Am I doing something wrong? Zero views Zero bids

[redsunshine1998]

I used to sell a lot on eBay, and then stopped for a time because I was to busy with work and family. A few years ago, I started doing gig work (Doordash, Grubhub, and the like). The last few months, I've been trying to figure out other ways to make money, especially something I can do from home. I started back up with eBay, mainly because I saw that there were the 250 free listings.

Am I doing something wrong? I've only have 2 views and no bids, but over 400 impressions. Are my prices off? Do I need to adjust shipping costs? I know I don't have that many items up, but I'm still getting myself reacclimated to doing eBay again.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

You need to know this change they just implemented that explains your low views.  

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/seller-updates/2022-spring/business#traffic

IDK about your pricing, seems ok, but my constructive criticism is that your backgrounds need a LOT of work.  They need a LOT of work.  Lots of people won't buy from sellers with cluttered backgrounds.   Either use a dedicated clean background with no clutter or use a background remover.  I like Photoroom, but I think even Ebay's edit has one.   There's a million of them out there.  If I were you, I'd implement one ASAP, shouldn't take more than a few minutes as you hardly have any listings.  If you don't want to do that, at least lay down a clean white towel & have nothing else in the shot. 

Also, with 17 listings, you're going to sell maybe 1 item every 2 weeks or so.   You just don't have a high enough profile on eBay. 

[simply-the-best-for-you]

I just notice 2 more things...you're doing auctions.  Any particular reason?  Auctions haven't been popular for over 10 years, people want their items now. 

Also, your shipping cost at least on those jeans is WAY out of whack.  It's showing almost $16 to CO.   They can probably go FC for up to 16oz, but if not, they can easily go in an PFRE for $8.20.  

[divwido]

You sell books, and not very many of them.  Books that are already movies that everyone already seen.  So why would we buy the book?

Sell something else, sell more of it, tons more of it.   The only way to win online is to sell until you die, all day, every day, never ending.

I sell between one and ten items a day.   Today  was four on top of the three I shipped this morning.  I sell full time, all day every day and have over a thousand listings across web sites.  And I promote every website to every buyer.

I'm also really tired and think McDonalds sounds like an  easy job.  Easier than mine.

[divwido]

By the way, your titles are not good.  Is it abridged?  Book club, hard cover soft cover used......................

Tell me something that will make me look.   And I feel like you punctuation. 

[coolections]

Books and ex library items are hard sells. Most people do not want those things. You only have 17 items and have only been listed for a couple days. You may not get a single view but at most with what you are selling you will be lucky to just get a couple views. Also the things are are selling should be sold as BIN, not auctions.

[redsunshine1998]

I'm just getting started back up. I used to sell a lot back in the early 00s. I had to stop because of work and family. Yes, I know there are only 17 listings up there. I would have more, but this has been a busy week for me. I'm just not use to there being no views. That is all.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

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@divwido wrote:

By the way, your titles are not good.  Is it abridged?  Book club, hard cover soft cover used......................

Tell me something that will make me look.   And I feel like you punctuation. 

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Yeah, I noticed the bad titles too.  But I figured I'd beat up on OP already.   I would never buy from OP & not b/c of the titles.  

[simply-the-best-for-you]

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@redsunshine1998 wrote:

I'm just getting started back up. I used to sell a lot back in the early 00s. I had to stop because of work and family. Yes, I know there are only 17 listings up there. I would have more, but this has been a busy week for me. I'm just not use to there being no views. That is all.

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The no views is explained in the link I provided.  But you're not going to get many views with only 17 listings, that have bad titles & sloppy backgrounds.  Sorry, I know it sounds harsh, but it's the truth.  You wanted the truth.  There is A LOT wrong with your listings from titles, to clutter & sloppy backgrounds to shipping prices, auctions, etc.   The clutter & stains, give the impression that you don't care about details & organization, so buyers will think you don't care about those things in the items you sell.  

I would re-vamp my listings & get to a good design before I focused on putting more up.  No point in putting more up, until you clean them up. 

[sprinkles91]

a clean blanket, a pretty sheet makes all the difference. like, i wont buy a clothing item if there is an ash tray in the bg, if its laying on carpet, or around a bunch of clutter. i like clutter, but too much usually means little "friends" on ebay🪲🐁. as for books, just in my personal opinion its not your bg bc i didnt see an issue with that. it was a physical book & not audiobook/kindle. youre basically selling vhs tapes lol very very specific demographic still buys physical books unfortunately, & you're unfortunately also in a day & age where the good will sells those same books for .50c:( its your item, try more popular items that are more sought after, i would have just donated those.

[sprinkles91]

poshmark for clothes, alll the karens looove jeans. lol

[luckythewinner]

From what I see in your ended listings, you are trying to auction books that were printed in the MILLIONS. 

Those books have a well-established value.  Dozens of copies of "The Da Vinci Code" are available for under $5 total cost while yours shows $12 total when shipped to me. 

$6.82 in shipping for a book in excessive. A one-pound book can ship for $3.19 by media mail, and a two-pound book can ship for $3.82. 

[redsunshine1998]

My shipping cost does include a handling cost. I've always had this in the past. Do these tend to be a problem?

[femmefan1946]

I sell books not a lot, sewing patterns do better for me now. 

Dont photograph books They are flat. Scan them 

Bestseller s don’t sell Find a niche. I have three authors who sell more books for me than any of my other titles. You have probably never heard of two and while the third is known for his children’s titles it is his theological works that sell for me 

Use the item specifics They are not meant for people not for search engines

Use free shipping where possible. Free means shipping cost is included in asking price. 

Dont use auctions. 

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, welcome back! It will take some time to rebuild your eBay business, but you will get there. Just keep listing.

As for what to list, that is critical for eBay success. What comes to my mind while looking at your items is this—some things are just not suitable for selling on eBay. Historically, books have been quite lucrative, but the mega-sellers came in listing thousands of books at pennies on the dollar, effecting much of the small booksellers’ market.

So you’ll have your work cut out for you. If you plan on keeping your books listed, it becomes a number’s game: how many can you list fast enough, at the best prices. So i’m sure you are keeping a close eye on other book sellers’ offerings so you can remain competitive.

I suggest adding more pictures. This includes the front and back (with and without the dust jacket), title page, binding and any notable flaws. As others mentioned, a plain white background is best if you want your listings picked up by Google and the like. 

Consider having a 30-day return policy, the reason being that using eBay’s “best practices” can get you better placement in Search results. You need this traffic-boost to give your items the best chance of being seen and purchased. 

Along those same lines, optimizing one’s listings for search engine inclusion is an important marketing tool for traffic and sales. See the link below for info on SEO and how it can benefit your bottom line.

Good luck to you and wish you much success.

https://export.ebay.com/en/marketing/promote-listings/seo-promotion/