I really feel I have to voice my opinion here, because I feel this new change is absolutely absurd..I've been selling on eBay for the better part of 15 years, and over the years I've gone a long with all the changes (unhappily at times, yes, but I've made it work), and I've tried to be very fair about it and see these changes from ebay's perspective as a company.
For instance when the new mandatory free returns policy came out to keep the TRS Plus badge? I wasn't crazy about that, BUT I gave it a chance and I've actually found it not to be so bad at all. It's actually worked to my advantage in my category because 90% of sellers refuse to offer free returns and keep their TRS Status on their listings, and because I'm one of the few who do? It gives me good differentiation from the crowd and I get higher prices. Plus the returns cost me peanuts per month and its been pretty painless. So all in all for me? That's a policy that made sense and works.
A big difference there however was that you still had a CHOICE of whether or not you wanted to participate. It was a tough choice because if you didn't you would lose your discount, and your hard earned TRS Plus badge, but at least you could still run your business the way you saw fit; albeit with a possible handicap.
But let's face it, eBay is right about that policy, because in today's market? Buyers are spoiled and they want free returns. If that is going to get more of them to buy on eBay and buy from me? Then I'm in.
In very stark contrast, when I heard the news of the new mandatory GTC listing format for all fixed price listings?? My mouth literally dropped open, and I could not even believe what I was reading.
Whhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttt?????????????????
I can only speak from my perspective, as a seller who procures and sells individual one off items on a weekly basis, and who needs to TURN that individual inventory QUICKLY. I have a store only for the purposes of the lower FV fees, but for all intents and purposes? I do not keep inventory, and I do NOT have multiples of one item (i.e. 200 of the same lawn chair being offered in the same listing) that I am constantly replenishing.
I sell buy and then sell ONE item at a time, and they are always different and always unique. The GTC option to my understanding was created for STORE inventory listings, for sellers who have static, multiple inventory of the same product they sold continually; and it was created to give them the convenience of not having to constantly relist everything.
It also was great because the listing never came DOWN, and it kept its status and sales history, and it also got better search results the more it sold. Which made a lot of sense all around for sellers who had that kind of inventory that sold consistently. Great feature if you had that kind of inventory.
Without a store? You couldn't even USE the GTC feature, and there was a good reason for that; and that reason was because without STORE inventory?? GTC was a terrible, terrible OPTION...If you were looking to TURN items quickly? Your most effective bet was to use a 3 Day BIN listing, and ANY expert would tell you this..
Why??? Well that's because a 3, 5, or even 7 day BIN listing creates something that is very, very CRUCIAL in online sales: URGENCY!!!
People see a ticking clock, time is running out to buy the item, they dont have FOREVER to make a decision...That demands ACTION on the part of a buyer..
They can't INDEFINITELY watch an item and take their TIME in making a decision to BUY..Because the Item will NOT BE THERE that long...Its the most fundamental basic tool you have in sales like this: The TAKE AWAY....Buy it NOW because it wont last long!! There were probably CAVE MEN who used this tactic to sell the first bear skin blankets it's so old and tried and true!!
On ebay the less TIME that a one off unique item was listed for? The BETTER, because that CREATED THE MOST URGENCY - PERIOD. There is absolutely NO ARGUMENT against this that makes any sense at all...
That is what people in MY BUSINESS, with MY BUSINESS MODEL NEED...In no way shape or form is MANDATORY GTC going to do ANYTHING for ME? But hurt my SALES and WRECK my business....NOTHING...There is absolutely ZERO UPSIDE to this for me (or any buyers) and all PURE DOWNSIDE...There are LITERALLY NO PRO's..I do NOT stock inventory, I DO NOT have any interest WHATSOEVER in having a 30 day time line on my listings, and IN FACT? This is purely and completely TERRIBLE for my business!!
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON HERE??? Why am I being FORCED to use a feature that was SOLELY created for sellers who have a TOTALLY DIFFERENT BUSINESS MODEL THAN I DO???
Is that ALL eBay wants anymore?? Do they not want businesses like MINE to operate on here any longer??? Because I have news for them - I pay about $1000 a month in fees with the items I sell, and that number was only set to INCREASE DRASTICALLY this year...Now??? I really do not know what is going to happen..
Now the only thing I can even do is keep lowering my prices, and making MUCH LESS MONEY on items because I no longer have the OPTION or ABILITY to create any URGENCY FOR MY BUYERS!!!
I've read eBay's explanation for this, and I'm sorry, BUT YOUR IDEAS HERE ARE WRONG. They DO NOT IN ANY WAY FIT every business model on here, nor method of selling - Hence why in the past there were OPTIONS!!!
If I HAVE a product that I WANT to use GTC for and it makes sense? I have the OPTION TO USE GTC...If I have a different kind of product, and only ONE OF THEM that I want to MOVE QUICKLY? I have the OPTION to list it for 3 DAYS, or 5 DAYS, or 7 Days, ETC...Makes perfect sense to me!! Maybe I'm crazy but there was ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with that..NOTHING
This new POLICY is going to be a DISASTER for my business on here..A TOTAL disaster...I've only been dealing with this for about 3 DAYS now and I can ALREADY SEE THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS THIS IS HAVING, MY SALES ARE ALREADY DOWN AND THIS HAS BARELY EVEN STARTED YET..
Someone needs to do something to REPEAL this decision NOW...Because I have seen and read absolutely NOTHING but terrible feedback from other sellers who DO NOT WANT THIS!! And I am certainly ONE OF THEM..
LISTEN TO YOUR SELLERS EBAY, THIS DECISION IS GOING TO BE THE ONE THAT DESTROYS THE COMPANY, AND A TON OF SMALL BUSINESSES ALONG WITH YOU...
DO NOT KEEP THIS CRAZY POLICY!!
