Control of Your Own Listings.

[upgradedendmills]

Even with the recent changes in eBay policies, you still have 100% control of when your listings start and end.

     I spent a couple of hours yesterday and a couple of more this morning cancelling and relisting what I consider to be stale listings. Mostly they were listings that end in the next 9-11 days meaning they have already been listed for over 2 weeks. I am doing this as an ongoing process so that all of my listings will have a Saturday or Sunday start time.  Very rarely ever used 30 day listings and never used GTC before it was the only option.

     My view of GTC is not that it is 30 days with and automatic relist. I consider it as 28 days maximum with a 2 day window to make changes or cancel and delete a listing. Most of the time, I will let my listings run for 14 days and then look at them again.

     Eventually, casual sellers using only the 50 free listings provided by eBay are going to get caught up in the trap of being billed for relists that they don't want.  Some will pay for them under protest and probably others will think that they have been ripped off and refuse to pay for them. Those sellers will either be NLR users or simply leave eBay voluntarily.  Bound to happen over the next couple of months.

     If eBay's intention is to get rid of small, casual sellers, they could do it very easily by simply eliminating any "free" listings and forcing all sellers to either have a store subscription or pay a monthly membership fee. I can see that happening and think they are moving in that direction.

     For me, it's a holding pattern as long as I continue to have a few sales and make a few bucks at it. When the managed payments scheme is fully instituted it will probably be over. When eBay takes control of the timing of revenue I generate with my labors I will find other ways to enjoy myself.

[mofiguy-4]

I find eBay's new listing policy 'Good until sold or canceled' awful. All I get are a ton of views and a handful of people just watching. I assume hoping I will lower the price as it gets close to 30 days.

An item that I have up for sale is only $10 above what I paid for it plus I'm offering free shipping (3.6 lbs Media Mail) 

I've also added for free a SACD Limited Edition numbered and new of the same title as the LP box set I'm selling. After a little more than 1 week 27 views and 4 people watching. I've canceled more items than I've sold so far in April.

Sellers are the ones to decide the time frame an item will be listed for and not eBay. I may cancel this item too, I don't like loosing money on a sale. There are at least 2 other sites that you can sell vinyl albums.  eBay needs to stay out of how seller wish to sell an item.

[down-memory-lane-collectibles]

The idea of "good to cancelled" is the dumbest idea EBAY has ever had! We don't need automatic delistings! If I am selling seasonal item, I may not want to continue selling until sold. In the short time that this idea has been put into place. I have noticed a huge increase in ridiculous offers as the listing ages. Now I have to cancel listings just prior to expiration to avoid EBAY trying to control my business for their benefit only! Hopefully they will see the error of their policy and FINALLY listen to the sellers and cancel or make GTC optional!

[tunicaslot]

Everyone is different and doesn't fit into one mold - what works for you doesn't work for other so I think people who feel GTC is good for them should quit trying to push the idea that it's right for all of us. I find it a waste of my time each morning to have to go in and decide if I should cancel listings to make room for my overflow inventory or new inventory that hasn't been listed yet.

In the past 2 weeks I've canceled more listings here because it has sold on other venues so Ebay has lost 10% on FVFs and shipping on items that would have only been listed here as I really hadn't put much effort into the other venues until forced to use GTC.

[upgradedendmills]

I absolutely hate GTC!!!!!!  I am fairly certain that it is costing me sales. Not defending it in any way, just trying to work around it as best I can.

[upgradedendmills]

My post is not intended to defend GTC in any way!!!!! Just trying to find a temporary solution for it that works for me. 

[sweetpieces4you]

Take responsibility for your listings. Pay more attention to what you are listing. Use your free listings wisely. Don't just list something because you can. And no one is stopping you from selling your items anywhere you choose. But always remember the Grass Isn't Always Greener on The Other Side !!! 

[popeye3165]

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@upgradedendmills wrote:

Even with the recent changes in eBay policies, you still have 100% control of when your listings start and end.

endmills - I'm not so sure about that statement as I was just reading a couple posts where eBay sent emails to sellers who "modified" an active listing. Here's an excerpt.

"A couple of weeks ago I listed some Fire King jadite soup plates. When I looked at the item there was about 95 lookers and many watchers and I started getting emails from ebayers asking about the item. At that time I discovered that there was 2 different soup plates, one is common and the other (Flanged rim) one was extremely scarce to rare. So, to clarify my listing I added the words "NOT FLANGED" to my item line. Well, I got an email from ebay stating that this addition to my description was an egregious thing to do and that if it continued I would be removed from selling on the site."

[pauls-parts]

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@sweetpieces4you wrote:

Take responsibility for your listings. Pay more attention to what you are listing. Use your free listings wisely. Don't just list something because you can. And no one is stopping you from selling your items anywhere you choose. But always remember the Grass Isn't Always Greener on The Other Side !!! 

With somebody that only has 2 listings I hope your advice is not taken too seriously.

Taken responsibility for your listings means the seller makes the decision when the listings end and begin.

Since you only have a couple of listings it is easy for you to stop and start them. imagine someone with 500 or more listings. Until you are there their is no way you can know.

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[sweetpieces4you]

1st off I don't need to list 500 , 1,000 or 10,000 items. And my listings will increase slowly. Did it ever occur to you that the reason I only have ( 2 ) listings at the moment is that ALL of my listings have SOLD !! Come to think of it ALL of my listings always sell . I only had (1) until yesterday. I personally sell at my own pace as I do this for recreation. It's Fun for me !! I do agree with you that it is much easier for me than you . But even with 500 listings I know I could handle it !! And yes I would take my advice seriously. And you still can make the decisions when to list and take your items down !! There is a little button their that says list item. And there is one that says end listing now !! Take responsibility for your items and how you list them and you can handle it !! Good Luck

[sharp_edgeknives]

Yep because most of yours are auction listings!

[tunicaslot]

Although I agree that everyone should take responsibility for their listings - as you said - you sell for fun. When I sold for fun - I was less concerned with the daily dynamics of the policies or changes because they really didn't affect me - when you take the time to increase your inventory, create business plans and need a certain amt of income monthly to break even - every policy affects you.

Until you walk in that other man's shoes - no one should ever be so adamant on what's right for that person. This is not a one size fits all - and you have no idea what else is going on in that person's life that make so of these changes even more daunting.

[pauls-parts]

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@sweetpieces4you wrote:

1st off I don't need to list 500 , 1,000 or 10,000 items. And my listings will increase slowly. Did it ever occur to you that the reason I only have ( 2 ) listings at the moment is that ALL of my listings have SOLD !! Come to think of it ALL of my listings always sell . I only had (1) until yesterday. I personally sell at my own pace as I do this for recreation. It's Fun for me !! I do agree with you that it is much easier for me than you . But even with 500 listings I know I could handle it !! And yes I would take my advice seriously. And you still can make the decisions when to list and take your items down !! There is a little button their that says list item. And there is one that says end listing now !! Take responsibility for your items and how you list them and you can handle it !! Good Luck

A few years ago I too had 100% sell thru rate. I only had a 10 listings. It is a completely different ballgame when you have more than 2 listings. What you don't understand because you use the auction style listing is that when things have a limited time listing and that listing is about to end that prompts buyers to buy before the item is gone. Also by auto re-listing. Even items that you don't want listed get listed. Before at the end of the listing time you could make the decision to relist that item or not. Now it gets relisted. Yes you can end them. But it is a lot of unnecessary work. But like i said before until you live it you will not understand.

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[sweetpieces4you]

OK, Seriously speaking I could ( If I chose ) list 1,000 to 5,000 items right now . Well once they are set up . And All/Every 1,000/5,000 listings would be sold in a 30 Day Period with a Profit on 95% of those listed items  !! Without a doubt every item Sold !! Now can you comprehend that ???  No You Can't because you are listing items either that don't/won't sell or you have your prices set to high because you need to make very high margins on your listings, or you are listing pieces that have 100 others listed at lower price. Or its something nobody wants etc. ,etc. !! But you list it anyway !! You know sometimes I'm lucky to break even on a sale or even lose money. ( PART of SELLING ) But I make up for those losses with profits from my other sales. I fully understand your problems but you have to change with change !! I may not list at your listing rate and never will ! And I certainly don't want to wrap and ship 1,000/5,000 in 30 days either !!! But if you can't handle the amount of listings you have then you need to downsize to a point that you can handle them ! I have not looked at your listings but I have looked at many others and what I see listed and people complain about not having any sales !! They are kidding right ??? Seriously !!! And I have sold many, many other items than what I'm selling now and still did VERY well !! Good Luck

[sharingtheland]

OK, Seriously speaking I could ( If I chose ) list 1,000 to 5,000 items right now . Well once they are set up . And All/Every 1,000/5,000 listings would be sold in a 30 Day Period with a Profit on 95% of those listed items  !! Without a doubt every item Sold !! 

How about, seriously speaking, you do that for 30 days so we can see this 95% STR and, at the same time, you'd make gobs of money.  Without a doubt !!