Increasingly Impossible!!

[meme6253]

It has become increasingly Impossible to try to operate a business properly on this platform, To properly support a business, you need a certain amount of sales to put back into the business,such as inventory, supplies, & multiple other expenses, & that is not happening here, not anymore, I feel I am being strong armed into increasing PL's & offering free shipping & free returns, & If I do not succumb my sales will forever be suppressed, Not what I signed up for when i started!!

[baantiques]

Eh.  Even if you DO all those things, you won't increase your sales.  Ebay gives you a monthly allotment in terms of sales, which they don't tell you about .  Ebay and many sellers will deny this, but I've seen enough in my 25 years of Ebay selling to see the pattern that cannot be explained any other way.   Plenty of people have similar experiences - doubling listings, increasing ad rates, free shipping, etc, but no corresponding increase in sales.  I could go on with examples from my experience, but the most basic one is having 300 listings and selling $X/mo, and busting butt to get up to 1500 listings and then selling.......... $X/mo.  The only thing any of that extra stuff like promoted listings and free shipping has done is to increase my expenses and reduce profit.

The solution is not to put all your eggs in one basket.  Diversify.  Sell on Ebay if it makes you sales, but also sell stuff that Amazon likes on Amazon, sell stuff that Etsy likes on Etsy, sell on FB Marketplace, etc.  I've successfully reduced the monthly percentage of Ebay in my overall sales to around 75% from 100%.  I stopped trying to fight the Ebay system.  It's a lot less stressfull and I'm more successful than before.

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

I have been witness to this daily/monthly/annual allotment. I will get a large sale and that will turn the spigot off for the day. Or it will be dead for a day or two and then crazy busy to make up for it. Every month is about the same in sales give or take a thousand with the result being the same annually.

[farmalljr]

---

@baantiques wrote:

Eh.  Even if you DO all those things, you won't increase your sales.  Ebay gives you a monthly allotment in terms of sales, which they don't tell you about .  Ebay and many sellers will deny this, but I've seen enough in my 25 years of Ebay selling to see the pattern that cannot be explained any other way.   Plenty of people have similar experiences - doubling listings, increasing ad rates, free shipping, etc, but no corresponding increase in sales.  I could go on with examples from my experience, but the most basic one is having 300 listings and selling $X/mo, and busting butt to get up to 1500 listings and then selling.......... $X/mo.  The only thing any of that extra stuff like promoted listings and free shipping has done is to increase my expenses and reduce profit.

The solution is not to put all your eggs in one basket.  Diversify.  Sell on Ebay if it makes you sales, but also sell stuff that Amazon likes on Amazon, sell stuff that Etsy likes on Etsy, sell on FB Marketplace, etc.  I've successfully reduced the monthly percentage of Ebay in my overall sales to around 75% from 100%.  I stopped trying to fight the Ebay system.  It's a lot less stressfull and I'm more successful than before.

---

Yeah, I've heard a YouTuber who got booted off eBay, elude to this as well. Yes, they certainly do limit the dollar amount you typically can sell in a week. I've also noted before, that just before my store fees are due, they make sure I have enough in sales to cover it. 

This is what the "switch" is people are talking about. If you aren't giving eBay what they want, well, they aren't giving you what you want either. 

Things have changed. It used to be the more you list the more you would sell. Not so anymore. What we used to do to drive sales in the past, doesn't work anymore. Something has changed internally, to eBay's benefit. 

[redlinear]

I don't think it's a limit deal.  I have a few methods to increase sales and my items are basically the same things over and over again.   By increase, I mean increase-vs-time.  So, I don't think we are limited.
But I do agree that what used to work to increase sales no longer has the effect it used to.
And, what eBay wants us to do? (promote, pay more)  It doesn't have the increase effect it's advertised to.
 
You just can't undercut price your way into being seen more than anybody else.
You can't buy your way into being seen more than anybody else.
You can't better quality your way there. 
You can't better reputation your way there.
    At least, not consistently.

Business is not a fair game.  Yet it seems eBay is doing what they can to make it fair. 
Trying to give everybody a little piece of that pie.  Spread the wealth to where it's just pennies, and let everybody have a few.

[coolections]

---

@ci1000 wrote:

I log out of "My ebay"  then I open the eBay website and do a search to find out where my placement is.  It's totally different when you are logged in to My ebay. 

---

@ci1000   Have you ever heard of "best match" and do you know how it works? Yes, different people have different results. It is like that on every selling website on the planet. One reason I never use best match when shopping and always change the default.

[coolections]

---

@sakic92710 wrote:

LOL!  Not too long ago, you boasted about a 60% sell through rate.  Times have certainly changed quickly for you.  😛

---

@sakic92710   Please show a link to that statement. I doubt it, but just maybe I listed a whole lot of good stuff at that time. My average is around 30% for the last 6 months. I list 3 items a day and sell 1 day. How is yours doing?

[coolections]

---

@sakic92710 wrote:

I'm searching for the word 'hide' in his post.  Nope.  Do not see it.

---

@sakic92710     They are not suppressing sellers who don't promote, they are just not showing them. 

My interpretation of him saying Ebay does not show his items means they "hide" his items.  What is your interpretation of that statement?

[redlinear]

Then need to do away with best match.   Best Match isn't possible on it's own.  With Promotions, there's not even a resemblance of best or match.
Yet most never even filter once. 

The other "main" filters should be a requirement for searches.  

[coolections]

---

@meme6253 wrote:

There are way to many sellers who are drastically reducing prices just to get a sale!

---

@meme6253   I do that all the time. I prefer to make a 15% profit on everything then wait a year to make a 25% profit. Fortunately, I do not do this to make a living. My follower numbers keep growing and definitely helps with the sales. Sometimes I list an item in the evening and it is sold by the time I wake up.

[coolections]

---

@baantiques wrote:

Even if you DO all those things, you won't increase your sales.  Ebay gives you a monthly allotment in terms of sales, which they don't tell you about . 

---

LOL... I needed a chuckle today.

[coolections]

---

@redlinear wrote:

Then need to do away with best match.   The other "main" filters should be a requirement for searches.  

---

I agree. Best match is a terrible idea.

[luckythewinner]

---

@meme6253 wrote:

I feel I am being strong armed into increasing PL's & offering free shipping & free returns

---

I have never promoted a listing and never used free shipping or free returns.

I have never felt strong armed into using them.

I have never felt my listings were "suppressed".

[farmalljr]

You know, gotta be honest. I don't get your responses. This is the second time now.

You say you don't believe eBay controls your sales or the ability to make sales. 

Yet you in turn "confirm" listing more, promoting higher, being better as a seller, NONE of those things help your sales. You are confirming exactly what I am saying, just making it sound like you aren't. You are saying the same thing I am, just saying it in your own way to make it look like you disagree. 

Here is our conversation:

Me: The sky is blue.

You: I disagree, it's not blue. I have mixed a lot of colors in my life. I have painted many pictures. I have won awards and toured the world displaying my art. I can assure you it's not blue. I have checked reference books, and conferred with other experts in the field. 

The sky is actually sky blue. It's not blue though. 

Sorry, but even eBay's TOS says they can control your sales and how much you can sell. They can control IF your listings are even shown at all. It's in the TOS. So while you may not "agree" with me while agreeing with me, the TOS agree with what I am saying. eBay is just not outwardly admitting they are doing this to people. We, like mushrooms', are kept in the dark. Some of us can figure it out though. 

[joliztoyco]

You can spin it any way you want it. And the fact that your word salad didn't have a single mention of "Promoted Listings" which is what's causing crappy sales and frustration for many sellers is telling.
Me? I'm going to follow your "advice" and work on developing a "perky attitude".
That should really help sales....

[redlinear]

No, I don't believe eBay intentionally "limits" a sellers sales.   "Okay, Joe's hit $1500, hide him till the 1st"  (that does not happen).   
I don't think they intentionally "hide" our items either.  However,  I do think  THAT happens.  Just wasn't part of their plan.
I think it's a combination of search algorithm, promotions, and filters.  We all cannot be on that 1st page.
Problem is, the way we used to get on that 1st page, no longer works.
And that's an issue.