My contribution is going to be long, I hope you don't mind.
I believe the sales slowing down is caused by several factors (or issues):
1. Higher FVF is pushing sellers to increase their prices and hence outpricing alternatives.
2. The buyer community is still used that eBay is a place to get a new item at bottom rock prices. I offered a new MB pen and I was getting offers for 10% of the price. Eventually, to preserve value for me and other resellers, I made the decision to cancel the listing as it doesn't make sense to create a history that will come back on me as a seller (and other sellers) if we decide to offer similar items.
3. Competition from other platforms, especially groups on Facebook, where people offer their item for sale without paying any listing fees of FVF is giving a cheaper alternative for interested buyers. I saw a rare 1/8 scale model kit going for US$ 525 on eBay meanwhile the same kit went on for Euro 1000
4. This one nothing to do with eBay but shipping prices are increasing to increase the cost to buyers makes them more reluctant to make a buy decision.
5. Drop in sales also can be attributed to pushing from traditional retailers around holiday season made a lot of buyers spend their money with someone can allow them to check the item physically compared to a seller showing them pictures of the item. During months of March and April this year I made US$ 9000 from selling 2 items, then slow down, then in months of September, October and early November I made US$ 14,000 from selling and then nothing until now.
6. The listing search has changed and buyers can't find your item easily. The only way, as per my experience, to get noticed is to use promoted listing which was very helpful. However, it won't be so helpful when people spent their money somewhere else during shopping seasons (Christmas shopping this year seems started very early and my estimate majority of gifts budgets were spent with local retailers)
7. The community of buyers for some of the items I am selling, scale models, is definitely declining due to natural reasons (death, getting older and stopping to build scale models...etc). This is increasing the sales cycle and reduce the asking price/actual price I will achieve. I am thinking seriously to offer many of these kits in lots instead of trying to sell them individually over a longer period of time.
8. Also, recently I noticed manufacturer of items I sell are running out of ideas and what they are doing to keep revenue steady is re-releasing what they released in the past. Furthermore, I noticed this especially with items that were achieving high sales and high prices on eBay and other platforms.
Definitely, there are technology changes harming sales numbers and definitely, there are needs for improvement on the platform especially when it comes to insights and intelligence.
It is fair to accept the fact that eBay wants to make money for it is shareholders but they need to seriously need to provide cost attractive platform for sellers because without sellers listing items they will have an empty shop no buyer will visit. Having FVF, listing, listing enhancing fees, and now promotion fees are just way too much. Definitely, they need a simpler fee structure that makes them money and at the same stimulate sales, reduce the cost of sale, attract more sellers to expand the supply base and hence become attractive to buyers to come for shopping.
From my own perspective my e-commerce strategy has 3 principles:
1. Expand and diversify sales channels, don't limit yourself to one channel
2. Keep researching the industry you are selling its product. Try to avoid the factors that will affect your sales. Also, have plans on how to deal with these factors when it hit.
3. Whenever you don't need to sell an item desperately, don't accept offers that are lower than the fair and equal price of the item (be it on eBay or on other channels)
eBay is not anymore for casual sellers or experienced sellers who want to keep doing the same thing they did when things were different and sales were at it peaks. It is a fulltime job and requires new skills.
