Declining Sales

[theoldpro2003]

I wonder if any of you have experienced a decline in sales in the past 3 or 4 months.  I don't know if buyers are afraid of all the recession talk or if money is just getting tighter.  My sales are down by at least 50% since January or February.  I'm retired and this is more of a hobby than a needed source of income, so it's not that important income-wise.  I deal primarily in sports memorabilia, books, music etc., mostly low-cost, low-profit items.  My prices are competitive and I offer free shipping on many items.  Just wondering.....   

[jonathanbrightlight]

"The majority of Americans hate this platform"? I'd like to see a source for that... People have been claiming doom and gloom for eBay for decades, but they continue to see a high volume of sales.  We're happy with our experience on eBay, overall.

[gamersbaystore]

How about the endless negative articles and videos on youtube, coupled with hundreds of millions of comments from people stating they hate it. Youtube is publicly viewable. The public has not been shy in expressing their distaste for ebay.

[powell-collectibles]

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@gamersbaystore wrote:

The reality is that ebay's public image is in the dumps and the majority of Americans hate this platform. The sales will never come back either unless ebay's leadership is dissolved and the platform stops treating its sellers like trash, and we all know that will never happen.

Go on youtube and there is video after video from mega influencers bashing this platform's incessant greed and its hideous treatment of sellers. 

Millions upon millions see those scathing reviews and decline to shop here. The Auction Professor recently went on a scathing rant about how awful and unfair ebay's policies towards sellers are.

People vote with their dollars! Consumers are tired of the morally bankrupt dump we call ebay, and they don't have to spend their money here.

A horribly corrupt and greedy platform run by the most depraved humans imaginable. I absolutely despise this platform for the way it treated both myself and others, and can only hope it completely fails.

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Wow - that’s a lot of negativity.  So, your stuff didn’t sell well.  That’s life!  Not sure why you would wish ill on those that run eBay - and those that rely on eBay income to make ends meet.

And of course you can find negative posts about eBay on YouTube.  Plenty of negative people in society, and they are drawn to negativity.  It would not be interesting for them to hear that eBay is challenging, but work hard, take accountability for your success, and stretch your brain on how to make it work, and you’ll make the most of it.

[jonathanbrightlight]

I honestly don't care.  I don't read any of those articles or watch any of those videos, or look at any of those comments.  "Endless" is obviously overstating it, and I doubt very much that a "majority" of the buying public cares one bit about any of those things.

[chapeau-noir]

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@gamersbaystore wrote:

The reality is that ebay's public image is in the dumps and the majority of Americans hate this platform. The sales will never come back either unless ebay's leadership is dissolved and the platform stops treating its sellers like trash, and we all know that will never happen.

Go on youtube and there is video after video from mega influencers bashing this platform's incessant greed and its hideous treatment of sellers. 

Millions upon millions see those scathing reviews and decline to shop here. The Auction Professor recently went on a scathing rant about how awful and unfair ebay's policies towards sellers are.

People vote with their dollars! Consumers are tired of the morally bankrupt dump we call ebay, and they don't have to spend their money here.

A horribly corrupt and greedy platform run by the most depraved humans imaginable. I absolutely despise this platform for the way it treated both myself and others, and can only hope it completely fails.

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Sorry you're in the dumps about eBay, but I can think of humans a lot more depraved than those running this place. 

[jonathanbrightlight]

Doesn't even take much thought to think of far more depraved people, yep (I'll refrain from stating who, as I stay clear of any discussions like that on these forums for the most part).

[herway]

That’s not helpful. Some sellers have accounts that have been around since the inception of eBay. They have rolled with all the changes through the years, gone through every hoop requested of them by eBay. THEN, watch their sales decline by 50-60% over the last 3 months. It’s gut wrenching. 

[jonathanbrightlight]

What's not helpful about that comment?  It didn't even have anything to do with what you're saying now.

And nothing that would affect your sales has changed in the last 3 months on eBay.  If you're having poor sales, there are plenty of possible reasons, but moping and claiming it's all eBay's fault doesn't help you or anyone else.

[meme6253]

If you think that it's bad now, The tariffs are about to start kicking in & everyone will be paying more for just about everything, People will be spending less & less on non essentials.

[inhawaii]

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@gamersbaystore wrote:

How about the endless negative articles and videos on youtube, coupled with hundreds of millions of comments from people stating they hate it. Youtube is publicly viewable. The public has not been shy in expressing their distaste for ebay.

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Should I buy a Ford or a Chevy?
Gee, I read on the internet that they BOTH suck.

Thousands and thousands of posts talking about how bad they are and all the problems they have  ... kinda like ebay.

[adamcartwright]

@gamersbaystore 

But why would the general buying public care that the Auction Professor and mega influencers (whoever these characters are) think eBay is unfair to sellers?

[movieman630]

I was told not to buy any Ford or GM product built after 2020 models.  The electrical systems are apparently put together with bubble gum and tin foil.

[fbusoni]

The majority of Americans?  YouTube “mega influencers”?

eBay did $75 billion in GMV in 2024.  That’s not too shabby. 

Feelings tend to cloud or otherwise interfere with a sound evaluation of objective reality. 

[powell-collectibles]

The video from the Auction Professor was interesting.  That guy is unhinged.  Went on and on about how he might sue eBay for not removing way he called slanderous feedback - which it wasn’t.  Not even libelous 🙂

Regardless, Prof said it best - eBay is the best place for what he sells.  And 2 negs out of ~2,000 doesn’t seem like the end of the world.

And don’t be so quick to buy the negativity that these guys spew.   He might make just as much on YouTube than he does on eBay.  Given his subscribers count, it isn’t a stretch.  Negativity sells to some - he’s just telling some what they want to hear.

[inhawaii]

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@movieman630 wrote:

I was told not to buy any Ford or GM product built after 2020 models.  The electrical systems are apparently put together with bubble gum and tin foil.

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See what I mean.

There's lots of negative stuff online about EVERYTHING.

I'm sure somewhere out there is something that says brussel sprouts cause cancer.