Weekends

[sakic92710]

Why does it seem eBay locks the door for 2-3 days weekends now??  Last weekend Fri-Sun = 0 sales.  This weekend = 1 sale on Fri.  Nothing on Sat/Sun.  Really getting to be a horrible trend!  5-6 straight weekends have been this awful.  Any reason for it?  At least the flea market treated me well.  eBay is making my decision really easy about limited my business here.  Although, how much more limited can it be?!   lol   Have a good night.     🙂

[coolections]

Many people are not interested in Ebay during the next few weekends because of the upcoming holidays. They are preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas right now. If they are shopping Ebay it would be for new items. Expect lower sells for the next month or so for the type of items you list that way you will not be disappointed.

[turquoisetulips]

How come nobody ever considers that the items they're selling aren't as popular as they thought/dreamed, or that the popularity/demand has simply faded with time? byrd69er  - unquote -----------------------------

Although that may be true for some sellers especially for  the ones selling  outdated or out of style items .  However just generally speaking  I seriously doubt  that is true for most sellers . I've been buying and selling on e bay since 1996 .  . For an example ,,  I can still easily find the basic everyday needs  here  that probably sell the most often to other buyers as well. Things like blankets ,, sheets  cookware , automotive , clothing , wristwatches , household decor , pet supplies  and just everything under the sun . This is  not to mention some very unique items that can't be found just anywhere . The real problem I believe with the  lack in  sales  is with e bay's ever increasing competition . Sales have decreased here because more buyers are checking out new selling venues and are finding the same things they used to get here . Then take into account that the newer venues are investing in advertising  and putting their name out there, while e bay rarely does  . So in turn  buyers are forgetting  about e bay  because those in charge of it   are misguided and are still  taking too much for granted . Tulips 

[tunicaslot]

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@byrd69er wrote:

How come nobody ever considers that the items they're selling aren't as popular as they thought/dreamed, or that the popularity/demand has simply faded with time?

eBay is not broken, not throttling, not shutting down on weekends.

The items being offered just don't have the audience/popularity/demand they once did.

Perhaps it's time to look at a different line of products.

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People keep saying that but while looking at my fellow sellers' listings - all have nice inventory that is priced appropriately. Many of the items should be in demand now with the holidays and due to the midcentury appeal to many young buyers these days.

I've no doubt some sellers need fresher inventory - but with the way sales have dropped across the board for many on Ebay - the problem isn't with the sellers or what they are selling - it is due to glitches that don't show items in search, buyers unable to pay, sellers unable to combine shipping ect. 

I sell across many venues and can get more for items on other venues than I price them for here. I know from many in my groups - they put their stale inventory here as they are locked into a store. They aren't the ones you see complaining as they are busy selling and shipping on other sites. If something sells on Ebay it's a bonus.

[turquoisetulips]

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@coolections wrote:

Many people are not interested in Ebay during the next few weekends because of the upcoming holidays. They are preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas right now. If they are shopping Ebay it would be for new items. Expect lower sells for the next month or so for the type of items you list that way you will not be disappointed. coolections 

There's a million plus  brand new items that cover a multitude of  variety    for sale on e bay at any given time . The sellers of these items should  see increased profits  during the holiday season .  Success will be even more evident  for the people  who have branched out  and no longer  rely on just e bay  to make money.  Preparation  especially for Christmas  includes  a lot  shopping  for gifts  . This is why  I think  sales will increase here and elsewhere  very soon  for a substantial amount of sellers .  Tulips 

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[tunicaslot]

Also niche sellers - like many here who comment - do indeed have good sales in particular niches - but those sales do not reflect what's actually happening in the community as a whole. I think that is what causes he most aggravation for other sellers is that niche sellers don't experience many of the problems those who sell electronic, clothing, ect experience which constitutes a larger majority of the sellers that do post here with problems

[coolections]

@turquoisetulips 

You must have overlooked the part that said those who are buying are searching out new items. The OP sells used worn items which would make sense that those are not items n demand for Christmas season.

[gmscds]

I see a lot of denial around these forums. Some say that Christmas season is not good for selling used items. I disagree since, last November, I cleared, more or less 10 times what I'm about to clear and that was selling pre-owned items such as cd's, dvd's, and shirts. I think that argument does not hold any water. People just feel like buying during Christmas, even if to "gift" themselves.

The market does not remain the same, but trends and patterns don't change so drastically in a matter of months. It's also obvious that it's happening across the board, to different sellers with diverse inventories. I think some are trying to cover the sun with one hand, when it's evident that problems are here on this site and no one is doing anything about it in order to remedy it.

[lostweekendshop]

I haven't noticed a pattern. Looking at my last 30 days, my best and worst days haven't been limited to specific days. Yesterday was sluggish with 4 sales for $143, while the Sunday before was 10 sales for about $350. I've had a bad Monday, but another Monday that was my highest dollar sales day of November. 

If anything, I would say Saturday has been a slower day for me lately where the sales are neither great nor pitiful.

[lostweekendshop]

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@tunicaslot wrote:People keep saying that but while looking at my fellow sellers' listings - all have nice inventory that is priced appropriately. Many of the items should be in demand now with the holidays and due to the midcentury appeal to many young buyers these days.

Eh, maybe we're looking at the different listings. I see some sellers who have nice items, but ones that the demand has softened up considerably for over time. I see some sellers who have OK items, but ones that have not been in demand for years. Then I'll see some sellers who look like they haven't bothered to change their inventory buying strategy in 15 years, selling stuff that hasn't been in demand for as long as the average middle-school-aged child has been alive.

[lostweekendshop]

I would tend to agree. I sell mostly used items and the last three months have been my strongest of 2019, with November poised to become my best month any day now.

[gmscds]

You are selling a fortune compared to most of us, small sellers. I am selling peanuts and it's causing me a lot of stress and financial trouble.

Are you doing the promoted listings thing?

[membersinceaug2001]

Doesn't seem like any line of products sells well anymore.

[tunicaslot]

There was recently an article about the amount of people that would like used items - be they vintage clothing or collectibles. Many younger folks would rather a well made vintage flannel that will last than a new with tags. Also many are into retro when decorating and would love some midcentury lamps or wall décor. 

Ebay could really score if they stopped trying to compete with the New in box guys and go back to their roots. 

[cityslickercreations2004]

I agree with Byrd. My sales have suffered for a variety of reasons in the last few years. I believe the main culprit to be increased online competition. It used to be (back in the day) ebay was the place to buy online. Now, the B&M stores now have a online presence.

[sakic92710]

Sorry to hear this.  The finances & stress is on me, too.  Especially with Christmas coming.  Already behind 1 month on a bill & can't catch up.  Also have 'tabs' to take care of from other local sellers.  They sell to me & give time to pay it off.  Never able to catch up!   Coolections & some others like to talk about items being 'in demand.'  What does that matter?  If you have 1 item to sell, you only need 1 buyer.  You don't need 137 people looking for the same thing!  I posted some 1980s collector plates.  3 of 4 sold very fast.  Are those in demand??  Not likely.  If there are MILLIONS of members, finding a single buyer for each item should be easy.   As long as they are allowed to see them!   lol   Take care & good luck!