Unhappy with new format

[fonzibean]

Is anyone else frustrated by the new format on ebay? I have always listed my items as BIN's for 7 days. Now they MUST be "Good Until Cancelled" if I want them to be BIN. I HATE the fact that when I relist, the settings change and automatically include the option to make an offer. Ebay has ruined their site. It has become nothing more than an online bargain basement.  Even the auction listings now have the "make an offer" setting. Yes, this can be turned off, and yes you can turn off the OBO on BIN's as well but it's become a hassle and has now created an environment where people are constantly sending offers for items that have both of these options turned off.  I currently have a listing for an item that was over $50 new. It was worn once, and in LNC. I have a starting bid for $35.  I have received offers TWICE from someone despite the offer settings being turned off. The first for $20 and the second for $25. I have now blocked her from bidding because I don't like this kind of thing, but feel this is now commonplace on ebay due to the offers being pushed at every turn.

I'm really annoyed by this and wish ebay would reconsider their format.

[carbonart0]

I especially enjoy how Ebay takes a percentage of your shipping charges.  Any given seller's time and expense for shipping and handling is clearly viewed worthless by Ebay and they feel free to determine how much you should be able to charge for your time and expense.

With the advent of Ebay taking control over the shipping process, I have gone to just manually walking into a post office to ship items directly...then I just mark the purchase as "shipped."  It helps to limit more surprise charges from Ebay.

[carbonart0]

From fashunu4eeuh:

"Hi, just wanted to point out that eBay encourages offers be made, whether or not Best Offer is set. It used to be against policy for a buyer to make an unsolicited offer, but those days are long gone."

Ebay should think hard about bringing those days back.  And they could if they really wanted to...

Of course Ebay encourages offers to be made - even if they're ridiculously low offers (which is most of the time now).  Ebay is not the one losing out when an item is sold for 5% of what it's actually value...  And with the policies Ebay has imposed over the last few years, buyers have been conditioned into expecting to get successively lower and lower prices on items.

Many buyers are however, also sellers and when sellers can't sell anything, they generally stop buying too.  And/or when sellers get shafted by Ebay in a transaction dispute, they stop buying on Ebay.  There are numerous reasons (thanks to Ebay policies) that transactions have declined and buyers have stopped looking at Ebay listings.  This further serves to drive prices even lower.  Sellers make even less, and so list less for sale...it's a vicious decent to the bottom. 

I have been researching Ebay's problems for years.  I am thinking of writing a book about it.  Our economy hasn't been this strong in at least 10 years - so it's not the economy....

[ed8108]

---

@carbonart0 wrote:

If I receive an offer that is less than half of my buy it now price, I automatically block the buyer.  If I receive an offer that is just over half of my asking price, I send a counter offer for a reasonable discount from my asking price (and the asking price is already low).  If the buyer does not respond to my counter offer, then they go straight into my block bidder list.

And when most sellers do manage to sell an item on Ebay these days?  The price for the sale is often a fraction of the actual value of the item  

---

Not every seller prices items honestly & to sell.

I have seen in recent months items that when first listed are grossly overpriced, based upon an item is worth what someone may perhaps be willing to pay to own it.

With the passage of time not infrequently it gets listed at it's value sometimes 80 % off,& sometimes it sells.

Examples BIN $500, a very short time later, reduced to $100, & still overpriced.

Another BIN $150 , listed after a month at $50 with make offer, I immediately I offered  $35, seller didn't haggle ,seller knew it was a good price, item worth abt $25, but not frequently offered.

There are more than a few sellers training buyers to expect massive price cuts on items of interest. 

Sellers who are educating buyers that only a sucker will pay anything close to the asking price.

I have items I would be lucky to get

$50, $75 on ebay or anywhere else & see being listed for several hundred dollars/make offer.

[carbonart0]

This may be true in some cases and for some items, but not in niche markets generally.

I've been watching prices plummet for rare and scarce vintage items.  One of the primary reasons for this is a lack of buyers - there's next to nobody even looking after years of bad policy decisions on Ebay's part.  You can't sell it if nobody is looking at it...no matter what a great deal is being offered.

As a result, when an actual buyer does come along looking for similar items, they search through Ebay's completed listings for similar items, see how the prices have come down, and then set their new limit to this new lower price level.  Ebay's policies once again result in conditioning buyers to expect valuable vintage items at way below true market values.

I have offered Ebay my consulting services before, but I never heard back from them.  I can present Ebay management with 10 simple steps to turn Ebay around.  I am willing to do this for a more than reasonable final value fee as well.  I would be willing to save Ebay for just under 1% of any quarterly gains year over year - to be measured after my smarter policies have been put into place (or back into place in some cases).  I would however, require a check of money order as payment (no Pay Pal please).  

[cupidsandcherubs3]

Girl, be happy you are even getting offers and bids. It has been dead for alot of us the last two weeks. Personally, I would not have blocked the bidder. She might be the one to give you a sale on a day you  don't  have any.. BTW, your stuff is unique and cute

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, i just happened to see your response left yesterday on a post i made in April. Thought i’d reply.

(You might consider starting a new thread so your voice is more clearly heard by a wider audience. Sometimes these old threads get locked by a mod. And others may respond to the Original Poster, not seeing a renewed topic is being discussed by later posters like yourself.)

While there is a lot eBay has done on the platform that i don’t like and don’t think is good for its selling health, i wouldn’t place sole blame on it for realizing low selling prices. As a seller, i am free to set prices to whatever i want, at my discretion. I could cheat myself, by not asking for enough to cover my expenses and profit. 

I also don’t think most sellers are only selling items at a fraction of their value. Some might be, but not most. There would be no sellers left on the site if that were true. Wouldn't they go to greener pastures where their items would be in greater demand?

I do hear what you are saying. You are condemning eBay’s practices and policies for not being conducive to selling, especially in your niche market that i surmise was once very profitable for you. It is hard to hear—no seller wants to see a fellow compatriot go thru what you describe.

I have few answers but know one thing for certain: things change. To remain viable, have seen some adapt to succeed. In regards to low sales price, not everything is suitable for selling on eBay and what used to sell yesterday may no longer sell today. Like you, i have seen the value of some of my items fall to the point where it makes no sense to list them anymore. It’s frustrating to experience, yet i turned to other items instead.

There are complex issues on eBay requiring solutions. You seem to have developed some answers. Hope you see your point of view reach all the way to the top. Good luck in your efforts.

[carbonart0]

fashunu4eeuh wrote:

"While there is a lot eBay has done on the platform that i don’t like and don’t think is good for its selling health, i wouldn’t place sole blame on it for realizing low selling prices. As a seller, i am free to set prices to whatever i want, at my discretion. I could cheat myself, by not asking for enough to cover my expenses and profit. "

I appreciate your comments, but frankly, Ebay should be concerned enough to ensure that their sellers make enough to cover their expenses and profit - not by managing each seller and advising them on values, but by constructing policies that promote profitable selling.  If for example, allowing sellers to bypass pay pal by accepting checks and money orders will enhance sales (which it will), then Ebay should get off their duff and allow sellers to accept checks and money orders again...

Ebay has nothing to sell, and they will be no where without a strong and steady supply of eager sellers.  They have to rely on their customers (the sellers) in order to make a profit.  Buyers don't make Ebay a profit, the sellers do that. 

I have closely observed Ebay's policy changes over the last few years, and I would (and do) place sole blame on Ebay for the decline in both sales prices as well as traffic to their site.   Why should sellers pay Ebay a final value fee and pay pal a transaction fee to have only handful of potential buyers view and bid on their item for sale?  I've watched total views of Ebay listings drop by as much as 95% over the last few years...items that I know are still in demand among collectors all over the world that used to get hundreds of views for each 7 day listing, now get 20 or 30 views...

And of course sellers are free to set prices for what they're selling - and they do.  They are also free (thanks to Ebay's policies) to no longer sell anything because they're not willing to give away what they're selling.  That's often what it takes to sell items in "my niche markets" these days.   Ebay's policies have overlooked the motives of their own customers - the sellers.

The industry that Ebay operates in is growing by leaps and bounds as the economy flourishes.  But Ebay's performance is not following suit - this is not a complex issue at all.   

Buyers have been conditioned (solely due to Ebay's policies) to expect items almost for free - when the true relative values of what is being sold is compared to the final sales prices.  And after ebay fee's and pay pal fee's the seller is often left with less proceeds from the sale than the fee's taken by Ebay and Pay Pal.   

Ebay and Pay Pal are offering an advertising service - their function is to bring customers to the sellers and create demand for the sellers' items.  They're not doing that anymore.  Their policies have driven prices down and then after the seller gets cheated (because he or she didn't know better), they then are expected to pay Ebay and Pay Pal fee's for getting cheated...

Ebay is increasingly relying on occasional sellers who do not know or care what the true value of their vintage items are and are just fine with being taken to the cleaners by the Ebay vultures.  More experienced sellers (Ebay's bread and butter) view things differently however. 

I know about the Ebay vultures because I happen to be one of them.  Ebay leaves me (as a buyer) no other course of action.  When I see an opportunity, I will try to make the purchase.  Of course, the items I sell are likewise being viewed by Ebay vultures and they go to great lengths to try and convince me to lower my price(s) - after I've already lowered my prices 2 or even 3 times (and while they've been watching my listings).  The last 4 offers I've received in a row now were from Ebay vultures sending me emails offering less than my freshly reduced prices and even saying they would only pay for the item and that shipping would have to be free.  Naturally, they all went straight into my block bidder list.  And I don't artificially inflate my prices - a practice that simply doesn't work for vintage items.

[ed8108]

---

@carbonart0 wrote:

If for example, allowing sellers to bypass pay pal by accepting checks and money orders will enhance sales (which it will), then Ebay should get off their duff and allow sellers to accept checks and money orders again...

Would afford you an opportunity to receive some bad checks & fake money orders, then pay some bank fees ?

Why should sellers pay Ebay a final value fee and pay pal a transaction fee to have only handful of potential buyers view and bid on their item for sale?

Then why are you still selling on eBay ?

Buyers have been conditioned (solely due to Ebay's policies) to expect items almost for free - when the true relative values of what is being sold is compared to the final sales prices.    

Ebay is increasingly relying on occasional sellers who do not know or care what the true value of their vintage items are and are just fine with being taken to the cleaners by the Ebay vultures. 

I know about the Ebay vultures because I happen to be one of them.  

---

These vultures may often be other dealers buying for resale.

With respect to antiques & collectibles items often travel from dealer to dealer , increasing in cost until ultimately finding a home with a buyer paying high retail.

A gallery is the place where you attract mostly high retail buyers.

[carbonart0]

ed8108 

Would afford you an opportunity to receive some bad checks & fake money orders, then pay some bank fees ?

It worked great in the past Ed, and I've not read about anyone ever receiving a fake money order.  It gives sellers more options and more freedom.  And it also affords sellers an opportunity to avoid paying additional fee's to pay pal when they sell items.  This means sellers can make more money, and thus be motivated to do things like "sell more" or lower their prices and enhance Ebay sales even further.  The stockholders who own both ebay and pay pal stock who've been forcing ebay users to use pay pal in order to make money on both ends would most likely end up making more money overall via a slow but dramatic increase in sales on Ebay. 

None of this is rocket science Ed.  Ebay worked great before management began trying to fix what wasn't broken.  They also have been trying to compete with Amazon, but failed to understand that their business model was different from Amazon's.  They largely destroyed what they had here...

It's all about tyrannical greed with Ebay management and the major stockholders, and their customers (the sellers) don't appreciate having to pay considerable sums of money just to receive their own money...it's just electrons flowing on wires...it goes back to despising bankers for the methods they use to take other peoples' money.  Ebay and pay pal should be working very hard right now to re-build positive relationships with their customers, and going back to allowing them to require checks and money orders again, would go a long way towards restoring goodwill in this regard. 

Then why are you still selling on eBay ?

I'm not selling much at all on Ebay because I protect myself by using buy it now auctions only.  Once in a while I will use the standard auction format but it's only when I am selling an item that I am not particularly concerned about the return I make on it.  The buyers who do end up buying what I sell, are people looking for a fair deal.  Most of these buyers (I call them actual buyers) are few and far between these days.  Ebay's policies have resulted in driving away the actual buyers - only the vultures remain (and/or Ebay's policies have trained actual buyers to become vultures).  And the dramatic drop in total views of Ebay listings demonstrates this fact.

[carbonart0]

Ed8108 wrote:

Would afford you an opportunity to receive some bad checks & fake money orders, then pay some bank fees ?

I forgot to talk about using Ebay's feedback ratings system to manage the practice of using checks and money orders.  I've suggested this to Ebay before when they tried to fall back on your attempt to make the same point above.  If Ebay actually wished to be more competitive, they could easily allow sellers to bypass Pay Pal by offering to accept checks and $ orders.  Buyer and Seller "Protection" issues could easily be managed by utilizing feedback ratings of both buyers and sellers in order to determine who can take advantage of using checks and $ orders and who can not...  The benefits from going back to accepting these forms of payment are obvious.  A long time ago, Pay Pal was merely a payment option and many sellers offered to accept checks and $ orders.  Today, Ebay doesn't even want sellers to spell out the words "money order."  Just to spell out the words in the body of a listing will automatically issue a "warning" from Ebay. 

Using the feedback ratings of both buyers and sellers when checks or money orders are to be utilized (in order to determine automatically, who can or can not do so), supports the whole point of having a feedback rating system in the first place.  This too would go a long way towards demonstrating to Ebay sellers, that Ebay does value their feedback ratings and does realize that sellers have worked very hard to maintain excellent feedback. 

Ebay's numerous policy changes over the last few years have repeatedly shown sellers that their feedback ratings don't mean much at all to Ebay, and so the above would help repair the damage done to the relationship Ebay has with their customers (the sellers).

[carbonart0]

I should add here that I don't wish to give away too many priceless solutions to Ebay's problems.  But rest assured, I can turn Ebay around.  But I won't do it for free.

[carbonart0]

By the way.  I realize what I've written above is probably causing many peoples' heads to explode inside of Ebay (if they bother to read it).  

I can only encourage these people to embrace reality and make the most of it by adopting the suggestions I have presented here.   We're talking about common sense issues here - when one takes an honest look at human nature.

[carbonart0]

I just read about how Ebay is going to go with a new payment processing company called "Adyen" - in 2020.

I sure hope that Ebay plans to begin using feedback ratings for buyers and sellers as a means to securely once again allow the use of checks and money orders when buyers pay sellers.    If Ebay is genuinely interested in enhancing sales and in being more competitive with other companies (like Amazon), they should be doing everything in their power to empower their own customers - the sellers.

And what happened to the "random Ebay users" telling us on this forum, that the days of common sense policies from Ebay are long gone?  As if it's "silly" to think that Ebay would restore common sense policies that actually worked during the glory days of Ebay?

[carbonart0]

Just checking in to see what Ebay sellers have had to say on this issue.

Since Ebay's new format (and policies) are widely unpopular and the complaints about them are common among Ebay users, then why is Ebay keeping their new format and policies in the first place...especially given the decline in revenues over the last few years...  Maybe if it's not working, it's time to go back to what does work!

[miyasamaco]

Call eBay by its proper name; The Internet Dollar Store. This site is trash. Large offshore sellers with terrible feedback, duplicate listings and items for $0.99 with free shipping have taken over. I have been ending my listings and moving them to another platform. We can forget about eBay ever going back to following its original business plan.