eBay

rgletter · ‎03-08-2018

eBay has changed over the years. I started using eBay both as a seller and buyer in early 2000. Back then, sales was bustling, auctions were crazy, and the cost of doing business on eBay was reasonable. However, times have changed. The economy is very different. There are numerous more competitors. The cost of doing business on eBay is higher. eBay seller service has gone through a roller-coaster. In the beginning, sellers were treated like royalty. Then, sellers were treated like the enemy and many have left to sell on other platforms like Amazon (eBay's loss)

Today eBay treats sellers in a fair and balanced way. But, history shows that this can change. Fees have gone up and eBay has wittled down the free listings to 50. This is a poor model. Having no limits on listings helps buyers, sellers, and eBay. The goal of eBay and sellers is to sell stuff. Limiting listings to 50 has a major dampening effect on sales. eBay is no longer a magnet of a marketplace. It has lots of competition. So spending money on listings that seemed to go ignored by buyers is a seller problem that they get charged for. Its not a win for eBay or the seller. The buyer loses out since they have less options than otherwise and it all effects price for the buyer in the long run.

The occassional listing coupons is welcomed. However, this method is time limited and provides no opportunity for the seller to plan. I'll take all the free listings eBay (I need them), but there is a better way.

My suggestion to eBay and the seller community is "change". The first step is to go from 50 to 200 free listings permanently. This one step will prove my economic seller concept. The more items up for sale, the more items get sold. The more choices by consumers attracts more buyers and hence sellers. The next step would be to permanently remove the listing fees. eBay makes money from the high sales fees they charge us, the sellers. A long time ago, I suggested to eBay that they raise the sales fees in exchange for no listing fees. Well, a few months later they raised the sales fees but reduced the number of free listing fees. I believe this had a major impact on everyone's sales but you probably never realized or thought about it.

So eBay, Let's Go!

luckythewinner · ‎03-08-2018

My suggestion to eBay and the seller community is "change". The first step is to go from 50 to 200 free listings permanently.

You can do this today. Just add three more selling accounts.

The more items up for sale, the more items get sold.

Not if the current supply already satisfies the current demand.

If only 25 people a month are buying the "Beverly Hills Cop" soundtrack on vinyl LP, increasing the number of listings from 500 to 1000 will not result in any more sales.

penguins_dont_fly · ‎03-08-2018

@rgletterwrote:
eBay has changed over the years. I started using eBay both as a seller and buyer in early 2000. Back then, sales was bustling, auctions were crazy, and the cost of doing business on eBay was reasonable. However, times have changed. The economy is very different. There are numerous more competitors. The cost of doing business on eBay is higher. eBay seller service has gone through a roller-coaster. In the beginning, sellers were treated like royalty. Then, sellers were treated like the enemy and many have left to sell on other platforms like Amazon (eBay's loss)

Today eBay treats sellers in a fair and balanced way. But, history shows that this can change. Fees have gone up and eBay has wittled down the free listings to 50. This is a poor model. Having no limits on listings helps buyers, sellers, and eBay. The goal of eBay and sellers is to sell stuff. Limiting listings to 50 has a major dampening effect on sales. eBay is no longer a magnet of a marketplace. It has lots of competition. So spending money on listings that seemed to go ignored by buyers is a seller problem that they get charged for. Its not a win for eBay or the seller. The buyer loses out since they have less options than otherwise and it all effects price for the buyer in the long run.

The occassional listing coupons is welcomed. However, this method is time limited and provides no opportunity for the seller to plan. I'll take all the free listings eBay (I need them), but there is a better way.

My suggestion to eBay and the seller community is "change". The first step is to go from 50 to 200 free listings permanently. This one step will prove my economic seller concept. The more items up for sale, the more items get sold. The more choices by consumers attracts more buyers and hence sellers. The next step would be to permanently remove the listing fees. eBay makes money from the high sales fees they charge us, the sellers. A long time ago, I suggested to eBay that they raise the sales fees in exchange for no listing fees. Well, a few months later they raised the sales fees but reduced the number of free listing fees. I believe this had a major impact on everyone's sales but you probably never realized or thought about it.

So eBay, Let's Go!

If you want more than 50 "free" ... open a store.

If you have more than 50 items a month to list, you are operating a business....and that entails some business expenses....whether it be rent and other overhead for a B&M or "rent" in the form of Store Fees.

If your margins can't handle the moderate amount that it costs for a Store subscription (or insertion fees), then you are doing it wrong.

"Free" listings encourage garbage listings ... because ... "I don't care, it's free".

penguins_dont_fly is a Volunteer Community Mentor
Buying and Selling since 2013

darleemilfor-0 · ‎03-08-2018

More items for sale more other garbage on the site more buyers get frustrated and go elsewhere.....

kathieskorner · ‎03-08-2018

First of all if you were selling on ebay in 2000 - you paid a listing fee for every listing on a graduated scale based on starting price. The only freebies were right after Christmas and maybe once more during the year. A few years later ebay occasionally offered freebies for auctions started at 99 cents.

50 free listings per month hasn't been around all that long.

Also in 2000 customer service by ebay was non-existent - they relied on sellers to assist other sellers on chat boards and sometimes rewarded them with a few free listings for doing so. I've been selling here since 2000 and was never treated like royalty - most sellers merely fended for themselves.

I also sold books n Amazon back in the good ole days until the big bookstores flooded the site with poor quality and cheap price listings - in my case Amazon's loss was ebay's gain as it is more profitable to sell books here than on Amazon where the fees for small sellers are now significantly higher even with no listing fees.

It is not to ebay's advantage to be more like Amazon by increasing FVFs in exchange for more free listings. More listings don't result in more buyers or more sales for ebay and cause more headaches especially with search to boot. If anything ebay has too many listings - not too few. At least in one respect ebay seems to be moving in the right direction by targeting free listing promotions to smaller sellers with unique items. For those who want to list cheap common stuff - they are free to pay for a store to do so.

As for planning, I always have 50 listings created or relists for any promo that comes my way, so I can take at least partial advantage. As for your assumptions that the more items up for sale, the more that get sold - or more choice attracts more buyers TO EBAY - I don't buy into either. I can sell as much with 50 fresh listings per month as with 200 relists. Listing quality less common items is more important than quantity.

From ebay's economic viewpoint - they would be cutting their stores revenue stream by offering three times more free listings. And they have just announced adding a starter store with 100 listings so you can expect even fewer free listing promos when that takes effect in May and zero chance of what you are proposing.

There are many factors that impact sales, and they likely differ from seller to seller, from category to category, from month to month, and year to year.

If you can't live with 50 free listings per month - just open a second account - it only takes a second email address. If you want 200 free listings - it only takes four non-store accounts. But don't expect your sales to magically increase by the same amount as the number of listings unless you are selling different items.