When the Inconsistent Pattern of Your Incoming Sales Becomes Too Much to Bear!

[getitright1234]

When the Inconsistent Pattern of Your Incoming Sales Becomes Too Much to Bear!  August lack of sales thus far has been brutal.   I have a very eclectic mix of items all on sale; so, there really is no sound reason why my sales should have taken a nose dive.   I can feel it is way beyond my control.  

FYI:  for those analysts, I am not referring to this account. 

Again:  

 I have a very eclectic mix of items all on sale; so, there really is no sound reason why my sales should have taken a nose dive.   

Anyone else experiencing a terrible start for August?

[richard1rst]

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@getitright1234 wrote:

 I can feel it is way beyond my control.  

there really is no sound reason why my sales should have taken a nose dive. 

Well of course it is beyond your control. Whether or not anyone makes a purchase is THEIR decision, not yours. And it based on, among other things, what is happening around them.

Financial turmoil (tariff wars, devaluation of the Yuan, rising and uncontrollable national debt, competitor’s price)

Personal activity (vacations, college tuition, unexpected illness/medical expenses, loss of job, new baby)

I could go on but you surely get the idea.

You can not control any of what someone else does.

[getitright1234]

You are over generalizing the nature of my post.  All things aside and without interference, a Seller can generally control when they get Sales:  based on having a variety of products, good pricing, and advertising.   There are Sellers who have been selling here for years and the reason we have been selling for years is because we take proactive measures to ensure consistent sales.  BUT, there are instances where something is off and We Know when that is happening and that is the case for me right now.  I and other Sellers know when that ( Off cycle) has kicked in for whatever reason.  Its unfortunate, but the inconsistent pattern /off cycle is becoming all too common. 

[dhbookds]

Every Brick and M store owner will tell you how inconsistent sales are......from wk to wk, month to month........

Human nature being what it is, we don't complain about clusters of good sales.  We attribute those to being good sellers, having good prices etc....  but the lack of sales causes angst, even tho it may simply be averaging the inconsistency of good sales in the great scheme of things.  

You are complaining about 9 days out of 30......  that seems to me to too little time to make a conclusion about anything.........

[getitright1234]

In the first nine, 9 days, some Sellers make more money than other Sellers in a whole month.   Most Sellers know their pattern on Sales.   

[dhbookds]

Most Sellers know their pattern on Sales.

until it changes? 

[luckythewinner]

I have a very eclectic mix of items all on sale; so, there really is no sound reason why my sales should have taken a nose dive. 

I can think of plenty of reasons why a seller with a broad product mix might suffer a sales drought. So I guess I disagree with your fundamental assumption.

But without any information about your listings or your business, I'm not sure how much help you will get here ... other than people agreeing with you that something they have no insight  into is not your fault.

So here goes ... you are a great seller, and it must be eBay's fault and not yours 🙂

[getitright1234]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

I have a very eclectic mix of items all on sale; so, there really is no sound reason why my sales should have taken a nose dive. 

I can think of plenty of reasons why a seller with a broad product mix might suffer a sales drought. So I guess I disagree with your fundamental assumption.

But without any information about your listings or your business, I'm not sure how much help you will get here ... other than people agreeing with you that something they have no insight  into is not your fault.

So here goes ... you are a great seller, and it must be eBay's fault and not yours 🙂

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Why do you post? 

[kataggr-44]

OP--are any of your listings school related?  That's what many parents of school aged children are concentrating on right now.

[flo_mingo]

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@getitright1234 wrote:

FYI:  for those analysts, I am not referring to this account. 

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lol: I sell on 3 ebay accounts. I too get annoyed when the respondent goes into the posters account to give " helpful - more often hurtful critiques" of inventory and pricing, rather addressing the true content of the thread.  It is usually a drop shipper commenting on the flaws of OOAK sellers. We are two different sellers and I am sure it is the OOAK sellers who have seen the decline of sales this summers. China junk and drop shippers may still be doing great.

I always have a slow down in summer sales. In the past I have used this time to stock up on inventory, take all of my pictures for listing throughout  fall and winter.listings. 

This summer sales have HALTED on all 3 sites. I am on vacation this week and didn't even have to close down my store nothing is selling anyways, just exttended the the handling time until I get back. 

for those analysts, I am not referring to just this account. Here since 2003 - Always loyal to eBay. This is the summer I gave up and moved to other sites. 

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

If your traffic dropped on three sites that would seem to imply that it's not Ebay. What other sites do you use?

I have one of the best recent months in July on my website. $4k. So far in August crickets. This is the ebb and flow of retail.

[vintagecraze50]

There are a few things we all have control of. Listing good items, doing good descriptions and pictures, pricing competitively. I see fluctuations in sales at times and for the most part they recover somewhere down the line. There are just too many variables that figure into this selling picture that nobody has any control of. I wish you the best.

[vintagecraze50]

You and many others are financially recovering from expensive vacations, and now back to school expenses for many. That back to school stuff is probably selling like hot cakes. Summer sales are always effected by these issues for some sellers. It picks up again in the fall and then the BIG BLAST during the holidays.

[chapeau-noir]

IMHO, anyone who can predict the ebb and flow of retail sales could retire a billionaire selling their solution.  A solution, at least, that seems to work better than a dartboard and one too many pitchers of beer, which is how effective these predictions seem to me.  One day I have one sale, the next 12, the next 2 sales, then 6, then I sweat it and in pops that one sale at the 11th hour saving me from a dreaded zero day.  

In the end, my sales come out being pretty consistent - its a long game.