Why are things getting bad on ebay

[jeff-second-chance-silver]

One of my ebay store has over 11000 items listed and only 3 sales the last 2 days. The other one has 5200 items and has only 15 sales. Both top rated. Things have gone horribly south in the last few years.  

[chris13]

Holidays. Economic climate. Site changes. Competition. People no longer being trapped home from the Pandemic.

I'm sure there are more reasons but those are certainly some recent pressures on sales.

There are a few recent threads here along these lines that might give you more details on particular seller experiences.

Best of luck for improving sales in the near future.

[sumsum70]

Things have gone horribly south in the last few years.

But especially in the last week and a half! I can't complain about the last few years as a whole, but May 2022 and the past week have been trash.

[inhawaii]

Sellers have been reporting slow sales "all of a sudden" every day for the past 10+ years.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/forums/searchpage/tab/message?advanced=false&allow_punctuation=false&q...

[sumsum70]

Yeah, say what you will, but people who actually sell things here notice when things aren't right. May 2022 was not normal. Last week of March 2023 and counting is not normal.

[kensgiftshop]

Like a lot of sellers, you're selling items people don't really need, just want.

I have a feeling, things are going to keep going south everywhere for awhile.

[inhawaii]

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@sumsum70 wrote:

Yeah, say what you will, but people who actually sell things here notice when things aren't right. May 2022 was not normal. Last week of March 2023 and counting is not normal.

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I'm not saying it's right or wrong, normal or abnormal.

I'm just saying that  people who sell here have been saying that every day for over 10 years.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/forums/searchpage/tab/message?advanced=false&allow_punctuation=false&q...

[domin-tomas]

Agree. This has been going on for many years at least the last 5 years. Every year it's less and less sales. The good thing is I am rocking it on other sites! You have got to spread your wings.

[sumsum70]

Exactly. I sell more servers on Pittsburgh CL than I do here most weeks. I charge less there and I don't have to ship. I'd certainly like to sell more on eBay, but large, heavy items are sold on eBay at a much greater cost  disadvantage than small, lightweight widgets. 

[shag182]

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@jeff-second-chance-silver wrote:

One of my ebay store has over 11000 items listed and only 3 sales the last 2 days. The other one has 5200 items and has only 15 sales. Both top rated. Things have gone horribly south in the last few years.  

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OMG! 11k items listed and ONLY a measly 3 sold in 2 days, I would be so traumatized and devastated to a point of a nervous breakdown. 😧  Things are bad due to all the WHAT WERE YOU THINKING changes that's turning off BOTH sellers and buyers alike.

[earthdreamer]

Your have some very nice sterling silver pieces listed at good prices.

The problem is that ebay has been flooded with fake sterling silver at really cheap prices, so a lot of buyers are being conditioned into believing sterling silver can be bought at a bargain price. 

I have given up listing my new sterling silver, as it does not even get a look.

Theoretically, you should be OK as no doubt you have built up many repeat customers, though gaining new ones is the issue. 

[12345jamesstamps]

I like to see the inside of the jewelry as to what it actually says...it you say 14k gold show it in a photo...Most jewelry state what it is as to gold or silver in the inside of the jewelry.

It only takes a few negative & neutral feedbacks for buyers to decide if they wish to buy. Buyers will read those feedbacks plus how you respond to those feedbacks. Sometimes it best not to respond to a negative or neutral feedback at all.

[femmefan1946]

You've had  over 700 sales so far this year.

From some 40 years in retail, I know there are slow periods (2pm on a weekday, any weekday, any product).

There was an abrupt end to the pandemic surge of 2020/21  in January 2022, so any comps would be most useful with 2018/2019/2022.

I sell more servers on Pittsburgh CL than I do here most weeks. I charge less there and I don't have to ship.

Umm- do I win a prize if I guess why you do well there?

That being snarked,  there is  a lot to be said for selling on multiple sites.

[dbfolks166mt]

You've had  over 700 sales so far this year.

From some 40 years in retail, I know there are slow periods (2pm on a weekday, any weekday, any product).

There was an abrupt end to the pandemic surge of 2020/21  in January 2022, so any comps would be most useful with 2018/2019/2022.

I sell more servers on Pittsburgh CL than I do here most weeks. I charge less there and I don't have to ship.

Umm- do I win a prize if I guess why you do well there?

That being snarked,  there is  a lot to be said for selling on multiple sites.

     Like you I am selling more on local forums these days than on eBay. In addition to a LOT lower fees, and in some cases no fees, I don't have to worry about shipping, damage, INR's, NAD's, chargebacks, refunds........ The seller gets the item almost immediately, doesn't have the shipping cost and can look at and inspect what they are buyer before they take possession. Could not agree more on site diversification. 

[dbfolks166mt]

Sellers have been reporting slow sales "all of a sudden" every day for the past 10+ years.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/forums/searchpage/tab/message?advanced=false&allow_punctuation=false&q...

     The thing is the eBay financial reports are starting to show it. The pandemic probably delayed what was already a decline. The following is not adjusted for inflation or the picture would probably be worse.