Effects of not offering GD & Free returns

[ymeagainlord]

For the first time in a LONG time only 1 sale yesterday.

Possible fallout from no longer being TRS+ and refusing to offer Free returns or just coincidence?

Only time will tell.

[nawlinsron2]

Let's pick a number...$100B. Maybe it's $2T...I don't know.
Whatever...ebay has sold a bunch in the last 20 years using essentially the simple formula of of good price+reasonable shipping+good customer service (not theirs).
In ebay's eyes, that's no longer a good formula.
Imagine if ebay owned the Clippers...they'd force Steph Curry to retire at the end of this season because he's over 30.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

 I don't think free returns really applies to most collectibles/used items. That's many of us small sellers here. Now if you are offering NIB items, competition is fierce and there it would make a difference. For most of us selling collectibles I think the best idea is just to ignore what ebay is pushing down the 81% of their sales NIB sellers. Our buyers are used to walking into antique malls and flea markets and yard sales, fully well knowing there are zero returns under those conditions. 

These new policies are for NIB items. I'm disregarding keeping up with the latest greatest  worst ways to squeeze sellers and going about my business as usual. 

Frankly I don't want the buyer who chooses the collectible seller based on "free" returns. I don't want the widget back, and I want my buyer to be sure they want it in the first place.

I can only sympathize with clothing sellers, you've got it the toughest for sure. 

[tunicaslot]

Summer slump definitely has come - as the other site is dead as a doornail too - but today I just checked and I'm down 54% now on Ebay. I have to get my butt in gear and work on Posh. Too many changes - combined with glitches. It disgusts me as I use to love Ebay and was their number one Troll. Even have been accused of being an employee - but now this employee has to get a 2nd job.

[ymeagainlord]

tunica, I already have a j.o.b. so I guess I'll just keep plodding along here lol

[southern*sweet*tea]

It's the summer slump for sure. Happens to me every summer, and I can relate because I myself am spending much more time outside away from the internet. Shopping is the last thing on my mind unless it's for gardening stuff.

[ymeagainlord]

I'm thinking it might be, as I'm now seeing posts from sellers who HAVE taken the GD & Free returns bait and are still seeing slowed sales.

[rainbowcolorz]

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@ymeagainlord wrote:

For the first time in a LONG time only 1 sale yesterday.

Possible fallout from no longer being TRS+ and refusing to offer Free returns or just coincidence?

Only time will tell.

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The only thing I changed was I chose to go with Free Returns but I opted out of GuaranteedDelivery because I'm not realllly sure what that's all about (in a nutshell).   And so far with my Free Returns I have not had any more sales than I got without it.   But we shall see.  

[keziak]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

It's the summer slump for sure. Happens to me every summer, and I can relate because I myself am spending much more time outside away from the internet. Shopping is the last thing on my mind unless it's for gardening stuff.

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I've been spending my PP money on plants left and right and just noticed I am almost maxed out. It will take a few days to transfer money from my bank. This wouldn't be a problem if I had healthy ebay sales filling  up my PP account.

It's painful to remember that in the past I would constantly sweep hundreds of dollars INTO my bank account from my PP balance. :smileysad  All that, and a much smaller inventory.

Anyone remember the days before PP? And all those stacks of checks and money orders to take to the bank. Cash, too!

[castlemagicmemories]

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@rainbowcolorz wrote:

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@ymeagainlord wrote:

For the first time in a LONG time only 1 sale yesterday.

Possible fallout from no longer being TRS+ and refusing to offer Free returns or just coincidence?

Only time will tell.

---

The only thing I changed was I chose to go with Free Returns but I opted out of GuaranteedDelivery because I'm not realllly sure what that's all about (in a nutshell).   And so far with my Free Returns I have not had any more sales than I got without it.   But we shall see.  

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So it would seem that the Free Returns is not a big concern.

[generaluser3]

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@ymeagainlord wrote:

For the first time in a LONG time only 1 sale yesterday.

Possible fallout from no longer being TRS+ and refusing to offer Free returns or just coincidence?

Only time will tell.

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Same here, in terms of no longer being TRS+ and not offering Free Returns.  Also, I have opted out of the Guaranteed Delivery program. 

Today is the 7th of June, and I have had only 1 small sale this month.  It's like a ghost town for me in terms of clicks on my listings.  I'm in a deep well.  I know I need to list more to maybe find my way out of the well, or at least get some light in here, but motivation is so low!  That is a poor excuse, though.

@tunicaslot  Please post the results of your experimentation.  That is very interesting, and admirable to Just Do What You Gotta Do.

I love those motivational posts about Keep Listing Listing Listing!  It makes sense!  That way, you'll have things up and ready to go when the Summer Slump and whatever else passes and it gets busy again!  Because it WILL get Busy again!

Right . . .?

[tunicaslot]

Well I can tell you right now - I listed 10 items at 5:30 AM EST - none have any views - not even bot. Now it may be taking longer to index - but the first view was the one I just gave them when I looked at it. 

Just searched for a pair of sandals I listed - 70 results - none were mine. I searched for Flip Flop - mine does not show up - so I searched for flip flops - with an s - my pair showed up in search but this is how toght this search is - sworry but flip flop or flip flops - all the flip flop sandals should show up in a search.

I commented the other day that the lack of an s also hampered my finding an item I was looking for. I'd add flip flop - but we've always been told that if a word is repeated in the title - it gives you a lower search placement.

My windbreaker is on page 4 - so much for GD, GSP, Free Returns, Free Shipping and new listing giving you visibility. I must be on Ebay's naughty list!

[reallyhardtofind]

I found this picture on another post, free returns is just asking for trouble regardless if ebay monitors the kinds of buyers. I mean come on seriously these excuses!!!

[dugoldstuff]

> eBay would like to compete with Amazon, but since ebay does not sell anything, the only way they feel they can do that, is to try and force sellers to become mini Amazons.  They keep forgetting, that when they make it too hard for the lower volume sellers to make sales on the site, they quit, and they often take their buying dollars with them.  Do they have any toes left to shoot off?

Love that last line.

A co-worker put it this way once: It's like we're in a lifeboat and the company brass is in the back, blowing holes in the bottom of the boat with a shotgun, and yelling at us for not bailing fast enough.

[turquoisetulips]

Possible fallout from no longer being TRS+ and refusing to offer Free returns or just coincidence?

Only time will tell. ymeagainlord - op - unquote ----------------------------------------

Yeah only time will tell about that one aspect of the free returns or no free returns . Personally speaking as a buyer  on e bay  I don't recall paying a whole lot of attention to whether or not the seller offers free returns . I guess I never really expect to return  something I've purchased because it hasn't been a common thing I've  needed  to do . The main concern for me with the new  free returns  is as a seller . As I've said 100 times now   I believe most buyers are honest,,  but they aren't the ones who may be causing some trouble for sellers   by using and abusing   this new policy . tulips 

[ittybitnot]

Just posting to the end of the thread.  I have been actively BUYING lately.  I cannot tell you if I purchased from TRS sellers, if the sellers I purchased from had any dog badges displayed for GD, free returns, or TRS.  What influenced my purchasing decisions was simply the PRODUCT.  Finding the merchandise I wanted at a decent price was the #1 most important thing.   I could care less about the rest of that, and don't see me making buying choices based on the fact your dog badge is present or missing.