eBay Dead Slow Sales 2019

[baydistributionllc]

If you go look at the archives you will find thread after thread of people complaining their sales have dropped off. I will have to admit that I have spent far too much time reading them and have even posted one or two. 

For me it was April 2017 when it just fell off. Wasn't all that that long ago I had my first day in 5 years without a sale.

They changed some things, that's for sure. Griping about it won't help us so I thought I would share some ways that I have begun to find an increase in sales.

1. Promoted listings is not a choice. If your complaining your sales fell off and you are not using promoted listings you need to go do a blanket 1% on everything and watch it increase immediately. They found a creative way to increase the fees in a way that looks like its optional. Its not optional.

2. Stagnant Inventory. I have read that sellers have gotten eBay reps to 'reset' their listings. While I believe they may have been told this I don't believe that whatever the rep did had any meaningful effect. I have read that doing a bulk edit and not changing anything gets it going. I don't see that being very effective either. It used to be that if you posted an item you could leave it posted forever and it would eventually sell. I think the new eBay is taking a lot more data points into account like views, watchers, identical solds, and who knows what else. If it doesn't like your listing, it buries it and shows it nobody. I have not been keeping items nearly as long and I have been a lot more aggressive in revising and lowering prices. I revise at least as many items as I post everyday and double most days. Sometimes its a $1 thats the difference in sold and not sold.

3. Offers to buyers. I have sold several items with this new feature. If its not an option on your dashboard you can manually type the link to get to it. Its available to everyone.

4. Offer international shipping outside of GSP. I have had lots of sales this way and printing the label for a first class international (up to 4lbs by the way) is as easy as printing a US one. The only difference is you have to sign it. I have had a couple people do something like pay $150 in shipping to get a $75 item, and that kills me on the fees but that rarely happens and I have yet to loose money on any deal because of it.

5. Returns and cases. I seem to notice a drastic dip in sales directly after I get two returns and/or cases. Just one doesn't seem to have an effect but it seems like if I get two inside of a week, sales suck for several days after. Anyone else notice this? This has led me to a point to where I will not sell anything with a defect. People are looking at the gallery photo and the price and NOTHING ELSE. I will sell new, and fully functional used, and that's it. Sometimes really expensive items still have significant value even if they are only partially working, I will not longer sell that. If I don't feel like the ENTIRE listing can meet the expectation created by just the first photo I don't list it on ebay at all. I guess what I am saying is be more selective with your sourcing.

6. Competition. There are a lot more people selling on ebay. I sure wish I knew how many sellers were on ebay three years ago vs. today. I really have been trying to find items that nobody else is offering or have few comps. I have found myself passing on things not because the margin wasn't there but because there are 3,423 other ones already posted. In the past I would have bought anything that had a sold comp with a good margin, not anymore.

So that was my goal of this post, just to share some ways I am finding a little traction. Hope it helps.

On a side note....

For going on three or four months I noticed a big decrease in return abuse and entitled cheats. I had a period of time with 0 open returns and quite a run with only 1.  This weeks I had 2 big fat cheaters. They were all cheap items that had returns anyway, and I got the items back, so not a huge deal. They only stole shipping fees. 

One guy asked a silly question about a set of waders I had posted. I referred him to the portion of the listing that answered the question so he couldn't use the semantics of my answer to start a return later. He didn't like that answer so he bought the item with the intent of returning it. Brand New Item. Has UPC. Has same information as all other sellers with same item and same UPC.  eBay was kind of enough to remove the defect, but having to call waste my time, kinda aggravating. 

I had a somewhat rare bible. It was in pretty rough shape. I wouldn't source or list the same item again. I took good photos of all the damage and described all the damage in detail. If I remember right this bible in good used condition goes for around $40+. This one sold for $20. 30 Day returns, no good reason needed to return it. Shipping was just over $3. Then of course they choose a reason that causes me a defect and say " I love this bibles I would never allow any one do this type of harm to any book let a lone a bible". What a looney toon.

I love how these people can come to ebay and treat it like facebook and at the end of the day it doesn't cost them a dime. They are not shopping for items, they are shopping for a problem to create. eBay does offer us one thing most other platforms don't, the blocked list.

Person 1 had 0 feedback. I think they created a new account to distance what they were about to do from their real account. Person 2 had 1 feedback. Not well established members of the ebay community by any stretch. Returns for users with less than 5 feedback should require a look by an actual person at ebay before they are allowed to apply a defect. Even if it looks like it went through to the user, actual look prior to defect application seems like common sense.

So I know there are some people out there that had a big drop in sales, is there anyone out there that has kept pumping up items and found some success with any new techniques? Get any crazy returns?

Anyone out there sell 20 items instead of 10 and wanna tells us all who say the sales fell off we are crazy because you had a 100% increase? 🙂

[greenbraindesign]

Even though I have sold many items, this October has been the worst this year. I am getting a lot of first time buyers who don't pay.  I will get a bunch of sales at one time, then it is dead again. Usually every year it picks up about now through December for sales. We will see.  My issues is with the PLATFORM that ebay is changing into. They used to be fair, you could leave feedback for your buyer, not any longer.. Ebay makes it easier for buyers to cheat and steal from sellers, recourse is slowly diminishing. Ebay is attracting more buyers who do not pay. I used to have maybe 3 or 7 out of 500 buyers who did not pay, now I get loads of them. It is horrible.. What is Ebay's base coming too? If you allow buyers to cheat, steal, take advantage, lie, consort and break the buying rules or policy and there is no consequences, what happens to ebay's platform and base, it becomes a place to go and get stuff for free, get partial refunds for free,  the attitude, " I am the buyer, you are the stupid seller". Ebay has slowly been changing to host this kind of crowd.. The 100% sellers like myself will eventually leave because the agony and stress of it all is just not worth it, countless hours on the phone with ebay due to the mess they have created. Ebay will lose their 5 to 15 year clutch sellers, their clutch base who have given everything to selling the right way, honesty, integrity, character and reliability for their buyers, those sellers who are loyal to ebay, ebay will be losing and being replaced by thick skinned sellers who don't care, who have no problem being dishonest, who's character has been seared years before, who have very little integrity and could care less about be reliable.  There have always been good and bad sellers on ebay but last year out of 10 items I as a seller purchased, 7 were bad, misleading and the seller didn't even get back to me.  3 years ago, I had 1 out of 20 or 30 buys. It is not getting better , it is getting worse. Your selling base will either make you or break you, ebay just does not get that as they focus and put great emphasis on the buyers but the Buyers will leave once ebay is saturated with rotten sellers, they will not buy from ebay again and ebay will fall.  I know this is long but similar to a new restaurant, you go and dine, the food is great, staff is amazing, a month you go back, Owners cut back on the quality of the food to save a buck, staff  is overworked and cannot take care of your like before, you quit going, the restaurant owners just do not get it and continue on and one day you drive by and the business is closed.   Before I started selling on ebay, I did mergers and inquisitions for a large well known company, I have built war rooms and have seen this same thing before, it is only a matter of time.  I have one message for ebay.  Do what you did before that worked so well, that made you great in the first place, it was not increasing fees, it was not just about the dollar, it was not because you were different. It was because selling and buying on ebay was fun and fruitful for everyone and it was a safe place for buyers and a place sellers knew they were valued!  As a 100% feedback seller, I do not feel valued!!! I make you money, I make some money but that is not what motivates a good base and experience. Ebay, your bottom line has become money.. There is little value in that!! A good product is what has value!!!

[cashmere99]

Slow sales may b due 2 throttling, but I think it has more 2 do w/the fact that the seller 2 buyer ratio gap is huge...I’m guessing 100:1.

[vaperetailer]

THIS IS MY WORST MONTH EVER IN ALL OF EBAY HISTORY. I HAVE BEEN A SELLER FOR 6 YEARS. I HAVE GENERATED OVER £650K ON THIS BUSINESS AS A 1 MAN BUSINESS.

PREVIOUS MONTHS - 150+ SALES OVER THE WEEKEND.

THIS WEEK - 45 OVER THE WEEKEND.

I HAVE NEVER HAD UNDER 100 SALES OVER ANY WEEKEND FOR 6 YEARS.

ENOUGH SAID.

I AM NOT GOING TO RELY ON EBAY FOR MY ONLY SOURCE OF INCOME ANYMORE. ITS DONE - ITS DEAD.

MOVE ON AND BUILD A REAL BUSINESS OR LEARN NEW HIGH INCOME SKILLS THAT YOU CAN RELY ON - NOT THIS SHODDY MARKETPLACE THAT HAS JUST GOTTEN WORSE OVER THE YEARS. YOU ALSO NOW HAVE CEO'S HAVE NO ABSOLUTE CLUE WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

[Anonymous]

Quick, Someone get the defibrillator.......... 3.... 2....1..... CLEAR

[sellsomemore4141]

There are a few things that can affect sales in October: 1. Current Politics and the stock market can play a small roll in people holding tight to their money until they see what's going to happen. 2. There are many outside events in October. Families are attending them, rather than sitting in front of their computer. (i.e. Football Games (High School, College and National Leagues)  Halloween, and Fall festivals) 3. This is also a time of Giving and donating for the upcoming holidays. Sales should come back up some in November and December, as people get ready for the holidays. They'll be looking for gifts.  

[Anonymous]

There are a few other things that can affect sales,

Updates, Glitches, throttling, Sellers leaving(also  your Buyers) Not enough Buyers,  Ebay manipulating. Etc

[myoasisjewels]

there have been and still are way too many technical issues and glitches, that surely could have an impact on sales;-(

once again there are issues with the markdown manager, and now i am showing this message in my seller hub...."We’re experiencing a technical issue. Your sales data below may be delayed or incomplete. We’re working to resolve this as soon as we can."

[Anonymous]

As I have said, I was a top rate power seller for years( without a store), In March 2019, MY sales started dropping each update Ebay has done... I have way more listing over 225( not a store) and I have had one 5 dollar sale this month.......

[stinkysiren4535]

where do I get "visit my ebay shop stickers"?

[mr_lincoln]

@baydistributionllc   wrote: " ... For me it was April 2017 when it just fell off. Wasn't all that that long ago I had my first day in 5 years without a sale. ..."

_____________________________________________________

This thread is so long Imay have posted some of this before ... if so pass on.  Your April time frame matches what I experienced on a 2nd ID here right after the GTC mandate on March 18.  In 6 weeks a low 5 figures account (built it up to that in 12 months) dropped 50%  through April then May saw 1 - 2 sales per week despite the Quarterly Promoted Listing Campaign.  June & July were not any better ... through that period I downsized from the Basic store to entry level.  Over that time period I removed inventory ... On August 1 I infused the account with new inventory and sales rebounded for one month then dropped again in Sept ... I cancelled the store subscription and it's now an Everyday rate plan account, 50 free monthly insertions and ONE sale on the entire month.

Here's the point ... I did NOTHING different on the account then I had done the previous 12 months in growing it, NOTHING.  So what changed? eBay. 

I run quarterly Promoted Listing Campaigns and I just started one late last week.  Sales had dropped of for 3 weeks on the account but this weekend they surged again ... I run the Campaigns for about 30 days.  Here are the current results thus far.

[equid0x]

Well, what is being said on many threads here about sellers being buyers, too is absolutely true.

As a seller, I got burned one too many times on this venue.

I just put in an order for 13 unrelated items on the largest competitors site as well as another 12 items all car related to accomplish a series repairs on my main vehicle from a site I've dealt with in the past.

None of those got bought on eBay.

In the past I probably would have at least checked pricing/availability here but this time around I didn't bother. As far as I'm concerned, eBay has burned their bridges after burning me for the last time.

[zepptees]

Count me in as a dying seller as well.

Over 3 years ago, I brought my t-shirts to eBay. Within 3 days, I had my first sale and it continued to grow right away. I had been averaging 10-12 sales per day every day. Of course I would have the occasional 6 sale day, but it was offset by some 20 sale days. By this time the last two years, I could tell holiday sales were already on the rise.

At the beginning of October of this year, I had my FIRST EVER 0 sale day come up out of nowhere. Since then I have had two more 0 sale days, and my regular daily sales are now averaging 2-3. This drastic shift has to be something internally with eBay.  I have 100% feedback, all the badges, all items are promoted listings, etc. There was no reason for public interest in my products to just expire on one random night.

I'm also a one man business that had relied on eBay as my #1 source of traffic. Time to start moving resources elsewhere I guess.

[wheredidiputthatremote]

2nd half of this month I have been in a slump myself.  Hope 4th Q finally arrives.

[rapidresol]

I don’t know what is going on with sales this year and it is getting worst by the month on EBay.  I am scared it will soon become unsustainable selling on this platform. We will have to look at other options if things do not pick up soon.

[brites7214]

I resent the welfare comment, for your information there are no welfare states anymore and hasn’t been for years.