What the heck is going on eBay?

[ci1000]

What is eBay doing that would cause sales to drop for days on end with zero sales and then have a couple of days with excellent sales?  This is so bizarre!

I don't understand what's going on with all of these variations in sales.  Not just yearly but day to day.  It seems like the there is a tap that is on for a period of time and then it gets turned off.   Sales are up for a few days and then zero sales.  Is this just happening to me?

This is the worst Holiday season I have ever had on eBay and I would really like to know what the hel is going on..... Customer service asks me if maybe I'm not promoting enough......

[tkinnebrew]

Other sites are running REAL SALES.  So far, we haven't seen much along the lines of GET AN EXTRA 50% ebay bucks with any purchase for buyers this holiday season as was expected.  Instead, there were a couple of final value fee discounts, which doesn't bring ANY MORE BUYERS than before.  So quick explanation, we're still waiting, it seems... 

[u_cant_take_it_with_u]

Ebay, is a fickle place... And the buying public, even more so.

[k-bar-ksaddles]

I'm not entirely sure why sales around the 1st and the 15th are a mystery.  Most people get paid monthly or bi-monthly... on the 1st and 15th.  State employees like teachers, corrections officers, office workers for state facilities, DHS employees, etc, all get paid monthly.  Employees of most minimum wage jobs, McDonalds, WalMart, Target, etc all get paid bi-monthly.... 1st and 15thish.  

Those are the days you don't try to run to town and get something you've ran out of in a hurry - because you will NOT get in and out of the store in any timely manner.  That's also when you see all the yard sales going on and lots of sales at the grocier - because they've adjusted their business practices around the ebb and flow of the cash flow.

That's not to say something hinky isn't going on in the background, but I really believe the bulk of sales correspond with when the bulk of people get paid.

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@the_fancy_fox wrote:

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@1786davycrockett wrote:

I've been noticing these odd "bumps" in sales, just about the same time that my eBay monthly fees are about to come due -- generally near the beginning of the month, and then again around the 15th, as if eBay wants to make sure that I have enough money in my account to pay my fees.

Anybody else have this experience?

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Yep. Every month. 

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Which so happens to coincide with the fact that many people get paid twice a month ... on, or around, the 1st and the 15th.

[kansasperf]

The Once Great eBay has become a waste land for chinesse junk. Which eBay loves. They push that Garbage in Front of your items. They Hide yoir items. There have been Rolling Blackouts for years. Just ebay Commiting Theft and Fraud on there small sellers !!!!!!!

[mermaid.littleshopotreasures]

Where do you find info on the $30.00 per quarter credit? I would love to know more. Thanks!

[lookng2015]

If you have a store they usually send you an eBay message about the Promoted listings credit at the start of each quarter. Other than that it's a little hard to find.

[hioctane62]

The credit is automatic. Promoted listings fees WILL be charged on your monthly invoice, but will then be credited on the following month's invoice, up to $30 per quarter.

[magoos_books]

I completely agree with you about the sales being on and off.  

I just noticed the following when I checked my listings.  Say you have a pre-owned DVD priced at $5.99.  Ebay then lists under my price that there are 42 brand new listings at $5.99.  It appears that ebay is openly pitting sellers against sellers and directing buyers away from one seller and sending them to other sellers.  I find that unfair. 

[magoos_books]

I noticed these last couple of months that they same thing has happened.  Increased sales around the 1st and the 15th.  I thought it was just payday time.

[themagicmountain]

Lots and lots of sellers, selling many different types of items in many different ways, have noticed this sudden and huge drop in sales and views.

Something is going on, but no one knows. And, no, it is not the sellers' faults.

[themagicmountain]

Many see the same pattern. Sales for a day or two, then nothing.

CS pushing promotions for higher FVF fees.

Maybe the goal is only to show listings for those paying larger FVF and making others invisible.

The Chinese sellers are going crazy with promotions but then, the US citizen is subsidizing their cheap postage

[odditiesandantiquities1]

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@themagicmountain wrote:

Many see the same pattern. Sales for a day or two, then nothing.

CS pushing promotions for higher listing fees.

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Today for the first time in months, I had a sale from Switzerland and a shipping question from New Zealand. I can't remember the last time I had a sale outside of North America.

Weird.

[nawlinsron2]

Can anybody confirm that they don't have enough bandwidth to show all listings all the time?
Selective amnesia is no way to run a business...

[nowthatsjustducky]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@ci1000  It all depends on what one is selling and if anyone is buying those items, its not realistic to think every store has steady lines every day all year round ... retail does not work like that nor does online Selling regardless of the platform.  Not sure what you sell but I sincerely hope things turn around for you.

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Eeyup.  Those of us who go the "miscellany merchant" route tend to be the best equipped to survive.  We don't limit ourselves to a single category and get hit with the potato famine effect.  We have enough product (and venue) diversity so that if there is a slump in one category or a huge slump on a given venue even, we have enough irons in the fire and eggs in assorted baskets to pick up the slack.