Small Seller Epiphany

[Anonymous]

Hey All,

I've been in the group thinking that eBay is going downhill, ruining the site, and on their way out.

Cruising this forum and reading hundreds of threads, I've had an epiphany.......

eBay is making this site more difficult and unusable for SMALL SELLERS. eBay isn't going anywhere, small sellers are.

eBay started taking views from all sellers in groups at a time months ago, even before the roll out of Promoted Listings Advanced. They are still in the process of taking views and haven't gathered all sellers yet. If you are a small seller and are still getting sales without promoting, you just haven't been gathered yet. It's coming.

Small sellers can't afford PLA, it would eat up all profits for the promise of views, not sales.

The companies and really big sellers here, once gathered, can afford PLA to buy their views back.

Thousands of small sellers, once gathered, have clung to Promoted Listings Standard to buy their views back and are getting sales. PLS is affordable and usable for small sellers.

PLA was the first big shove to get rid of small sellers, and is the first step in a plan to do so.

If eBay's next big move is to make PLS unreachable for small sellers, or to do away with it altogether......well, small sellers are done. No views or sales for them once gathered, and eventually they all will be.

It's looking like eBay is converting to a more cataloged, commercial format.

There will be no more trinkets, collectibles, closet, yard sale, or used items sold here.

The best we small sellers can hope for is that they don't change or remove PLS for the rest of Q4.

Keep in mind, hundreds if not thousands of sellers will be leaving the platform at the end of the year voluntarily over the new reportable income amount dropping so much. Pretty sure that many small sellers have not been reporting their eBay income.

Thoughts ?

[coolections]

@powell-memorabilia 

They have to blame someone because buyers are not willing to purchase their stuff. The good news is their competition is getting the sales.

[downunder-61]

It would appear that eBay are trying to fight for the smaller/hobby seller

https://community.ebay.com/t5/What-s-New/More-Unnecessary-IRS-Forms-No-thanks/ba-p/32391127

The new tax should not bother any seller who has always paid their taxes, the one's who will be angered by it are the one's who don't understand their obligations in the first place, or those actively wanting to avoid tax.

I am neither a naysayer nor a cheerleader these days, I think there are many area's that eBay need to improve on (catch up with) but the serious seller will not just give up on things.

I have sold here for years, it helped me start my business for virtually no outlay and now I have a website that is to be my sole selling venue - my reasons are wanting to 'run' my own business, my way, nothing more.

[Anonymous]

Didn't say eBay was going downhill, that's what I used to think.

Please google "epiphany", you must not know what it means.

[Anonymous]

Once you've been sent into the black hole, you don't get any views without promoting.

Congrats if you haven't been sent yet, but you will be.

[Anonymous]

It will be amusing to see them announce their departure thinking they are hurting eBay or that they will be missed. eBay doesn't want them, they are doing what eBay wants them to do.

Thirty million ? Don't be ridiculous.

[bonjourami]

Couldnt agree more with 'dont be ridiculous.'

[Anonymous]

Your schtick about competition is getting old, no one is selling anything once they are dropped into the no views black hole until they promote to get views. It's eBay's money grab. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you haven't been dropped into the hole yet. You will be, all sellers are going there.

As far as no one wanting what we're selling......give it a rest already. I sell Hot Wheels and other diecast cars, just as many if not more adults buy them than kids. They sell year round and very steadily, I'm TR as a result of these diecast cars selling so well. Your cut and paste reply about no one wants what we're selling and being less competition  is a much repeated fallacy. Please Google "fallacy", then you will understand what I'm saying.

[powell-memorabilia]

Yes, if you are selling one of the tens of thousands of amethyst necklaces, it is hard to get views without promotion.  If you are selling something unique, that people want, you’ll get plenty of views, with little to no promotion.

Some sellers differentiate with products, some are forced to differentiate with promotions, gimmicks, and sales.  It isn’t eBay’s fault or problem that some sellers don’t or won’t understand that eBay doesn’t play favorites.

[px_455]

So, become a big seller.

Baby steps.

[Anonymous]

You are correct, eBay does not play favorites. All sellers will be dropped into the no views black hole, it just takes time to get millions of them there.

Many of us are there, many more to go, but more being dropped in steadily.

[coolections]

@Anonymous 

If you are going to continue this debate we need to see just one listing you say Ebay is hiding. I gauruntee I can find it. If you cannot do that then just quit this debate because Ebay hides NOTHING, there is not reason for them to do that.

[coolections]

If you are that deep into a black hole I suggest find something that does not have over 10,000 other people selling the same thing. Someone has to be on page 289 and it is not Ebay's fault.

[chapeau-noir]

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@Anonymous wrote:

You are correct, eBay does not play favorites. All sellers will be dropped into the no views black hole, it just takes time to get millions of them there.

Many of us are there, many more to go, but more being dropped in steadily.

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Again, I agree that the search is messy right now, but I don't see eBay kicking off almost 20% of their GMV - they're already struggling with market shrinkage. We may suffer from benign neglect but rewriting the search engine to create specific black holes is gonna be hard - you have to basically re-manufacture the English (or other primary) language to do that because search queries are so variable.

[yuzuha]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Once you've been sent into the black hole, you don't get any views without promoting.

Congrats if you haven't been sent yet, but you will be.

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Because it couldn't possibly be that some things just don't have much demand. I've listed items that had multiple views and watchers within about 30 minutes of them going up. I've listed other things that were just crickets for weeks because not many people were interested in them.

As a perfect example, recently I've listed a whole bunch of collectible keychains of characters from video games. Every single one that I listed of a particular character has sold within a week of it going up because that character is very popular. The others are getting views and watchers, but nowhere near to the level of that character-- those keychains all had watchers within an hour.

[bonjourami]

For sure..I sold an antique circus poster a few weeks ago, that also had multiple views and watchers almost immediately. It all depends on what you are selling.