Sellers blame eBay when their sales are down.

[fab_finds4u]

Why do they blame eBay for that? 

The economy is down. People tend to cut back on buying when there's nothing left after paying for necessities. 

Maybe people are waking up 

[vintagecraze50]

The economy is absolutely cooling off right now I imagine. I also imagine MANY with high credit card balances and interest rates through the roof.

[vintagecraze50]

It’s so bad for us that we are trading in our Ford F150 truck that is 4 years old with like 30000 miles for an economy SUV. WE CANNOT TOLERATE an over 500 a month payment for this monster truck. 

[vintagecraze50]

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@slippinjimmy wrote:

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@fab_finds4u wrote:

Why do they blame eBay for that? 

The economy is down. People tend to cut back on buying when there's nothing left after paying for necessities. 

Maybe people are waking up and don't  want cheap chit from China.

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I tend to believe it's because the complainers are more familiar with being employed where it's common to blame everything on management.

As far as the cheap chit from China, those buyers have woken up and have moved to other much better sources like Temu.

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TEMU I believe is SMOKIN with sales and I buy a lot from them. Their prices and product are excellent.

[dbfolks166mt]

The economy is absolutely cooling off right now I imagine. I also imagine MANY with high credit card balances and interest rates through the roof.

     Credit card debt reached a new high in 2023 with Americans having surpassed just over $1 trillion in outstanding credit card debt. The average CC balance is around $6,000. Some consider it to be nearing a crisis point if we are not already there. 

     I guess a lot of people have decided that if the government can spend, spend, and continue to spend more than they receive then they should be able to do the same. 

[logrey87]

I left ebay in 2019-2020, came back last October. My parents could collect the bejesus out of anything . I started with Dept 56 , Hallmark, Radko . I've never sold a single necessity. My memory isn't that great but I thought back in 2018-2019 the blame was on server space for inconsistent (ebb and flow) sales ?  My sales on this platform have never felt organic. On a whim I tracked them for a month in 2018, only made sales for the same 3 days the entire month. I don't have the calendar anymore but want to say Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. It's a means to an end for me.  The people who can make a living here have my admiration.

[postfiftymodern]

I don't blame eBay when my sales are down. BUT I do question why,  when I have popular items for sale and they receive ZERO views after a month or more of being on the site. It makes me question how eBay actually indexes their database and what items get better placement over others.

[keziak]

I expect some (many?) also tap their home equity and 401k for dealing with debt or just to have cash on hand. Both are scary for long-term prospects like handling health care costs in old age. I don't know how many people expect to live on Social Security. Probably a lot.  

I've gotten a couple of messages recently from people saying they are waiting for a paycheck to buy my stuff which makes me uneasy about their financial choices. 

As for the overall economy I think that many people are finding high prices everywhere. For example a new small restaurant opened here that I like but their prices are across the board expensive, like more than $7 for a slice of pie that tastes like it came from a grocery store, not freshly mail. And entrees way more. Always a good crowd in there though.

[sakic92710]

I question why I can post the same item on eBay & Marketplace only to find 0 views on eBay while it gets 50 on FBM.   lol  MILLIONS of potential buyers compared to 1000s of local buyers.

[meme6253]

If you were selling better stuff, Isn't that Very Vague?

[sakic92710]

So many of the sellers, especially those who hide their ID, like to give vague advice.  "Sell what people want."  "Sell what is in demand."   "Sell things you just cannot find at local stores."  I like the last one most because I saw 1 person doing very well selling new packages of underwear.  You just can't find underwear anywhere!   lol

[luckythewinner]

The economy is down

By what measure?

This statement is incredibly simplistic IMHO.

The economy is generally strong, but there are still some issues.

Good points:

• The stock market is high (for those who save for retirement)
• Unemployment is lows
• Property values have skyrocketed, eliminating PMI (for homeowners who pay attention)
• Inflation is slowing
• GDP growth is strong
• Wage growth is 4.3%

Not so good points:

• Inflation is high
• Rents are high
• Mortgage rates are high
• Consumer confidence is 'meh'
• Gas prices are high
• Car prices are high
• Consumer debt rates are high

[mordecai8614]

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@vintagecraze50 wrote:

It’s so bad for us that we are trading in our truck for an SUV

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Man I hope this is satire & not a real complaint...

[lawnmowerpartsstore2]

I would not abbreviate CCP. Call it out for what it is:  Chinese Communist Party

[kh-vince]

Hi everyone,

This discussion has gotten a bit off topic, as a result a number of posts were removed. Please bring the discussion back to subject established in the original post.

Thank you.

[selsa84]

On a happier note, I hope you all have a great day and make tons of money. It's hump day and I'm going to eat a Baconater for lunch.