Prediction = eBay will lose close to 7 Million Sellers due to GTC Change..

[crownsfieldcellular]

Well, I think it's official.  I've stated before on the boards numerous times that the GTC change on all BIN listings is going to put me out of business..And unfortunately?  Looking at my sales numbers, I am 99% sure I am right. 

Because my one off inventory is no longer moving on a weekly basis?  My business is dead, because I can no longer go out using my sales capital to buy more inventory.  It's that simple. 

And I'm actually AFRAID to buy more now to sell on here, because I see that nothing is selling.  So how can I justify buying more and sinking more money into ebay inventory which is simply not going to move anymore? 

I can't = I am going to have to close my eBay business eventually, because this business model is no longer sustainable in anyway..

Right now?  I know for a fact that are literally MILLIONS of sellers like myself, that relied on the Shorter Term BIN listings to move their merchandise...And I'm not guessing this..I see post after post, after post, after post that are saying EXACTLY what I am..That this has destroyed their sales, and is going to put them out...And these are just the very, very few that come on these boards (which is almost no one comparatively)..

I know also 1 Million percent that eBay has been FLOODED with calls from sellers - has to be hundreds and thousands of calls by now (if not millions of calls) protesting this..because when I call and protest now, I can tell they have heard what I am saying ad naseum...Every rep I speak to, I know has heard and dealt with these complaints now, constantly..

Which makes sense..because when the platform you TRUST and built your business on?  Does something so catastrophic, that it actually PUTS YOU OUT OF BUSINESS??  I think it goes without saying that you are going to call, and call repeatedly...

Ebay has 25 million sellers (at least they claim this)..By my estimation about 30% of those sellers or so are like me..Selling one off collectibles, phones, unique items (can be anything really), which they do not have "long tail" inventory of...

Therefore the GTC option not only is useless for us?  It is a huge, horrendous detriment to us, and is going to drive us either off eBay?  Or out of business completely..Whichever comes first (but it will be one or the other, no question)

So, let's say that its only 25% of us out of the 25,000,000 for arguments sake..That's 6.25 Million sellers round about. 

Now, I know when I was doing well on here (which ended EXACTLY one day after the GTC change took place), I was paying about $1000 a month in fees.  Thats me, that might be a very high compared to others, I dont know..

To be fair?  Let's use a much, much lower number..Let's say out of that 6.25 Million?  They are all paying an average of $500 a YEAR in fees, call it Final Value Fees only (again just for the sake of this example)...

Let's say eBay is "successful" at what they are doing, in putting this 25% of it's sellers out of business and driving us (and ACTUALLY FORCING us to leave the site, because we can no longer get sales on here at all) off the site.. 

Let's assume they are going to be successful in getting rid of us, effectively "trimming" 25% of their "sales force"...

When you multiply 6.25 Million by 500?  The projected loss of revenue is approximately $3,125,000,000  per YEAR..In lost revenue to eBay...that's over 3 BILLION, with a B they stand to lose..

Now considering that ebay's revenue for all of 2018 was 10.7 Billion (according to them)?...When all of these sellers either walk, or are forced off the site, or simply go out of business on ebay and just cant sell here anymore, because they've been wiped out? 

This means eBay is projected to slash over 30% of its revenue by doing what they are doing, and refusing to EVEN LISTEN to the 25% of us who are SCREAMING AT THEM TO CHANGE THIS BACK...

Now my numbers are far from definitive of course..I am willing to bet that we the 6.25 million who are being destroyed by this change? 

Are probably paying a hell of alot more than $500 a year in Final Value Fees...I know personally I was lined up to pay almost $12,000 by the end of this year or more...

So...I dont know what these people are trying to accomplish here exactly?  But I hope for their sakes they have a REAL GOOD PLAN IN PLACE to replace this revenue they are going to lose. 

I guess maybe they have a absolutely insane influx of China sellers waiting in the wings, that they are betting are going to replace the 6.25 Million American sellers somehow that are walking, or going to simply die on this site..

It's either that?  Or this is finally going to be the move that wipes eBay out for good, along with millions of others they are going to take down with them..

And if that happens?  After what they just did to me and my business, and millions of other people's businesses on here?  Hard working, long time, GOOD sellers?  Who built their businesses up for YEARS on here? 

All of the families they are going to destroy, and all the devastation they are going to cause to all of us?  While pretending to blissfully not give a **bleep**?  And trying to placate us with corporate "platitudes"??

I say they will then ultimately get what they deserve, and honestly at this point?  It can't happen soon enough to them.

Might be time to smarten UP ebay, and start LISTENING to your SELLERS (CUSTOMERS), before it is WAYYYYY too late...

That time has possibly already come..

[sharingtheland]

because when the platform you TRUST

Your first mistake.  Why in the world would you have ever "trusted" ebay?  

You, OP, may feel better after continually venting about GTC and tilting at  those windmills but trust me when I say this:  You have lost all credibility and gain nothing when you continue to insult, demean and attempt to condescend to other sellers here.

[lacemaker3]

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@johnrj1226 wrote:

@lacemaker3

 How did you come by  this info?   If it is spot on the OP might want to use your  information source .

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The OP can access his own sales records of course. In his case, his sales numbers vary a lot, week by week, so just 12 weeks (total) and only 3 weeks since GTC started is not enough to draw conclusions.

There hasn't been enough time since GTC started to draw any conclusions on what effect it has had on sales overall.

eBay makes changes like this to improve the bottom line. If the effect of GTC does not improve sales and income, then they will change it.

[kim_y_buran]

I just have one question - where do these sellers go?

[hioctane62]

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@kim_y_buran wrote:

I just have one question - where do these sellers go?

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There are actually several places where the "new" buyers are actually looking and buying, only one of which was mentioned earlier in this thread. When I say "new" buyers, I'm referring to millennials and gen z. They are not looking on ebay. Ebay is where their grandparents bought stuff online.

[sharp_edgeknives]

Amazon,I have a daughter that loves the river. I don't

[thepatchmasters]

[calntom]

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@lacemaker3 wrote:

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@johnrj1226 wrote:

@lacemaker3

 How did you come by  this info?   If it is spot on the OP might want to use your  information source .

---

The OP can access his own sales records of course. In his case, his sales numbers vary a lot, week by week, so just 12 weeks (total) and only 3 weeks since GTC started is not enough to draw conclusions.

There hasn't been enough time since GTC started to draw any conclusions on what effect it has had on sales overall.

eBay makes changes like this to improve the bottom line. If the effect of GTC does not improve sales and income, then they will change it.

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I agree that if the bottom line is effected negatively, eBay will change it.

When eBay meddled with the Markdown Manager last summer, it took them a couple of months to drop most all of the changes which I am sure was effecting the bottom line. 

I only use GTC but I would certainly like to have the shorter duration listing options available if needed. I would hope eBay comes back with something in May that makes some of the shorter duration listings available again for sellers that know how to work them and depend on them in their business plan.

3, 5 and maybe 7 day durations could prevent Google from caching the listings and thus avoid the dead links they were speaking of. More than likely 3 and 5 days could be an option. I hope they work something out for those that need them. 

[ohnojoey]

I'm not a fan of the new GTC, but a quick look at your completed sales and I see nothing but solid sales for the last 91 items you listed, amounting to 10's of thousand$, many sellers would love to have your sales. 

"My business is dead, because I can no longer go out using my sales capital to buy more inventory.  It's that simple."

Sounds like you have money problems, not sales problems.

[sagrise]

Agreed. I sold clothes on Ebay and it was already slow. Then when the GTC was in effect, I noticed a change.

I am moving and want to move things quickly.

This policy is killing me. I am afraid after this I will not be back.

I already had two non paying bidders that seemed not to care.

Then I listed two items that I owned and was told I was violating licensing by selling my own skirt.

Ebay used to be a great place but I have seen it turn to trash.

I can make more taking my clothes to a consignment store and splitting 50/50.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

You say: " I only use GTC but I would certainly like to have the shorter duration listing options available if needed. I would hope eBay comes back with something in May that makes some of the shorter duration listings available again for sellers that know how to work them and depend on them in their business plan.
3, 5 and maybe 7 day durations could prevent Google from caching the listings and thus avoid the dead links they were speaking of. More than likely 3 and 5 days could be an option. I hope they work something out for those that need them. "

I am doubtful that ebay would do this, BUT I would not rule it out. However, I think IF ebay were to do this, it would be similar to 1 and 3 day auctions. eBay permits them, but the listing fee is $1.00, which discourages them while still allowing sellers to choose.

So I wonder, how much would sellers be willing to pay for shorter fixed duration listings?

[18704d]

"When you multiply 6.25 Million by 500?  The projected loss of revenue is approximately $3,125,000,000  per YEAR..In lost revenue to eBay...that's over 3 BILLION, with a B they stand to lose.."

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Well, if the buyers who would have bought from those 6.25 million sellers,

instead went and did the same amount of purchases from other sellers...

..wouldn't the loss to eBay be Zero?

Thanks,

Lynn

[rushcomics]

"if the buyers who would have bought from those 6.25 million sellers,

instead went and did the same amount of purchases from other sellers..."

That's a big if. 
For one thing, there are some items that some of those 6.25 million sellers have, that no other seller has.
For another thing, there are some items that those 6.25 million sellers are the only sellers selling them at a reasonable price, or in good enough condition, etc.

Those customers may find what they're looking for outside eBay.

[18704d]

I don't believe the sellers complaining about GTC

are selling unique items no one else has here...

Lynn

[rdj831]

I'm of the opinion, if you have solid SEO practices and utilize the promoted listings feature on a  certain percentage of your items (not all, just some) the GTC won't have a substantially negative impact on sales. In fact, it should increase the SEO ranking of the listing.

Diversification is key to all things internet sales. I also don't list everything I sell on this venue due to the high value theft problem. There are other sites better suited for that.

eBay isn't the only egg in my basket...

[johnrj1226]

My look at this "prediction" that is an opinion - nothing more nothing less.  My  opinion with no solid back  and a nickle  won't buy you a cup of coffee - except at Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota.  That price  has not increased since 1976, the last time I went thru there and is still current plus  it  is sold on the honor system.

In my 41  in sales/sale management, attending AMA seminar, sales management conferences, Curry & Associates business management seminars etc. one thread  that went through all of them  when customer retention was  the topic  on the average a business must plan to at least loose 10% of their  existing customer  base  every year.  So if the they  wish to  grow (market share, profits increase  sales revenue,  product  line expansions etc.) they must develop a plan/program to replace those  lost plus extra if the want to grow with a plan  how to attract additional new customers.