Huge traffic spike on October 2nd and great sales that weekend, then slow ever since?

[rcmbullion]

Did anyone else have a massive traffic spike on 10/2?  I went from the normal 5k to over 20k listing impressions that day, with a similar surge in sales 10/2-10/4.  I also had a lot more outside traffic (10x) on 10/3 than I have ever had.  What gives?  Did ebay mess up and give me all the sales that day?  Did they redo the algorithm?  Did I just happen to be SEOed correctly that day?  Was that my back to school weekend?  From there it has been a gradual decline for the rest of October.

Thoughts?  Experiences?

[lewisburggold]

It did pick up for us also.  Then has held somewhat better than it was during the summer.  Best regards

[softersilk]

Thoughts?  

Yes, don't worry about it.  Don't consider algorithms or conspiracy theories or behind-the-scenes eBay actions.

Perhaps something you were selling was in the news that day and got a lot more people curious.  Retail goes through ebbs and flows.  Trying to think about eBay manipulation gets a seller's mind off the things that he/she can actually control and do in order to make money.

[greatpartsgooddeals]

I acually agree with softer silk that it is useless to think about it all because it definitely distracts you, but I also think ebay 100% manipulates seller's accounts. After 16 years on ebay with three seller accounts I do not see anyway other way to describe the insanity.  I worked B&M retail for 25 years and never saw the Bizarre patterns that are observed here constantly.

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

I don't think I've ever looked to see what my impressions are. Wouldn't even know where to look lol

[sonoranboutique]

I think that was a busy weekend for me, in my opinion there was so much going on with the news for so long that people were distracted before that, also there were five Fridays that month so probably more people getting paid, they probably paid rent then had money left so wanted to buy stuff.  But if you overthink these things you'll go crazy, it could be a million reasons.

[lv-deals-direct]

It just may have been your time on the rotation (algorithm) so you had more sales.  That is normal. I get one about 6 weeks.

[flyinhawaiiangirl]

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@rcmbullion wrote:

Did anyone else have a massive traffic spike on 10/2?  I went from the normal 5k to over 20k listing impressions that day, with a similar surge in sales 10/2-10/4.  I also had a lot more outside traffic (10x) on 10/3 than I have ever had.  What gives?  Did ebay mess up and give me all the sales that day?  Did they redo the algorithm?  Did I just happen to be SEOed correctly that day?  Was that my back to school weekend?  From there it has been a gradual decline for the rest of October.

Thoughts?  Experiences?

---

I would attribute that to the release of Ebay buck funds!

[futuretomorrow]

@rcmbullion

Yes, I noticed a similar pattern and see it reflected in a lot of "completed items" search results. Beginning to end of September was great for some items on my research list, more than 75% of them and then it nosedived around the 2nd/3rd or simply first week of October. 

[rcmbullion]

I think you might be onto something here. Ebay bucks is a quarterly program and October 1 was a new quarter. Best answer so far...

[rhodesk356]

It just sickens me how E-Bay was a pretty good thing when I started 12 year ago.  I agree....E-Bay manipulates the accounts.  Then when you call and speak to customer services it's always.....Oh, we so sorry.  Well, your freakin right E-Bay you are sorry.  They are taking jobs and our income right out of our hands which in America is theft.  At this rate we ALL will be without if something is not done.  This is the most screwed up company I have ever seen.  Didn't start out that way.. All I want to do is sell and make a living (totally harmless).  

[lv-deals-direct]

That is true - I have had posts deleted and did not even receive a notification of it which is not very seller/company friendly.

I think the small sellers just have to face it --ebay is no longer the 12 or so years ago marketplace that the sellers loved.  And it never will be again.  That ship has sailed. They made lots of money off the small sellers' backs - the sellers made money too --and ebay has now evolved and is now giantbay, largebay, bigboxbay or chinesebay.  You can still sell and make a small amount but it not the way to make a f/t living if you are a small seller.  Small frys cannot compete with the bestbuys, overstock, timex, Targets etc...It is still an OK sideline-

[lovefindingtreasures2]

Sadly, I have finally come to the realization that my time here on eBay is over too. Impossible to make any kind of living here now.

I have more than one account here (this is my posting ID) as do many of my friends and sellers I have met here over the years, on and off. We have all been seeing the exact same thing. A distinct pattern in sales. It isn't random and it's now predictable and very obvious.

I have lost all interest in listing here knowing that 90% or more of my items that I worked hard for acquiring, researching, photographing, writing ad copy, etc., will roll off unsold. I'm just giving stuff away now to other resellers who are hitting me on best offer. I'm taking it because I know it's over for me. I guess it isn't over for them or they are reselling my items on another platform. I no longer know, but at this rate I'm making maybe .03c an hour.

If it isn't happening to you, be very happy and don't bash those of us it has/is happening to. I've been in this mess all summer with it getting WORSE every single month. Didn't think it could get any worse.

When no matter I list (with low, medium or high price points) sits dead in the water with few views and no revisions help boost sales, then as predicted and expected, 1 sale comes in at nearly the exact same time on each account for about the same dollar amount, I know it's manipulated. No seller can win against a company that is deciding when you sell and how much. The rest of the time it's lights out with hardly any new views.

For me and many I know, it's an item here or there, not daily either. Certainly not enough to keep anyone in rent money or even interested in continuing selling on eBay. THAT is what I think they are doing. Weeding out 100,000's of small sellers, more room for the big players. With a sale here and there, the seller cannot say they have been blacked out. With time, sellers give up and fold, which I think is exactly what Devin had in mind. A planned and calculated EXTINCTION of a species of seller. My species. Maybe your species too.

It's a business. They are going to give prime time to those who make them prime money. That isn't me, nor will it ever be. I'm small potatoes, just trying to support myself. As small sellers, we can complain and scream unfair all we want, eBay does not care. Not a wit. To them I think we are the past, old fashioned, something in the way of their new path.

It's going to be a sad holiday season here and I know I am not alone.

[calntom]

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@rcmbullion wrote:

Did anyone else have a massive traffic spike on 10/2?  I went from the normal 5k to over 20k listing impressions that day, with a similar surge in sales 10/2-10/4.  I also had a lot more outside traffic (10x) on 10/3 than I have ever had.  What gives?  Did ebay mess up and give me all the sales that day?  Did they redo the algorithm?  Did I just happen to be SEOed correctly that day?  Was that my back to school weekend?  From there it has been a gradual decline for the rest of October.

Thoughts?  Experiences?

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I had been slow since the 18th of October, averaging about .5 sales per day and then had 9 sales in a 30 hour period around the 31st. None on the 1st.

None of those sales during the spike came from about 60 new listings I had put up over the course of 2 weeks. 

[membersinceaug2001]

Had 2 sales on the 3rd a short time apart, about an hour or less, one on an account that hadn't sold anything for 6 weeks, the other sale on another account that hadn't sold anything for 5 days.