Ebay Sales completely stopped in last 2 months October 2022

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Hello, I have been on ebay for 20 years selling off and on. I opened my ebay stores in 2013 and have been having great sales until the last 2 1/2 years. Sales have been declining slowly and steady for the last year and a half. 2021 and 2022 have been horrible nothing but a downward spiral..

I have done updating, relisting, sell similar, new listings, new pics, updated coded listings, added promo, having sales 10%-15% off. new titles Nothing is giving. 

I know my listings are not being found on the search results. I'm pretty much ghosted even though i can see them myself. No page impressions.. Not to mention china sellers are always at the top of the search results because of multiple never ending new accounts from the  same seller and low prices.

This is it I'm calling it quits as the business has dwindled to $100 dollar weeks. 

I sell industrial filtering media so the demand will be there. I keep reading how online shopping  is down all around ebay, posh, mercari etc. This is an ebay issue.  Looks like they are weeding out sellers quickly.

ebay sent me a message to try the new beta marketing campaign $500 off **bleep**! to get listings at the top of search results. 

Anybody having a similar experience, I would like to hear from you. 

[simba6]

Need bigger price cuts.  10-15% is nothing these days.  Inflation is taking a toll for sure.

[femmefan1946]

Without being able to see what you were listing, it is difficult to know if you were going wrong somewhere.

But PoshMark is a poor market for Industrial Filtering Media since it is focussed on used clothing.

[purple-rain-store]

50% off markdowns was what I was doing on all items $19.99, 

nothing was selling. I even had most of my jeans

marked down even lower to $7.99, nothing moved!

I went with 10% off only & finally something sold, a sweater. 

Interesting the same item that just sold didn't sell when it was 50% off

but did when it was only 10% off. ebay got an extra 3% because buyer clicked on a PL listing of course. 

[chapeau-noir]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

Without being able to see what you were listing, it is difficult to know if you were going wrong somewhere.

But PoshMark is a poor market for Industrial Filtering Media since it is focussed on used clothing.

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Posh has expanded their categories (new clothing is a big market there - they even have a wholesale program) and is an increasing presence in homewares but I agree that industrial filtering media won't have a market there. Home filtering might.

[sugarnspice777]

It is BECAUSE they completely changed the selling page!  I just went to list and my whole selling page is changed.  When they do this horrific changes they destroy selling.  I have HAD IT.  I won't be listing yet again.

[thebookee]

I would like to say that I use ebay's search often, as in several times a day. I think they need help in the programming division. It seems to me that their search is not retrieving what I type in the search box.

[linus.hux72fe]

To Chapeau-noir's point:

I'd have to echo that internet sales are up. That's not an indication there is a main drag on Ebay sales related to the economy being poor which means in my experience it's not the economy that is killing sales on Ebay although that may have some small influence. 

My sales are up over 20% on each platform I use with the exception of Ebay currently. (Prior to October I had a good stretch going on Ebay.)

Amazon 24%

Mercari 39%

Posh 22%

Ebay -14%

Own website 26%

Marketplace 34%

Last 3 shows 41%

Estate sales I host last 3 were largest grossing sales of any September/October sales. People waited in line an average of 74 minutes just to enter.

None of which indicates the Ebay lack of sales for me is related to the economy. 

So I'm doing as a business does-investing my time where the return is best and that's not Ebay. For example I listed 3 rarer pieces of Pyrex this week. I sold all 3 individually for more than I'd have gotten on Ebay and didnt have to ship or pay 12+% or a sales incentive fee like PM.

Ebay is gonna do whatever they are gonna do. As a business owner it does no good as far as I can see to make excuses or guesses or suggestions or if only...sellers must learn to do what is best for their business. Loyalty isnt a relevant factor. 

[skeletonstore]

The draconian changes I think started at the beginning of 2020 but it seems like 100 years ago now.  A few weeks ago another change came out that wasn't advertised much and that put a special emphasis on titles and placement based upon who was cheapest from what I can see.  I conducted some tests and was seeing an uptick in search position according to their ridiculous analytics.  Last night I was playing around with a promotion to try and drive traffic and was finding those chinese/amazon dropshipper were advertising at least 25-30% to get featured.  I shot my listing up to 30% but I'm not getting any clicks or attention.  The thing is I did this before,  2 years ago and was getting tons of attention and comments(you know like actually humans).  I've done everything you said to try and get sales which includes lowering my prices to throw away levels and no action.  That tells me I'm not being seen by anyone who is a buyer.  As I said on another thread, when ebay shows some of my stuff...it sells immediately.  

[sugarnspice777]

For those of us who have been here many years, it is NOT the economy, that may cause some slowing, but not like this.  Here is your answer.

BETA TESTING AND SITE CHANGES = LOST SALES

[Anonymous]

Yep same here. When I first started in December 2021 all was well. Then late Spring 22 it all went to hell. Been that way ever since. I've been waiting for disability to be approved and when it does I will close out my ebay account. For good this time. Whatever the programmers did to change how the site works will do them no favors since the changes they made have done more and more sellers no favors. For ebay, no sellers, no business. For us sellers, no buyers, no point hangin' around wasting our time on what is supposed to be an online merchant site that's not supposed to be centered around some bogus algorithm sellers need to walk on eggshells around.  When the time comes for my departure it may well be I would rather see what I have left to sell burn straight to the f**king ground since that might be the only light at the end of a long dark hell of a tunnel. With that being said, and opposing opinions aside,  for sellers here, ebay has become a seller's hellscape. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Anonymous]

You're not wrong. Good luck to everyone. 

[musicyouneed]

I totally agree with all of you.  I started selling 2002/03 and did quite well with clothing and then 2008 came and sales dropped off totally.  I ended up taking most things to consignment.  I returned to selling, this time CD's in 2011/12 and for a while up until 2021, I did OK and I was happy.  Since the beginning of 2022, sales are dismal, each month going down to a trickle.  The lack of extra spending is not only a US problem but a world wide problem, I live in Canada and we have the same issues.  I think that we will be in a slump for a couple of years as least that is what history says.

Sales on .comSales on .caRecessions for the last 30 years

[lady_limoges]

I *just* started reselling vintage and antiques on Ebay in June. My sales were great at first, but they have dropped off since Sept/October. I don't know what's going on--people seem to view my stuff, but no one is buying it. What gives? My stuff is priced competitively compared to other items. I think it's the economy. 

[deltilogical]

What is the Beta-Testing you refer to?  Didn't Ebay start messing with the ability of search robots to access the site?

I would just like to be able to reinvoice a customer when the lost item shows up a few days after refund. 

[pa211040]

Ebay has reached an agreement with the Pandora Jewelry Company to sweep Ebay of ALL Pandora listings.  They have been doing the sweeps for months but have started doing it rapidly now for Christmas.  last night over 1500 listings have been vanished from the site.  Ebay leaves the store up, just removes all their hard work, pictures and listings and makes them disappear.  Beware!