eBay

sangetsu03 · ‎11-25-2018

I've been selling on eBay for more than a decade now, and for the past year have noticed ever decreasing sales. It used to be that the more items I listed, the more sales I generateed, and I was quite happy.

But for the past several months, sales have seemed to dry up. I used to average a little more than two sales per day, but now I'm down to about one sale every other day. I'm a Power Seller, and Top Rated seller, yet neither of these ratings seem to mean much when it comes to net sales.

This isn't the first drop I've seen, the last big drop was when eBay and Google got into a spat, and Google stopped putting eBay items on the top of it's search results. That spat cost me some $2500 per month in sales at the time. I eventually compensated for the loss by increasing my number of listings. But lately that doesn't seem to work.

Some months ago I started listing things on Etsy, and got a few sales over the first month. Oddly, my sales on Etsy have now exceeded my sales on eBay, which was something I never expected. Etsy sales have increased, while eBay sales continue to trend downward.

I'm hoping eBay will wake up one day and stop trying to be Amazon. If I want something from Amazon, I will go to Amazon. eBay used to be the world's biggest flea market, and that was not a bad thing, because it was fun. Buying and selling was more risky, but in case eBay never noticed, people like to take risks, however much they may grumble.

If eBay wants to be another Amazon, why should I sell on eBay? eBay's rules and standards are so high that selling from Amazon is now no more difficult, and Amazon has a much larger market than eBay. I'm setting up an Amazon store now, and will try it out just for kicks. If I'm selling more stuff on Etsy than on eBay, perhaps I'll sell even more on Amazon.

Wake up eBay! "Get back to where you once belonged!"

sangetsu03 · ‎11-26-2018

I have read the articles over the years, and though it is a common thread, it's more real now than at other time. Were things fine and dandy, and sales doing well, or at least remaining static, eBay wouldn't be reducing headcount.

In the past I have managed to find ways to work through or around slumps, but nothing seems to work now. I run three different eBay stores, selling different varieties of goods, and all three of them have seen sales falling.

atikovi · ‎11-26-2018

@sangetsu03 wrote:

In the past I have managed to find ways to work through or around slumps, but nothing seems to work now. I run three different eBay stores, selling different varieties of goods, and all three of them have seen sales falling.

That's just the nature of the items you are selling in the current tech oriented marketplace. People selling 8 track players were probably saying the same thing 30 years ago, as were those selling cassette players 20 years ago or VCRs 10 years ago. People who rely on film cameras today are just a fraction of those just 10 years ago.

pingpong517 · ‎11-26-2018

@femmefan1946 wrote:
@pingpong517

and the obvious is ....film? developing it? I've been driving around town for 30-40 years looking for the FOTOMAT!

Umm.
These cameras are being purchased by hobbyists who do their own developing.
Or just put the cameras on a shelf and admire them.

yes i know who would be buying them, and yes there is a buyer out there, but maybe the buyers of these are shinking too...hobbies, collectors....you know its fickle... So with more competion online...this number of lovers of old cameras, for use and looking at....may be stretched, but Ebay seem to have not the "view" and activity as it use too....

raynor911 · ‎11-26-2018

When eBay did away with PayPal a couple months ago, my sales dropped dramatically...Trying to recover, but it has been VERY slow...Anyone else have this happen?

atikovi · ‎11-26-2018

@raynor911 wrote:
When eBay did away with PayPal a couple months ago, my sales dropped dramatically...Trying to recover, but it has been VERY slow...Anyone else have this happen?

Say What? I bought a couple of things here just last week and used Paypal .

myjunqueyourtreasure · ‎11-26-2018

@raynor911 wrote:
When eBay did away with PayPal a couple months ago, my sales dropped dramatically...Trying to recover, but it has been VERY slow...Anyone else have this happen?

They didn't do away with PP unless , as it appears to be, you opted in to their new Mangled Payments system.

Reality is the leading cause of stress.

turquoisetulips · ‎11-26-2018

@atikovi wrote:
How nice to read a post about slow sales, because heaven knows only every 3rd or 4th thread on this forum discusses the same topic. Now how about discussing how sellers can only leave positive feedback?

True , the threads about low sales vastly outnumber the ones about how great its going . I guess when people are worried they look for answers and this is probably the best place to come. Currently my sales are way up and I'm 100 % certain most of them are because of Christmas . However I'm also equally certain as soon as the holidays are over sales will be down at least by 50% for me anyway . Tulips

femmefan1946 · ‎11-27-2018

One of the reasons I like my paper records is that I can look back to 2017 or 2016 or 2006 to see how sales fluctuate.

And there is definitely a rhythym to the sales year. I know things will be slow from May to September, because in my categories they have been since I started selling online in 1998.

I know that I will sell very little from November first to December 25, because I don't sell "giftie" items.

And that from Boxing Day through April, I will be quite busy.

Never compare your monthly sales to last month- only to the same month last year, and as far back as you have records.