Is eBay worth it???

[1224fischer]

I’m sitting on tons and tons of stuff and few if any sales.  I feel like chucking everything.   I’ve been a seller since 06 and have never seen a slump like this.   I believe everybody is so stressed out during these political and financial times.  Oh and add the weather

[dentalsales4u]

I am seriously thinking about ending my selling on eBay too.

I've been buying and selling since 2000, but since the end of 2023 my sales have taken a nose dive.

I used to average 60K a month, but that's been a long while now.

So far this month, I'm barely at 11K.

It just isn't worth the time and headaches any more.

I sell for a dental company and make a commission on the sales. The commission isn't even close to $500 a month any longer and it's been this way for over a year now.

[sakic92710]

My eBay demise started in fall of 2021.  2 decades of getting 8-20 sales weekly sales dropped to single digits per month.  I was lucky to get $200 a month.  My flea market booth (one day per week) was keeping me going but COVID ruined that.  It never recovered for me.  Eventually, I had to close my booths.  Now I depend on Marketplace for most of my sales.  I removed many expenses from my life so, even making $40 a day, every day, would see me through easily - for the time being.  Sounds so easy, doesn't it?  lol  Last Oct, I went 3 weeks with just $60 in sales.  Last week, 1 sale for $50.  Every day is a bleak mystery.   lol

[m60driver]

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@chariot_badges wrote:

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When your income goes up 4% and your expenses go up 9% due to inflation -- you're not even treading water.

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That all depends on one's margins and what one's percent of sales covers expenses.  My actual expenses are quite low.

That being said my sales have been down rather significantly the past two years with another short-term drop over the past month or so coinciding with "DOGE' mucking around with the government.  Having been in retail for about 50 years now I have seen plenty of sales swings.  But this one just feels different.  There is fear in the air as people realize the radical Project 2025 agenda is being fully implemented.  But unlike my decision to close my brick and mortar store 10 years ago (one of the best business decisions I have ever made)  it matters little whether I actually close down my small Ebay business as my cost of goods is marginal and everything has been paid for my prior sales.  It won't be a business decision to end sales,  just a personal one.  I mean it costs little to keep my items listed but I am being rather conservative when it comes to buying new items to list.

[inhawaii]

It's worth it for some people.

It's not worth it for others.

[sfau]

Maybe unload some stuff at a garage sale or consignment sale so it does not feel overwhelming?

[onefootflipper]

I looked at your store, most of your items are better suited for either a live sale or to go into large lots.  I would never even consider trying to sell a single sewing pattern by itself.

With that said, you have an 11.5 month sell through rate, which is a little worse than mine, but better than almost every other person posting in this thread (most of the names I am familiar with are at least over 12 months, some of them are closer to 5 years), so you are actually performing way better than average

[fbusoni]

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@pickapaper wrote:

@meme6253 wrote:  "Like you said the political atmosphere has been toxic, Finances have been dismal for most, & no one knows what to expect next, No prices are coming down, another empty promise, "

Not everyone agrees with your logic.  Regarding prices coming down, did you honestly expect that to be instantaneous?  The man has been in office for less than one month, for crying out loud.   

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@pickapaper 

I can honestly say that in nearly 26 years of selling on eBay, the occupant of the White House and the overall political climate in the USA has not made one scintilla of difference in my sales on this platform.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

You may be "sitting on tons of stuff" but you do not have tons listed. 200+ is not close to tons.

Without criticizing your items, I point out that I see nothing which I would identify as high demand, or even as a need.

They are all wants. There are millions of items which someone may want, but many of the people who want them cannot buy them today or tomorrow. Perhaps next month or the month after.

Some may have competition, and people on a budget might find someone who is asking less for some of them, or offering them in better condition.

Been selling online for many years, listing more has usually been the way I get out of a slump. More items draws more visitors, and some who come to look will buy the new items, and others will buy other items I am offering.

The past month has been a disappointment, worst in a long time, and I am not listing more because I don't want to. This sloth will harm me, but I know it will and accept that.

[grand-and-glorious-purpose]

You have low value low demand items. 

I can't imagine when it was ever worth the effort for you unless ebay is a labor of love.

[meme6253]

But he has done Nothing to deal with that, Instead he is going for his Vendetta on everyone HE considers wronged him, He has PO'd plenty of are allies, He is siding with Putin, He is tearing apart the entire government & rebuilding it for him & his cronies own personal gains & so no one can stop him from doing any of it!, A veritable legal criminal, Wan't to build Gaza Largo, I can go on & on , If you don't see what is going on here, You should because it's insanity!, Toxic!

[chapeau-noir]

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@onefootflipper wrote:

I looked at your store, most of your items are better suited for either a live sale or to go into large lots.  I would never even consider trying to sell a single sewing pattern by itself.

With that said, you have an 11.5 month sell through rate, which is a little worse than mine, but better than almost every other person posting in this thread (most of the names I am familiar with are at least over 12 months, some of them are closer to 5 years), so you are actually performing way better than average

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😂Just because YOU would not consider buying a single sewing pattern doesnt mean that no one would consider it. Ive sold several hundred patterns on here, often in ones.  Are you a tailor? 

[meme6253]

A little cruel don't you think?

[onefootflipper]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

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@onefootflipper wrote:

I looked at your store, most of your items are better suited for either a live sale or to go into large lots.  I would never even consider trying to sell a single sewing pattern by itself.

With that said, you have an 11.5 month sell through rate, which is a little worse than mine, but better than almost every other person posting in this thread (most of the names I am familiar with are at least over 12 months, some of them are closer to 5 years), so you are actually performing way better than average

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😂Just because YOU would not consider buying a single sewing pattern doesnt mean that no one would consider it. Ive sold several hundred patterns on here, often in ones.  Are you a tailor? 

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I said I wouldn't consider selling a singular sewing pattern. No I am not a tailor. But the reason is that singular  sewing patterns  of the common brands have sell through rates that are between 40 and 60 months and usually have a very low profit margin.  While I can make a lot move in a month or two every single time by pricing it aggressively. 

[pickapaper]

@fbusoni wrote: "I can honestly say that in nearly 26 years of selling on eBay, the occupant of the White House and the overall political climate in the USA has not made one scintilla of difference in my sales on this platform."

I have never noticed any difference in my sales because of that reason, either.   I just find it interesting that politics get blamed for bad sales.  When I have bad sales, I figure either nobody wants what I'm selling or they don't want to pay my selling price or the right buyer hasn't found my stuff yet.   

Now, bad weather, that's a different story.  I blame a lot of things on the weather.   

[chariot_badges]

I too have been doing this for decades.

Since Al Gore first invented the internet.

The first crash was right after 911.

Things went right into the toilet.

I was selling used books, and had a database of over 10k paperback used books.

I sole on my own site, (gentlyusedbooks dot com) and had a pretty large presence on Amazon.

In fact, the first year, Amazon used US for drop shipping.   

After 911 things changed. 

I heard hundreds of my fellow internet sellers "I am out of here.   I knew the internet was a fad"  LoLoL 

I bought more inventory from them for pennies.

Actually rented warehouse space, set up special shelves and wrapping facilities, and hired people.

And, the crickets chirped.

Then they stopped.

And we were SLAMMED with sales.

I was making enough money to have a tax problem.

This was back in the day when there was no security.

People would send in an order over email.   Unsecured email.

Someone had to stand at the credit card machine and manually punch in those numbers.

For hours, and hours.

My banker called me and asked "what the he|| are you guys selling .. porn?"

No matter how things are now -- just wait.   It'll change.

If times are good ... they'll get bad.

If times are bad .... be patient, they'll get better.

Nothing good, or bad lasts forever.