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Correlation between updates and sales?

Do you think ebay will ever see the correlation between their updates and the drop in sales? 

 

After over 20+ years selling I can't help but notice this yearly pattern.  Every single time I see changes to the site, I also see a drop in sales.

 

Anyone else notice this?

Message 1 of 18
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17 REPLIES 17

Re: Correlation between updates and sales?

I haven't noticed a drop in sales. My sales this year are better than last year for this time of year. 

Message 2 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?

I agree that there seems to be a pattern with updates & a downturn in  sales.

Message 3 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?


@ebooksdiva wrote:

I haven't noticed a drop in sales. My sales this year are better than last year for this time of year. 


I'm not speaking in reference to the whole year so far.  I'm saying I've noticed that they've recently updated things, and this past week or so has been off.  I know the market, etc. etc.  I've heard all that before.  This is something I've noticed every single year around the same time frame.  Always after an update. 

 

Message 4 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?

I've noticed the same thing.  I used to be able to tell when there was an update just by the temporary drop in sales.  

Message 5 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?


@movieman630 wrote:

Do you think ebay will ever see the correlation between their updates and the drop in sales? 

 

After over 20+ years selling I can't help but notice this yearly pattern.  Every single time I see changes to the site, I also see a drop in sales.

 

Anyone else notice this?


I have NEVER seen ANY direct/immediate effect that Seller Updates have on sales....NEVER!

 

"Yearly pattern"? Seller Updates happen more frequently than yearly, usually there are at least 3 per year.

 

I think you need to come up with a better conspiracy theory.

 

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
Message 6 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?

The only correlation they care about is how are we going to hide newly listed items and show only promotions in starting pages and search results.

Message 7 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?


@movieman630 wrote:

Do you think ebay will ever see the correlation between their updates and the drop in sales? 

 

After over 20+ years selling I can't help but notice this yearly pattern.  Every single time I see changes to the site, I also see a drop in sales.

 

Anyone else notice this?


No.

There are updates to the site going on all the time.

Slow sales ... there is an update going on.

Average sales ... there is an update going on.

Good sales ... there is an update going on.

That doesn't mean we can attribute good or bad sales to whatever update is going on at the time.

M*A*S*H theme - Johnny Mandel
Message 8 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?

I saw a drop in sales back when I was full time when Google core update and eBay's site update corresponded - there was a lot of chat about it in SEO land. Now, there's no way I could ever tell lol.


“The illegal we do immediately, the unconstitutional takes a little longer.” - Henry Kissinger

"Wherever law ends, tyranny begins" -John Locke
Message 9 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?

@slippinjimmy 

What's the deal with trying to stigmatize OP for simply asking questions.

Message 10 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?


@movieman630 wrote:

Do you think ebay will ever see the correlation between their updates and the drop in sales? 

 

After over 20+ years selling I can't help but notice this yearly pattern.  Every single time I see changes to the site, I also see a drop in sales.

 

Anyone else notice this?


Consider the possibility that some clever software manager is scheduling software updates at times when system load is low due to a drop in business activity.

 

Chicken or egg. 

Message 11 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?

There is no such correlation. 

Coincidence, possibly, but in 26 years of selling here, I’ve never experienced it.

 

As for changes to the site, they are happening every second, as sellers add new items, items are purchased, and listings are updated or removed.   

Simple alterations to the appearance of the site, or to its functionalities, would have only the most negligible impact on system performance, as they are typically phased in over a period of time.  

Nor can I think of a connection that might exist between changing the color of an icon in the message center, for example, and the pace of one’s sales.   

 

As for the site itself, I imagine that it is run off of dozens of different servers.   The potential for periodic slowdowns is great.  

On the spectrum of possibilities of things that could happen that might affect one’s sales, changes to the site seems to rank at the very bottom in terms of likelihood.

eBay seller since 1999. This is a posting ID.
Message 12 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?

I've been around for 20 years.  I know they update more than once a year.  But thanks for trying to contribute.

Message 13 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?

I find it hard to believe you've never experienced patterns here.  Is it really so hard to imagine that for every change they make to the "code" there is an unexpected change in the existing code that is the proverbial "monkey wrench in the gears?"

 

The more complicated these things get the more sensitive they are to changes.

 

Remember the view counter at the bottom of the page back in the day?  Well last year when I was updating listings I found a listing that still had the code that ran that counter embedded in the bottom of my description text block.  Only one listing had it, but it was there.

Message 14 of 18
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Re: Correlation between updates and sales?


@adamcartwright wrote:

@slippinjimmy 

What's the deal with trying to stigmatize OP for simply asking questions.


This is precisely why I'm posting less and less on here.  No matter what someone puts up there's always a bunch of rude people just waiting to cut them down.

 

It really is disgusting.  I can't stand people like that.  I need a break from this "community".

Message 15 of 18
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