02-04-2025 10:32 AM
Whether or not eBay is guilty of "throttling" and other things people who post here often accuse eBay of isn't my concern, my concern is complete and utter lack of understanding of any outside factors.
1. The slowest months for eCommerce sales are January and February. During this time, some people are financially spent from the holidays, and awaiting for their tax refunds.
2. The launch of new eCommerce platform, like Temu, may temporarily or permanently reduce traffic and sales, depending on what these platforms sell and how much popularity they gain. eBay is not some eCommerce "monolith".
3. During times of economic uncertainty, there is a reduction of spending of "want" items. This does not mean "everyone is now poor", it means that if the amount of people with disposable income is reduced, sales volume would naturally reduce as well. So if 1,000 people are selling the same thing for roughly the same price, and there used to be 1,000 buyers, but now only 500, half of the sellers will not make sales.
4. It is important to research your item. Trends come and go, but luckily you can use eBay's free product research tool to see how many items sold, for what amount, the trends of those sales, and most importantly, the sell through rate. A low STR generally means the more time it will take to sell your particular item.
There are no guarantees in business. Just because last month or the month before was great, doesn't mean every month is guaranteed to be great.
02-04-2025 10:39 AM
Number Three is very important.
It doesn't matter if the customer can afford it, they have to feel they can afford it.
A friend with a butcher shop says that January is "hamburger month". Even in the wealthy area his shop is in, he sells more cheap cuts in January than any other month of the year.
Then the customer drives away in their Jaguar.
02-04-2025 10:45 AM - edited 02-04-2025 10:45 AM
1. The slowest months for eCommerce sales are January and February. During this time, some people are financially spent from the holidays, and awaiting for their tax refunds.
Online:
02-04-2025 11:38 AM
I agree with just about everything in your assessment, except the product research tools, I do not trust the accuracy, ebay has all ways been about selling cheaper,sending offers, etc., So those #'s they give make you think your item is selling for less but not the actual value of your item, only that you should sell it cheaper.
02-04-2025 11:48 AM
@luckythewinner wrote:1. The slowest months for eCommerce sales are January and February. During this time, some people are financially spent from the holidays, and awaiting for their tax refunds.
- People on this board will tell you that winter is the slowest time.
- People on this board will tell you that summer is the slowest time.
- People on this board will tell you that spring is the slowest time.
- People on this board will tell you that fall is the slowest time.
- People on this board will tell you that cold weather is the slowest time.
- People on this board will tell you that warm weather is the slowest time.
- People on this board will tell you that hot weather is the slowest time.
- People on this board will tell you that good weather is the slowest time.
- People on this board will tell you that bad weather is the slowest time.
Online:
- "Months from January to March are always considered to be the slowest in terms of sales in eCommerce"
- "January and February are typically considered the slowest months for retail"
- "The months of February and March continue to be the most difficult for eCommerce"
- "Statistically, the summer months generate the least amount of ecommerce sales"
- "the spring and summer months are traditionally thought to be slower for online retail sales"
- "the slower months are June through August"
- "the slow season typically comes during the "J" months: January, June & July"
- "July and August are considered the slowest months for online sales"
Exactly!
02-04-2025 12:10 PM
I've tended to think that the theories sellers have for falling sales (tax return, Superbowl, etc) reflect their personal life situation more than anything objective.
02-04-2025 12:23 PM
Which are the key influences on a seller's sales differ by what they sell, and who their buyers are.
What is common is widespread feelings of fear and loathing depress sales of broad swaths of items which have little in common.
The plane crash in DC, the fires in LA and many other negative stories being covered in the news sources people use have some impact on buyer psychology.
I had an unexpected burst in sales after the votes were counted, and a drop off when negative news was back in large amounts.
No one is feeling richer than they were before the election. They might at some point, or they might not.
The stock market is adrift, nothing is forcing it up but little is forcing it down either.
Whatever the next few months bring, some group of people are going to be disappointed. They will probably become depressed. Some people shop to raise their spirits, others hunker down and buy only necessities.
I am in a position that I can whether any storm which is likely, though our NH/ME earthquakes literally shook me.
02-04-2025 12:24 PM
@chapeau-noir wrote: "I've tended to think that the theories sellers have for falling sales (tax return, Superbowl, etc) reflect their personal life situation more than anything objective."
I agree with this. There are also people who complain about the election, school starting expenses, vacation times, yadda, yadda, yadda.
I don't have an answer. I know that for us, this January was a really bad month but I don't remember previous Januarys being that way. I, personally, am blaming a lot on the weather this year because it has not been good and I think people tend to curl up by the fire with a hot toddy and watch Netflix rather than shop.
02-04-2025 12:31 PM - edited 02-04-2025 12:33 PM
@reallynicestamps wrote:Number Three is very important.
It doesn't matter if the customer can afford it, they have to feel they can afford it.
A friend with a butcher shop says that January is "hamburger month". Even in the wealthy area his shop is in, he sells more cheap cuts in January than any other month of the year.
Then the customer drives away in their Jaguar.
Then there's the buyers who don't even know or care what the prices are and buy the filet mignon just because they want it at that moment. Then drive away in their Pinto. They don't care about the fact that their credit cards and car payments are past due, their kid needs braces, or they just got a pay cut. They just know they want that filet mignon right now to make them happy. The impulse buyer. They are likely the people who help keep places like ebay running during the "slow sales times".
They are also likely the same people who post on here trying to sell some stuff complaining about their low net profit and high fees because they never bothered to find them out in the first place.
I know many people who get online orders delivered to them literally every day.
02-04-2025 12:40 PM
It's a lot easier to blame ebay then consider any other factors.
02-04-2025 12:45 PM
Ebay has always been the scapegoat for the professional whiners.
02-04-2025 12:46 PM
Never look at items for sale when drinking 🍷.
Waking up the next morning you ask tell yourself I didn't buy that.
We get a lot of posts here where buyers stated I never bought that....hmmm.
02-04-2025 12:48 PM
People are clueless. Lack of understanding can be dangerous.
02-04-2025 01:20 PM
Found it to be completely true that drinking and gambling do not mix. Woke up and the wife was gone. Grabbed a cup of coffee and leaned on the table eyeing a note. Opened the note and wife said spending the day at the spa, thanks. Went for a second cup of coffee and realized I had no idea where I was. Grabbed the newpaper off the table and there it was...........hundred dollar bills, stacks of them. No idea where they came from. Wife made it back from the spa. Told me it was like I was printing money. Still to this day I cannot remember gambling that night. But from what I was told I was having a blast.
02-04-2025 01:24 PM
@12345jamesstamps wrote:
We get a lot of posts here where buyers stated I never bought that....hmmm.
Most likely they have cats who love to type.