Question
I've never been a gung-ho, full-time, big-time eBay seller. Still, I've relied on my sales to supplement my income for probably ten years. For a good long while now, I can't help but notice (and, man, that's an understatement!) how utterly abysmal bidding and sales have become. IF I sell anything, I usually do so with a single paltry bid. (For example, I listed exactly the same thing this year that I listed last year at this time--a Christmas antique. Last year I had multiple bids and a final price three times what the item netted this year.) Honestly, it's gotten to the point where eBay's fees for my unsold items are essentially negating any profit I make on sold items. Has anybody else been experiencing this? If so, what are your theories about why eBay sales are tanking?
Answer
Same here. My fees have gotten way out of hand. Sales are sparse if at all.
I think eBay is tanking because of the "get it cheap" mentality eBay is pursuing with their advertisements.
Answer
If so, what are your theories about why eBay sales are tanking?
To many catagories. Searcg engine sucks, A lot of the time I click to veiw an item I dont get the page (not avalable bs)
Purchases have gone elsewere due to being riped of and the fear from that. To many items to have to look at due to all the new stuff and key word smam going on. I am sure there is more.
Answer
Yep: left out the item not as desribed problem that also make purchasers avoid it.
Answer
Originally Posted by Snowshoe
Has anybody else been experiencing this? If so, what are your theories about why eBay sales are tanking?
Yes, my sales are off also. I'm not sure it's all ebay to blame. ebay fees hurt the bottom line, but I think we are in rough ecconomic times and people don't have extra money to throw around.
The rarest desirable items are still doing well, but the nice basics are not. I used to do a mix of rare with nice other mint items that are average. Try and cross promote the lesser items with the heavy-weights. It's not working too well.
Also I am seeing some people take 14 days or more to pay when payment must be received within 7 days. They are slow to contact, and then slow to pay. Always an excuse that sounds wrong. Like I was out of town or computer crash whatever. That makes no sense. I think the truth is they simply did not have the money the week they won the item. And I am letting them slide because I NEED that sale, and I NEED that money no matter when it comes. So I forgive and take that late money and all. But one thing I do, if the payment is very late, I do not go out of my way to ship quickly.
I sell vinyl records mostly, so I have the option of not giving away extra poly inner sleeves and outer poly bags, extra supplies I like to give out for free when I am doing well. So if I get late payment, and bid was low anyway, there will be no freebees included in that package.
It's hard times simple as that!
Answer
CHEAP! CHEAP! CHEAP!
Screw around with search every time you turn around.
CHEAP! CHEAP! CHEAP!
Hide the stores from the buyers!
CHEAP! CHEAP! CHEAP!
Keep making changes to categories!
CHEAP! CHEAP! CHEAP!
oh did I mention: CHEAP! CHEAP! CHEAP! ????
And the truly sad thing is they don't care!
Thanks eBay.....because after 9+ years, I am real close to having the same attitude.
Answer
Gallery pics not loading at all, pages taking forever to load and that's with the gallery pics missing.
And what everyone ^^^ said
Answer
You guys are just jealous cuz you haven't lost near enough money to be in PESA yet.
Answer
I think the best indication are sales from promotional days. When they are about 10% of what it used to be, things are not well in eBayDome.
Answer
I've been struggling for months, but I wasn't fielding my A-Team either. I just finished a run of my top-line collector's books and they did really well. And for .10 listing day I drank the kool-aid, bumped my shipping costs & took paypal. The non-starters just closed, but I feel good about what did sell. I will probably stay with the increased shipping and paypal. It puts me pretty much on par with my competition, and still below most of the big-time sellers.
I've really had to hustle my shipping. So many of them pay at the same time, I guess that's the one advantage to taking checks, it spreads the shipping out over the entire week instead of all hitting in the first couple of days.