eBay

twincitytools · ‎10-12-2017

I'm so fortunate that I've only been an employee and not a business owner. I've spent the last 10 years helping my boss sell on eBay (and 10 years before that helping him in a different venture) and we've been pretty succesful in spite of the numerous changes and careless employees. When we first started there were only a handful of people selling the same type of product and now eBay is flooded with it. I'm done and tomorrow is my last day. I've been burnt out for a few years now. I hate data entry and customer service even though I'm very good at it and take great pride in what I've helped him accomplish. I'm over half a century old and finally, I'll be doing something I like. That being said, if you find yourself in the same boat, hang in there and don't give up. If you put your mind to it, things will always work out even if you have to completely switch gears. I must say that the owner has treated me very well over the years and I do wish him the best and he already knows that. I feel sorry for the rest of the sellers who find themselves struggling and I know there are plenty of sellers who will do just fine but I think the small business is going to find it ever more difficult to scratch out a living here. Good luck.

odditiesandantiquities1 · ‎10-12-2017

@twincitytools wrote:
I'm so fortunate that I've only been an employee and not a business owner. I've spent the last 10 years helping my boss sell on eBay (and 10 years before that helping him in a different venture) and we've been pretty succesful in spite of the numerous changes and careless employees. When we first started there were only a handful of people selling the same type of product and now eBay is flooded with it. I'm done and tomorrow is my last day. I've been burnt out for a few years now. I hate data entry and customer service even though I'm very good at it and take great pride in what I've helped him accomplish. I'm over half a century old and finally, I'll be doing something I like. That being said, if you find yourself in the same boat, hang in there and don't give up. If you put your mind to it, things will always work out even if you have to completely switch gears. I must say that the owner has treated me very well over the years and I do wish him the best and he already knows that. I feel sorry for the rest of the sellers who find themselves struggling and I know there are plenty of sellers who will do just fine but I think the small business is going to find it ever more difficult to scratch out a living here. Good luck.

I someone else going to be taking over the selling account?

Regardless I'm very glad to hear that you have something in your future that you are going to be enjoying. There's nothing worse in life than hating a job. Life is just too short. We can all make changes at any age. I know I've had a few work changes and things keep getting better.

All the best,

Ann

jellsello · ‎10-12-2017

Much success to you in the future in whatever you do! I agree that small sellers will find it increasingly frustrating to eke out a living. I myself will be closing my store down in February, and only listing less than 50 items a month for some extra cash. Buyers have become increasingly frustrating to deal with and eBay has so many policy changes and not fulfilling their end to give us the working tools we need to get our job done, that it is becoming no fun to do this anymore. I can see how you could get burnt out doing this. But I hope your happy in whatever you will be doing after eBay!

mistwomandancing · ‎10-12-2017

twincitytools wrote:
When we first started there were only a handful of people selling the same type of product and now eBay is flooded with it.

This is one of the big difficulties many, many small sellers face here. Where there used to be few others in competition with them, now there are many, many, many. Where buyers used to have a very few sellers to go to, now there are tons, all selling pretty much the same items, and the only difference among them often boils down to price. Who is holding out for yesterday's prices compared to who is priced to sell today.

It's increasingly hard to come up with good new fresh ideas of merchandise to offer on eBay, and harder to source it at low enough prices that will give you a decent profit when you sell here.

Once you enter into competition with almost the entire world, you become even more insignificant than the smallest fish in a Very Big Pond. Additionally, there has been a big shift in consumers and what they want to buy. We used to be selling to *collectors* for example, but today's young buyers are far less interested in collectibles than their parents were.

Being able to develop a successful business on eBay is hard, and harder than it used to be in my opinion because of the number in competition with everyone else these days.

baantiques · ‎10-12-2017

@twincitytools wrote:
I'm so fortunate that I've only been an employee and not a business owner. I've spent the last 10 years helping my boss sell on eBay (and 10 years before that helping him in a different venture) and we've been pretty succesful in spite of the numerous changes and careless employees. When we first started there were only a handful of people selling the same type of product and now eBay is flooded with it. I'm done and tomorrow is my last day. I've been burnt out for a few years now. I hate data entry and customer service even though I'm very good at it and take great pride in what I've helped him accomplish. I'm over half a century old and finally, I'll be doing something I like. That being said, if you find yourself in the same boat, hang in there and don't give up. If you put your mind to it, things will always work out even if you have to completely switch gears. I must say that the owner has treated me very well over the years and I do wish him the best and he already knows that. I feel sorry for the rest of the sellers who find themselves struggling and I know there are plenty of sellers who will do just fine but I think the small business is going to find it ever more difficult to scratch out a living here. Good luck.

Awesome! Good luck in the future.

I'm in the same boat. I lost my job almost a year ago (after 17 years they hired a kid to do the same thing I did and paid him less than half what they paid me. That writing was on the wall immediately, but I ultimately got my pound of flesh. I won't elaborate)

I decided to retire from that field. I was gone 10 months out of the year, often to places where it would have been difficult and expensive to get home if I needed to. I miss the boats, I miss the travel, I miss the really cool projects, I miss the diving, and I miss the comraderie with the like minded and adventurous people I worked with but I don't miss my kids crying on the phone because they haven't seen me in 2 months. Plus, having to swim out of the cabin of a boat offshore as it was going down due to circumstances beyond my control was a huge wake up call.

Now I'm running my ecommerce business full time. About the same amount of $$, but the limit to my income is only my own drive and ingenuity. And the best part is I don't have to work for an **bleep** anymore.

pf9000 · ‎10-12-2017

In order to keep happy and healthy, you have to keep busy.

papyruspapillo · ‎10-12-2017

The downturn started years ago, when ebay started using the phrase "at low prices". I knew then that the site would deteriorte in terms of profitability. It was great once, but now it's time to fold the tent and go away.

katfreikh_0 · ‎10-12-2017

This is sad to see but I wish the very best for your future.

Good luck!

auctionpet · ‎10-12-2017

Yes, practically every category is flooded! Most of the blame is on the ease of mobile devices. It's turned many into ebay sellers, who otherwise would have no idea what they're doing. They go everywhere just inputting or scanning items in the hopes of making a profit. Many know nothing about what they're selling and simply copy other sellers listings, often even their photos and ebay makes it easy to do. Many who used to be buyers are now seller's. Sellers are a dime a dozen and it's often a race to the bottom.

I find what' s happened here very sad. But that's the way it is, and you can't fight it! I wish you well!

mistwomandancing · ‎10-12-2017

We're also often told that "they can find it cheaper on Amazon" so this isn't just an eBay problem as to keeping prices inflated.

Competition drives prices down and disallows one entity from inflating prices above what others can price at, wherever that mean price range falls. Sellers who overprice are eventually left so far behind in sales they are finally simply weeded out.

This is why we so often read the advice to find an area that isn't oversaturated or over represented here, which is very hard to do anymore.