Views

[vam194169]

I really think Ebay has something to do with people not getting any views.I have listed item that normally sell and yet list them for 7 days and not a single view.I'm not the only one saying this either.There no other reason other than Ebay is jacking around with the listing       or its  there AI.My sales have dropped by almost 80%.I have backed off listing anything.Had a dispute filed against me,Ebay said I was covered by the seller protection and not to worry the would release it.They kept the 86.00 they put on hold and I never saw a dime of it.Waited over a month for it and when I went back to check they had eliminated the listing as if it never existed.

[lakefor94]

One of the reasons your sales might be off is your responses to your negative feedbacks. Makes you look unprofessional and a seller to avoid. 

Well thought out professional responses could have turned those negatives onto positive thoughts for perspective buyers. You are shooting yourself in the foot with your responses. 

[mam98031]

I agree but for different reasons that you are thinking the issue is.  Ebay often has issues with accurate view counts.  I can not tell you how many times over the years I've sold something that according to the view count, no one ever looked at it.

[gurlcat]

I don't know if this is a good hunch or hogwash, but for some time now I've been getting the sense that if a new listing doesn't get any views in the first "several"(?) hours, it's going to get weak view accumulation from then on.  So many times this has happened with items that I happened to list in the wee hours of the night (I'm typically a night owl, as you can tell from the time of this reply), even items that I knew would be 'hot stuff' for buyers in my category.   If I ended them and then 'sell similar'ed them in the daytime, then their views would kick off like I expected before. 

So I switched my strategy; now even if I create listings late at night, I hold them as drafts until at least 9 or 10 AM the following morning, when more people are awake (at least in the Western hemisphere).  It seems to make a difference, but like I said I don't know if it's a legit observation or not.  Could be pure placebo effect.

[annadryl]

You only have 16 items listed and they are the types of items that probably won't fly off the shelves around the start of summer (the slow season) and in the current economic uncertainty.

Do I really need a "vintage" plastic gas can right now or might I better spend that dough on groceries etc.

[toysaver]

Sellers have the ability to increase views with competitive pricing, offerings sale discounts and using the promoted listing feature.   It's also important to follow current trends on popular in demand items.   The average person that needs a plastic gas can will shop locally.

I've been selling over 20 years and who the buyers are and what they want changes as generations come into their own. 

[soh.maryl]

Your responses to negative FB aren't helping your sales.  Don't believe I'd want to buy from a seller who states that a buyer is nuts.  

[aeparts1]

I could care less about views.

All that matters is sales.

[annadryl]

The "throttling" debate is old as the hills and there are usually both Yea's and Nay's in all these threads. I think I've felt both ways myself.

As far as views, many might just be out enjoying better weather right now while some might have lost everything to tornadoes, both "view"ing less.

etc.

[pickapaper]

@vam194169 wrote:  "My sales have dropped by almost 80%.I have backed off listing anything.Had a dispute filed against me,Ebay said I was covered by the seller protection and not to worry the would release it.They kept the 86.00 they put on hold and I never saw a dime of it.Waited over a month for it and when I went back to check they had eliminated the listing as if it never existed."

You are a seasoned seller so you should know by now that eBay's Money Back Guarantee overrides a seller's "no returns" policy.  If a buyer files a Not as Described claim, you have two choices: either send them a label to return the item and issue a refund upon the return of the item, or you can just issue a refund and let them keep the item.  If you ignore or fight a claim and eBay has to step in, you will lose both the item and the money.  (If an eBay customer service agent told you on the phone that you are covered by "seller protection", they were wrong.  eBay doesn't really have a "seller protection".  CS agents are known for telling callers what they want to hear rather than the actual facts.)

You would be a lot more "customer friendly" if you would change your listings to 30 day returns, and no, it doesn't increase disputes if you do that.  Also, when you do have a dispute and reply to feedback, do it calmly and professionally, not with name-calling and accusations.  And no follow-up message that "you got your refund, have a blessed day"; that is just rude and a "final slam" to the buyer.   Potential buyers do look at a seller's feedback and how they reply to negatives to see what kind of seller they are.  Your feedback left for others could be a deterrent to many people buying from you.

[meme6253]

I think you might be on to something there. & I never knew about the first few hours theory.

[mam98031]

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@gurlcat wrote:

I don't know if this is a good hunch or hogwash, but for some time now I've been getting the sense that if a new listing doesn't get any views in the first "several"(?) hours, it's going to get weak view accumulation from then on.  So many times this has happened with items that I happened to list in the wee hours of the night (I'm typically a night owl, as you can tell from the time of this reply), even items that I knew would be 'hot stuff' for buyers in my category.   If I ended them and then 'sell similar'ed them in the daytime, then their views would kick off like I expected before. 

So I switched my strategy; now even if I create listings late at night, I hold them as drafts until at least 9 or 10 AM the following morning, when more people are awake (at least in the Western hemisphere).  It seems to make a difference, but like I said I don't know if it's a legit observation or not.  Could be pure placebo effect.

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Except that it can take up to 24 hours for a new listing to appear in the searches.

[mam98031]

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@meme6253 wrote:

I think you might be on to something there. & I never knew about the first few hours theory.

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Are you aware that it can take up to 24 hours for a listing to appear in the searches?  What about those listings that no one can see for the first few hours?  

[mooncat_watches]

@lakefor94  I couldn't agree more. It's always best to mitigate negative feedback rather than make it worse, even in situations where the buyer was in the wrong.

I took a lump earlier this month, just respond professionally and move on.

[fbusoni]

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@lakefor94 wrote:

One of the reasons your sales might be off is your responses to your negative feedbacks. Makes you look unprofessional and a seller to avoid. 

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@lakefor94 

Yes.

And please indulge me as I give a bump (for the benefit of the OP and others who are recent arrivals here) to  my post from last summer discussing how eBay is fully capable of employing AI to limit listing visibility.

Oh, and don't forget about the icing on top:  Section 4 of the eBay user privacy agreement -- where eBay (in what I am certain @valueaddedresource would agree is an uncharacteristically transparent fashion) makes it quite plain that it is taking extensive and probing note of how sellers comport themselves here.