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.....   

[theteamsetguy]

@theoldpro2003 ,

I’ve been selling on eBay form many moons and usually Jan thru March are my best months. When the weather warms up people start doing things outside and leave their hobbies behind. 

[pls-consignments]

@theoldpro2003

Looks like a pretty serious hobby for you with 1100+ items. But if it keeps you busy, then that's great.  What have you tried to boost sales?

[simba6]

It's an ebb and flow.  Just have to wait for it to pickup.  

[natoman777]

So I have been on eBay since 1999.  Our sales have been better this year than ever.  Why?  I don't know, but I do know that the key is having things people want to buy and then the sale happening.  Simple to say, impossible to equate into a sale.  The one thing that has helped dramatically is doing a coupon.  I do this in 10 to 15 days window and usually do 10-15% off of all store under $50 (but then I exclude some items based on the sell ability of hotter items).  

Sales are always a bit of a roller coaster.  I see you mainly sell collectibles.  That is the on area that totally see slow downs lately, although mine has not, why... I don't really know.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

@theoldpro2003 

You, like I, have a lot of items that nobody needs but a few people want.

I have seen an increase in watchers in these past few months, and high variability in the number of buyers.

I attribute this, in part, to people having to decide what the best value is for their discretionary purchases.

Lots of people are feeling economic pressures, some real, some potential. They are limiting their purchases of wants. I have had some poorer than usual months recently, and some signs of better days. My current 31 day order total is back to its normal level, which it hasn't been for months. My average order is also recovering.

I am doing nothing to try to stimulate more sales. Sending offers has been a waste of time, you cannot get blood from a stone. Views are in a normal range, so I see no reason to promote.

I have sold online a long time, and used to be more dependent on the profits. This looks familiar and as some people say "This Too Shall Pass".

[love2beselling]

You note that you have are priced competitively. First check your keywords. One juicy keyword added can pick up search results nicely. It might also be worth checking sold items in Product Research. Are similar items selling in the past 30 days? If so, for how much, and in what format? Auctions can still work nicely for some things.

And since your items are low-cost and low-profit, have you tried selling them in lots? If you have a store, consider running a promotion creating an order discount, such as "Buy $XX worth and get $XX off."

Best wishes for a fast sales boost!

Posting ID. On eBay since 2002 with over 15000 feedback.

[reallynicestamps]

My collectibles sell strongest from Boxing Day to March.

Last year with a much stronger economy, that lasted until well into July. But that was an outlier.

Even when we had a B&M shop, our sales in Nov/Dec were pitiful. We used the respite to do inventory and to freshen the stock.

Look at your records.

How were your sales in April/May 2024? 2023?2022?

Is there an actual drop off from previous years?

Is it in number of sales or in value of sales?

The easiest way if you don't keep your own records might be to look at your weekly payouts .

But don't compare this month to last month or worse this week to last week. The time period is too short.

[paleadhead]

Been here since 1998 and it seems everyone is missing the point. Ebay is the problem in my humble old school dinosaur view. For example searches are more difficult then ever, have had issues with people who can't pay and the list goes on. Changes and glitches day in and day out.  The phone app and the P.C. experiences are totally different. For example I searched for green encased lamp shades on my phone. There were 862 results and most weren't even relevant to a green glass lamp shade. Then I tried highest first option and a whopping 82 results were posted. Buyers will not scroll through 862 results for a green lamp shade. So when you go to highest first to search you just lost 700 plus listing. If my listing and offering are not seen now where's my fee rebate? This is not rocket science. There reach around tactics they employ for more fees turns buyers and sellers off. People spending money want ease, sellers want ease, old school principals that are no longer employed on this platform. Less is more. I see no bad economy at old school brick and mortar auctions the prices are higher than ever. They get more for items at auctions then the prices we procured here on Ebay. Just saying  

[inhawaii]

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@paleadhead wrote:

Ebay is the problem in my humble old school dinosaur view. 

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Ebay is not the problem.

If nobody wants to buy what you are selling, that's not ebay's fault 

People like to blame the search.

Why is the search only broken for those with slow sales?

My sales are up.

Apparently people are able to find what I'm selling.

I also have slow sales on occasion, but I don't blame ebay.

When my sales are slow, it's because nobody wants to buy what I am selling.

[adamcartwright]

My sales are way up this month, but I attribute that to a greatly increased effort on my part, plus this month may just be my turn to shine. I need to keep the energy level up, because I know this can be a rollercoaster. 

[yuzuha]

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@inhawaii wrote:

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People like to blame the search.

Why is the search only broken for those with slow sales?

My sales are up.

Apparently people are able to find what I'm selling.

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I routinely have items start to accumulate views and watchers within hours of listing them, which is a pretty clear sign that search is working just fine. Heck, a couple of weeks ago I had something sell less than half an hour after I put it up. I wondered if I should have priced it higher!