Extremely Slow sales

[rdemaree]

I know these sort of threads pop up every now and then, but I wanted to share my experience and get others opinions. 

This March 2023 so far has been my slowest month in my 3 1/2 years of selling professionally on ebay. Still 11 days left in the month and in the end I dont think it will be worse than my March 2020 but imo (unless something crazy happens) this month is shaping up to be in my top 3 worst selling months since I started selling seriously in summer 2019.

I am making this thread to see if anyone can relate and what people think the main reasons might be.

My theory is it must just be a terrible economy and people spending less on unnecessary items. I sell handmade oil paint and vintage art supplies mostly, so my crowd is kind of a niche audience. Definitely do not sell overly saturated or seasonal items.

Ive noticed a bit of a downturn slowly building since about spring of 2022 but it didnt really mean much until this past holiday season, which was absolute garbage in comparison with previous years. I sold more in summer months 2022 than I did nov/dec 2022 and that trend seems to be continuing into the new year. 

Im normally slow this time of year, but something else is going on. Slower than normal and christmas sales were a big letdown.

I figure it must be the economy, but another thing I noticed is my recommended promoted ad %'s are hovering around 10-13% rather than 7-9 % like they used to about a year or so ago. As I mentioned above- I sell handmade and vintage niche items, so youd think my market wouldnt be oversaturated. I always go with the lowest possible ad rate, to ensure my ads will show up on my own listings and maybe others. I didnt notice much of a difference before when I used the recommended ad rate in 2021 vs 2022 when I dropped the rate. I feel like its mostly just for saturated categories like watches, trading cards and clothes, but maybe im wrong?

Would love to hear everyone elses thoughts and opinions on everything. Thanks!

[shopndeals4home]

You aren't alone. I've noticed that as well, and I've also seen sellers on youtube mentioning it more often than before. It probably has to do with inflation. Not as many buyers because people are trying to just pay their bills and survive.  

[inhawaii]

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@rdemaree wrote:

I know these sort of threads pop up every now and then, but I wanted to share my experience and get others opinions. 

---

Every now and then?  We see these posts every day, several times a day.

This isn't even the first "slow sales" post today.

Yes others are experiencing it too.  You are not alone.

What varies it the REASON for your slow sales.

I've read/seen it all...

Ebay has something against me

Slow economy

Full moon

You're selling in a saturated market

Promoted listings

Who ever happens to be President of the United States at the time

Managed payments/The loss of paypal

Throttling

Nobody wants to buy what you are selling/Sell better stuff

Broken search engine

Ebay turned off my sales for some reason 

Algorithms 

You're prices are too high

New ebay CEO

You're selling in a saturated market

Slow sales are normal

People are only buying necessities 

You're a drop shipper

Conspiracy theories

Ebay stock is down

I must say of all the theories i've read, yours seem the most plausible to me.

But's that's just my opinion.

I hope things pick up for you. 

[m60driver]

Well I have yet to have a singe sale this weekend and that is well beyond two deviations from the norm and is, statistically speaking, a black swan event that does raise questions.

[shag182]

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@rdemaree wrote:

I know these sort of threads pop up every now and then, but I wanted to share my experience and get others opinions. 

This March 2023 so far has been my slowest month in my 3 1/2 years of selling professionally on ebay. Still 11 days left in the month and in the end I dont think it will be worse than my March 2020 but imo (unless something crazy happens) this month is shaping up to be in my top 3 worst selling months since I started selling seriously in summer 2019.

I am making this thread to see if anyone can relate and what people think the main reasons might be.

My theory is it must just be a terrible economy and people spending less on unnecessary items. I sell handmade oil paint and vintage art supplies mostly, so my crowd is kind of a niche audience. Definitely do not sell overly saturated or seasonal items.

Ive noticed a bit of a downturn slowly building since about spring of 2022 but it didnt really mean much until this past holiday season, which was absolute garbage in comparison with previous years. I sold more in summer months 2022 than I did nov/dec 2022 and that trend seems to be continuing into the new year. 

Im normally slow this time of year, but something else is going on. Slower than normal and christmas sales were a big letdown.

I figure it must be the economy, but another thing I noticed is my recommended promoted ad %'s are hovering around 10-13% rather than 7-9 % like they used to about a year or so ago. As I mentioned above- I sell handmade and vintage niche items, so youd think my market wouldnt be oversaturated. I always go with the lowest possible ad rate, to ensure my ads will show up on my own listings and maybe others. I didnt notice much of a difference before when I used the recommended ad rate in 2021 vs 2022 when I dropped the rate. I feel like its mostly just for saturated categories like watches, trading cards and clothes, but maybe im wrong?

Would love to hear everyone elses thoughts and opinions on everything. Thanks!

---

You're probably the the billions and billions (just kidding) dozens and dozens of recent threads with the same concerns.  I see a common theme here. Economy may be a small factor, but there's other factors at play here.

Also, get in line!  There's tons of sellers ahead of you with the same concerns. NOT normal drops, decreases in sales, but like someone turning off the faucet to drip drip. Likely due to ALL the mind numbing "what were you thinking" negative changes impacting BOTH Buyers and Sellers. Example: What's with the 50/50 chance of getting the HIDE and SEEK of the DESCRIPTION of the listing??? Plus a slew of other changes making it more difficult for buyers and sellers to navigate.  IMO. I sense perhaps a bit of heavy handed throttling on current sellers to jump on the promoted listings trickery. 

Also, the reason for the decline in sales is EBAY buyers are dropping like flies?

Google this: eBay Reports Solid Q3 2022 Earnings – But Buyers Continue To Flee the Online Marketplace.                        Article by seller365

ME also thinks the illusion of the solid earnings is from all the shenanigans like higher promoted percentages as you mentioned, etc. FEEbay has to make it up somewhere in lost buyers, like higher promotion percentages, higher fees, new fees INSTEAD OF attracting more buyers/sellers and retaining current buyers/sellers. 🤔  Soon it will be 50% to the BIG "EBAY" Guy. Haha!

[krazzykats]

Still think the last postage hike was a death toll for many small items.

[inhawaii]

Thanks!

I forgot to include "postage increases" on my post.

I agree with you.

It's getting harder and harder to sell a $5 item with $6 shipping.

[milkywaycards]

Hi!

Newbie seller here, a side hustler! 😄

February was surprisingly a good month for us, however, March is DEAD as you described.

I sell Pokemon TCG and Soccer Trading cards, and a few customers I interact with via messaging are the lowballers who offer less than 50% of the listed pricing (which is very annoying).

I attended Dallas Card Show as a Vendor (the March show was AWESOME), and I had many customers suggesting I go to Whatnot App to buy instead of eBay auctions. Newer platforms such as the Whatnot app, Poshmark, etc. may affect the overall sales IMO, because we are spreading the butter thin.

However, I honestly think, as the head of business control at my company, competitiveness is always a plus, but it will take time for customers to bounce back and forth to simply find the better deal online. 

I am with you on this one, but I am not giving up just yet. I upload at least 5 to 10 cards daily, hoping that there will be 1 sale out of those listings. I started with 8 slabs (~$2,500) back in October 2022, but now I have assets that are over  $10K and became Top Rated Seller in 5 months. Every time I think the sales are very slow, I uploaded and interacted with customers more aggressively, and it seems eBay likes to reward every now and then.

Let's survive this season!!!!!

[redlinear]

I average about 10 sales a day.
some recent listings (listed in the last 30 days)
some from 90 days ago  (darn near to the day)
and a couple from who knows when. 

The state of the economy has never had any negative impact on my sales. (on-line or local).
Not being seen, has.

[vintageentertainment]

Hi there , I have been selling on Ebay 22 years and it is really slow.  Our high inflation economy is hurting Americans ability to purchase discretionary items and senior population is scared right now.  Ebay does alot of things well, unfortunately they do not advertise very well, which has basically caused many people to forget about the company.  I had a friend ask me the other day if I still sold on Ebay and I said yes.  He laughed I have not been on Ebay in 11 years.  If you are a big company like Ebay and you do not have a stong Advertising campaign, it will be difficult to attract new buyers to your platform.  If Ebay would just commit to a strong televison & streaming advertising campaign, it would pay off big time for company & folks selling on Ebay.  I would imagine by now many sellers are starting to fade away, I know for myself I am going to have to get a part time job.  Best of fortunes to you guys!  That is my 2 cents,  Gil 

[mconstantine2006]

Me too!  Very slow Jan - March 2023.  I thought at first I had done something wrong in how I was listing items.  I didn't want to promote ... to save money.   I even thought there was something suspicious about it and this was a way to encourage promoting.  It's not ... it's just slow for many reasons.

[tammiegoldenhair]

Temu the Chinese web site is one of the nations top downloaded apps since it advertised in the Super Bowl . Direct Chinese pricing and free shipping to the us thanks to our post office allowing it . This app is having effects on the online buyer I am certain . 

[lawnmowerpartsstore2]

Google Search:

Are Temu products made in China?

Knowing this, there is a strong likelihood that the clothing sold by Temu — which is manufactured in China — is indeed made via forced labor. But at least some of the retailer's other product offerings also could be made with forced labor, too.Feb 14, 2023

[musicbounty_lps_cds_collectables]

So I called and spoke with customer service for a while last month, I have been selling off an on for 20 plus years and this is the worst it has ever been by far.  I told them I would really need to look for other options since my sales were so low.  Told them I will be done soon and filed a complaint.   Then starting the next day for a week straight I made more sales and had more offers  then the prior month.  Then I received an message suggesting I promote my items and my sales came to a screaming halt.  So ultimately I would have to jack my prices so that when that sale as promoted items I am not losing my ass.  I am starting to try alternative places to sell OTHER THAN FEEBAY!

[mr_lincoln]

@rdemaree 

-It is NOT the economy.  If it were then I would be buried in tons of reasonably priced inventory.  Acquiring inventory on online estate auctions is extremely competitive. 

-The issue is with eBay