eBay

vintagequeennyc · ‎04-25-2019

Man, oh man. I’m really starting to worry about the future of selling on eBay as a small to mid-level seller. This site is beginning to feel like a graveyard.

My sales have been in a very steep and fast decline since January 2019. My 60 day sales total is thousands of dollars below what it was 3-4 months ago and dropping by the day.

I have kept increasing my number of listings but sales are almost non-existent. I’ve been selling new and used clothing here for 13 years and this is currently my full-time job. Yes, I know clothing is saturated but it always has been. That’s never held back my sales. 2 years ago I was making twice as much money with half the number of listings. I’m currently partly disabled recovering from an accident and unable to work an outside job. So for me, this massive slump of sales is becoming incredibly frightening.

Not to mention my impressions dashboard metrics are all up substantially since the GTC change a month ago but my sell-through rate is down 50%!!! I KNOW it’s not my inventory or prices. I’ve been at this game a long time and keep a careful watch on those things and know I am offering amazing deals on desirable items.

It’s starting to get VERY scary for me here. I used to know that if I listed good stuff at great prices, I could make money fast and reliably. Now the only reliable thing is the lack of sales.

Is ebay truly dying?? Have buyers abandoned this site en masse? Is it the algorithm and blackouts? Are we seeing the beginning stages of an economic recession? I sit here and look through my listings and think, “How the HECK hasn’t that sold?? Or that? Or this?!”

I’m truly at a loss as to what is going on. I’ve NEVER seen such a fast and drastic sales slowdown in all my years selling here. It really feels like an apocalypse.

havemyfaves · ‎04-25-2019

I'm with you. My sales are down 46% and it is very depressing. My motivation is nearing none at this point with the recent GTC force and the recent awful mobile app changes for managing and creating new listings. I hate it.

I think eBay has made changes to only support sellers that produce millions of dollars (across seas) and while doing so, the small sellers are getting pushed down further and further.

I REALLY hope eBay starts to feel the same hit that we all are feeling.

sakic92710 · ‎04-25-2019

I've been trying to make a living off of this site for a long time & getting no where fast. I'd be fine with earnings of $75-100 a day. It seems difficult to average $20 a day! I post a wide variety of items for sale. I thought this would be the best way to create steady sales. It doesn't help if eBay is only allowing a limited amount of buyers to see your items at random times. I find myself selling most of my items to the same 7-8 locations. CA, PA, NY, FL, TX, Ontario, Quebec, B.C. I don't know what has changed for you but, I find no change in trying to make a living here. It hasn't gotten worse for me; always been a struggle. Many lousy days with a few good/great ones here & there.
Good luck to us all! 🙂

castlemagicmemories · ‎04-25-2019

There are so many selling clothing, as you say, an oversaturated category, but not only that, there are other places online to buy clothes that have sprung up and are now competition.

I know that doesn't help you, and I feel your fright and your pain. I wish you weren't going through all this, and I truly hope that things get better for you and your sales pick up shortly.

jcsdezine37fj · ‎04-25-2019

I sell in the Business & Industrial category. The last 2 months have been dropping steadily. I have brought this up in other forums many times. Back in late summer 2018 ebay did a update, and they lost a huge amount of listing pictures across all categories. They sent me a email explaining it and that I needed to look over all of my listings (1500+) I spent a couple of weeks taking new pics and putting them on my listings that lost pics. From that time on my sales have been dropping to the point I have days that have no sales at all. A few years ago a slow day would have 20 sales. I have tried all of the things they say I should do to have better search results, but still the same thing. Something has happened over the last year, I'm afraid the ebay system is so big no one knows exactly what the algorithm is doing.

vintagequeennyc · ‎04-25-2019

It’s true. There are a lot of other sites now to buy clothing. And it’s very saturated now. (I also sell on other sites.) BUT, I live in NYC and find and sell mid to high end brands at great discounts, which has always given me a great advantage. I stay constantly up to date on comps and make sure I’m always pricing VERY competitively.

Even in December, which is traditionally a very bad month for clothing sellers, it was my best sales month of 2018.

The massive drop-off since January is disconcerting, even despite the competition factors. I keep feeling like something ‘behind the scenes’ here is VERY off and working against me. I made 4x as much this week in sales on another site than I did here. So I know people are shopping. I know people want my stuff. So why isn’t anything listed here selling? Really makes you wonder...

And thanks for your kind words! 🙂

castlemagicmemories · ‎04-25-2019

@vintagequeennyc wrote:
It’s true. There are a lot of other sites now to buy clothing. And it’s very saturated now. (I also sell on other sites.) BUT, I live in NYC and find and sell mid to high end brands at great discounts, which has always given me a great advantage. I stay constantly up to date on comps and make sure I’m always pricing VERY competitively.
Even in December, which is traditionally a very bad month for clothing sellers, it was my best sales month of 2018.

The massive drop-off since January is disconcerting, even despite the competition factors. I keep feeling like something ‘behind the scenes’ here is VERY off and working against me. I made 4x as much this week in sales on another site than I did here. So I know people are shopping. I know people want my stuff. So why isn’t anything listed here selling? Really makes you wonder...

And thanks for your kind words! 🙂

You're welcome; if I could wave a magic wand that would give all sellers whose volume is down sales, and that would include you, I would, believe me.

It's frustrating for you, I'm sure, not to mention a worry, but I'm glad you have had good sales otherwise. Apparently you are on top of things and that is why you have those sales~and that's a good thing.

tunicaslot · ‎04-25-2019

@vintagequeennyc wrote:
It’s true. There are a lot of other sites now to buy clothing. And it’s very saturated now. (I also sell on other sites.) BUT, I live in NYC and find and sell mid to high end brands at great discounts, which has always given me a great advantage. I stay constantly up to date on comps and make sure I’m always pricing VERY competitively.
Even in December, which is traditionally a very bad month for clothing sellers, it was my best sales month of 2018.

The massive drop-off since January is disconcerting, even despite the competition factors. I keep feeling like something ‘behind the scenes’ here is VERY off and working against me. I made 4x as much this week in sales on another site than I did here. So I know people are shopping. I know people want my stuff. So why isn’t anything listed here selling? Really makes you wonder...

And thanks for your kind words! 🙂

I also sell clothing and have seen a significant drop this month. It was said in another thread yesterday that Ebay is constantly changing the algorithm - so you can subscribe to the free shipping, free returns, guaranteed delivery, 1 day shipping and promoted listings and still not make the first few pages as how the weighed each selling point changes so frequently. It's disconcerting to say the least because if for a period Free Returns is not weighted as high - I'd drop them until it would give me an edge over other sellers.

Younger people shop elsewhere for clothing - I could always count on the older buyers - but they are no where to be found so I donated all the old lady clothes. I use to do well with New mens pants and sweaters - I sold 2 sweaters and one pair of pants in the past 6 months - I'm trying to do a bulk sale on Facebook to get rid of them.

I'm trying to find more desirable hard goods to make up some of the slack but that also entails more work with packing and packing materials. I've been thinking about just sourcing and reselling it to other sellers as I love the thrill of the hunt - I love selling here but it keeps getting harder and harder.

sweetpieces4you · ‎04-25-2019

I wish I could see your listings !! But you decided not to share your inventory. Your Choice !! You yourself said that the marketplace is Saturated with clothing !! And You Would Know !! So to Begin With that isn't helping your sales !! You know that. You say it has always been saturated but it didn't matter ! Well has it gotten So Saturated that now It Does Matter ?? I don't sell clothing so what you're saying is what my answer/answers are based on !! You keep listing more and more but it's not helping you say !! How many of your listed items have been listed say for ( 6 ) months ?? Any ?? A Lot ?? To Many ?? I don't know. You know you're Business Better Than Anyone !! You know what sells best and that is where I would be concentrating my business !! Start with listing the best selling merchandise and work your way down from there !! You keep listing more and more but it's not helping !! I Don't Know Why because I am not in the clothing business !! But I do know If your problems continue downsizing and selling the Best Products You Own is Something you may want to Consider !! I am not in your shoes nor have any knowledge of the clothing business !! But You Do !! Is more and more listings the answer ?? Apparently Not !! Sell The Best/Not Anything and See if it Helps !! Just a opinion as I don't know your business !! I Wish You Good Luck

weschurch · ‎04-25-2019

@vintagequeennyc wrote:
Man, oh man. I’m really starting to worry about the future of selling on eBay as a small to mid-level seller. This site is beginning to feel like a graveyard.

My sales have been in a very steep and fast decline since January 2019. My 60 day sales total is thousands of dollars below what it was 3-4 months ago and dropping by the day.

I have kept increasing my number of listings but sales are almost non-existent. I’ve been selling new and used clothing here for 13 years and this is currently my full-time job. Yes, I know clothing is saturated but it always has been. That’s never held back my sales. 2 years ago I was making twice as much money with half the number of listings. I’m currently partly disabled recovering from an accident and unable to work an outside job. So for me, this massive slump of sales is becoming incredibly frightening.

Not to mention my impressions dashboard metrics are all up substantially since the GTC change a month ago but my sell-through rate is down 50%!!! I KNOW it’s not my inventory or prices. I’ve been at this game a long time and keep a careful watch on those things and know I am offering amazing deals on desirable items.

It’s starting to get VERY scary for me here. I used to know that if I listed good stuff at great prices, I could make money fast and reliably. Now the only reliable thing is the lack of sales.

Is ebay truly dying?? Have buyers abandoned this site en masse? Is it the algorithm and blackouts? Are we seeing the beginning stages of an economic recession? I sit here and look through my listings and think, “How the HECK hasn’t that sold?? Or that? Or this?!”

I’m truly at a loss as to what is going on. I’ve NEVER seen such a fast and drastic sales slowdown in all my years selling here. It really feels like an apocalypse.

You are not alone. This place is in a total freefall. As a buyer I can't even find anything to buy. It seems all the listings are just chinese junk and big box stuff I go elsewhere for. Its worse than its ever been in 20 years for sure. Im starting to think Ebay may be a thing of the past real soon and the management doesn't give me much hope otherwise.

vinylrecon · ‎04-25-2019

Why all the !! and ??

vinylrecon · ‎04-25-2019

I know how ya feel. I just bought over 10,000 LPs this spring,thought i'd really make some jack,but with the sales plummet since GTC i'm not even motivated to get records ready to list on here,desirable records are not even selling at very reasonable prices-something is very very wrong with this picture....

vinylrecon · ‎04-25-2019

I feel very disillusioned at this point.....

gamersbaystore · ‎04-25-2019

Yeah, I keep listing daily to try and combat the declining sales. Adding hundreds of new listings brought 1/3 as many sales as the month prior. At this point, I haven't even made enough money to pay my store fees that are due in 5 days 😞 To make matters worse, I'm running out of stuff to list for sale, which isn't helping the situation.

I can't even afford to buy food. I've been eating 20 cent packages of instant noodles for weeks and nothing else. Its all I can afford. Its literally gotten to the point where its made me sick. Last night I finally broke down and bought real food for the first time in weeks. Its not worth starving to death to pay ebay. I'm still sick from weeks of not eating right though.

I did get some sales this past week, but the funds all went to my ISP, as they were threatening to shut off my internet unless they got paid ASAP.

Its not just ebay that's the problem, its the huge economic divide in America that's turning us into a third-world country. We're now a nation of the haves and have nots. The rich keep getting richer, while the working class keeps falling deeper and deeper into poverty.

coolections · ‎04-25-2019

People have been saying that for over 12 years now but yet sales on Ebay overall are the same and actually a little higher. You have lots of competition because everyone out there out of work tries doing the same as you. If you do not want your items in a graveyard you need to price and compete competitively. For every item you do not sell another seller out there does sell.