eBay

Anonymous · ‎10-26-2019

My sales came to a screeching halt for October and I was guessing that it was from ALL of those nasty tech glitches that I've been reading about on the boards. Well yesterday confirmed it when I got a note from a customer saying that she wasn't able to find my item to purchase it. I was able to find the listing with no problem and wrote back to her and told her what to search. The attached screen shot is what I got back from her. I sell vintage paper dolls and many of the sets are rare, so should be easy to locate on eBay. The set she was looking for was one of the two listed. My point is HOW many sales have we LOST this month because our items can't be found?!?! We PAY eBay for our items to be SEEN and spend a LOT of time doing good photos and precise listings so that we don't get "not as described" returns. So WHY can't those listings be found?!? My sales have picked up the last 2 days but the damage has already been done for the month. I hope the rest of y'all were not as affected as I was this month. I just wanted you to be aware of yet ANOTHER glitch that's affecting our sales. OH and God Love my customer!!! She didn't give up and was finally able to purchase the item she wanted.

Anonymous · ‎10-26-2019

Thank you so much for your advice and I will start working on my listing titles asap.

ckudika · ‎10-26-2019

@rosevelyn wrote:
My sales have restarted as they were also very sparse. ebay should not have had us make changes one time. They have been making changes in stages and asking us to adapt our listings each time. I have used months of my time to change the listings I already had with much less time for adding new items.

As painful and annoying as their stage gate process has been, can you imagine the nightmare if they tried to jam everything through at one time? I think Ebay would have died on the table.

Also as far as listings not getting seen or showing up in search, it seems GTC has been burying listings that have rolled over multiple times, especially if you have not made any changes. I've noticed whenever I end a batch of old listings and relist, I will get a few quick sales for some of those items. It also happens when I edit my listings, so I've started bulk editing all of my listings every now and again and just change something like the ship from zip code by 1 digit or something like that and it seems to spark sales.

brestradingpost · ‎10-26-2019

Good advise on the GTC thing. Also, I have to frequently check my original photos on the GTC listings if they have rolled several times. Many times the cropping/rotating that I had first applied, have been reset. Frustrating...I have to go and re-edit again. With the Ebay mobile app, I have found photos are seen better when objects are edited and by removing most of the background space.
However, my October sales are still way down from last year.

girlsrnuts · ‎10-26-2019

THE SALES ARE BAD FOR A LOT OF REASONS. NUMBER 1 REASON IS THE GOOD TILL CANCELLED. EVERY DIABLED PERSON WHO IS A SELLER IS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF THIS. AND OTHERS WHO HAVE A LIFE. DO NOT ANYMORE. I AM DISABLED AND HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF 2 DISABLED PARENTS AS WELL. SO I HAVE TO BE A PRISONER IN MY OWN HOME. I GO TO THE HOSPITAL A FEW TIMES A WEEK. SO IF AN ITEM IS GOING TO END I HAVE TO END IT 3 DAYS EARLY SOME TIMES MORE SOME TIMES LESS. AND MONEY IS LOST THAT WAY. PAYPAL WILL NO LONGER RETURN ANY MONEY NO MATTER WHAT. IF YOU GET A RETURN PAYPAL GIVES YOU NOTHING BACK! PRICE ADJUSTMENT, NOTHING BACK!!! SOME ONE JUST BOUGHT AN ITEM FROM HAWAII. IN MY AD I SAY HAWAII AND ALASKA ASK FOR THE EXTRA SH PRICES. AND HE BOUGHT IT. DID NOT MESSAGE ME FOR THE PRICE. I GOT NO RESPONSE BACK WHEN I SAID IT WOULD COST $7.00 TO $9.00 MORE FOR ME TO SHIP TO HIM. AND TO READ THE AD AGAIN. AND I SAID JUST SEND $7 MORE I WILL LOSE MORE MONEY. BUT IT IS LESS THEN WHAT PAYPAL WILL STEAL FROM ME IF IT IS NOT BOUGHT. THAT $7 IS MY TOTAL PROFIT. EVEN MORE. SO I CAN NT JUST SELL IT TO THIS PERSON AND WORK FOR PAYPAL AND LOSE $2.00. NO ONE CAN. SO IT WILL END UP I WILL LOSE ALL PAYPAL FEES BECAUSE HE DID NOT READ THE ENTIRE AD. AND E-BAY WILL DO NOTHING. I LOST 10-15 FREE LISTINGS BECAUSE I COULD NOT GET HOME IN TIME TO CANCEL THE ITEM. SO I DO NOT GET A FRESH ITEM UP. AND MY ITEM GETS PUSHED DOWN TO THE BOTTOM WHEN IT RELISTS BY ITS SELF!!!! THATS ANOTHER MAJOR REASON WHY WE LOSE SALES. AND YOUR CUSTOMER HAD A HARD TIME FINDING YOUR ITEM. EVEN WHEN THEY KNEW THE ITEM NAME!! HUGE FEES MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SHIP ANYTHING HEAVY AT ALL. NO OTHER WAY TO PAY EXCEPT PAYPAL WHO WILL NOT RETURN ANY FEES IF IT IS THE CUSTOMERS FAULT YOU PAY FOR IT!! THE PHONE APP. IS BROKEN. DO NOT SELL WITH IT!! I TOLD THEM 5 MOTHS AGO. THEY NEVER TOLD ANYONE! SO I HAVE TO. IT WILL MAKE YOU SELL THE ITEM AT 75% TO 1/2 OF THE PRICE YOU PUT IN! I LOST ABOUT $75.00. THEN I CALLED E-BAY TO ASK THEM TO HELP. THEY SAID TAKE $25 OR NOT. WE WILL NOT HELP. SO THIS IS ALL MONEY STOLEN FROM ME/US. IF YOU USED THE PHONE APP. TO SELL. YOU COULD HAVE LOST A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY BEFORE YOU REALIZE THAT THERE IS NO WAY YOU SOLD AN ITEM FOR LESS THEN YOU PAID. THEN CALL E-BAY AND SEE IF YOU WILL GET SOME HELP. IT IS E-BAYS FAULT COMPLETELY! BECAUSE THEY DID NOT TELL YOU. AND THEY SHOULD HAVE WHEN I TOLD THEM. AND NEVER TOLD ANYONE! YOU HAVE SO MUCH WORK TO DO TO SEE HOW MUCH WAS STOLEN FROM YOU. AND YOU MIGHT GET BACK SOMETHING MAYBE, BUT IT WILL BE A SMALL % OF WHAT WAS LOST. BECAUSE YOU WERE NOT INFORMED IT SHOULD BE 5 X WHAT YOU LOST FOR NOT TELLING YOU. I WAS THE 1sT TO TELL THEM. THEY SAID THANK YOU. WE WILL TELL YOU WHEN IT IS FIXED. I GOT NOTHING!! I THOUGH $500 OFF E-BAY FEES FOR STOPPING A POSSIBLE MILLION/S $$$ FROM A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT. LOL WHAT WAS I THINKING. I WAS LUCKY TO GET A THANK YOU. ALSO IF YOU ONLY HAVE 1 WAY TO PAY. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET US OUR MONEY BACK WHEN CUSTOMERS MAKES A MISTAKE. OR WANT A RETURN EVEN THOUGH IT IS THERE FAULT! OR LET US TAKE CHECKS AGAIN. IF YOU ARE NOT PARTNERS THIS SHOULD NOT BOTHER YOU 1 BIT. OR FIND ANOTHER WAY WE CAN PAY. AND WHEN IT IS THE CUSTOMERS FAULT WE GET OUR MONEY RIGHTFULLY FULLY RETURNED! THE GTC IS THE WORST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE! THE DISABLED COMMUNITY AND OTHERS DO NOT WANT TO END THE ITEM 5 DAYS EARLY JUST IN CASE. MY DAD BROKE HIS NECK THIS WEEK. SO I HAD TO LET ITEMS GO. I KNOW THEY WONT SELL. THEY ARE PUSHED DOWN TO THE BOTTOM. BUT YOU HAVE NO CHOICE. THEY DO NOT CARE NOT 1 BIT. BUSINESS IS GREAT ON THE FREE SELLING PLACES. SO I HAVE A LOT OF STUFF THERE. ITS BAD HERE BECAUSE OF E-BAY RULES. IF YOUR ITEM & PRICE IS GOOD IT WOULD NORMALLY SELL IF E-BAY STOPPED THIS MADNESS! THEY KNOW HOW MUCH THEY ARE MAKING FROM US. AND WILL DO EVERYTHING TO KEEP EVERY SINGLE PENNY. YOUR ITEM GETS PUSHED DOWN. DO YOU THINK THEY TELL YOU THAT?? AND IT WILL NOT SELL 99% OF THE TIME. UNLESS YOU RELIST IT YOURSELF. SO IT CAN BE SEEN AGAIN. AND UNTIL YOU CANCEL IT AND RELIST IT. NO ONE WILL SEE IT, UNLESS IT IS UNIQUE. AND GET THE EXACT WORDING. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE TRY AND HELP. BUT ALL OF THEM CAN DO NOTHING OR NEXT TO NOTHING. EVERY EMPLOYEE HAVE SAID THE GTC IS A NIGHTMARE. EVERY ONE I ASKED COULD NOT GIVE ME 1 POSITIVE FOR A SELLER. IT'S ALL BAD!! SO WE JUST HAVE TO TAKE IT OR THEY DO NOT NEED US. THATS THE VIBE I GET WHEN I NOW HAVE TO CALL THEM 2-5 TIMES A WEEK. YOU SAY WHAT IS WRONG. THEY SAY NOTHING. I HAVE TO SAY ARE YOU STILL HERE? AT LEAST 2 TIMES EVERY TIME I CALL. BECAUSE OF THE GTC DISASTER AND OTHER PROBLEMS. I AM A 30+ YEAR SELLER HERE. WITH E-BAY GETTING $500,000 IN FEES. I DO NOT EVEN HAVE 1/20th OF THAT IN MY BANK ACCOUNT. SO I KNOW ALL OF THE E-BAY WAYS TO TAKE YOUR MONEY. BUT A NEW ONE COMES A LONG I SELL SOME WHERE ELSE. AND THEN COME BACK IF IT IS CHANGED AGAIN. AND IT WAS WORKING BETTER. STILL CRAZY FEES. BUT IT WAS WORKING. NOW IT'S BROKEN. BUSINESS IN OTHER PLACES ARE GREAT. E-BAY HAS BEEN VERY BAD. AND IT IS SO MUCH WORSE FOR THE SELLER. WE ARE STUCK WITH IT. E-BAY DOES NOT CARE. THEY DONT NEED US. THEY DO NOT NEED US TO COMPLAIN. JUST DEAL WITH IT OR LEAVE. THAT IS WHY BUSINESS IS BAD. I AM TO DISABLED TO QUIT FOR NOW. SO I WILL HAVE A FRIEND SELL ON THE FREE PLACES FOR ME. AND KEEP A SMALL AMOUNT HERE SO MY REGULAR CUSTOMERS CAN STILL FIND ME. ALSO THE PROMOTED LISTINGS ARE KILLING BUSINESS FOR US. WE WERE GREAT WITH OUT THEM. ADDING THEM DOES NOT HELP US 1 IOTA. I GUESS UNLESS WE PAY YOU EVEN MORE MONEY. DO NOT THINK IT WILL GET BETTER. EVERYTHING I SELL IS THE BEST PRICE YOU CAN GET IT FOR ON E-BAY. I CHECK SOLD LISTINGS AND ONES THAT ARE UP. AND I PUT THE BEST PRICE FOR THE EXACT SAME ITEM. AND I STILL SEE ITEMS SELLING WITH HIGHER PRICES WHEN MINE IS $5 LESS. A $20 ITEM SOLD BEFORE MY $15 ITEM IN THE EXACT SAME CONDITION AND ITEM. BEFORE THE GTC AND PROMOTED LISTINGS. THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN!! I WOULD NORMALLY DO 3 TIMES BETTER ON AVERAGE WITH E-BAY UNTILL THE GTC. I AM WAY DOWN SINCE THAT EXACT DAY. CAN YOU SAY 1 GOOD THING ABOUT GTC? REMEMBER EVEN IF YOUR WATCHERS STILL HAVE IT. WHICH IS THE 1 THING THEY POINT TO AS A GOOD THING. BUT THEY NEVER MENTION YOUR AD WILL GO TO THE BOTTOM AND THE WATCHERS ARE 99% OF THE TIME SELLING THE SAME ITEM SO THEY FOLLOW THE OTHERS WHO SELL THE SAME ITEM. SO THAT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I WANT MY ITEM UP TOP AND HAVE IT END WITH OUT ME BEING STUCK IN BED AND HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT WHO WILL END MY AUCTIONS IF I AM SICK. OR MY MOTHER OR FATHER. ONLY SELLERS ARE WATCHING YOUR ITEM. SO THEY CAN CHANGE THERE PRICE. IF MINE SELLS THEY WILL SELL THERES. IT IS NOT A CUSTOMER. THEY WILL BUY IT WITH IN 1-2 DAYS AT MOST, OR IT IS A SELLER. PLUS YOUR ITEM GETS PUSHED DOWN TO THE BOTTOM. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR 1 GOOD THING. BUT THERE IS NONE~!! IT WILL NEVER GET BETTER UNLESS E-BAY MAKES CHANGES. ITS NOT THE ECONOMY. EMPLOYMENT IS AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL. AND WAGES ARE LOW. SO GETTING A DEAL ON E-BAY IS NEEDED BY PEOPLE NOW MORE THAN EVER. WE SHOULD BE THRIVING. SO IT'S NOT OUR FAULT. IT IS E-BAY'S AND THE GREED. THEY ARE ALLOWED TO TAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY CAN. IT IS THERE BUSINESS. WE HAVE TO QUIT OR DEAL WITH IT. I WONDER WHAT E-BAY WILL TELL ME IN 2 DAYS WHEN I CALL THEM AGAIN ABOUT THIS ISSUE AFTER I GAVE MY CUST. 3 DAYS TO RESPOND TO SENDING THE PROPER SHIPPING COST. IT WAS ENOUGH TIME ALREADY. SO I AM GOING TO LOSE $2. AND A LISTING. IF E-BAY HAS A HEART OF ANY KIND, I WILL GET MY PAYPAL FEES BACK TOO. BUT I DOUBT IT. MORE THEN DOUBT. AFTER 2 HRS ON THE PHONE I WILL BE TOLD TO LEAVE IF I DO NOT LIKE IT. SO WILL YOU. IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THEM. THESE ARE THE MAIN REASONS WE ARE DOING BAD. BUT IT IS SINCE GTC. NOT JUST OCTOBER. I DO WELL EVERY MONTH. MY PRICES ARE THE BEST. AND I SELL IN MANY PLACES. I ALWAYS DID AND IN OTHER PLACES THIS IS ALMOST MY BEST OCTOBER. IT IS THE WORST ON E-BAY FOR THE PAST 4-5 MONTHS OR WHEN GTC STARTED. AND NOW PAYPAL GETS INTO THE ACT. THEY SAY THEY ARE NOT PARTNERS. BUT IT IS THE ONLY PAYMENT THEY ACCEPT?? THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PARTNER TO ME. HOW ABOUT YOU? AM I WRONG? ONLY E-BAY HAS CHANGED. NOT MY ITEMS. ITS UP TO YOU TO SAY HEY. THIS IS HOW IT WILL BE AND LIVE WITH IT. OR GO TO MANY PLACES SELL YOUR ITEMS THERE AND IT WILL SELL AT 1 OF THE 10 PLACES YOU CAN SELL YOUR ITEMS. OR MAYBE IF LUCKY E-BAY WILL GET YOU A SALE. YOU WILL GET MUCH LESS. BUT IT WILL SELL FASTER. DO NOT EXPECT E-BAY TO IMPROVE SO A SELLER CAN MAKE MORE MONEY. THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN EVER!! AS LONG AS YOU KNOW THAT IT IS VERY BAD ON E-BAY BUT YOU ARE HERE FOR A LONG TIME AND DO NOT WANT TO SWITCH TO ANYWHERE ELSE. KNOW THAT YOU WILL NEVER DO BETTER FROM 1 MONTH TO THE NEXT UNLESS THE ITEMS YOU ARE SELLING ARE DIFFERENT. IT WILL BE MORE FEES AND MORE WAYS TO GET MONEY FROM US. WITH A SUPER SPECIAL PROMOTION WHICH WILL COST ONLY AN EXTRA 15% over the 10% they already TAKE FROM US. I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO JUST RAISE YOUR PRICE A LOT OF MONEY. PAY E-BAY A LOT OF MONEY TO PROMOTE IT. LIKE 30%. IT IS SO MUCH WORSE FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS. BUT PEOPLE SAY IT DOES WORK SOME TIMES. SO IF YOU WANT $15 FOR AN ITEM. PAY E-BAY 30% PROMOTION CHARGE AND CHARGE $23.00. EVEN THOUGH YOU AND YOUR CUSTOMER HAVE TO PAY SO MUCH MORE MONEY. AND IT MAKES ME FEEL SICK INSIDE TO DO THIS TO ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS. SO I WILL NOT DO IT. BUT IT MAY BE YOUR ONLY HOPE IF IT DOES WORK FOR YOU. YOU CAN TRY IT ON 1 ITEM THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SELLING. DO NOT DO IT IF ONLY 2 - 5 PEOPLE ONLY ARE SELLING THE EXACT ITEM. IT WILL BE SEEN. I HOPE THIS HELPS MY FELLOW SELLERS. ALL MY BEST TO YOU THROUGH THIS NIGHTMARE.

barbara1774 · ‎10-27-2019

It is very difficult to read when the text is written in all CAPS. Just a suggestion here.

barbara1774 · ‎10-27-2019

My sales were way up the beginning of October but have now just about flatlined. I too think maybe the tax collections may be affecting buyers. It has been most confusing to me when as a buyer the sales tax is taken out in two transactions and in some cases through PayPal from my PayPal balance and in other cases through my secondary PayPal method of payment - my personal bank account. I also question the amount of sales tax being taken out from items I purchase on eBay - it seems to be more than the 6 percent my state (Vermont) typically charges.

sparkleplentys · ‎10-27-2019

I am glad I saw this.. I have been going crazy with worry on not selling anything.. This whole month has been awful, nothing.. When is it going to change? I have many Department 56 items I need to put on but if things aren't selling I need another place to sell them.. What would you do? Do you think things are going to pick up and when will it start? Of all of the years I have been selling on Ebay, this is absolutely the worst. Help..

stuff4divas · ‎10-27-2019

@barbara1774 wrote:
It is very difficult to read when the text is written in all CAPS. Just a suggestion here.

and not to mention paragraphs!

laurabeardsley · ‎10-27-2019

Sales are terrible . Their earnings showed the true disaster. My fear is if they do not make positive changes, this site will not exist in a few years.The ball is in their court and I hope they make the right decisions.

Anonymous · ‎10-27-2019

This has happened before in the 3 years that I've had a basic store on here. eBay does ANY type of update and our sales usually tank for a month or 2. I've weathered those storms but always had savings to back me up. After Hurricane Florence last year, the savings got wiped out so unfortunately, I'm dependent for my income on here. I've tried other platforms and don't like them so I will just keep trying, buy less groceries and HOPE for the best AGAIN!!! I've just never seen so many tech glitches ALL at once. Best of luck to you Sparkle!!!

lovefindingtreasures2 · ‎10-27-2019

@ckudika: "It also happens when I edit my listings, so I've started bulk editing all of my listings every now and again and just change something like the ship from zip code by 1 digit or something like that and it seems to spark sales."

Change the zip code by a digit, what do you mean? I've done all the suggestions too, tell me more!

lovefindingtreasures2 · ‎10-27-2019

Just a quick reply, my neighbor types in all caps because he can HARDLY see 🙂

Roll with it and the paragraphs, you never know what difficulties people are trying to overcome 🙂

stuff4divas · ‎10-27-2019

@lovefindingtreasures2 wrote:
Just a quick reply, my neighbor types in all caps because he can HARDLY see 🙂

Roll with it and the paragraphs, you never know what difficulties people are trying to overcome 🙂

I get it, I just don't bother to read super long posts with no paragraphs and all CAPS 🙂

Just a difficulty I can't overcome 🙂

ckudika · ‎10-27-2019

@lovefindingtreasures2 wrote:
@ckudika: "It also happens when I edit my listings, so I've started bulk editing all of my listings every now and again and just change something like the ship from zip code by 1 digit or something like that and it seems to spark sales."

Change the zip code by a digit, what do you mean? I've done all the suggestions too, tell me more!

Whenever I make any change to a listing it seems like it re-indexes in search results and goes to (or nearer to) the top of the list. So every 3 weeks or so I do a bulk edit of all of my listings that havent sold for a couple months.

Since they are all very different in most of the fields, I pick something like the "ships from" field and change my zip code from 28110 to 28111. It doesnt affect my shipping costs or delivery time if the item were to sell, but ebays search algorithm seems to treat it as a new listing because of the change, and bumps it way up towards the top of the list in search.

I've done this many many times, either ending and resisting, or bulk edits, for old stagnant listings that havent sold and arent getting views, and very shortly after I will get at least a sale or two from those items.

Sometimes I even go through them one-by-one and RAISE the price by $1 and it will spark sales.

It seems to work best when I end and relist, which I will do right before a bunch of listings are about to automatically relist. Changing them one by one seems to work better than bulk edits, but sometimes i just dont feel like doing them 1 at a time.

Hope this helps!

ckudika · ‎10-27-2019

@stuff4divas wrote:
@lovefindingtreasures2 wrote:
Just a quick reply, my neighbor types in all caps because he can HARDLY see 🙂

Roll with it and the paragraphs, you never know what difficulties people are trying to overcome 🙂
I get it, I just don't bother to read super long posts with no paragraphs and all CAPS 🙂

Just a difficulty I can't overcome 🙂

This seems rather ironic given your tagline is:

"We are eBay volunteers trying to help our fellow eBayers, so PLZ be kind 😉"