Sales down since middle of May. Economy?!

[annisazzz]

My sales have been down about 50% since the middle of May. I realize the economy really stinks and people don’t want to purchase cosmetics which are basically a WANT and not a NEED. But it just seems so odd that it happened so suddenly. One week I had 10-20 sales a day. Literally the next week I was getting maybe 4 a day. It’s just odd that this happened so suddenly. Is there an eBay algorithm that changed? Thanks for any input you may have! 

[1tuna]

its summer and that means a slowdown with ebay and an uptick in September

one of my suppliers even knows its slow during the summer

my wife has her pat answer for the summer..........everyone is down the shore

that woud be the Jershey shore

summer doldrums and ebay go hand in hand

@annisazzz 

[drinkwine1204]

thanks dm. I do believe I have a few of those flat rate around here somewhere. Will make that change as soon as I can get my hands on them, Cannot access some shelves due to being stuck in this wheelchair, Always happy to learn new tricks, 

Best of luck to you.

[dm772012]

ahh...thank you drinkwine1204 :))) happy to help with anything...especially our fellow eBay sellers. 

we all work very hard to provide the best to our customers. Pray for you a quick recovery.  Attitude is half the battle. Have a blessed week :>}}}

[blotto-half]

yes the lack of views (they say in the last 30 days) is distressing but after a very bad run Im having a pretty good June go figure!

[ci1000]

@drinkwine28

I've been working pretty much all day tweaking and what not.  Just found the time to check this thread again.... and I wanted you to know you made my day!

Hope your recovery goes quickly.  The amazing thing is that you seem to take it all in stride and still manage to hold on to the hope and optimism many of us are losing sight of....  Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you are in my thoughts and are such a blessing and inspiration.....  Thank You!

[onefootflipper]

Combination of a bunch of factors. 

They started talking about the economic downturn on the news a lot, which causes people to change their spending habits. This of course right before June which is always my worst month of the year. June comes with a bunch of college students changing addresses, a bunch of people getting married and changing addresses and an influx of school teachers and students who only pick/list during the summer. The summer only picking sellers really are a thing, I talked to several of them today in line at the Goodwill outlet. 

Then June particularly comes with a bunch of people spending most of their disposable income on summer activities, this factor trends down as the summer goes on and people get tired of going outside in the heat.

I have no worries, ebay has been "dying" since I first started selling in the 90s and yet somehow I sell more every single year. Today is on track to be my worst day in months, however I am still up 46 percent month over month.

[dm772012]

@ci1000  so kind of you to reply back to drinkwine28 with your positive and appreciative post 😉 

we need to lift up each other in these most difficult of times! Sending cyber hugs and blessings to you and yours. 

[natoman777]

"We might be in a recession down the road" is what I keep hearing this week.  If we are not in one yet...oh no!

Sales will be less regular due to the economy.  I have posted about this myself.  Many want to claim it is eBay's fault, and I would say they might have 10% of the blame due to updates.

[thegreatwriter]

I'm really surprised that nobody has really answered this question correctly. I am an economics writer and write for major financial service companies. I have been studying economics for 41 years.  There is an easy answer for why ebay sales should be down for nearly everyone, except for those who might sell some specialty items.  Ever hear the term "disposable income?"  It's the money people may have left over after taking care of their recurring monthly expenses.  I keep spreadsheets tracking my own expenses and since a year and a half ago, my regular costs for food and other household items is up about 40%. Since 2019, even with some small decreases recently, gas is still up 100%.  So what is happening, is that the average ebay buyer, who used disposable income even during the pandemic, and certainly in 2019, now has little or no disposable income to make purchases. As the old saying goes; "it's the economy stupid." It is really about inflation and purchasing power.  I have had items on ebay, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for a year, and almost nothing is selling, even at big reduced rates. Wages have recently fallen, although the job market is mostly healthy, there have been a lot of layoffs recently and inflation will cause more. So, when folks have less "extra" money, they don't make purchases that aren't food or other necessities. 

[rugerskick]

The ebay search function is terrible.  This was pushed out and it has really hampered sellers.  Noticeable negative consequences and its not just a few people.  All over the countries, people selling all different sorts of things.