already bought all the stock. So its not just ebay its all online selling sites have now a lot of competition you need to sell unique items like I have and then even then you need promoted listings because competition is tough many sellers have similar although not the same. But if the other guys doing 99c auctions and free shipping you will be selling less. Unless particular buyer really wants one of your items. So you need promoted listings and you need to direct people on social media to your ebay shop. The market place is very tough these days. Don't expect 25 listings are going to sell like they used to.

[luckythewinner]

I do not think you understand the issue well.

Well, to be honest you did not really explain the issue well. It was a bit short of information, context and numbers.

For four years, I was selling 30-40 items per month - often more. Since January this year sales have been 1-2 a month

Your feedback for the last 6 months shows 15 feedback, which does indeed look like you are getting 1-2 sales per month.

But your feedback for the 6 months before that shows just 43 feedback, which looks like 7-8 per month rather than 30-40 or more per month.

And your 299 total feedback does not seem to reflect the 1,800 or so sales that 4 straight years of 30-40 or more sales per month would imply. Do you have another selling account besides this one?

[tkinnebrew]

the guy that does 99 cents and free shipping wont be around very long, anyways

[jokolino23]

I will not argue about feedback, but according to statistics, only 30% of users leave feedback and I confirm this. Moreover, when a buyer, for example, bought 5 items, the feedback is only one.

From the first day I sell this product - which is unique or in the worst case rare.

I dare say that these icons are offered to me only if there is someone else who offers them - he is a reseller and offers my icons. The strangest of all is that my traffic has increased threefold.

Before January 2017 on one subject I had 20-30 views a month, now I have articles with 180 views.

Is not it unreal - more visits - no sales?!?!?

[etvideo1ataol]

Actually, for me, sales have gone up.  In May, I had 4 sales, but in June and so far in July, I am averaging 1 or 2 sales a day (had 6 over the weekend).  30 so far this month including one today.

All, on free listing specials.  My fees last month were $90.00 on  $900.00 in sales. (on eBay that is)

[luckythewinner]

---

@jokolino23 wrote:

I will not argue about feedback, but according to statistics, only 30% of users leave feedback

---

Why use "statistics" when actual numbers are available?

You reported getting 1-2 sales per month since January, and your feedback since January shows 15 feedbacks. That is an average of more than 2 feedbacks per month over that time.

[creaturecardemporium]

            I totally feel ya on this one my friend. Both me and my business partner have eBays that were selling 20-30 items daily, almost all the same product, but now since eBay decided it was a good idea to change their search algorithm my sales have dropped to the point of not even sold a single item in two weeks, and my partners eBay is selling 1-2 items a day and slowly declining to nothing just like mine. Calling and talking to a Representative is 100% a complete waste of time, and actually super counter productive, I have had one Rep tell me to close a listing that has almost 3,000 sales because it was a "Dead" listing, and that I shouldn't have made changes to the listing that I was instructed to do so by the previous Representative. Basically these Reps have no idea even what is going on, about all they can actually do is approve or not approve of increasing your seller limits.

         To tell you my true belief as to why my sales have tanked is because eBay is promoting items in the category that I sell that are FAKE and KNOCKOFF type products (I'm sure this is happening in other categories as well), straight from China, and any time I complain they tell me they are "real" when you can clearly and easily tell from the pictures the items are not authentic.

          To my knowledge and experience I have come to the conclusion that eBay doesn't give a flying you know what about its sellers and how long you have been making them money, if some place overseas can sell a fake version of your product for cheap you are basically out of luck.

[duncanvr]

Some of the guys selling at 99c don't care if they profit or not they just happy to get rid of items unfortunately buyers bid on those 99c auctions first and BUY IT NOW does not always get looked at.