eBay

covetmodern · ‎03-04-2018

I've been selling on eBay for over 15 years and have seen an overall decline in sales year after year since about 2010. Couple this with the problems sellers face - returns, refunds, fraud, etc. I'm about to call it quits... on eBay. I'm feeling like this "marketplace" has become the Dollar Store of online shopping in both what is being sold and the customer base that this appeals to. Mostly gone are the days of people buying quality collectibles from us - with just an ocassional big sale, and a trickle of smaller sales.

I won't mention sites, as this isn't about promoting another place, but rather a comparison in my experience.

In 2011, we opened an online store on another e-commerce site in hopes of increasing our sales - offering the same items, with the exception of one product line we can't sell because it is considered a mass produced finished collectible. We list approx. 2/3 of the products there vs. eBay (right now - 61 items there vs. 87 on eBay) That site over the last few years has netted us about 250% difference in revenue though. Yes, that is correct - we sell 2.5 times the amount of goods there than here... and there are less restrictions, less fees, and most importantly a better overall seller/customer experience.

2017 - 28% eBay /72% other site.

2018 - 29% eBay/71% other.

The only "benefit" I get on eBay vs. the other site is slightly less shipping costs, but that doesn't touch the difference in fees charged.

Anyone else feeling this decline on eBay or have similar experiences selling the same products on multiple sites?

repair1techj · ‎03-09-2019

@escuintla wrote:
@repair1techj wrote:
@cwward13 wrote:
BEST OFFER has killed the auctions.
some seller well cave in
ther auction force gone
Clay
Wish some sellers would respond to a best offer. No communication at all .
They don't need a sale really?

Well, when buyers tell me that they are going to pay $ for this small lot from my big lot so I pay for shipping what they are offering me binds me to a code of silence since I've explained so many times I am here to make a buck, not for them to make a buck out of me when they are resellers. Which is normal, but don't want them to insult me when I know they know the shipping costs.

Yes I can understand a insulting offer. It's a simple yes or no answer. No communication I will just move on simple as that. You go into a store and you ask a question do you get silence? This is a place where we do business . Frustrating as it is that I have look at all these ads to find a item then get no communication.

Good Luck

sweetpieces4you · ‎03-09-2019

I looked at your listed products. If you can sell those pieces somewhere else than GO WHERE the MONEY IS !! Why continue to pay fees,etc here when you clearly stated you are doing very well somewhere else !! You have been here awhile and you may just have sold as much as you are going to here with this customer base !! New customers can bring new revenue !! SIMPLE LOGIC !

buyzjewelry · ‎04-12-2019

they cannot say here, it would be removed

etch-city · ‎06-27-2019

Ebay is in a tough spot and they are throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. We sell on multiple sites in multiple product categories and our ebay sales are off more than anywhere else by a decent amount - so much so we have started to pull listings. We have been selling since 2006 are probably down 35% over the last 2-years and down over 60% if you go back 6-years or more.

Add in all craziness with free returns, free same day shipping, one product listing for multiple sellers, allowing corporate sponsored listings, not able to leave honest feedback for buyers, buyers returning either the wrong item, broken item, missing pieces, not reading the listing or title, etc., etc. - the site has just changed. When you add in the all the competition from the other ecommerce sites and now having to keep up with and file sales tax in multiple states - the opportunity just isn't what it has been over the years in my opinion. Not all ebay's fault to be sure but I haven't been a big fan of several of their latest changes. As with anything there are exceptions and I'm sure some will continue to thrive. Its a different world out there than it was just a couple of years ago - best of luck to everyone.

bogdan.r · ‎09-03-2019

It's not the product but as a whole but its management!

Throught poor decisions aken since years ago Ebay has marginalized and killed Canadians buyers and sellers once vibrant adding to its ecosystem and revenue.

Ebay's MT believes that Canadians have quit selling after Canada was forced to provide informations about its power sellers group to Revenue Canada, in reality what has truly impacted Canadian sellers was the newest forced return policy which comes with importing fees for items sold to US or International. That's right! If I sell an item with 400 dollars and seller decides to return I must pay 14% to import it back. All at my own cost.

Canadian buyers are silently rejected by sellers preference to not ship out of us or Ebay's new global shipping service which forces them to pay importing fees whilst border services would impose customs to a mere 30 % of all imports. Hungry to make a couple of extra bucks Ebay is rejecting as such the whole country from buying off their platform.

Ultimately the worst decision made to outsource customer ser I e to third world country had also impacted the service. Whomever has a serious issue and would call Ebay's service department knows what I am talking about.

studio_haedes · ‎09-03-2019

The problem is ebay gave many people an outlet to go into business who are definitely not cut out to be in business for themselves. Some of the entitled attitudes on this board are horrible. Also the fact that people seem to think it should be 1998 again. IT IS NO LONGER 1998 AND ONLINE SALES ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM 20 YEARS AGO.

mis76can · ‎09-03-2019

As a buyer here on e-Bay; I have come to feel for those sellers who rely on this site to make their living.

I read the comments and there seems to be a consensus that e-Bay is simply not as seller-friendly as it has been in the past, or should be.

With larger, established companies using e-Bay as an online store, the many small, private sellers have been getting squeezed out. When they can only salvage one bidder on an auction; it is difficult to generate anything in the way of profit once listing fees are assessed and incurred.

As a buyer; it's always disappointing to hear of good, honest sellers who can no longer afford to stay open here on e-Bay.

hawkwind5454 · ‎09-04-2019

@covetmodern wrote:

I'm feeling like this "marketplace" has become the Dollar Store of online shopping in both what is being sold and the customer base that this appeals to.

A-men! Ebay, itself, has conditioned buyers in to believing they will find Neiman Marcus items, at Dollar Tree prices here, regardless of item caliber; And the sellers are to live up up to that promise for them. If all one can afford is a Kia...One doesn't go car shopping at a Mercedes dealership. Not EVERYONE who sells on ebay, sells main-stream, ubiquitous items. And it is THAT genre of sellers, who have been struggling since about [as you said] 2010. It's not about (and should not have to be) about sellers always having to lower there prices, it's about buyers realizing that there are oranges and there are apples...And they are two different realities-

turquoisetulips · ‎09-04-2019

@weschurch wrote:
Honestly, the sales "THERE" and the sales "HERE" are nowhere NEAR the same. Its got to be at least 25 to 1 in favor of "THERE". Stuff sells "THERE"

THERE isnt great for sellers but its a little easier to put up with when you are moving product. Ebay is like "THERE" minus the profit.

THERE has a way better reputation than this place does. Thats how it works when you havent spent a decade upsetting your seller base, and when you do upset them you realize that the uptick in sales is worth your time. Here, changes result in further spirals

You can say all that again .. I'm still selling here but over there now too . I do much much better over there with the amount of sales plus I don't have a sellers fee bill to look forward to every month . My new site has some cute TV advertising as well . In fact seeing one is what prompted me to try them out . So I figured if I'll go there to sell when I seen their ad then buyers will be going there to buy for the same reason ,, and I was right. Tulips

deja_vu_fashions · ‎09-05-2019

Ditto to that !!

escuintla · ‎09-09-2019

@repair1techj wrote:
@escuintla wrote:
@repair1techj wrote:
@cwward13 wrote:
BEST OFFER has killed the auctions.
some seller well cave in
ther auction force gone
Clay
Wish some sellers would respond to a best offer. No communication at all .
They don't need a sale really?

Well, when buyers tell me that they are going to pay $ for this small lot from my big lot so I pay for shipping what they are offering me binds me to a code of silence since I've explained so many times I am here to make a buck, not for them to make a buck out of me when they are resellers. Which is normal, but don't want them to insult me when I know they know the shipping costs.
Yes I can understand a insulting offer. It's a simple yes or no answer. No communication I will just move on simple as that. You go into a store and you ask a question do you get silence? This is a place where we do business . Frustrating as it is that I have look at all these ads to find a item then get no communication.
Good Luck

Silence from an employee who is there to answer my questions is different from a listing for $1,000 that gets a $30 offer. With that offer, I wouldn't even be able to pay for shipping. Why bother if the item sells a minute later no questions asked?

Buyers should know the value of the thing they want to buy. If they know it, it's an insult asking for it.

_________________________________________________________
If you haven't paid for your item, you're a winning bidder, not a buyer!
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chapeau-noir · ‎09-09-2019

This "There" is driving me nuts - is this Etsy? I sell "there", too, and it's getting to be a mess over there. Too much sturm und drang for the hobby business I had been running. But honestly, along with increased competition in etailing comes specialization, so really the best site depends upon what one is selling.

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”
— Alice Walker

#freedomtoread
#readbannedbooks

bogdan.r · ‎10-02-2019

and just when i though I see it all, once again ebay slaps me right on my face!

I am canadian not registered with the tax man in USA yet through the most recent purchase from a buyer in California, ebay is obliging me to charge sales tax, 7.75%.

Tax should only be collected to purchases within us not internationally. This i believe is an illegal practice. There is no way i can change the invoice.

lastfairdeal · ‎10-19-2019

I have the same experience with selling on eBay Basically I can't sell a damned thing no matter how much I lower the price It may be that people just aren't buying things they don't need anymore like collectibles and art and the market for collectibles is going south There's no more enthusiasm I feel on eBay just a good place like you said to buy dollar items from China If you shop on ebay you can plainly see the fraud they've invited with listings different from their title and the range of price listings instead of one price makes sorting by price impossible

redmodelt · ‎10-19-2019

Some problems I see; Ebay went from a used item site with cool stuff to a dumping ground of cheap junk. Go in to a Goodwill store and watch the people with the cart loads of stuff, it is ether going here or Etsy I bet.
People selling without knowing a little about their items or the market for said items. Pricing!
Don't people ever look at the advance section and check what items are selling for?
I look in the Model T section and American Flyers S gauge. In the T parts I have watch one item that has been on Ebay for well over a year (almost 2) now and is way over priced. The range on it has been 125-140 for a 20-30$ part. In the American Flyer S gauge, passenger cars; the average selling price seems to be in the 40-60 range with rare cases going over 100. You would think that at some point the seller(s) would figure their prices are too high to start with and put them more in line with the current market.
Shipping; wish people would learn how to do shipping. Example; you have same item, same price range, from 2 different sellers going from east to west. Seller 1 ships in med flat rate box seller 2 ships in large flat rate box or higher rate. Who's going to get my purchase? There is no such thing as free shipping, the moneys coming from someone, the buyer, but it looks good in print. Point to this would be, look at your shipping cost. If it can go safely in a padded envelop send it that way. I think people DO look at the shipping cost as much as price of item.
I would say the comment about the collectible market is about right. There are some items in the market that are strong, but many are not. The people that want them just are not there like they were. As someone said; Just because it's old and rare does not make it worth it's weight in Gold.