How can eBay regain seller confidence?

[b86fiero]

With the recent change in eBay leadership, nervous sellers off loading product to other sites and buyer disinterest, it is paramount that eBay deliver an outstanding 4th quarter sales improvement.

What will it take to generate buyer excitement and bring them back to the site?

Forget seller issues like MP, GTC, etc for this thread please.

I'd like to hear thoughts on buyer enticements, loyalty programs, advertising and marketplace presentation.   

[ania1961-2007]

I agree with morsto12. I too noticed lower traffic on eBay.  All happened after they implemented so called  "site improvements"...  Ebay is not doing enough to invite buyers, and keep us as sellers.  

I did not get in August and September any additional promoted listing options (beside regular 50 from the beginning of the month), however, a few days ago, i also got multiple offerings for 10000 promoted listings till 2038!  Took picture... Did not believe my eyes.... By the time i prepared few postings, eBay removed them!!!  Where they disappeared? 

Ebay,  if you want to keep us, then  you know very well what to do, and what not to. 

[jewelbiz]

I want 7 Day Buyitnow back! 

Gtc sucks!

[divwido]

As a used to be buyer-Teach people how to ship.  I didn't pay $ 50 for a plate and another $ 16 for shipping to get a box of your trash with one plate wrapped in one piece of bubble wrap and taped 87 times round and round and round. All that in a box that used to hold Depends.

Between the horrific packing and the lies about the item-I shop elsewhere now.

[yuzuha]

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@divwido wrote:

As a used to be buyer-Teach people how to ship.  I didn't pay $ 50 for a plate and another $ 16 for shipping to get a box of your trash with one plate wrapped in one piece of bubble wrap and taped 87 times round and round and round. All that in a box that used to hold Depends.

Between the horrific packing and the lies about the item-I shop elsewhere now.

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Sorry but in this day and age of Google there is NO excuse for people not being able to ship properly.  The first time I sold a fragile item, I had never shipped one before, so I simply went on Google and searched for "how to package [X] for shipping" and received numerous results of step-by-step tutorials (many complete with photos of the entire process) explaining exactly how to package that type of item for safe shipping.

[uncseniorsportsfan]

As a lifelong recycler, I see nothing wrong with using clean newspaper, plastic bags, foam padding, old sheets or dishtowels and other "trash" as padding for packages.  Anything is better than those foam peanuts.   I've shipped a lot of plates and rarely used more than one piece of bubblewrap without any tape, and they seem to arrive just fine with a little "trash" padding.  I do invest in quality bubblewrap, boxes, and bubble mailers.   

If you want to talk about shoddy packaging - Amazon FBA, Staples, and most other non-clothing mail order should be at the top of the list.   Most of  the boxes are so flimsy that they can't be re-used.   And packaging is usually just a few air pillows thrown in.

[kathy507]

Many of you had great ideas.

Here are of few thoughts of mine:

1.  eBay should negotiate better postal rates with USPS.  Both buyers and sellers would benefit from this.  (Maybe eBay could just give up their "cut" when you run labels off eBay?)

2.  Stop showing buyers a large RETURN THIS ITEM button after they buy something while  "leave feedback" is so small.   This does not instill confidence that they will be satisfied with the purchase.

3.  When a buyer asks to cancel an item, program the system so the buyer is assessed at least the non-refundable, PayPal or payment processing fee.

4.  Stop showing buyers alternate items the same as yours after they buy...this just encourages them to ask to cancel or return items.

5.  When a SNAD is filed, actually look at the pictures/statements/history of buyer and seller before just deciding in favor of the buyer.  This would cut down on buyer fraud.

6.  Purge the site of buyers and sellers who are frauds.  They have enough evidence with the number of "report this buyer" and complaints about a seller to do this, but they fail to follow through.

7.  Do not allow Chinese selllers to claim they are in the USA. If they are shipping things directly from China, they are NOT USA based even if they have a center somewhere in the USA.  (I certainly hope the feds are able to end the ridiculous subsidy to Chinese postal rates but that is out of eBay control.)

8.  Offer a higher number of free listings to sellers; more listings can generate more sales.

9. This was supposed to be a level playing field.  Make it so.  Do not hide some listings in favor of others on search. (Those "rolling blackouts" have been proven many times.)

10.  FIX THE DARN SEARCH.  It is a disgrace showing you totally irrelevant items to what you are seeking.  Sure, you can refine the criteria some times but many buyers just give up.

I would add end GTC and managed payments but ....

[divwido]

Some of those foam peanuts are bio-degrable. That's all I use.

[vintagecraze50]

The market place needs to appeal to buyers who do not perceive this place as a flea market. First, clear all the clutter . I heard ebay will have better picture tool to make items look nicer. Do some ads like Mercari and Poshmark have been doing to get Ebay on peoples minds especially since we are so close to the holidays. Sales here are not going to be good if the advertising is not there. Say something in your announcements about how you will be restructuring this place so people do not start leaving here for fear that you are going to close up shop soon and leave millions of sellers with huge inventory in the dust with your demise. 

[vintagecraze50]

That’s a really good idea. It seems ebay has forgotten that the boomers do have the cash.

[vintagecraze50]

Another fabulous idea. Forget the rap music commercials like they did last year. 

[vintagecraze50]

Those promotions really helped when they came up before. I second that idea.

[yuzuha]

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@vintagecraze50 wrote:

That’s a really good idea. It seems ebay has forgotten that the boomers do have the cash.

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They may have the cash, but from my experience working B&M retail, they don't spend it.  The ones who DO spend money are the ones in the 30-50 age range-- THEY are the ones eBay really needs to be appealing to.

[gracieallen01]

What would rekindle my interest in buying on ebay?

Well, let me think for a minute.

It would be nice to find what I'm searching for without having to go through page after page of non-related, counterfeit, poorly made items and repeated listings.  I would like to see all the listings for the search I request.  When I am looking for 'tea bowl', I'm not looking for teacups and saucers (yes, I know to put in '-teacup', doesn't help).  If I'm looking at a poster's items when they come to the board with a problem, I really hate it when I start getting pictures of naked men sleeping, bathing or having sex with other men pictured down the side when I view their items ("Sponsored items for you") along with the tea bowls, an early woodblock print of a partially clad woman bathing, caricatures of animals wearing hats or a 2 1/2 cent Panama Pill. 

Yes, having a simple search would help immensely.

[dasarock]

ummm what I think would go farthest in promoting buyer return is …

simply and return good and relevant search results. only show promoted listings if the are 100% relevant in category to the search. buyers don't mind sifting thru search results … but the want GOOD search results.

[gracieallen01]

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@dasarock wrote:
ummm what I think would go farthest in promoting buyer return is …

simply and return good and relevant search results. only show promoted listings if the are 100% relevant in category to the search. buyers don't mind sifting thru search results … but the want GOOD search results.

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Yes, I agree, to a point.

However, the items I search for don't need 'Promoted Listings'.  The quality speaks for itself.  I've got four '$.99 only' type stores within 20 miles of me, if I want everyday throwaways.  ebay doesn't need a section new and another for used, they need - for the average buyer - is one for 'Bargain Basement' and lesser, 'Commodity Goods', 'The Good Stuff', and 'The Good "Real" Stuff'.