Crazy Slow Sales. Can't live off of this anymore.

[serpentine21]

I am currently experiencing horrible views and sales. I have about 410 items listed and I am lucky if I even make one sale a day. My ebay and Etsy shops were my only source of income and I always did really well. I always made enough money with those two shops alone.  Last year was the slowest year I have ever had on both platforms.  I had the slowest and worst holiday season ever. I even went seven days without a single sale on ebay, which has never happened to me before. It was the first time I did not qualify for a 1099-K for my taxes, because I did not make enough money.  I noticed the sales decline last year and I started donating plasma twice a week to make up for the losses. I can't do that now because my husband is deployed and I have no one to care for my son while I donate. I recently started petsitting on Rover to help with the losses this year. I love dogs, and I enjoy doing this, but it really sucks to have to add on another job just to maybe make as much as I used to make with ebay and etsy alone. Are you guys experiencing this as well? I am 100% sure allot of it has to do with the horrible inflation right now. Because literally everything costs more, people don't have the expendable income to spend on non essential items, like what I sell. For those of you who sell on other platforms, are those platforms doing better than ebay? Which do you recommend? I appreciate your help and input.

[downunder-61]

We are not allowed to advise other sites to you, but a simple google search and visit to other sites will give you most information you need to make an informed decision should you decide to leave eBay and go elsewhere.

Have a search through this selling board and you will also come across a lot of threads like this regarding low sales that my also give you insite and ideas on how to improve sales, what others are experiencing - you are not alone 

[chapeau-noir]

I sell clothing and vintage and sales are very slow*, and I'm used to having very steady sales.  Spending is up, but people are spending money on other things, including shopping a lot more in brick and mortars - they are all very busy where I am (Pac NW).  I used to make a good living with just 500-600 items running at a time, but I wouldn't try that now, I don't think it's possible, and was seeing the end in sight even before the pandemic hit.  My friend, on the other hand, makes good money working for Fetch!  He can't even keep up with the amount of work he has (he also loves dogs and is gifted with animals).

*Slow time of year, too!  

[divwido]

It could be what you sell, not where you sell.  I do very well across the board, but I don't sell clothing.  Maybe your issue is your inventory or your models or something you are saying.    Find out first, before you try to go elsewhere.  Because if eBay is not doing well, no one else is either.

[onefootflipper]

Looking at what you sell I bet your sales will pick up again when tax returns start rolling in and the weather warms up. People probably just not looking for lacey underthings when they are cold and broke. 

While I sell totally different stuff this is my second February as a full time seller and my second bad February. 

[chapeau-noir]

February and the first half of March have always been slow for me - now I expect it will be even slower because I can barely find enough to keep 130-140 listings going.  I sell more on another platform, but Etsy is Dead.

ETA:  We can't recommend other platforms, but a bit of research may yield some good matches for you.

[divwido]

It's funny, but I don't pay attention to sales when it comes to listing.  I figure listing is a numbers game-list xxx and get xx sales or thereabouts.  I never stop listing.   I only stopped on eBay because I keep running out of free listings, even with a store.  And that didn't even stop me for long.

[chapeau-noir]

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@divwido wrote:

It's funny, but I don't pay attention to sales when it comes to listing.  I figure listing is a numbers game-list xxx and get xx sales or thereabouts.  I never stop listing.   I only stopped on eBay because I keep running out of free listings, even with a store.  And that didn't even stop me for long.

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I knew roughly how much I needed to earn a full-time wage, and also I was constantly constrained by lack of storage, and living in an area where even renting a tiny storage unit costs $500/month, so I had to pay attention.  No room for lots of low-dollar items, for example.  If I could find enough items to run out of listings, I'd cheerfully pay for more, knowing that I make money when I sell, not when I list, but finding inventory has always been a challenge for me.  Mostly, though, I had real space constraints.

[bbravo65]

...selling here is not making a living source for me, it's a side hobby/business combination...

...I'm happy when a transaction occurred...if nothing happened for a while, I start forgetting that I am selling on eBay...

...try anywhere else if you could...I don't think eBay would criticize anyone to wander outside of eBay for making living...it's a free market...

[katzrul15]

@serpentine21 

We sell here and the Behemoth.

Our sales here are steady, but down.  This time of year always dips from January as we inch into Spring and then usually picks up, etc.  No idea this year.

On the Behemoth, we sell via FBA and it is and has remained, on-fire.  However, fees are higher, different items than here and the items have to be new/pristine.  Very different platforms and e-Bay is friendlier to a Seller.

The Behemoth module sells everything with FREE shipping, which is crazy hard to do if you are not the Behemoth, as shipping is NOT free and they do not raise the cost of the item to cover the "free" shipping.  It is really hard to "compete" with that mindset in online selling.

I work full time and sell online in addition to.  There is no way currently, I could survive on just my online sales - mostly, as it is too unpredictable, etc.

Is there a way you can do a part-time job and still do e-Bay?  That would be my best recommendation to you.  I would not give up on the site, but I would work to supplement e-Bay with a PT job for a while to see if that helps level off the earnings you need right now.

Wishing you all the Best!  It is a struggle for many of us right now and it is stressful as a result.   Hang in there!

[pburn]

@serpentine21 

The "Behemoth" is Amazon, in case you weren't aware.

[vintagecraze50]

We experienced fabulous Christmas and Valentine’s Day sale. Generally, after the holidays it slows down terribly. Hang in there. We are starving right now too. It should pick up.

[vintagecraze50]

We made this a full time venture several years ago and every year around this time no matter how many times this happens year after year we worry. But, usually that worry is unwarranted. 

[chapeau-noir]

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@vintagecraze50 wrote:

We made this a full time venture several years ago and every year around this time no matter how many times this happens year after year we worry. But, usually that worry is unwarranted. 

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Every year around this time I huff and stomp around the house, go down to my storeroom and glare at my inventory, then stamp back up the steps and inform my long-suffering spouse that this is a chump's game and imma get a job at Home Despot or Taco Time.  He nods and says "But you say that every year, and every year you end up selling snow to Eskimos. I suspect this year will be the same."

[subapete]

" Because if eBay is not doing well, no one else is either." That's just not true. I sell on 3 platforms and ebay is at the bottom. I do sell mostly clothing and the more clothing specific sites have a lot more viewers so I recommend the OP look around to find a platform that better fits the assortment they are trying to sell.