Had enough of eBay...

[sangetsu03]

This year I received my 10 year anniversary badge as a seller on eBay. I have done about $700,000 sales on eBay over that time, but have gotten tired of the nonsense which eBay keeps dumping on sellers which they call "improvements." 

The COVID crisis has been troublesome, I sell from Japan, and because of the restrictions in flights I am forced to use a shipping service which eBay does not track. As a result, none of my sales can be tracked through eBay, and therefore I cannot meet eBay's shipping time requirements. And because of this, my listings are buried or not promoted, and sales have dwindled to almost nothing.  Way to go eBay, in punishing me for doing nothing wrong, you are now not receiving the $700 in monthly fees you used to make from my sales, last month my fees added up to a whopping $28. 

Thankfully I started selling on Etsy some time back, and am getting better sales there than I ever got on eBay. I then set up my own web store which I linked to a Youtube channel, and my first month's sales are nearly 4 times what I sold on eBay during the same month. 

I will not add any more listings to my eBay store, when what I have is sold out, that will be it. I will keep my account for an occasional purchase. 

It is quite sad, it looks like eBay will be the Sears of internet retail. Thankfully sellers have other options. 

[stylexia]

I'm with you. Ebay has turned into one crazy website, doesn't know what it is is any more, definitely not an auction site. I like what you have done and think having your own site is the way to go, combined with youtube you're on a winner! All the best.

[luckythewinner]

---

@sangetsu03 wrote:

I started selling on Etsy some time back, and am getting better sales there than I ever got on eBay.

{snip}

I then set up my own web store which I linked to a Youtube channel, and my first month's sales are nearly 4 times what I sold on eBay during the same month. 

{snip}

It is quite sad

---

You have figured out how to get at least 5X your eBay sales, and you are sad? I would be rejoicing!

[u_cant_take_it_with_u]

A number of years back, there was a thread on the boards that stated, "one cannot be poor, and sell on eBay". At that time, I was still selling a lot on here; It was just the tail end of the *good ol' days* of eBay.... At that time, I thought that post as more of a sour grapes type thing. I dare say, that it says a mouth full, and most certainly applies to the eBay of today.  If you can't afford to pay, then you can't afford to play....Plain and sinple.

[jayjaspersgarage]

The saying "Pay to play" applies to many aspects of life.  My version of this phrase is "You have to save early to play later." in life.  "Save to Play"  

"You have to spend money to make money".  That's another truism in life.  So yes, people who start on ebay will need to realize that even ebay takes a little capital to truly start comfortably.  

[moparfan2010]

I am so happy to hear you are successful elsewhere...

So basically it seems now in order to make a small fortune on ebay, you have to start with a large one...

So sad it has come to this here...I enjoyed the customers, the selling, the auctions...all of it...and at one time this was fun and profitable for everyone and you had to even give a nod to ebay for bringing us all together...

But now seems like ebay is trying to become the W @ l - M @ r t  of internet buying and selling.  Good Luck with that...time to move on I guess...

[pburn]

@moparfan2010 

Just FFR, you can post the word "Walmart" on the discussion boards.

[espresso_warehouse]

It was probably a lot of work to transition away from this platform.

[hioctane62]

Agreed that eBay is the Sears of internet retail. Sears thought they were too big to fail, and when they got into trouble, they started screwing their VENDORS over. The customers noticed the shelves were getting sparse, and slowly stopped going into Sears stores. They found that there were even BETTER stores to get the items that they used to get exclusively at Sears. eBay is already showing some of the troubling signs that doomed Sears. Answering to activist investors is never a good business policy.

[moparfan2010]

Thanks...wasn't sure as lots of folks get reprimanded here for saying some things...

Regards and Best of Luck

[mam98031]

---

@stylexia wrote:

I'm with you. Ebay has turned into one crazy website, doesn't know what it is is any more, definitely not an auction site. I like what you have done and think having your own site is the way to go, combined with youtube you're on a winner! All the best.

---

It not being primarily an auction site isn't Ebay's fault, it is how buyers have changed over the years.  I use to run 500+ auctions a month with very good returns.  That changed dramatically in the last 5-6 years and buyers want things now, not waiting for an auction to close.  I did notice during shut downs due to the pandemic auctions have done a bit better.  I suppose people looking for ways to occupy their time.  But Ebay being primarily an auction sites died a few years ago.  Now it is 80+% fixed price.

[mam98031]

---

@moparfan2010 wrote:

Thanks...wasn't sure as lots of folks get reprimanded here for saying some things...

Regards and Best of Luck

---

As long as it is within the rules for the community you are fine.  You can say any other site's name you want.  You just are not suppose to encourage others to move their listings there.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/About-the-Community/Rules-of-Engagement/td-p/26164369?nobounce

[yuzuha]

---

@sangetsu03 wrote:

The COVID crisis has been troublesome, I sell from Japan, and because of the restrictions in flights I am forced to use a shipping service which eBay does not track. As a result, none of my sales can be tracked through eBay, and therefore I cannot meet eBay's shipping time requirements.

---

What shipping service are you using? I have made several purchases from Japan in the past few months and all of them had tracking included. Some were shipped FedEx, some DHL.

[powell-memorabilia]

I think that people confuse the fees that eBay collects with the seller's value to eBay.  The two aren't the same - and it isn't even close.  A seller that provides fee revenue of $7000/month might have a $50/month incremental value to eBay.  

[gracieallen01]

@hioctane62

It would seem that there may be one less activist investor in the picture as Starboard Value dropped 74% of it's stock in ebay - as reported in August.  I  wonder if that means that there will be one less BOD chair.