eBay

vintageantique77 · ‎10-07-2020

This year has presented some unique challenges, but ones that could pose either a benefit or a drawback. Many Americans have been awarded financial stimulus packages, which could be used for...Stimulating the economy, or to be squirreled away for the future. Many Americans are stuck at home, presenting financial difficulties from lack of work, but also more down time to browse eBay. I'm curious if anyone has noticed an upswing during this pandemic, or maybe the opposite? What trends are picking up on eBay? Are items bringing more or less money?

I personally have noticed a downswing. My inventory source has shut down as of April of this year, leaving me at a near stall ever since.

This is purely a topic of discussion and sharing. No right answers or wrong answers. Opinions welcome.

little*blackdog · ‎10-07-2020

As far as sales, I'm plugging along as usual, but I only sell small items for small bucks. Just a hobby basically. What's changed isn't the buyers for me, it's eBay in general! So many requirements, so many new rules and regulations, different (aggravating!) workflow pages, nothing's the same. Something new or different very time you sign in... it's getting pretty hard to keep up.

Now Managed Payments seems to be a negative for too many... too intrusive, too much control given to eBay, some unexpected changes in rules and earlier expectations there also. It's all too tiresome and really not very enjoyable anymore. Bah humbug!

I'm just waiting for some cooler weather (in Florida) so I can set up a few huge garage sales! Maybe end it all that way... we'll see. Gotta get all these boxes of "inventory" out of my closets and storage spaces... change hobbies... maybe take up gardening or building tiny homes/campers. Life goes on.

southern*sweet*tea · ‎10-07-2020

My sales have been fairly consistent. By that I mean the same peaks and valleys as usual. I sell non-necessities to a small (in the overall scope of things) group of people who I assume have disposable income of some sort and to whom price really isn't a top consideration. That said, I don't sell expensive stuff, so I could just be talking out my backside lol

The easier you are to offend the easier you are to control.

We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did. - Thomas Sowell

evry1nositswindy · ‎10-07-2020

I sell a little bit of everything. At the beginning of the pandemic, I noticed that puzzles and groups of books were selling. I am out of puzzles to sell, but I am still listing and selling groups of books for bored people. More books sold means I can go out and buy more books for me to read...and then I list them. The circle of life.

evry1nositswindy • seller since 2013
Volunteer Community Mentor

creativecrisis · ‎10-07-2020

I've had a very good year so far. Maybe craft supplies are selling well because it's something people can do at home. (?) Also, I've had more time to list on eBay since losing my job in February, and continual listing does seem to increase sales.

silverstatetreasureboxes · ‎10-08-2020

I adore your topics and you always reply to the posters! I have been on a break from selling on ebay but my "store" Princess of Bel-air has been threw the roof all year. I missed being a "snow bird" this year due to that China covid and lock downs, so no auctions, flea markets, garage sales. But I do have a source as I volunteer at our local thrift 2x weekly and what I can't buy local, I purchase on ebay ( licenses plates, huge sellers for me) Lucky for me, hubs goes dumpster diving and refinished old furniture for me. Our local Smith's was redoing their store and threw out huge letters and nice tables, racks, lockers etc. I hate waste big-time so we re-purpose it and sell it! It's amazing what a little spray paint and vintage knobs do!

mr_lincoln · ‎10-08-2020

@vintageantique77 My issue has been the negative effect the quarantines have had on acquiring inventory. Sales have not been the problem. The most recent example is an online auction I recently participated in ... there were 411 lots in a good selling category of mine ... I only won 10 lots out of the 411. Last year it would have been a live auction and I could have walked away with a lot more lots.

The auction had the Webcast option which displays the City and State of each bidder ... there were bidders from across the country who would NOT have been involved had it been a live auction.

Now that some of the quarantines are loosening up these auctions are a combination of Live and Online ... which is great for the Auction house and Consignors but bad for Resellers.

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

luckythewinner · ‎10-08-2020

I'm curious if anyone has noticed an upswing during this pandemic or maybe the opposite?

If you go back and read this board since the pandemic started, you will find plenty of sellers who posted that they saw an upswing, and plenty of sellers who posted that they saw a downturn.

Overall, the dollar volume of items sold on eBay in Q2 (April - June) was up 26% over the same period the prior year.

For me, sales were up about 50% over last year through July. Since then, they have slow settled back down.

vintageantique77 · ‎10-08-2020

Thank you for the kind words! 🙂
Oddly enough I also used to dumpster dive! Have found many a treasure doing so - best find was a jewelers electric metal melting furnace!
I've heard many times that furniture refurb is a good business.

vintageantique77 · ‎10-08-2020

I've never tried the live auction blocks....Might have to look into that. Seems like a decent way to get inventory in a small town with not so many bidders. I can see how going online has messed up your honey hole. Hope things get back to normal soon.

vintageantique77 · ‎10-08-2020

I agree, things are changing in eBay ALL the time! I don't see why they need to change so much with the layout of the site and the rules, etc. It's like someone just has nothing better to do.

comics-scifi-collectibles · ‎10-08-2020

I had one of my best months in several years right after the stimulus checks came out. Now I am back to my usual putting along.

Comics-scifi_collectibles Volunteer Community Mentor
Member since 2003

vintageantique77 · ‎10-08-2020

I think a lot of people haven't been impacted by the pandemic as far as eBay goes. People have money, and they will spend it on things regardless of an economic downturn or not. It's shocking how many millionaires are in the U.S.....There are a ton of people out there with money. Google suggests 18.6 Million Americans, or 40% of the worlds total. How many of those 18.6 million people use eBay?