Coronavirus - Are your sales up, down, or no change?

[andrew547]

I'd like to understand how this virus situation is affecting ebay sales generally. I want to see what's happening, figure out what to expect, and survive this thing as a seller. Generally, are people buying on ebay more, less, or no change?

So, are your sales up, down, no change? To what do you attribute it to, if anything?

I'll start. My sales are up significantly the past week or so. I sell things that are not at all related to health or the coronavirus. However, there could be other reasons for the uptick. I got sick a year ago and didn't ship a bunch of orders, and that blew my top seller status and ebay handicapped my listings for a year. I just got top rated seller status back, and that could explain the sales increase.

[delvedindreams]

Our sales have been up since the beginning of the year. We sell mostly books and some other stuff. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues or changes over the next 4 to 6 weeks. Best of luck to you

[bobandcharlotte]

Way way way down.....Collectibles market based on surnames.....car truck and farming mag ads.  only sold 1 since saturday and by now would have sold 30 to 40 in same period.

[bikini_betty]

My sales last week were ok. This week, no sales at all. It would be helpful for Ebay to waive listing fees during this time. Otherwise I might have to shut down all selling until this is over. I can't relist items and take the losses if no one is buying from me.

[butterflybecka]

I am still a pretty new seller here only been selling since October although I've been buying forever like years and years lol. I'm finding that it's definitely slower. Honestly I was surprised that I sold stuff over the last two weeks. The difference is I only sold two items in the last two weeks when I normally sell at least four items a week. On the same note though I'm not buying as much on here as I have on Amazon because I feel like I have better control over where it's coming from. I was worried about the virus possibly being packages because I have a very low immune system but at this point I don't think it really matters anymore. I know it's not likely that it's on the packages but when you know it literally could be life or death I try to be overcautious.

[ramseybella]

It's $1.75 a Gal just outside of Santa Fe, NM were i live.
My sales are down, but I haven't listed much lately been gathering together for summer yard sales.
May as well sell there as Ebay and Paypal is draining my money faster than a pump on a fire truck.

[ramseybella]

Ebay is a money Vampire, their not going to help anyone but themselves.

[ramseybella]

Lol!! When hell freezes over!!

[ramseybella]

Lets keep the Politics out of the context of this topic please.. Next it will be Trump's fault sales are so low.

[ramseybella]

If they do anything it will be very little to aid the loss of sales for it's sellers... At best cut the Tax they deduct?

Besides by the time they do anything they will have lost thousands of sellers.

In short don't ever count on Ebay to helps it's little guy seller..

[ramseybella]

That's what what socialist college educated ignorenc is about, you should know this by now..
A good oxymoron quote "I hate capitalism but i sell on Ebay"?
The President of this country has nothing to do with low sales people, in fact i was on fire last year, now it's down.
So blame panic on Wall street thank the Chines for screwing things up.

[ramseybella]

You will get the simple Ebay Eulogy if anything at all!!

"Sorry to see that you have decided to leave Ebay hope you will come back again".

Don't hold your breath!!

[collectibleonceloved]

The same for me, I sell sports items and lol.... handbags.  My sells, nothing.... This morning I usually have 15 questions and a couple offers, nothing this morning.

I do get it..... everyone is so busy getting ready, how in the world would someone just stop doing what they are doing to stay healthy and buy my items.  Over the last 4 days I have reduced to a uber low price, still nothing.... I think I am not going to reduce, leave the prices as they are.... correctly listed so why reduce. 

Last night on the news, they stated the timeframes the virus stays on paper, plastic and metals.  Paper was 6 DAYS....6 DAYS....thats outfrigginrageous!!.  I am getting my mail with gloves on and putting them in a box on the porch, spray them with lysol and leave them out there for 7 days.  If someone wants to take my bills, have at it!!

[dwalkercat1]

Last year I had four family deaths in four months, three on the east coast and one on the west (I live in the middle - Kansas).  I was also the executor in two so my travel was frequent, extensive, and costly.  During that four month period my sales fell to near zero so ebay raised my fees, burried me with defects and threatened to toss me as a member/seller. In theory at least, I will return to good standing (average) in July 2020 and, somehow, ebay thinks I should be grateful fir being part of "the ebay family".  In the midst of all this I sold a rare lantern to a chap in an Asian country who said it was not as described and started the return process.  Ebay made me reimburse him for the lantern and shipping both ways before the returned item reached my address.  When it did, the box contained a completely different and worthless piece of junk so I lost $275 bucks on the deal as ebay decided that there was no way I could prove that I received the junk item instead of the lantern.  It was an obvious scam which ebay supported enthuastically.  On another occassion the USPS destroyed a well packed item in transit, Priority insured.  Ebay refused to require the buyer to seek insurance coverage and nailed me for the price of the item and shipping both ways.  If this is how capitolism  works, I'm moving closer to Russia.

[ozarkjoe]

About average for me right now.  I have books and I figure that home bound self isolating people need a book to relieve boredom.

[peterd75]

A very good question even if some are not taking it seriously. I would like to see some figures as well, but how those results would affect any of us in particular could be problematic since I think it depends so much on what we are selling.

I agree that it is possible that with a lot more people staying home or working from home and don't want to go out shopping for fear of infection, people may buy a lot more on line instead. But what will they be buying? Toilet paper and hand sanitizer and N-95 masks? Or just take the opportunity to shop around for things they want but have been too busy to search for.

The flip side is what someone has already pointed out. If work and wages are in jeopardy, others may just cut back on all spending especially for non essential items. Which leaves some room for those selling essential items but could hurt those who are not. 

Many in both camps may take a "wait and see where this is all going" approach. Since we are on the foot hills of this virus and the government actions to minimize it, there is just so much that we don't and cannot know yet. And so much depends on how our government reactions, how fast it reacts and how efficiently it reacts.