@turquoisetulips "Doesn't all of that depend on what sort of items you sell? I've also been selling here quite awhile since 1996 in fact ."
I wish I had started selling on eBay as early as you did. Of course, if I did that, I would be too young to sell at a legal age. However, if I had entered the eBay marketplace just 6 years earlier, I would probably be enjoying more sales as an eBay seller by now. Now, it's just difficult to be a dominant seller because there are a sea of eBay sellers who are selling similar things to what I'm selling, which eventually leads to price competition, quality of service and delivery. In other words, supply is greater than demand => extreme competition and low profit. If my price is not low enough, I may not even get a sale.
"Its always been my own experience in the past that best match is paired with best price and seller stability and not on viewcount ."
That ain't always the case. I have listings that are priced lower than my competitor and yet, my listings still get placed lower on the Best Match search results. The main reason is because my listings don't have a high number of sold compared to my competitors. For example, my competitor may have sold 1000+ items from a single listing! Since my listing has only sold less than 100 so far for the same item, I get placed lower on the Best Match search results than my competitor. Basically, if you are an old seller, you have the upper hand, especially if your listings have had over 1000+ sold, which makes you the dominant seller on Best Match. In other words, your listings would always enjoy being place #1 on the search results. That's also a big magnet for future customers to buy from a seller whose listings have over 1000+ sold. My listings are nowhere close to that figure, so I'm at a disadvantage despite the fact that my prices are lower than my competitor, sometimes by as much as $1.50 in price difference per unit! The Best Match search results favor the old sellers who have sold 1000+ per listing versus new sellers who are starting up their new listings from scratch.
"but I do think a lot has to do with the type of items as well . tulips"
Perhaps.. But, I do believe that the number sold relative to the number of views matters even more. In fact, the higher the sold ratio to view ratio, the higher up your listing will be placed on the Best Match search results.. And if your listings each have over 1000+ sold, you practically have an unfair advantage over every other new sellers out there, including myself.
