eBay

ducks2k · ‎03-03-2019

Doesn't anyone at eBay think about these policies before forcing them on everyone?

I list fixed price 7 days because I am not around every day of the month, and a few years back, eBay got all fixated on fast turnaround times on shipping. 100% feedback rating in the thousands was not good enough to be a top rated seller, I had to ship fast too.

7 day fixed price is tolerable for a week when I will be home. I match it with 7 day auctions and do eBay 1 week a month. If I have to drop fixed price listings, eBay just loses that many sales per month. I guess they don't care what actually sells - all that is important is the listing fee. Well, they will lose that too, from me.

Ebay is the best auction sales platform around, but they seem to be actively trying to fix that. If I want Amazon, I will shop Amazon. Ebay is not Amazon, and they should stop trying to be.

Over the last 15 years, eBay has gone from being a fun place to buy and sell, to being a (not so) cheap knock-off of a convenience store. I can't recall any significant improvements in the seller side of eBay in the last decade. Each change seems to be for eBay's benefit.

Howard

ducks2k · ‎03-04-2019

for store level 1 you get 250 fixed, 250 auction, not 500 choose either. If they would change back to 500 either, yes, that would be a decent solution. Otherwise, they have just doubled my cost for 500 auctions.

Available to zero only works if I can do all 500 at once, not one item at a time.

ducks2k · ‎03-04-2019

"just a listing fee every 30 days" <--- Exactly. Every month I list different things, not the same over and over. I get zero benefit from Google indexing and a LOT more work.

ssgs414 · ‎03-04-2019

When searching by ending soonest, GCT items will appear. I just tested with an item I have ending in about an hour. Searching newest first.....a GCT item will fall in line with original first list date, even if it has just rolled to a new 30 day period. Again, I tested with one of my items.

no_zero369 · ‎03-04-2019

I have seen your replies on this thread and I must say I am embarrassed for you. This is a business problem that eBay has tossed your way, it requires a business solution.

Me thinks one will get more mileage with that approach than an emotional response. But hey, everyone is entitled to how they feel and it is clear you are upset. I bet if you asked specific questions on how one might respond to this change they'd get some ideas for free and could easily adapt. So ask away!

But a seller who doesn't care if their listings are available through search engine searches?

no_zero369 · ‎03-04-2019

@lugro_30 wrote:
eBay is banking on most sellers just eating another cost and adopting another time waster. Many will adapt and I don’t blame them and it’s their choice. I will most likely use the 50 freebies for this years holiday season and that’s about it. Im hanging around on the boards a bit longer to see if eBay changes it’s mind. I’m not holding my breath though. 70% of my stuff has already been moved to other platforms. I made 5 sales on a Sunday which I usually never see here. Hope you find what works for you

While I support everyone's right to their own views and opinions, this view that this GTC change is a money grab by eBay is just not supported by the facts!

There is a simple work around if one wants to let their listings auto renew for years without doing anything - list near the middle of the month! In fact, one of the blues in essence endorsed this work around in comments on one of the Seller Update threads. Why would they do that (give away the "avoid fees" secret) if fees was the main reason for this change?

So I'll have to disagree with your view on this change, but hey, you are welcome to stick with it if you so desire!

Best wishes.

bad*kitty*vintage · ‎03-04-2019

I'm not sure I understand how listing at the middle of the month will avoid extra fees. Could someone please help me find find more info on this this? Thanks!

laurie07735 · ‎03-04-2019

TOTALLY AGREE!! whoever thought of this change did not take the smaller sellers into consideration. I want to be able to time my own RE-LISTINGS to take advantage of the 50 free listings for the month. It will be impossible for me to keep track of all the dates for relistings and do it to my advantage. I guess I will just have to take my account down and ebay loses all the commission from my sales. This is so discouraging.

no_zero369 · ‎03-04-2019

Get out a calendar and count for your self!

Look, there are 7 months with 31 days, 4 with 30 days and one with 28/29 days. So say you list on the 15th. The point is that on a 30-day renewal cycle when you hit a month with 31 days, the number of the day of the month moves forward by one day (14th). But on days with 30 days the number stays the same (14th). Then with a month with 28 days, the number moves backward two days (16th).

The point is that with time, eventually the number of the day moves forward to the 1st in a month where there are 31 days. THEN and only then in that month would a listing be listed twice in a month and thus incur extra listing fees, assuming one had no open free listings available,

But the math geniuses like @mr_lincoln around here have determined that using this method one would avoid double listing in a month for several years, maybe as long as 3-years!

Read the threads about GTC in the Sellers Update section to find some of these people who have better explanations than I am capable of.

laurie07735 · ‎03-04-2019

AGREE 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

laurie07735 · ‎03-04-2019

I need to have an answer to this question as well. It makes no sense to me that listing at the middle of the month will avoid the fees if you already have over 50 items listed. EBAY - give us a CHOICE!!!!!of whether we want this new policy or not on our account.

no_zero369 · ‎03-04-2019

@laurie07735 wrote:
TOTALLY AGREE!! whoever thought of this change did not take the smaller sellers into consideration. I want to be able to time my own RE-LISTINGS to take advantage of the 50 free listings for the month. It will be impossible for me to keep track of all the dates for relistings and do it to my advantage. I guess I will just have to take my account down and ebay loses all the commission from my sales. This is so discouraging.

I hate to sound unsympathetic, but with all of the advice on how to work around this, if one can't figure it out then perhaps attrition will take its course?

You CAN time your listings to take advantage of the 50 free ones, IF you list on or after the 15th. Then you should have 2+ years before you would potentially "double list" in a month and have to pay fees.

A lot of sellers that use GTC listings state that they get hit with "double listing" fees only once or twice a year. I assume this would occur for only a small number of listings, unless one lists all of them during the first 5 days of the month. So you incur some listing fees? $0.35 x 50 = $17.50 per occurrence. This is on a "set it and forget it" basis. One approach would be to work that cost into your business plan. But it can be avoided. Are you willing to adjust?

pjcdn2005 · ‎03-04-2019

You have 15 listings. If you arrange your listings on your selling page by time left, it will be easy to see when a listing is going to end its 30 day cycle and you can decide if you want to end it or let it renew. Perhaps you should try gtc first to see how it works and if it really is not working for you, then decide what to do.

ducks2k · ‎03-04-2019

No_zero makes perfect sense mathematically, but zero sense from a seller's perspective. Ebay gains absolutely nothing by automatically cycling everything on a 30 day basis, and adds pain and suffering to sellers who don't list in the middle of the month or don't wish to participate in the eternal revenue stream for eBay. Still calling them 30 day listings is unnecessarily obtuse. They are really monthly listing subscriptions, more similar to the monthly store fees than they are fixed expiration listings, BECAUSE THEY DON'T ACTUALLY EXPIRE. And, like vampires, they are not that easy to kill either.

weschurch · ‎03-04-2019

Well they gain something. I wonder what that could be? Hmmmmmmmmm..................

4stringfiddle · ‎03-04-2019

EBAY Why do you keep biting the hand that feeds you? GTC is good for NO ONE but the ebay company, ..sellers and buyers will not benefit from this one bit...... GET A CLUE!