It's very simple: money grab for ebay, Say you list on May 1. On May 31, unless you act in time, you will be charged a (re)listing fee. Now say you are a casual seller and use the 50 free listings each month. If you use up your free listings before May 31, it means ching ching ching ching ching for ebay, and boohoo for sellers. To avoid this, you are supposed to cancel or pause your listing. I like the idea of set and forget, but I've been used to the natural reminder of turning over the calendar.
Do people really come back 45 days after they first found your listing? If buyers like your merch, but want to check it at a time that suits them better, e.g., next payday, they can bookmark you. Also, the 24 hour period when autions begin and end has been the most likely time I make sales.
There was a time when I was looking forward to making $3000/year via ebay. In my biggest year, about 15 years ago, I made $2200 in gross sales. Now, I hope for $300/year in sales with a realistic gross of $220.
Over on et.s.y., I pay 20 cents to list an item for FOUR MONTHS. There is an option to automatically renew. You can deactivate ("pause") an auction, but the listing countdown clock keeps running. Easy to understand, easy to maintain, and less likely to catch me out. My sales-to-listings ratio is MUCH better on et.s.y.
I also use e.b.id. I have a lifetime "Seller+" account. Sadly, even though their fees are lower, e.b.id is all but unkown, which is reflected in my lack of sales. I use it more as a listing tool for composing future ebay and et.s.y listings.
Ebay has been playing games with small-budget sellers for several years, trying to squeeze every last penny out of us. I expect them to charge non-store sellers for listing revisions in the not-too-distant future.
David, aka "photoline" on multiple platforms
