Slow Sales !!!

[keithlisa2009]

   What The Heck is going on? Sales : One week pretty good , the next week practically nothing! I've been selling since 2009. Over 15 thousand items  sold. Top Rated Plus Seller.  I know what I'm doing, Apparently eBay doesn't. They say keep listing until sales break loose, Well I'm at about 500 listings and just sold 3 items over the entire weekend !!  Sales sure as hell Haven't broke yet.

    Yes, I've tried all types of promotions, And Sales and all the other tricks I've learned over the years and it's just throwing hard earned money away.

    Talking to eBay about it is like talking to a dead skunk in the middle of the road. They just don't seem to care. No loyalty at all , even though I've stuck w/ them. Just feel like I have to vent. If anyone from eBay happens to see this, Please do YOUR job.

     Thanks for listening !!

[stevemartin60]

The pressure cooker is starting to rock....

[sextons-sweet-deals]

The debt ceiling will pass, but the news sure likes scaring everyone. Both of our jacked-up parties know they can't afford to let it fail.  Why do I still see people lined up for $8+ coffees at the Buck? Why do I see people driving new cars? People traveling and the airlines keep making bank after how many of our tax dollar bailouts in the past 25 years they received. There are plenty of people making bank out there!

Are people just fed up and just thinking they can file bankruptcy if needed and start over or that they are towards the end of life and say 'screw it', rack up the debt, enjoy my last years and let the family or state deal with it?

eBay's constant changes and updates don't help. Search engine is a mess and has been for at least the past 4 years. 

[hm3571]

You have ZERO listings!!

[hm3571]

You have 4 listings!!

[chapeau-noir]

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@vintagecraze50 wrote:

Eating out may take a precedent over buying something else for some.

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You've actually hit the nail on the head - increasingly people are preferring to spend their money on experiences - evenings out with friends, travel, etc., over acquiring yet more *stuff*.  This culture has been increasingly one of competitive acquisitive greed, and in a great way I think the pandemic reset people's world view into realising that beyond a certain level, acquisition of yet more material items is meaningless.

[fmwsells]

The sales are super slow. No sales the entire week. For some odd reason the number of impressions and page views are going up, but no sales. Ebay is broken.

[theteamsetguy]

@keithlisa2009 ,

You’ve sold almost 300 items in the last 90 days. Many sellers on these boards would kill to have that many sales out of 500 listed. You averaged almost 100 sales per month. 

[vintagecraze50]

That was an extremely insightful take on what is happening with  the sale of merchandise right now. I agree people want to spend more on these experience based types of things. Vacations are going to be top on the list this summer.

[vintagecraze50]

Also, people want to feel more secure these days. Acquiring more meaningless stuff in an age where many are just strapping to get by on regular bills. They certainly do not want to be getting into major debt right now with the interest rates climbing either. I wonder just how many purchases are made on credit cards. Probably the majority of purchases.

[inhawaii]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

"Slow sales" returns 5000 threads. 

"The economy" is always the excuse. I figure if people aren't buying from me, it's because I don't have what they want.

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You mean ebay isn't broken?   😉

[natoman777]

Looking through your items for sale you have a lot of collectible type things for sale.  These have slowed a lot the last year or so for me.  My sales of shoes, clothing, books have been very good lately.   Hardly sell any collectibles.  But regardless slowdowns are a part of selling on eBay

[mr_lincoln]

One of the biggest disappointments is the downturn in how PLS campaigns perform since they launched PLA last year (2022).   Prior to that I ran one PLS campaign per quarter for 30 days and put ALL BINs on it with one fixed AD rate.  It was a good boost in sales and the PLS campaigns consistently returned an average of 2-3 sales per day.  The only downside was that for a week to 10 days after the PLS ended sales dropped like a rock before returning to normal levels.  Yep,  people in sales notice trends for sure.

Then 2022 hit and all my PLS that year performed horribly with average sales down to less then 1.5 per day.  This year the 1st Quarter PLS performed like the ones prior to 2022 (and I was encouraged) but my 2nd quarter one that ended May 8th was horrible with only 1.3 average sales per day.  I am now in the post PLS week to 10 period and will be interested to see if sales rebound or simply remain below average.  

I know one of eBay's thrusts is to earn more FVFs via PLS and PLA campaigns.  Another thing I noticed with the "trending" ad rates eBay shows on items is the "across the board" increase ... we're talking going from 2-4% up to 7-9% ... excuse me for being skeptical but I am not convinced the published "trending" ad rates are real.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@chapeau-noir 

While I think the "experience over things" observation is true to some extent, I think there are still a lot of people buying "things".

Still, it is worth asking: what can we as sellers provide the "experience" buyers (assuming we aren't actually selling "experiences".)

Some thoughts:

Luggage, clothing (especially "vacation" and "adventure" type clothing), cameras (there's a current trend among younger people to use digital cameras, even though they have perfectly sound cameras on their phones), hiking type gear and other outdoor gear, various accessories for those who are traveling via RV or "glamping" (can include vintage stuff), travel guides, and more.

I'm sure others here could add to this list.

[ed8108]

Slow sales?

Loyal ebay sellers, ebay likely has a plan, it has a long successful history of  sellers making ebay profitable for ebay & shareholders.

[bbcor_30]

Hi Lisa,

I understand your frustration with the fluctuating sales on eBay. Several factors can contribute to variations in sales performance, including market trends, competition, buyer behavior, and external factors. It's important to continuously evaluate and adjust your selling strategies to adapt to changing conditions.

Here are a few suggestions to improve your sales:

1. Optimize your listings: Ensure that your product titles, descriptions, and images are accurate, appealing, and optimized for search engines. Use relevant keywords and provide detailed information about your products.

2. Competitive pricing: Research and compare prices of similar products to stay competitive. Consider adjusting your pricing strategy to attract buyers without compromising profitability.

3. Enhance your customer experience: Provide excellent customer service, respond promptly to inquiries, and resolve any issues efficiently. Positive feedback and satisfied customers can lead to increased sales.

4. Promote your listings: Utilize eBay's promotional tools, such as promoted listings or discounts, to increase visibility and attract more buyers. Leverage social media platforms and your own website to drive traffic to your eBay listings.

5. Expand your product range: Consider diversifying your inventory to include popular and trending items. Research market demand and adjust your offerings accordingly.

6. Stay informed: Keep track of eBay's updates, policy changes, and best practices. Participate in seller forums or communities to learn from experienced sellers and share insights.

While eBay provides a platform for sellers, individual sales performance can vary. It's essential to continuously assess your strategies, adapt to market dynamics, and explore alternative sales channels if needed.

Hope so this will help you!

Regards,

Bryce June