What would you tell the EBAY CEO/Board members if they would ask you what should Ebay work on?

[hollywoodreseller]

Dear sellers,

If you could get it off your chest please do so what would you tell those at the top(board members) who are calling the shots for Ebay?
What is Ebay doing wrong and how can they improve?

Hopefully someone with a few remaining brain cells within Ebay will hear us out.

and Go...…...…….

[vintagecraze50]

ADVERTISE! Get better at getting products seen on the major search engines like you did several years ago with the big campaign. Mercari and Poshmark are taking a lot of Ebay business away with their TV COMMERCIALS. I know the budget was cut for this but with Christmas approaching do something.

[gamersbaystore]

They need to advertise, get somebody who actually understands SEO with no guess work, and stop promoting identical items in every single listing; this just creates a price war and bankrupts sellers. If buyers want to find the best deal, then present the comparable deals in search results where they belong. This identical listing nonsense only benefits ebay and buyers, while throwing sellers under the bus.

We pay store fees so ebay can tell our buyers not to buy from us. This is akin to walking into Walmart and being presented with a sign that says, "Don't shop here, go to Target instead." Promoting similar items is one thing, but identical items in our own listings is quite unfair.

ebay does not understand SEO, and their garbage ranking in Google search proves this! ebay touted how GTC would improve SEO, I knew from my own experience of working in the IT industry for well over a decade it would make no difference at all. I could've bet money on it, ebay would be broke!

SEO is not all technical, but ebay's incompetent leaders seem to think it is. Their junk reputation, lack of advertising, and the fact they produce no real engaging content, are all factors that negatively impact this platform's traffic and sales.

Useful, entertaining, and informative content, not ads, are what drive traffic on the web. All it takes is a quick look at ebay's Twitter account to see they just scare potential buyers away.

[cashvaluerecovery2011]

Fix stuff when its broken and stop it from happening so often.

Quit protecting and assisting scammers thieves and abusive returners.

8% fees across the board. Its to confusing for ebay to even get it right. 1 fee and 1 fee only. Its 8% and includes the payment processing. No listing fees at all.

American valued qualified customer service. Never ever ever again pay for a useless overseas phone answerer to get rid of or blow off your customers.

Once the game changers are instituted advertise it. Dont advertise that this is the flea market of onlin sales.

[vintagecraze50]

I do not know what is going on but I think it is important right now for them to cut back on spending as per the new board members. Improving things would involve some spend.

[1786davycrockett]

Reverse ALL the "seller updates" dating back at least to Spring 2014.

Up to February 2014, my monthly sales had become rather stable, at (usually) over 100 items each month, and generally $1000.00 each month.

BUT after March 2014, my sales began gradually declining; and, since the latest GTC debacle, I am barely making $300.00 each month, with sales of only about 30 items.

And this month is looking VERY grim -- October 20, and only ELEVEN items sold, totaling less than $70.00.

If eBay were actually listening (or caring!), it couldn't be simpler -- before all those asinine "seller updates," we sellers were making lots of sales, and lots of $$$ -- and if WE were making $$$, then eBay was ALSO making $$$.  But not so much anymore, right?

C'mon, eBay -- it doesn't take an MBA to know when you've been hurtling aimlessly  down the wrong track since 2014 -- dump all the money-losing "updates," and bring back the good old, money-making eBay of years past.

Please -- before the rest of us close our stores and leave.

[monstertoybox]

Good post!

First I would say please help, because I am going out of business! And a lot of other really good sellers that have been around a long time are having a really hard time here. They need to figure out what is wrong behind the scenes that is stifling sales so badly for so many.

Put my store on 24/7 in all states. Stop limiting the areas where I'm seen and only putting my on at certain times.

Don't implement a software change until it's thoroughly tested (don't make sellers figure out all the issues).

Bring back the Top Seller discount, make quality important again. Give really good sellers a boost in the search results, because they've worked hard and deserve it.

No preferential treatment for the really large sellers. They already have their own websites, so it's unfair to all the small sellers.

Have our stores work better on mobile (categories are worthless, so it makes it really hard for customers to browse a store).

They should showcase a (or a few) different seller's store every week on the Ebay front page.

Get rid of the AI (artificial intelligence). Let customers browse what they want to browse. There's plenty of ways for them to narrow items down.

Fix search! There are some really irritating issues that need to be solved. Like simple words like "the" and "and" should not be making a difference in the results. Sometimes the search results come up zero at the top, but right under that it is showing exactly what I was looking for.

They need to advertise! Maybe focus more on the unique buys customers can get here, that they wouldn't be able to get at Amazon. Maybe advertise that there are actual "mom and pop" sellers behind the items on here, who provide excellent, direct customer service, packaging their items well and giving them more quality then other sites.

[gwjusticestore-est.1888]

PLEASE listen to the sellers.

Our family business has a history that goes back to 1888. We have been in business so long because we take care of the people we do business with.

I do not need for eBay to tell me how to run my store.

I need for eBay to make their site work.

Search is so messed up I don't even know where to start.

It took years for Flat Rate shipping to work right, part of the time. Never did work on Global Shipping Program. And, now that I foolishly switched to managed payments I don't have global shipping, just in time to lose all my Christmas light sales. Thanks eBay.

And, yes, eBay needs to advertise. Even better would be, give sellers a credit against fees for doing our own advertising and assist us with it.  I spent nearly 5 grand advertising on Facebook and then found out I was doing it wrong. 

And, yes, letting chain stores and big corporations on the site was stupid. The eBay site should be about the democratization of Capitalism; making it possible for everyone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. 

I am exclusive to eBay and don't sell on any other platform. If I don't start getting something for being loyal I'm going to be forced to do other platforms, even though I would rather have root canal. 

Please eBay. Try making the lives of sellers easier instead of creating endless man-hours of work for them, that is completely counter-productive. 

AND, YES, by all means, stop these buyers that habitually scam sellers. You can tell who they are; they leave like 5% to 15% negative feedback for sellers who don't deserve it.  

Selling on the internet is going to get tougher and tougher all by itself without you making it harder. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

Well, I would start by telling them to get a clue...

[unique-finds-for-everyone]

Rebuild Search Engine!!! Cassini is too Old and Broked!!!

[dubiousgain]

It's likely a moot point. As soon as one would open their mouth to them, they'd... Well....you know....

[vintagecraze50]

It Is interesting to ponder whether Ebay’s Success has been helped or hindered by including direct competition items from large companies rather than focus on the small sellers. Etsy, Posh, Mercari who seem to be doing fairly well do not rely on this stiff competition from Amazon, Walmart , Home Depot, etc etc. 

[gracieallen01]

---

@hollywoodreseller wrote:

Dear sellers,

If you could get it off your chest please do so what would you tell those at the top(board members) who are calling the shots for Ebay?
What is Ebay doing wrong and how can they improve?

Hopefully someone with a few remaining brain cells within Ebay will hear us out.

and Go...…...…….

---

Well, ebay could mind their business, pay attention to keeping it running smoothly and get rid of the 'tunnel-vision' glasses.  Think for themselves on how to fix and keep their site running optimally, stop thinking of how to run other's business.  ebay could be inventive with their own business, instead of trying to be inventive in places where they don't belong.

With all due respect, I'm sure ebay will hear sellers - having them to listen is another thing, though.

[moes-sportscards]

QUIT "FIXING" THINGS THAT AREN'T BROKEN!!  CHANGE, FOR THE SAKE OF CHANGE, IS NOT THE ANSWER!!

Get rid of the mandatory GTC.  Biggest boondoggle in years.  We know what works best for us and our inventory.

And now the required item specifics.  Half of them aren't even relevant.  Bulk edit doesn't work, so have to do thousands of listings individually.  I've wasted the better part of the last three days on this foolishness.

I certainly wouldn't be doing any advertising, to draw attention to such a poorly run enterprise, until it works as well as advertised.

[srhfc]

1. Search engine....Return back to a fair weighed equal-for-all search engine....end promoted listings;...reasoning, Ebay and shareholders will make more money.

2. Once full refund is made....Buyers cannot leave negative feedback and any previous negative feedback is erased; ...reasoning, Ebay and shareholders will make more money as seller won't get discouraged and won't stop posting new listings and won't stop accepting buyers offers.

3. Everyone should have a free basic store subscription...with unlimited free listings...reasoning, Ebay and shareholders will make more money.

Great Idea enlightening the E-Bay's board members...guess they are not regular buyers or sellers.