Why does Ebay keep asking me to reduce a price over and over again when it does not sell?

[detur3926]

I have listed for 24 years now - and this last couple of years have been a disaster with selling.  Many times (and my prices are probably the lowest of anyone) I list an item and it does not sell - so Ebay tells me to reduce it by 1.00 or 2.00 or 3.00 or even 5.00.  I do this many times over.  Then i dont sell it the second time so they ask me to reduce it again and again - I may as well put it in the trash ... yes shipping fees are very high in the entire world now - but if I have to sell an item for $5.00 and shipping is $20.00 nobody will buy it because of the shipping charges... i have been told by ebay employees on a few occassions that i should put the item price low and charge high shipping???  this is not the way to do business..at all.  I have tried everything - i was selling for example  Lovely china cups and saucers at list of 10.99 - 14.00 or 15.00 and could never even sell them at all - and finally put them down to $6.95 and sold one - the rest i gave away to somebody.  Ebay really is confusing sellers and buyers both to no ends.  It is not a good thing to keep changing your rules -regulations - etc... who can remember all of this stuff..... make it simple like it was years back and only small changes ... i am really appalled at all these changes and cannot figure out half the time what i can do and have to call or chat online and many times do not get a straight answer at all.  I have a lot of items to sell on here but will soon end my relationship with Ebay after my 24 years as it is insane the way you have to guess and keep on contacting Ebay online or phone and then get no firm answers... or they keep passing the call on to someone else... 

Sad indeed to something that could be even something bigger.... i am a senior and lost to no end.

F D

[bimm_corp]

@detur3926 

> so Ebay tells me to reduce it by 1.00 or 2.00 or 3.00 or even 5.00. 

eBay doesn't care if the seller loses money on the sale just as long as the item sells and they get their fee. When I first started  on eBay in 1996, the sell-through rate was like 70%. Now it's something like .25%. eBay is desperate for sales.

[vintagecraze50]

Selling online is no longer the cheapest way to go when you are a merchant. Merchants online have a lot of fees they pay whether here or maintaining their own Website, G-o-n-e are the days when stuff could sell as cheap as they did when ebay had a 70 percent sell through rate. Also the competition to sell stuff on here and everywhere else  is outrageous. So, you have to strike so kind of balance here. Unload the stuff that is not attracting too many people so you can upload new stuff that might sell better, And, price stuff the where you will ACTUALLY make money instead of giving it away.

[chapeau-noir]

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@yuzuha wrote:

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

2. Demand changes - right now it's VERY difficult to sell china, cups and saucers, etc. to any extent (has been for a while, I think) - there's a huge surplus of things like that, no matter how nice they are. That may change down the road, but right now it's better to source other things.

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Yeah, my local thrift is always full of that stuff and it doesn't really sell. It just sits on the shelves.

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Lawdy - I inherited a 14 place setting tea set - I think Royal Doulton or something.  I appreciate it but what the heck will I do with it?  I used it once - served my aunt tea, she liked it and I tried to give her a few place settings but "I really appreciate it, but I'm just not a collector" - she was almost 90 at the time.  What am *I* going to do with it?  I've never collected this stuff either, and I'm 68.  It's not just the younkers not collecting stuff - many generations never have and they all keep trying to give the rest of us this stuff. 

The tea set really IS nice, too (I drink espresso which would probably eat through that nice china).

[detur3926]

Hi again- i am giving up on Ebay after 24 years  it is disgusting - they need to revamp their whole system - i notice on something i sold the other day for peanuts - the fees were up from last sale in July

and also collect taxes - and a fee because we are not in the USA - we are in Canada absolutely 

a bad thing for Ebay - nobody will be using it soon. To much competition now - i will do better on notes in my laundry room to sell - and/or garage sales ... at least it is instant cash and no fees  or postage - dont forget we have to buy supplies envelopes - paper - bubble wrap - tissue - boxes for various sizes of items - etc... no easy thing in this economy 

[detur3926]

The thing is i price my items very cheap to start with other wise nobody even looks at the listings at all 

the system with ebays crazy changing updates econfuse not only me but thousand or millions of other people - --  stock is fall - and so are they

[detur3926]

boo hiss - disgusting - who is running Ebay 

[detur3926]

well i know that of course - but there is a lot of competition - maybe they should quite while ahead or rethink the whole thing over 

[detur3926]

i have listed items for months at a time over and over and over - and nothing not even a look

i guess my time on here is over - i know costs are up etc etc etc but

what is Ebay doing about it /// they should sit down and think about how they 

can market this much better - if you wanted to read all their rules and regulations it would

ad up to thousands of pages and changes over the years far to much for anybody to know or remember simple is best

[detur3926]

Excuse me - i dont take 
Ebay's recommendations most times - i try because i have listed them so many times

and dont give me that Senior thing none of your business about what i say  I know what does not sell

at all - i happen to have had a cup and saucer left over tried to list it after a year and got a big 8.00 for it but only paid 1.00 for it big deal - i got 6.00 or less for the deal - lot of work for nothing.

I use this as a pass time to keep me busy and yes i am a senior and they should know that maybe

seniors should get a bit of a small discount - as many of my friends have not stopped using it 

i am going on 84 years old - and it keeps my mind going and enjoyable... so do what you want to do 

i just ask simple questions - earlier last two years i have sold mega number of cups and saucers at good prices... now finished

[detur3926]

I know that - i am just complaing about looking for other ideas

where else do you list Etsy is for prissy things for younger generations - etc...

[detur3926]

My estate sale stuff has been my family over the last few years i dont buy anything 

[detur3926]

i have tried that USA trick sell for $5.00 and charge 25.00 shipping 

go figure - it does not work most of the time and if i sell a book they

have one price that ebay allows books to be priced for shipping so 

cannot do that anymore

[squinkercat59]

Your shipping costs are very high coming to the US.  Many jewelry items, for example, are four ounces and under, packed safely in a small box, which is under $4.00 within the U.S.  While you have nice items, the postage is much higher than we in the U.S. can get similar things mailed for.

[Anonymous]

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@detur3926 wrote:

Hi again- i am giving up on Ebay after 24 years  it is disgusting -

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You said that last year when you posted this thread

"I have a lot of items to sell on here but will soon end my relationship with Ebay after my 24 years as it is insane the way you have to guess and keep on contacting Ebay "

[saadgs]

but if the retail price of the item is $100, the price of that item on e-bay + shipping should not be more than $25 otherwise e-bay itself will die