where did all the customers go and why - you tell me?

[percgrabbe-0]

want to hear your take on it, go

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

I'm not selling here right now so I'm going to answer as a buyer.

My vintage collectibles cat is live and well and there's a lot of competition for the good stuff I want

Looking for Spring clothing and the listings are all over the map. I'm not going to spend $30 for a pair of used shorts. I won't even pay $30 for new with tag shorts that I can pick up on sale at Kohl's or somewhere else. Some pictures are terrible so I can't even tell what the item looks like. Some have no fabric content. I ran across a few that show the tag where it says as is but don't describe the damage. One pair of shorts listed as is has a comment that the shorts are stained and they don't know whether they will come clean but they want $30 including shipping for $45 shorts when new in the store.

I don't understand some sellers of used clothing. If I can get it at the store and try it on with no drama, why would I pay the same or more here?

[retrose1]

I believe that ebay never realized that sellers are also buyers.  And once ebay converted the site to buyercentric, as sellers became victims, they lost interest in ebay and moved on.

That and the fact that ebay seems to believe that keeping the site fresh means to change the page layout and offer perks and call them industry standard.  There is a whole lot more to it, and Bezos understands that.

[retrose1]

Right now there is a thread where the person is about to lose $1400.

You think they are ever going to use ebay again?

[steveross]

LOL, if you have the Global Shipping Program on your listings I can tell you where a lot of Canadian buyers have gone: to sellers who use regular USPS shipping, or to Amazon!

[percgrabbe-0]

Thing is the $1400 guy wasnt that dumb at least he insured the item. He needs to do no refund without return and have the buyer send the item back.

[luckythewinner]

---

@percgrabbe-0wrote:

want to hear your take on it, go

---

My take is that the dollar volume of merchandise sold on this site has been increasing steadily every quarter for the past 5+ years. 

So I think the more accurate question some sellers should be asking is where did my buyers go?  And I think there are many different answers to that question, based on the different sellers who have come here asking it.  

But basic economics says you are less likely to get regular sales unless:

• your prices are as low or lower than the competition
• what you are selling is in demand
• supply does not exceed demand
• your presentation of the items will attract buyers

[retrose1]

---

@percgrabbe-0wrote:

Thing is the $1400 guy wasnt that dumb at least he insured the item. He needs to do no refund without return and have the buyer send the item back.

---

But that will void the insurance.  If on the slim chance that the buyer is not a scammer and is telling the truth, saying return is the worst thing that can happen.

Another reason buyers are leaving is the fact that ebay is now filled to bursting with mountains of common same old/same old stuff - most of it poor quality direct from China junk that isn't even a bargain anymore.  They can get that anywhere, so why go to ebay.

[richards*collection]

I want zip up Levi's 501's from the 70's, Chinese makers never got it right so I have to pay like 40 bucks for a pair of American made that just are not like the ones in the 70's. As a buyer ebay is working great, but I sell rocks and collectables, the market is not to hot, but I see one person is selling an old TEPCO coffee cup regular like clockwork, same style, over and over for 45 dollars, so I pulled my batch out and are starting to list just now hoping I can undercut him and sell a few....I have not been ripped off to bad yet by ebay they I sell just enough to make fee's plus a little more, its been tight though, no ones outright stolen my goods yet, but it could happen, I'm sure. thanks for letting me rant.....

[percgrabbe-0]

The problem with what you are saying is the same items sell elsewhere much faster than here.  So there is more to it than that. The customers just dont seem to be shopping here as much.

[divwido]

I have buyers.  So I cannot answer your question.

[percgrabbe-0]

If the buyer wants refund they have to take delivery on the item and return it. I wouldnt suggest handling it any other way.  

So I wouldnt refund until they return it. Worse they can do is file a SNAD. 

[retrose1]

---

@luckythewinnerwrote:

---

@percgrabbe-0wrote:

want to hear your take on it, go

---

My take is that the dollar volume of merchandise sold on this site has been increasing steadily every quarter for the past 5+ years. 

So I think the more accurate question some sellers should be asking is where did my buyers go?  And I think there are many different answers to that question, based on the different sellers who have come here asking it.  

But basic economics says you are less likely to get regular sales unless:

• your prices are as low or lower than the competition
• what you are selling is in demand
• supply does not exceed demand
• your presentation of the items will attract buyers

---

While that is true - the volume of merchandise being listed and offered on ebay has increased steadily for the past 15 years.  So of course the number of sale will go up - the question is, does the % of sales match the number of offered items.   And most of it is the same merchandise.

The economics of ebay has changed from a collectable auction site - to a BIN site filled with new and reproduction merchandise.  The buyers of the collectable are moving elsewhere to find what they want - because even if it is listed on ebay....the odds are that ebay makes it difficult to actually find, preferring to show Chinese and new and catalog items ebay thinks buyers want to see over what the buyer actually asked to see.

Right now I am listing as auction some ultra rare (only ones listed and only ones in completeds) desireable items that back in the early days of ebay would have gotten dozens of bidders bidding up to hundreds of dollars.  They are not doing that well and part of the reason is that when buyers search for vintage, they get new items with vintage in the title, so they have no idea the good stuff is even listed.

Search is one of the top 3 reasons buyers are leaving.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

I just opened my packages from yesterday and got a switched item from a low volume seller. I'm going to have to package it back up, send it and wait to get my item. That's assuming the other buyer even sends it back.

This never happens when I buy from Lands End.

[richards*collection]

heres my mug, now another seller is making bank on these similar cups, and I am trying to offer mine below their price, I know these are scarce, but will mine sell just because these are scarce? I know mine will show in the same search results, and China has not had time to crank out a copy of it, these are hot now, one must strike the iron while it's hot.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/292490901810?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649