Low sales

[vera_boutique]

Starting the year my sales fell by 70% and I have -14% traffic I am a top seller. I already made some changes in the listings and promotions but nothing changes... any tips that you can tell me to improve my traffic, thanks

[domin-tomas]

Gotta spread your wings. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

[divwido]

Try new inventory.  I am having my best year, and my best December 2021, by far.  I'm busy and selling everywhere.  I was sick last week-end and had eight packages to go out Monday.  I never used to have more than two or three at a time, now I have dozen.

What changed?  I have no idea, but I'm listing like a crazy person trying to keep up with it.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, i took a look at your listings and they are really great. Excellent pics, good descriptions, great return policy, et al.

 Have you optimized your listings for SEO? Below is a link to suggestions on how to boost traffic through Search Engine Optimization.

Good luck, and hope your sales pick up soon.

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/listing-and-marketing/boost-traffic-with-seo.html

[chapeau-noir]

Slow in clothing this time of year - everybody has their winter stuff, spring is a ways away.  Stores here are busy and people are sick of being online, etc.  I don't find tax returns or anything affect my sales (I used to be full time here) - a lot is seasonal for me.

Refreshing your listings is never a bad idea - I cycle through them ever 60 days or so.

[zanmart]

My sales are down 64% this month vs. last month. The majority of my sales last month were collectibles. I had the best December ever since becoming a full-time seller 11 years ago. Last January my sales were about twice what I've done this month. Hopefully sales will be picking up for everyone here soon. 

[adofmi]

You are all not alone, my sales are down 70%, used to have 20-35 packages a day now only 10.  I truly believe people are financially struggling, possibly headed towards a recession.  Don't give up keep working!

[chapeau-noir]

---

@adofmi wrote:

You are all not alone, my sales are down 70%, used to have 20-35 packages a day now only 10.  I truly believe people are financially struggling, possibly headed towards a recession.  Don't give up keep working!

---

3Q 2021 offline sales jumped 11.5%. The only slowing online is compared to pandemic levels, and then even despite the drop since pandemic levels, online spending is still up from pre-pandemic levels.

People are spending money, just maybe not here or maybe on different things.  I agree to just keep going - even when I was full time and had very regular sales (despite being in pre-owned clothing), I still experienced some wild ups and downs.

[dbfolks166mt]

     I believe a lot of it is the post Christmas slump combined with the rising costs associated with buying online, shipping, sales tax, etc. and the ongoing logistical problems with virtually every shipping company. People are also returning to the B&M stores where they can see an item before they buy it and have it immediately. Returns are a lot easier to B&M stores and you can exchange the item or simply get a refund without long delays. The online shopping cost has gradually increased and is no longer the bargain it used to be. I can often get items in a B&M store cheaper than I can online. 

     I am waiting for eBay to release their 2021 fourth quarter reports to see what is happening from a big picture perspective. 

[chapeau-noir]

I think that's true.

Also I was reading an article in Marketplace Pulse (mostly a stats crunching site) that eBay is starting to really age - the sellers are getting older and unlike other sites, there are not as many new sellers joining as previously, or as on other sites.  There's seller loyalty which is great, but not as much new blood coming in, and sites always need new blood.  Their struggles for verticals (sneakers, sports cards, etc.) just feels like  Steve Buscemi's “How do you do, fellow kids?" shtick, and with the market continuing to disperse I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket.

But, still, January is slow.  So is February, but in my line it does start picking up in March/April.  In my experience in clothing the secondary market follows the primary market by a couple of months (the primary market starting pretty early). 

[psfhobbies]

My sales are so up and down its amazing.I have never had a day where I made less than 100.00 in probably 15 years but have had a lot lately even in December. 2020-2021 we had the best business we have had in 24 years here in May (2021) sales slumped and have been on a roller coaster ride ever since.My graphs look like a mountain range up and down almost evenly like perfect little mountains.I don't know what is up but I'm on the way out just don't like it here anymore.I feel like I work for ebay not myself...I cant count on this place anymore.

[reallynicestamps]

Since you joined in 2019 you were just in time for the pandemic surge in online buying.

You may find it useful, or comforting, to make a chart.

Compare month to month for 2019, 2020, and 2021.

You should compare both number of transactions and value of transactions.

Even with the outlier of 2020, you may be able to see a pattern in strong and poor sales.

When I was in retail, we stopped selling BBQs after Father's Day. We stopped selling woodstoves in October.  April and May were strong on patio furniture purchases. July through September we were selling stoves  for installation in November.

To everything there is a season....

January is actually the busy season in my categories. December is dead for stamps.

This is a good time to refresh your oldest listings. Put them in your Unsolds for a few weeks while you update Item Specifics and check that no glitches have changed your preferences.

[reallynicestamps]

December when Ebay focused its holiday advertising on Ebay Motors which, to me, made absolutely no sense.

FWIW- Before Christmas, I was seeing eBay ads in my Outlook News feed. Not motors, but not collectibles either.

[mr_lincoln]

---

@firejake2003 wrote:

Do you see a difference if you "relist" or "sell similar" when ending a listing then putting it back up?  Just curious if it makes a difference.  I'm going to "refresh" my listings since sales are so low.  Thanks!

---

@firejake2003   If you use the Sell Similar feature the listing created is considered "New" by eBay and will have the "New" listing posted on it for about 24 hours.  That's per the eBay Support team and one of their posts.  If you wait several days to Relist the same thing can occur, the listing is considered New (was never given the exact amount of time but I have seen this with my own listings).

If you Relist right away the listing does not get the "New" designation.  Some Buyers use the New listing filter when they search so the advantage would be for those Buyers on the first day of your New listings.

I sell in Collectibles and historically most sales happen on weekends ... so if you plan to list things do it on a weekend so the New designation is there for part of the weekend ...

Mr. L

[firejake2003]

Thank you for the info!

[acidtactical]

You're not the only one.  People aren't spending as much right now.  January seems to be a slow month for many of us.  It's not just ebay.  We sell on many marketplaces and it's all down right now.  Pandemic $$ has dried up and the last couple of years has not been the norm for online sales.  2020 was a booming year for online sales with all the free money and people at home spending it.

You might consider adding more listings by modifying listings you already have.  Describe it differently.  I wouldn't end any of your listings.  Leave that hook out there for someone to bite.  Just create a new listing every day if you can.  Ebay likes sellers that list new things every day.  An easy way to do that is to bundle items you already sell.   Make 2 packs, 3 packs, 4 packs etc.. to create new listings.

Now is a good time to work on your existing listings.  Take new pics, add to your details, work on keywords, etc..  with the extra time you have.  

Good luck to everyone.  Hope your sales increase soon.