eBay

vintageista · ‎03-16-2019

I had 2 very strong sales days at the beginning of March but since the 5th of the month my sales have been extremely below normal for my selling record. eBay's statistics show:

Sales down 31%

Listing Impressions down 65%

Page Views down 71%

This obviously shows that my listing are not being seen, but I have no idea why. I have about the same amount of listings I have had for several years, new listings most everyday & reduced prices on many items. No bad FB, a couple of returns, but no violations, etc. Basically nothing has changed on my end, but for some reason eBay has lowered my visibility.

I tried Markdown Manager for a couple of categories and had almost NO response, I am TRS & 20 year seller, but something has changed drastically. I mostly sell clothing & I KNOW that is a competitive category but my sales have been pretty consistent for a long time, why the sudden drop-off?

Anyone else experiencing this same kind of thing since the beginning of March? I am searching for answers so that I might be able to make adjustments somehow. With the coming of the GTC listings being forced upon us, I know there is going to be even more drop-off & I am starting to panic! I depend on this income & have no other options, I do a little on Betsy and have tried the River but due to what I sell, that really does not work for me. Too old now for a real job and SS just isn't enough!

mrv71 · ‎03-16-2019

I have the same problem. Looks like eBay only allows my items to be seen and have sales for only 1 week out of the whole month. That's why the site is in the downward spiral, since no sales = no fees for eBay.

etvideo1ataol · ‎03-16-2019

Just the reverse. Only 3 sales in February, so far 16 in March.

kathieskorner · ‎03-16-2019

Same here, but I think it has more to do with eBay's home page technical issue of not being able to access eBay from the official site home page if you use Internet Explorer - a known problem experienced by both sellers and buyers since 3/6 and still not fixed. EBay claims it is a IE or Windows problem even though it affects access to no other website. Since only 10-12% of US users still use Internet Explorer - eBay seems to have taken the position that it is the user's problem not theirs.

I have to access eBay through an old email and can't switch from one account to another without going through the back door again. As I seller I can get here, but a buyer would probably just go shop elsewhere.

femmefan1946 · ‎03-16-2019

My February was a bit slower than usual across all my selling IDs, but March has been strong.

I sell discount mint postage on another ID, and did not get as many private inquiries as I usually do. My customers are mostly eBay and other online sellers.

Every month since I've been participating on the Boards, starting around 2001, there have been variations of this complaint.

Compare your numbers and values not to last month but to last March and March 2017, and March 2016. You may spot a pattern.

I have always had miserable November and December sales. Slow enough that I have closed my Stores some years. Then every Boxing Day-- boom-- they're back.

laurabeardsley · ‎03-16-2019

Once again, if ebay is aware of some site malfunction they should be obligated to not only let the sellers know but compensate them with at least free listings for the ones they paid for and did not get any visibility. It just seems that this is one company that owes nothing to its customers and yes the sellers are the customers as well!

vintageista · ‎03-16-2019

to femmefan1946
Yes, did compare to last year: off 23.3% from there too!
I fully realize there are constant complaints about slow sales...I have even made them in the past...but this has gone on longer that usual, 10 days now with no let-up insight with looming GTC sales that will lower visibility for everybody except for brand new listings! Therefore the worry!

juststuffisell · ‎03-16-2019

I had some solid views at the beginning of the month, but I am not a cheap sellers. I've got a sale going, not a lot movement. I have noted the past week my views on my FPL, new listings just listed etc have "dried up" kind of thing. I have also had a lot sales on another platform so I have had to end listings early on eBay as a result so I am thinking - and I have no idea if it's correct or not - that my ending those watched items early hasn't impacted my items visibility.

I hear ya on the real job thing. Not sure I would know how to work for someone else 🙂

lost-lizard-trading-company · ‎03-16-2019

For me, my February was good to very good. My last sale was 2/28 and I have had no eBay sales since then. I can't remember a slower period in many years. All of my listings are 30 day listings most with best offer.

sakic92710 · ‎03-16-2019

Every week is a new experience for me. I never know if I'll make real earnings or crash & burn. 17-18 sales last week. 7 this week. Not too long ago, I sold less than $40 for an entire week. Even had a 7 day stretch without a sale. No longer able to have any true success here. I keep trying but, don't know why. Good luck to all. 🙂

iart · ‎03-16-2019

Our sales are odd, but in the opposite direction. Up over 100% from the previous month. Up 60% from last year.

Best month for sales numbers in about 8 years.

I'm not bragging. I'm concerned. We'd prefer consistent sales that we can plan around.

What goes up...

gramophone-georg · ‎03-16-2019

@iart wrote:
Our sales are odd, but in the opposite direction. Up over 100% from the previous month. Up 60% from last year.

Best month for sales numbers in about 8 years.

I'm not bragging. I'm concerned. We'd prefer consistent sales that we can plan around.

What goes up...

Being able to "plan around" anything eBay went out the window a decade ago as far as I'm concerned.

Chaos is NOT an "industry standard".

joesoucie22012 · ‎03-16-2019

Part of low sales right now is IE being down. Customers can not get into eBay since about the 5th if they are trying to use IE which Microsoft hates and will get rid of as there are to many glitches with it. Also, the man that Built seller hub for eBay, Arun Prasath also designed, eLVIS which is eBay Listing Violation Inspection System which goes way beyond search engine Casini. LVIS is used to monitor and regulate auctions and member to member transactions. (Throttling) There you have it. Just Google LVIS and you will find it and there is nothing you can do about it or any one else unless your a super high volume seller making hundreds of thousands or millions per Month. All we can do is accept the few crumbs we get.

gramophone-georg · ‎03-17-2019

@joesoucie22012 wrote:
Part of low sales right now is IE being down. Customers can not get into eBay since about the 5th if they are trying to use IE which Microsoft hates and will get rid of as there are to many glitches with it. Also, the man that Built seller hub for eBay, Arun Prasath also designed, eLVIS which is eBay Listing Violation Inspection System which goes way beyond search engine Casini. LVIS is used to monitor and regulate auctions and member to member transactions. (Throttling) There you have it. Just Google LVIS and you will find it and there is nothing you can do about it or any one else unless your a super high volume seller making hundreds of thousands or millions per Month. All we can do is accept the few crumbs we get.

Almost 5 years ago now this came out on ECB and everyone here poo-poo'd it:

https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/comments/2014/12/1418064225.html/4/60

It's mentioned in there how Cassini is really designed as less of a search engine than a control mechanism... heck, in my view, absolutely EVERYTHING about eBay from 2008 on has been about nothing but controlling the marketplace. I think the reason we see the continual downward trajectory accelerating now is that all these programs that have been around for years are working more efficiently together- THAT is what the AI that eBay is all about now is accomplishing... by design.

We see this now in the tightening of the noose as eBay "slams" good sellers into the increased fee "peer benchmarks" in ways that only eBay can control- especially counting SNADS no matter the outcome.

Who are the "peers"? What are the "benchmarks" based on? I guess they figure we don't need to know.

eBay's controls have been ineffective for years for only ONE reason- the vast amount of eBay sellers are too good. Years ago, one of the top execs let slip some info about projected percentages of sellers who were "supposed" to be TRS- and whatever the latest restrictive policy was coming down the pike was designed to 'bring the percentages into line' or something like that. When the exec realized that comment made it into the ECB article, the "clarifications" and walk- backs began.

This "peer benchmark" thing is designed just like another program from years ago called "Guardrail" :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxxyDmWWrYA

Only now sellers are funneled into higher fees rather than "indefinite suspension", because eBay needs someone to fund those dividends they're forced to pay now to hold their activist investors at bay.

In short- we're all dealing with a 'marketplace' where the actual transaction almost doesn't matter- sellers must waste time babysitting absolutely EVERYTHING else- most of which are eBay inventions- and even trying to accommodate your buyer's simple requests can land you in hot water with Mama.

Chaos is NOT an "industry standard".