Decreased sales!!!

[georgia_peach_boutique]

Friends,

I agree about low sales!!  I have several friends who have mentioned this to me.

I have tried to step back and look at the bigger picture at eBay and this is what I have come with.

Anybody that has a store will remember when promoted listed into affect this past year.  This was a way of boosting sales and moving items up the LISTING LADDER for greater amount of views.  This feature not only gained greater views but also allowed eBay to dip there finger into your profits.   I believe this was the starting of the bigger picture.  Now that we are no long able to control our inventory listing time it has become more of a challenge to review our sales and items at the end of any given 30 day cycle.    We as sellers were able to review our adds update & do changes and even decide if we wanted to continue on with the listing of the item.  No we are forced to to let our item s run to the bottom of the listing items or pursue the Promoted listing to gain more visibility and allow eBay to dip into the profit of our sales.  

If we have a decrease in out sales eBay is having a decrease in there wallet also.. 

Maybe they need to review and go back and restore what was working and not worry about what everyone else in the market is doing....

They need to be BOLD AND INVENTIVE NOT COWARD TO WHAT THE OTHERS IN THE MARKET IS DOING.

SET THEMSELVES APART AND MOVE FORWARD TO HELP THERE SELLERS NOT DISCOURAGE US!!! 

If this post does not post I am getting a Authentication failed error from eBay.  Also a Authentication Ticket Mismatched, failed authen

[jerseydevil1848]

I had 8 listings end last night, 6 had watchers (including one with 4 watchers), and there was not one single bid. Normally after a few bid-less auctions I'd take the item and make it a BIN with best offer, and then it would sell, but I'm not going to mess with this GTC claptrap. Now I have nothing listed except for a camera case, and won't bother to relist anything, although I may attempt to put some new items on, since it's 95 degrees here and I don't feel like doing much else. 

What kills me is when I list something, let's say a sterling teaspoon, and based on a sold listing search, it should sell, because the same spoon has sold a dozen times before (and in recent months) for MORE than I'm asking, and it still doesn't sell. I don't get it. I've seen that complaint before on this forum, so at least I know it's not me. 

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

@georgia_peach_boutique 

No-one is forcing you to "let them run". You can still end your listings at any time you wish.

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

@jerseydevil1848 

You know what they say "It can't sell if it's not listed"

[georgia_peach_boutique]

Friend,
I agree with you. But this new way makes more work when you have to go into each one and stop. Before they would just stop and go into your end file. Yes, i agree with "It can't sell if it's not listed" but boy it makes a lot more work....

[tunicaslot]

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@jerseydevil1848 wrote:

I had 8 listings end last night, 6 had watchers (including one with 4 watchers), and there was not one single bid. Normally after a few bid-less auctions I'd take the item and make it a BIN with best offer, and then it would sell, but I'm not going to mess with this GTC claptrap. Now I have nothing listed except for a camera case, and won't bother to relist anything, although I may attempt to put some new items on, since it's 95 degrees here and I don't feel like doing much else. 

What kills me is when I list something, let's say a sterling teaspoon, and based on a sold listing search, it should sell, because the same spoon has sold a dozen times before (and in recent months) for MORE than I'm asking, and it still doesn't sell. I don't get it. I've seen that complaint before on this forum, so at least I know it's not me. 

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Visibility depends on many things and how your listing compares to others when it comes to the algorithm. Things such as free shipping, return policy, promoted listing, world wide sales or restricted to US only, you selling history - all make up the algorithm as well as multiple other things. You might not ship internationally and the other seller did - which factored into the algorithm, you may not promote your listing - the other seller did, you may have a lower on time shipping number ect...

Add to that - AI search doesn't work like other search engines - it takes into account placement of the keywords - item specifics ect - so even if you copied that other seller's listing word for word - because a couple of your own business policies were different - you aren't going to receive the same placement as that other seller did.

I get where you are coming from as I've often wondered why my NWT item priced at $20 is sitting unsold while that same used item was sold for $25 by another seller. The algorithms change frequently on how they are weighted - so no one can determine if they have the correct policies or not to insure visibility. 

[fern*wood]

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@jerseydevil1848 wrote:

I had 8 listings end last night, 6 had watchers (including one with 4 watchers), and there was not one single bid. Normally after a few bid-less auctions I'd take the item and make it a BIN with best offer, and then it would sell, but I'm not going to mess with this GTC claptrap. Now I have nothing listed except for a camera case, and won't bother to relist anything, although I may attempt to put some new items on, since it's 95 degrees here and I don't feel like doing much else. 

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There's just no way I'm going to do the work of photos and creating listings to then just not list them because of the GTC.   With just 8 items it really isn't that much work to keep an eye on them toward month end.  If you have no freebies remaining, just bulk end them.  You have beautiful things with great photos---I'd give them some time.  Things for me sell slowing, but they usually sell if I give them enough time.

My routine is to look at all my IDs first thing every morning (which I always did anyway) and decide if I need to end any that will roll.  It's just a few clicks and then I'm right back to my old routine of deciding when or if I want to relist any ended items.  If I have plenty of freebies on hand, then I don't end anything.

[annadryl]

All of these broad changes top of... the Summer Slump

[orangehound]

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@georgia_peach_boutique wrote:

If we have a decrease in out sales eBay is having a decrease in there wallet also.. 

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That's not necessarily true.  A customer that doesn't buy your item that had fallen to the bottom of search, will instead buy someone else's item.  eBay still gets their money.

[annadryl]

Yes^

I've hard dark periods with few views, and keeping an eye on the other ones out there, one sells. For more! Ebay's not losing out on anything, they have entire buildings full of people making sure of that...

[namele365]

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@orangehound wrote:

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A customer that doesn't buy your item that had fallen to the bottom of search, will instead buy someone else's item.  eBay still gets their money.

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Too bad eBay can't figure out how to get both sales.  Plenty buyers frustrated by the 'broken' Cassini search.  Maybe they went elsewhere.

[patd3283]

You can bulk end your listings near the end of their term.

In actives, check the ones you want to end.

Go back to Actions menu closer to the top and select end.

It can take a minute or so for them to end,

Good luck.

[herecometheplayas]

I have gone from 20-30 sales per day to about 40 per week. Same items I have been selling for 6 years. Prices lower than my competitors. Something has happened and they are not telling us. I have had a few regulars write to ask me if I am not selling anymore because they can't find my listings. I'm wondering what I pay for a store for if I'm not visible at least most of the time. Saving a few pennies on each item in fees isn't really worth paying for a store anymore. 

And I don't think eBay will care about that, either

[joesoucie22012]

Try raising your prices a little bit above your competitors. It might give you a boost in SEO.

[joesoucie22012]

Ebay is giving preference to higher priced items of same type to increase there profits. So lower priced items will be pushed down in search if shown at all. So raise all your prices, especially on listings that are ending soonest.