Ebay Sales completely stopped in last 2 months October 2022

[ad2030]

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. 

[tk1717]

If Ebay says to add more picture then you definitely want to add more pictures. When they started allowing 24 pictures it more that likely changed the algorithm. Furthermore, I use templates. I get messages on Mobile that "the format is no longer supported." I am guessing??? I need to remake older templates and replace my descriptions. Ebay gives us hints as to why I listings don't show up in search but they won't just say it. I can say from experience that when I search for a product on Ebay Mobile to "comp on the fly" that I get significantly less listings. I can do the same comp on a pc and get twice the results. I am sure that applies to buyers. I am currently tracking whether listing produced on a pc using templates generates more traffic than an item listed on my phone without templates. I use bulk edit on the pc so I can make changes quickly if I see any changes in impressions.

[saganguy]

Me too... I sell antiques.  While I have not been a huge seller I have sold around $100,000 each year for two years recently.  The changes in Ebay's categories and their interest in competing with Amazon and other large online stores has killed my interest.  I have cut from listing 400 or more items to now under 100, and expect to be listing only occasonally when I have something I hope will find an ebay buyer.  The only television ads for Ebay I have seen are for Ebay Motors...and plenty of them.  By By ebay.

[mrsbubbyjuice]

Ditto for me.  Sales in November and December this year are abysmal.  It’s so discouraging.  And buyers are offering next to nothing which leaves me with no profit.  I think I’m going to close my store and sell under the limit.  You know things are bad when your EBay statement is a minus 😭

[mrsbubbyjuice]

Yes, I am too.  China ruins everything. 

[mrsbubbyjuice]

Do you think other platforms are any better? I’m sore they’re looking for the biggest bang for their buck too.  I’d love to know though.

[gwwe18]

I totally agree, sometimes I think my items are hidden,  no sales and other sellers are giving it away!!! I'm done 

[gwwe18]

I agree why are sellers giving there stuff away !! I think my items are hidden most of the time , The one thing I have noticed I fill out all fields in my listings . I can go back and look and half on my fields that I filled out are blank!!!

[**selling**stuff**]

its absolute bull crap..  Every thing at the beginning of the week was fine, then ebay did something on thursday night, and everything has stopped, no sales, no offers, no questions, nothing.. what is going on... 

[neve2]

What do you mean " at the beginning of the week was fine, then ebay did something on thursday night, and everything has stopped, no sales, no offers, no questions, nothing"

Do you mean last week? If you have only had problems since last week then you are lucky. A lot of us have had almost no sales or an 80-85% decrease in sales for going on three months!

[tcla9344]

Same here instead can't even make 300 monthly on here anymore now they're pushing to promote other seller sell out 20nof the same item at higher cost it makes no sense as if ebay is hiding us long timers even if it's 10$ item it won't sell

[dash-1505]

I too have not have enough in sales to "pay the bills". I also have experience almost non-existing search results for my offerings.  Do a search for "film transfer". The only ones that show up on Google, are the big players with big budget websites and SEO payments. Telling me that E-bay is NOT putting "us" out front! remember the days when every search returned "E-bay.....we got that!". Haven't seen one in 4 months.

If this was a brick store, I would have closed the doors in October. I did close local sales in the "Barn" last spring. THAT even had only occasional lookers, and anyone buying wanted a severe Monty Hall!

My "stuff" business is near nil. My service business (films) is trailing horribly. My colleagues in that business are saying the same.

I'm hanging in until end of Feb. ---then adios unless there is significant improvement.

Good luck to you all.

Stay safe - stay well.

-Dave

[lori0919]

Hi. Same thing here, been a buyer & seller since 2014; I never sold a ton of items, but for sure a few a week which was super helpful at the grocery stores, I've called ebay several times.  One Rep told me he could "refresh" my listings and for me to add better photos & lower my already low prices.  The very next day I sold 3 items wow, better than 0 in 3 months.  Then again, nothing for a few weeks, so I called back & asked them if I could do my own "refresh"  the rep was nice enough to tell me how.  Said go to your "Selling" top of your right side Ebay dropdown, select Selling, then switch to new all selling tool (Seller Hub)  top left side click on Listings select 'Active' listings, down in middle of the page on menu select Listings - Active, go down just a bit and click on "action"   Select Edit All, last page click at top to select all, at bottom Submit.  I've done this & used to work next day had couple of sales, but past couple weeks hasn't worked.  I believe Ebay is having some issues with their platform & placing 'higher volume' sellers at the very top, lower sellers like me at the lowest bottom.. Check this out, won't hurt & don't pay any extra fees for 'refreshing'  Best of Luck! Or time to change to another platform...

[gail5176]

It’s the high cost of just being alive anymore, groceries- gas- rent, interest rates- all have gone up. Companies are laying people off, so people have to really watch their monies now, more than ever

[femmefan1946]

China ruins everything.

China became a big online player circa 2008.

The one thing I have noticed I fill out all fields in my listings . I can go back and look and half on my fields that I filled out are blank!!!

I've seen that mentioned before. Are you sure you are clicking on Done? The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad new selling form is tricky that way.

I've called ebay several times.  One Rep told me he could "refresh" my listings

The phone reps do not work for eBay so don't bother with them. They work for a subcontractor out of Utah.



https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness/ — Message button in upper right on landing page.


https://twitter.com/askebay?lang=en


https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/How-do-I-contact-Customer-Support/m-p/32016431#M1783851 -> Automated Assistant, type AGENT -> enter. You will then get more options.


The social media Chat accounts are covered by trained eBay employees with some authority.
And you get a transcript so you can compare what you heard with what you were told.

Nonetheless, the "refresh" system described will be useful for many sellers. Thank you.

placing 'higher volume' sellers at the very top, lower sellers like me at the lowest bottom.

Again, nothing new.

The algorithm for Best Match puts you higher in Search when you sell something.  With Lowest Price First  when your item is priced low. With Newly Listed when.... you get the picture.

Have you been doing comps with your sales in 2019 and 2018?

The pandemic surge in online shopping stopped abruptly in January 2022, and has only gone back to those years or a little better as consumers discover that online shopping is easy, but Real Life shopping is faster (no shipping delay) and more accurate (is that red sweater cherry or scarlet?) .

[paraquip]

I'm curious where you are getting your information from...... my account finally cleared "High item not as described rate" and ebay shadow banning of my listings stopped....thus my sales started to come back up dramatically.

On January 5 I had over 1K in sales with and average daily sales rate in the $600 range for the prior 30 days.

Jan 6-Jan 12   are seeing a collapse in sales to about $225/day averaged..... yet another 60%+ reduction in my already 50%+ sales downturn from July 1 2022.  

So another baffling hard "cliff" of a sales downturn......  so just curious where you are getting the info that ebay changed something on the evening of Jan 4?

HK