No Sales

[1209petra]

I have not had any sales for the past 9 days....seems very odd?????  Can anyone advise?

[goddess_venus_boutique]

I came to check messages because I have had no sales for the past 10 days, which is very unusual, no matter what is going in the U.S. I always have sales......uh, or at least in the PAST I have always had sales. This is weird. What could be causing it? Ebay must have done something drastic with their algorithms, but there is never transparency in what they are doing, other than hounding me for more money to promote my store and listings. When I do that, I LOSE money, and since I hand knit what I sell, I really don't feel like being a slave for a loss. Does anyone know what's REALLY going on? Even during COVID when everything was shut down, I made sales, so this makes no sense.

[goddess_venus_boutique]

Your advice is not helpful at all, and it seems kind of rude. Something has changed. I came here specifically because all of a sudden, I have had no sales for 10 days and I have never experienced that in the past, not even during the shutdown. I would like real information about what's going on.

[goddess_venus_boutique]

Also, not at all helpful advice. SOMETHING HAS CHANGED. Maybe it's eBay's algorithms. Maybe it's their policies. Maybe some people are blacklisted. There is no way of knowing, although someone must know something. We don't need ridiculous advice to get a job.   The world has gone mad, it seems. The poster is 74; I am 72. Maybe it's age discrimination. Our businesses ARE our jobs.

[goddess_venus_boutique]

Why are there so many comments that are not helpful whatsoever? Good grief. If a person makes sales regularly for years and years, and all of sudden sales drop off the cliff to zero for days on end, there is something going on. If you don't have a clue, then why bother posting? 

[goddess_venus_boutique]

Not helpful.

[jonathanbrightlight]

@goddess_venus_boutique 

At any given moment, many sellers have not has sales in an unusually long period of time, for them.

 At the same moment, many sellers are having very steady and predictable sales.

 And at the same moment, many  sellers are making blockbuster sales and have no idea why.

 This has been a pattern for as long as eBay has existed, or for that matter, any e-commerce system, and in physical retail before then.

 It’s not a change in the algorithm, or blacklisted sellers, or the temperature outside. It’s simply the unpredictability of selling.

[goddess_venus_boutique]

That views are down, which is also happening for me, so it appears that ebay is messing heavily with the algorithms. I really don't have much competition with what I sell and I know that my listings are being hidden.

[goddess_venus_boutique]

Not helpful at all, and I don't know why you received 5 "helpful" votes. It is not what it is; it's what the algorithms are being programmed to do: and it is annihilating small businesses. 

[sin-n-dex]

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@goddess_venus_boutique wrote:

Also, not at all helpful advice. SOMETHING HAS CHANGED. Maybe it's eBay's algorithms. Maybe it's their policies. Maybe some people are blacklisted. There is no way of knowing, although someone must know something. We don't need ridiculous advice to get a job.   The world has gone mad, it seems. The poster is 74; I am 72. Maybe it's age discrimination. Our businesses ARE our jobs.

---

I agree that something has changed. I've been making a list of what all my problems are and ways I can overcome them. Some things I can't overcome. If people don't have money for non-necessities (which I sell, in the collectibles category), then no matter what I do I won't be able to increase sales. I'd hazard a guess that people are worried about the future and curbing their spending. I've noticed in the past three weeks a major drop in sales (like 1-2 items a day, and most of my sales are not from the US, but I attribute that to being located in Canada and the tariff situation).

C.

[mustang707]

I agree with @toomuchstuffagain35  . What has changed is the longest government shutdown with millions without a paycheck, the uncertainty of SNAP benefits and business layoffs like the 14,000 at Amazon and many others to a lesser degree. All of this will give people pause to make purchases since they may feel that their job is next on the chopping block.

[goddess_venus_boutique]

That is absolutely UNTRUE. I have had my businesses (on multiple platforms) for years. Only until RECENTLY sales have always been steady and reliable. OH, it must a coincidence, then, that platforms are messing with algorithms and making demands for more money.  Yes, it's just a coincidence. It would be great if some intelligent being--maybe even AI, itself--would provide some clear answers.

[goddess_venus_boutique]

<<<<"What has changed is the longest government shutdown with millions without a paycheck, the uncertainty of SNAP benefits and business layoffs like the 14,000 at Amazon and many others to a lesser degree. All of this will give people pause to make purchases since they may feel that their job is next on the chopping block">>>>>>

None (or very few) of those people are my customers, so it doesn't explain it for me. I had more customers affected by the COVID lockdown, but it did not decrease my sales, in fact, my sales did very well during the lockdown.

[goddess_venus_boutique]

The dominoes are falling. The sandcastles are getting washed away. The American Dream is a nightmare now.😂

[mustang707]

"None (or very few) of those people are my customers, so it doesn't explain it for me. I had more customers affected by the COVID lockdown, but it did not decrease my sales, in fact, my sales did very well during the lockdown."

I would be surprised if none of the millions of federal workers didn't buy something from you or the 150,000 people laid off in just the month of October. It's not just the direct layoffs but the perception that your business could have layoffs right before the holidays.

[goddess_venus_boutique]

<<"I have not had any sales for the past 9 days....seems very odd?????  Can anyone advise?">>

Did you sell something yet? LOL. I saw a book I've been wanting to buy. What's really sad is that eBay popped up the same book from other sellers practically giving it away. I stayed strong and did not react to the algorithms and went with a more trustworthy seller--you. I hope sales increase for both of us soon.