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.

buyselljack2016 · ‎10-27-2019

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

Not difficult at all:) as I just scroll quickly to the bottom of the post when it's all caps, and no paragraphs

stuff4divas · ‎10-28-2019

@ckudika wrote:
@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 😉"

So me letting the OP know about caps and paragraphs isn't me trying to help them to have their posts be more accessible to people like me who has difficulty reading super long posts with all caps and no paragraphs isn't my attempt to help?

I am not the only one who has this difficulty.

Sorry that my inability doesn't measure up to your idea of me trying to help 😞

jimw1776 · ‎10-29-2019

Thank you for sharing. I had a few sales early-mid Oct. But my sales are now non-existent. My VIEWS are also incredibly low (oh wait...GTC adds up the views...like that matters). I feel like my eBay acct has fallen of the face of the earth (except for when the monthly bill comes due) I'm selling similar, (not just relisting), changing pictures, changing wording, changing listing times, reducing prices, having a sale, (promoting hasn't helped|). I see a lot of folks are having poor sales...but I also see a lot of folks are selling! Any ideas? Is eBay going to fix their issues soon? Sorry...just venting. But I keep looking for the little orange stamp on the bell...and all I get is "You're all caught up"

rons_sales · ‎10-29-2019

your shipping needs to be revised 10.00 for a ring @150 people don't want to over pay these days

rons_sales · ‎10-29-2019

btw im a 21 year veteran of ebay many different stores along the way adapting to the current markets

technologystore · ‎10-29-2019

I rarely comment on these kinds of posts. Sales are always off for somebody.
My sales where off through most of the summer. When we got to September, I knew I had to do something or give up on ebay.
I re-worked and relisted all my items. I started sending out offers to all the watchers about once a week. I setup promoted listings on everything I have.
Sales have quadrupled in the last six weeks, even while we are in the Sucktober time of year when my sales always take a dive.
If you want to sell on ebay these days your are going to have to jump through their hoops, it's their game. Out of my last 13 sales, 3 have been normal ebay sales, 3 have been from 10 percent off offers to watchers, 6 from promoted listings, 1 was a custom order.
You can't just list it and forget it anymore, if you do, your sales are going to be terrible.
Good luck everybody.

mr_lincoln · ‎10-29-2019

@Anonymous Lost or no visibility has been going for a lot longer the just October. A 2nd account here tanked in 6 weeks after the GTC mandate back in March. It took 12 months to develop the 2nd ID with proven methods and it grew to the low 5 figures in annual sales. Then in the span of 6 weeks after the GTC mandate it had dropped 50% in sales through the end of April. Then may saw about 1 sale per week despite the regular quarterly Promoted Listing Campaign I run. On the last day of May I dropped the store from Basic to Entry level. I started to shift inventory and June through July saw 1-2 sales per week. On August 1 I infused the account with a lot of new inventory, it rebounded to previous levels but then tanked again in September. About 2 weeks ago I ended the Store subscription and the account is now on the Everyday rate plan with 50 free insertions. This month, October, there has been ONLY 1 sale.

-What did I do different? NOTHING

-Did eBay make changes that caused this? YES

I gave the account an opportunity to recover and it never did ... it's toast.

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

ted$95 · ‎10-30-2019

I have had ongoing problems with issues related to the computer software program ebay uses for more than a year now. I have regularly called them to report these bugs that consistently have an impact on my work with ebay. I have spent 3-5 hours in a given week dealing with some of these challenges at times, which I equate as money when I could be spending that time listing more items etc.

I have worked with a handful of different computer programs and software packages through the years and my theory is that the programs ebay is constantly and consistently trying to fix is an antiquated system. There is likely just too many users at any given time including both customers and sellers. I suspect many of us are both. These problems will continue until ebay chooses to invest in a computer software program that can address the kind of use that ebay is currently having. This investment can be quite expensive. I encourage people continue to call ebay about the challenges that we are all experiencing. I would also say that for myself I really try to remember that the customer service reps, who sometimes are part of the problem, are not at fault and they are just trying to do a job so lets not take our frustrations on them or at least keep this in mind. I try to anyway and most times I am successful.

The app is a tool that is used most frequently with buyers and myself as a seller as it is very convenient. when working better. It needs an overhaul, yet it appears that there is very little time spent on servicing the problems with the app when ebay's statistics show a larger percentage of people are using their phones to make purchases. Ultimately, if we come together as sellers an continue to communicate to ebay the problems with the computer program/software programs then eventually they will be forced to do something about it.

I know all of us are dependent on the income from our ebay sales, store or not. One way that ebay will start to listen is we would all need to come together and lets say put our stores collectively on vacation every Tuesday (just an example) and once ebay saw the serious impact with sales and have to answer to the shareholders (imagine what their reports would look like and the sales they would lose) There needs to be some sacrifice on our part as sellers to create or demand a change take place with ebay. The bottom line is when we are working well and making money so is ebay, but it seems in this instance with the computer problems, we may have to come together in some capacity to create a change and challenge ebay that we do have a voice. I am not sure we are being heard or validated. In my opinion, ebay needs to take some responsibility here is some fashion and I for one would welcome a credit of some kind to validate the losses as a result of what ebay is not doing that they need to significantly improve on. I will end with this, I have loved and enjoyed my work with ebay and still do most of the time, but enough is enough.

juliec563 · ‎10-30-2019

WOW!! Just WOW!! This explains a lot. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous · ‎10-31-2019

@ted$95 VERY well said and thought out!!! I suggest that you start you own post with this information so it isn't buried here. If you've already done that, what title line is it under? Many thanks for this!!! newport1us

Anonymous · ‎10-31-2019

You're welcome!!! I've also noticed that I am getting a lot fewer views on items as compared to last month. Guess buyers can't even FIND them to look!!!

mr_lincoln · ‎10-31-2019

@ted$95 Yes to the antiquated software but probably servers as well, they need a bigger and better computer system. I will attest to this because about a year ago I logged on and noticed a whole new page layout ... so I took a creen shot and posted here about it ... well, low and behold some older members said no, that's not a new page layout its actually from 2008 ... so you tell me how a 2008 page layout shows up for a few days 10 years later in 2018?

I have always suspected that they have numerous servers and when they are doing work on the site or their weekly updates they shift accounts to other servers regardless of how they may or may not work and then shift them back when the work or update is completed.

I have never used the phone app nor intend to but need to correct your comment that it is the most frequently used tool, it isn't unless eBay's numbers are off or they have posted new ones ... Purchases made with a mobile device account for around 50% - 55% of all sales which means the rest are done on a laptop or computer.

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

ohyesidid · ‎11-02-2019

I do not have a store either. The requirements are not good for me. Especially returns. You have to offer 30 day returns..I am selling audio books..they can listen and then return. Unfortunately, a lot of people will try that. Also there is a fee for the store..I think the lowest one is $15.00 a month..sometimes that is all I make in a month!

I also end my items and relist to set views back to 0, and it shows as a new listing. My sales for Oct have been OK, but very strange. I have had books on line for 3 months..a lot of views, but no sale. I relist , have 3 to 4 views and they buy it. ???? No logic..