PROBLEMS SELLING

[1208west]

Hi everyone,

I have been selling with eBay for about 15 years, although I did take a couple of years off.  I'm now back and trying to sell my items, with frustration.  I've tried every format available to sellers and can't seem to get many bites.  I did sell one set of 10 glasses and I seem to be getting quite a few views but previously I feel I had more frequent sales than I am now.  I have had most of my items listed for MONTHS.  Does anyone have any suggestions to move my sales along?  Thanks for any advice you can offer!

[anjofak]

For the most part bidding on here has tanked so you basically have to start it at the lowest price you would except..

End the listings and then use the (sell similar) to refresh the listings. 

Some times just changing the main photo seems to do something as well iv seen.

[coolections]

You will need to re-evaluate. 15 years ago, pink depression glass was a pretty good seller. Today no one is willing to pay $42 for two glasses. I could check each of your listings, but I assume most everything else is in the same situation. Check to see how many listed compared to how many actually sold and what the cost was. Unfortunately, the only way to move stuff is to be in the range within the results you see at which buyers are willing to pay.

[dbfolks166mt]

     It has been frustrating for a lot of sellers these days. EBay no longer has the monopoly it once had on ecommerce and the rising costs (fees, shipping, addition of sales tax.....) are putting some sellers in a tough spot if they want to make a decent profit. 

     Add to that the current inflation issues and people returning to B&M stores and you have multiple reasons for the sales slow down. I used to sell about 80% of my items on eBay that is now down to about 20% as I have diversified across multiple forums and platforms many of which have no fees or at least lower fees. I also consign quite a few things to a couple of local auction houses these days. 

[erkosuniverse]

Too many difficultys; read between the fine lines,fast forward 15 years to now,your post is well stated,it is not you,it is something else,the site just is not what it used to be,many have left as buyers and sellers,too much went downhill

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, i took a look at your listings. They are very nice, but all are auctions. Auctions are not nearly as popular as they once were. Shoppers don’t want to have to wait to see if they won. They want it now. So you might try some fixed price listings, to see if it makes a difference.

You do not offer returns. That puts you at a disadvantage. Shoppers want flexibility, and no returns will place you farther down in Search results. Top spots are usually reserved for those who use eBay’s Best Practices, like free shipping, one day handling and a buyer friendly return policy (none of which you use).

Competition is fierce on eBay, and the unrest in the world, inflation, rising prices, are working against us sellers. Anything that can give you an edge, i would employ, including SEO. Things like using punctuation and all caps in your titles can prevent search engines from picking up your listings for inclusion in their results. See the link below for more on SEO (Search Engine Optimization). 

Good luck and wish you successful selling in the near future.

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

[dashorizon]

I also think that the high price of shipping is not helping. I've been on eBay since 2000, and this is the worse I've seen it. Not eBays' fault, think the inflation that is happening now is the problem. People are scared about spending money, with an increase in food, gas, etc. Hopefully will change in the near future. I've lowered prices and shipping, still doesn't matter. Hopefully, in near future, it will change. Don't think it is eBay's fault since only a few months ago, things were fine.

[betsybabe]

Don't despair.  Selling on eBay is a learning experience.  When something doesn't work you have to try something else, wiggle it, jiggle it and turn it up-side down until you get better results.  I just ran a comparison on two of your glass items so see how many are out there and what prices they had previously sold for.  You need to be doing this before you price your goods.  You need to be competitive when other sellers are selling the same exact item as yours.  Maybe a fixed price with Make and Offer would get some action going. If you use the fixed price format, revise your items as often as you are able to (end the listing and re-list it) in order for them to show on top of the category.  It takes time to find your niche, to get buyers to know you, look, and finally buy.  No one size fits all.  There is no magic way to sell.  It's good you put your question out there to get some experienced sellers' advice.  One more thing, it's a strange time right now, and nobody knows how things are going to be, but the inflation, the war, the gas prices have people on edge.  There is insecurity in the air and that does not bode well for discretionary  spending.  Don't blame yourself but don't take it laying down.  Good luck.

[femmefan1946]

We Boomers (56-75 years old)  were collectors, but we're more likely to be downsizing these days and those following us have different taste.

Mid Century Modern is of more interest to those younger than us who are still collecting.

And those even younger are wrestling with student loans and high rents.

At least the US economy is back on track  (https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/us-jobs-report-march-how-many-jobs-added-rcna22533)  although only to the pre pandemic level of February 2020.  So we should see some uptick from that.

And the government is taking a few baby steps to control meat packers price gouging and gas prices.

I'd spend some time researching what is selling (and comps for your items that are not moving).  Are there many consignment or antique shops in your area? You may be able to move some deadstock there.

I agree that auctions are close to dead, although collectibles does seem to be one category where they can work.

Some sellers will put an item up for auction and if it doesn't sell, relist it as Fixed Price at what they want to get.

Have you looked into Best Offer?  You can set parameters to automatically reject offers too low and accept offers that are acceptable. (Note that Best Offer NEVER includes shipping costs.)

As an experienced seller, you seem comfortable with international shipping, and you understand that the Global Shipping Program is a Seller Protection that basically means the MBG does not apply to GSP shipments.

Shipping is a problem all over. I have been shopping for a guest room bed and my first move was to FB Market, for price and local availability. I need to buy this week and can't wait even for a department store delivery.

[calntom]

Is that all you have up for sale, 11 listings on this account?

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@calntom wrote:

Is that all you have up for sale, 11 listings on this account?

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When I first looked at the OPs listings, there were 20. A short time later and there were only 11. 

[1208west]

Thanks for your response fashunu4eeuh

Just wanted to clarify I started by listing as fixed price -- also tried promoting -- before I went to an auction listing.  I guess I'll just continue with fiddling with pricing and listings.

[1208west]

I have more to list but I wanted to start with these.  When my mom died she left a lot of this kind of "stuff."

[herway]

I see you have some nice depression glass, unfortunately glass is not selling well right now. Also the cost to ship heavy glassware has become much more expensive.

[heber_cards]

I go to a lot of estate auctions (besides selling on here), and have for years. The bottom has fallen out of glassware, not just here, but everywhere. One has to almost give it away. I really think the constant shipping increases by USPS made it impossible to sell on here and really hurt the market all together. You have some really nice pieces and I wish you well.