Since sales are slow especially for small seller is it good idea to shut down for the summer?

[my_boston_baked_beans]

Since sales are slow especially for small seller, and myself among them, is it good idea to shut down for summer?

I have tried to be diverse in my items, but like other no sales.

Is it a good idea to give it a rest by closing for the summer maybe reopen in the fall, or does a small seller need to keep up their views and visibility to stay alive?

thanks

[slippinjimmy]

Sure, shut down and set a new record for slow sales with NONE!

I'm quite there are tens of thousands of seller big and small that are not seeing declining sales.

If you want more sales then list more not less and find something other than the completely overloaded clothing category.

[my_boston_baked_beans]

Thank yu are very helpful:)

[luckythewinner]

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@my_boston_baked_beans wrote:

Since sales are slow especially for small seller, and myself among them, is it good idea to shut down for summer?

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I am a small seler and my sales are about the same as always - mine have been remarkably consistent for the past five years. Sol while things may be slow for you, that is probably not true for all small sellers. 

That aside ... 

As a seller with under 100 listings, I can't see that shutting down for the summer would cause you any great harm.

There is a school of thought that says you need to keep listing to maintain visibility, and thjere is a school of thought that says having listings that do not sell hurts your visibility too. (Personally, I don't think anyone actually knows and that is all guesswork anyway). 

I see 12 sales on your account this month totaling over $600 - I personally would not give that up unless your investment in time makes it not worth your while. 

[thallidguy]

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@my_boston_baked_beans wrote:

Since sales are slow especially for small seller, and myself among them, is it good idea to shut down for summer?

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Speak for yourself. I'm a small seller, at least much smaller than I used to be. My sales have been steady and I have absolutely zero intention of shutting down for the summer. Especially since I have a store subscription and I'd just be paying for nothing.

I understand that your sales may be slow right now, and that there are other small sellers who are complaining on the forum right now. That means nothing in terms of the bigger picture. The small sellers who are doing all right won't grouse in public, we just keep selling.

[ted_200]

By all accounts, at least on the "old" eBay, summer is slower here.  In my particular niche, summer is also slow season no matter where we're talking about.  I've shut down on eBay entirely for summer about half the time, shut down for a month or two some other summers. 

If you're selling fixed price I don't see much of a point, if you're using free listings, unless you just want a break.  In my case I sell auctions, and with the general decrease in bidders and bid levels, it can make sense to list the stuff in the fall when there are more active bidders.  The down side to that though is that any current repeat bidders (people who are looking at my listings every week) may wander off while I'm shut down and not come back to my items. 

[bubbleman2010]

Just depends on if you have something to do this summer. Selling on ebay is like watching paint dry of course there are 2.7 trazzillon sellers on ebay whos sales are brisk and are 1000% ahead of last year sales,but if you have something else to do not selling here this summer isn't going to be a life changing event...

[uncseniorsportsfan]

If you need a vacation from ebay - by all means take it during the summer.    I shut down from the 10th-25th of December instead. 

I don't see any sense in foregoing 50 free listings per month.  But I do spend the summer months of June and July revising listings that haven't sold as well as consolidating similar items into lots.  And setting some items aside for our fall neighborhood yard sale.   I then spend August creating new listings for the fall. 

[ted_200]

  I shut down from the 10th-25th of December instead. 

I shut down EVERYWHERE then, usually a week or two earlier on eBay.  Traffic is a mess, whether is awful, postal system is slow (won't ever meet the delivery estimates), buyers want it extra-fast, and people make a lot of purchases they'll want to undo in January. 

[djmovers99]

Well, I must say that your listings look very impressive!  I do not plan to shut down for the summer especially because I have the basic store fee to pay regardless.  What I did was increase my handling time from 1 to 2 days so I don't feel so stressed all the time.  With a little planning I can take a full day off without worry if I have something to do that's important to me.  I gave up my TRS+ status because free returns did not work out well for electronic components.  Also I will have to stop for 1-2 weeks anyway for an upcoming trip.  That will be hard enough to get started again.  Best of luck with your decision.

DJ

[slippinjimmy]

Just for full transparency..........

I will be shutting down near the end of June and probably go straight through to late August or early September. It has nothing to do with sales or the lack of them, I will lose a few thousands dollars BUT I have other interests that are incompatible with being a full time seller, for much of that period I will be completely offline. I'm left with the choice of staying home and bringing in some money or to head out to the wilderness and thoroughly enjoy myself.

I worked long hours with no holidays for several decades, it was "fun" but at this point in life I have other priorities and am fortunate that I can handle the financial hit for the most part. The clock is ticking, there will come a time when those activities will no longer be possible simply due to age and infirmity, at that point eBay (or whatever similar thing) will once again become a full time occupation which In expect to do at some level until I drop dead (or something better comes along).

[flyinhawaiiangirl]

Sounds fantastic! You are making the right choice 🙂