Sales down - my sales dropped off a cliff. What is going on?

[kathcap-27]

I always have consistent sales but this past week all sales stopped. I see Ebay pushing promotional sales - could this be a reason? I sell a low-cost item so can't justify paying promotional fees on top of my monthly fee. My business has never been this slow. 

[pls-consignments]

If eBay is your "bread & butter", then I would suggest taking a bigger picture approach to your business by anticipating potential economic slowdowns and adjust accordingly. This will eliminate much of the shock and disappointment. 

[meme6253]

Sorry to hear about your sales, I think it could very well be a sign of the times, People are very skeptical to spend their money due to so much uncertainty, with tariffs looming, cost of goods not coming down & in some cases going up, massive layoffs with more coming, just keeps piling up with no end, I think we are in for a very rough ride, People will look for more necessities type items at great prices, I sell collectibles so it concerns me.,I think used clothing, automotive parts, & smaller home repair items will probably do well for awhile is my guess., Good Luck to you.

[cambriachick]

Hi kathcap-27,

I sell vintage and my sales have been slow also.  I agree with meme6253, it's a result of the political uncertainty in our country right now.  That does not mean there's nothing you can do, however.  When this happens, I increase my listings, believe it or not.   I try to branch out and list items I ordinarily don't, at prices a bit lower than the competition, but I don't give things away.  I have mixed results, but it beats doing nothing.

[cityslickercreations2004]

I looked at your items and the pieces are beautiful and very modestly priced. Sales ebb and flow so I believe you are just having a lull.

I use my lull time to tweak my listings. IMHO, your pictures could use some brightening.  The grey background is too dark against the silver. I use 2 editing software programs for tweaking. One of them is photos on my PC and the other was a free download. You wouldn't need to retake the pictures just lighten them.

[animal-house-8]

Traffic counts have declined  over the last month, you may want to do at least 2% on promoted sales may help. I myself have stopped about 25% of my normal purchases due to the economic issues in the country, I'm sure I'm not alone.

[meme6253]

Nope you are not alone.

[aeparts1]

One week doesn't make the entire month or year slow. Sales is always a roller coaster, always has been, always will be.

Diversify.

You seem to sell only watches & a little jewelry. I'd want to add some other types of items to my sales mix. When one category isn't selling, another is.

[jjddmwi]

You are not alone, OP.  Sales have really slowed down for me too.  I just keep plugging along though.  Like a previous poster, I also try and list different types of things / diversify.

[dy60609]

As posted, ebb and flow of sales.

As suggested maybe a 2% promo. Not everything. Pick a few. Give it a shot.

(add a few pennies to the asking price when doing so)

Contrary to the repeated "black cloud of doom" theory I doubt that the political climate is adversely affecting the purchasing of low-cost items such as you and I sell.

My items are more "need" than "want" but are not critical to existence. I see no great drop off the cliff in sales.

[12345jamesstamps]

Promoted some of the higher items...some at suggested eBay rate...this is what the big time sellers are doing.

You should look who is promoted under your items for sale by buyers.

Check other sellers feedbacks...look to see who is selling more than you.

Got to check your competitors to see if it's a 'you' problem or an 'everybody' problem...which relates to promoting and shipping and volume of items for sale.

I check the lowest price on eBay of my item with other sellers and will go usually a $1.00 or such lower.

Buyers are checking the lowest price of a 'same similar item'...got to go lower than competitors.

We sellers want what the item is actually worth...but, alas, that's not going to happen if other sellers are selling similar or exact like items you are selling.

Good luck.

[inhawaii]

If your sales have stopped, that means people are not wanting to buy what you are selling.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

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@inhawaii wrote:

If your sales have stopped, that means people are not wanting to buy what you are selling.

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Lets not leave out them being unable or unwilling to buy other than necessities.

Those of us who are old enough, and sold online long enough have seen this before.

Some of the areas which are dead now will come back, others will not.

For those who have excellent crystal balls, this is a time which might be a buying opportunity for inventory for future sales, if you have the money.

My crystal ball says if I like an item, it will never come back into favor.

[campanaelia]

Not to worry... Trump said, “The golden age of America has only just begun. It will be like nothing that has ever been seen before."

[dy60609]

And there we have it. The "undersell, race to the bottom" approach to selling rather that the price competitively and let the buyer look at the seller to decide where they want to buy.