eBay sellers : I am curious about your current sales activity levels

[swords]

I've been an seller on eBay for a number of years now. I won't say what I sell, simply so it doesn't seem like I'm advertising (I rarely sell plants - so don't ask) but over the last year I have noticed sales dropping off dramatically, yet I have more items listed than ever before. My items for sale have not changed, I still stock the same sort of items which previously sold very well, especially at this time of year (Oct -Jan) when almost everything sells as fast as you can list it. However, sales are almost non-existent this year compared to previous years when I would only list maybe a dozen or so items per week. Nowadays, my eBay shops each have between 100-200 items listed at all times, in a variety of categories and it's becoming more and more rare to see any sales (or even views) despite my top rated seller status and wide selection of items.

So my question is, if you are a regular / career eBay seller, are you still getting the kinds sales you used to compared to one, two or three years ago?

How many items do you tend to have listed at one time?

Have you noticed a point in time at which your sales suddenly dropped off?

Remember don't list your seller name or what you sell, I'm just interested in hearing your experiences, especially over the past 6 months or so.

* If you hate eBay or have some kind of problem with people selling things on it, please don't fill up this post with your complaints. What I'm looking for is a discussion on the issues I've raised.

 

[Sashoke]

I know it isnt exactly an answer, but I used to love Ebay, Id check there everyday to see if there was anything new I might like. Now I barely go there. Ebay might just be getting bland to a lot of people.

 

[dozer1028]

From a buying view.. I change my search results to USA only because I can't trust anyone . Then check the feedback reports. . If it's good I still buy but I don't buy before I check amazon and Google shopping prices. I still buy the same amount as I used too.. I stopped selling just because of the time commitment it takes.. still think about it all the time because I used to do great. Just too busy...

 

[Not a Number]

Just for grins google search "Ebay sales down"

 

[RSS]

The 20-30 auctions we ran this fall went about like they do every year. Why on earth is A selling for 10X its value while B is selling for 1/4th its value.

No change in volume noticed by us, but we list so few items.

 

[Whimgrinder]

My impression:

1) the security breach earlier this year started a slump process that continues to this day; trust issues.
2) the eBay experience has changed over the years: anything that has any real value and scarcity is likely to end up selling for an exaggerated price, so people like me won't even bother to look at "rare and desirable" stuff.
3) it's easy for unscrupulous sellers to scam/mislead buyers about an item, and it happens too often. I generally avoid buying old cameras on eBay because without seeing the camera in person, it's impossible to evaluate it truthfully. Photos do NOT tell the whole story. I set aside my hesitation recently and bought a Russian camera from the 1970s after the seller answered some questions for me and assured me the device was in perfect working order. I got the camera and immediately it was apparent that the shutter sticks open ever 4th or 5th attempt to fire it. Once again, I find my suspicions confirmed: you have to assume you are being misled or at least not told the whole truth about an item; eBay comes with inherent risks.
Along the same lines, three years ago I bought a couple of Nepenthes hybrids from various private growers and as I eventually discovered - I bought plants that the grower was culling from their collection: inferior plants of little value. To be honest, if course - had I known more about the genus at that time I might have seen the "red flags", but the point is that the seller KNEW what they were doing- unloading inferior plants on unsuspecting buyers.
The bottom line - for me - is that eBay is NOT a "community-of-trust" buying experience. In fact, it is often quite the opposite. I suspect many people have come to a similar conclusion.
Oh, and I have often heard friends say things like: "You USED TO be able to get so-and-so inexpensively on eBay, but that's not possible anymore - things have gotten unrealistically expensive now, the way people bid on stuff", etc. etc.

---

I know there are plenty of virtuous sellers out there who are trying their best to do good, honest work, but in an environment like eBay where trust issues seem to dominate the market, it's harder and harder to be taken seriously.

 

[Not a Number]

Remember don't list your seller name or what you sell, I'm just interested in hearing your experiences, especially over the past 6 months or so.

* If you hate eBay or have some kind of problem with people selling things on it, please don't fill up this post with your complaints. What I'm looking for is a discussion on the issues I've raised.

Stay on topic folks. Swords requested not to start bashing ebay. Off topic posts have been deleted.

 

[Whimgrinder]

Stay on topic folks. Swords requested not to start bashing ebay. Off topic posts have been deleted.

I'm not interested in "bashing" eBay - I am doing my best to provide my honest impressions of the marketplace, given my limited experience using it. I think my comments and observations have some merit. I know you are not citing me specifically as "bashing", but I know some folks will conclude that this is what I am doing, simply by making negative observations.

i thought it was worthwhile citing an example, but not everyone agrees. Oh well.

 

[hcarlton]

There are positive and negative viewpoints on every subject. Paul, I think your comments certainly have merit and have plenty of evidence behind them.
I haven't been on eBay for very long, only about a year or so, but it seems like sales sort of just go up and down as it is. I have no doubt that breach probably has an effect on this too though.
eBay certainly is a difficult place to sell if oyu are new or have had issues with either buyers or sellers before. I try and give as much info when I sell things as I can so that people do know what they are getting and I try as best as I can to uphold my end of the deal, otherwise trust falls to the wayside.
As for buying things, well, I stick to the sellers I know I can trust and that's about it.

 

[ps3isawesome]

I have noticed sales dropping off dramatically, yet I have more items listed than ever before.My items for sale have not changed, I still stock the same sort of items which previously sold very well, especially at this time of year (Oct -Jan) when almost everything sells as fast as you can list it.

Don't be a product based business, be a process based. Meaning, don't rely on a few product categories if you want to be in business in the long run. Products and services become outdated in this day and age very fast. Consumer's needs and wants will always change. The fact that you're offering the same products the same way could be your biggest downfall.

However, sales are almost non-existent this year compared to previous years when I would only list maybe a dozen or so items per week. Nowadays, my eBay shops each have between 100-200 items listed at all times, in a variety of categories and it's becoming more and more rare to see any sales (or even views) despite my top rated seller status and wide selection of items.

More categories and/or same products can sometimes means longer search process which = negative experience.

Here are the component of E-Active marketing and commerce in a simplified version.
E-Commerce Components (Basic customer's expectation of e-commerce)
1. Catalog, shopping cart, and payment procedure (This is all done by eBay)
2. Customer service, FAQ, public relations, and optional elements (Which is your job)

Two incentives (value) e-commerce should provide
1. Financial incentive - This attracts first time buyers or former customers through reduce price, free shipping, or e-coupon. This should be meaningful and changes periodically. For example, a basic promotions could be "first 10 customers receives 10% off". Such discount functions as a "call to action". Giving the customers a reason to buy again even if they still have the product (potentially targeting the scarcity culture that has shaped our minds to attribute quality to unavailability).
2. Convenience incentive - Available 24/7, your eBay account can be used to obtain product information, EASY TO LOCATE MERCHANDISE.

You can also think of your customers differently. There are current, former, potential, and competitors. This may help you look at their needs and wants differently.

Hopefully, this gives you an insight on how to begin to build a process focused e-commerce business. Obviously my opinion is based on what you wrote which means this can be extremely inaccurate or inapplicable for you.

Even though the internet has a very low barriers of entries for average people to own a business. It also is highly competitive and rapidly changing. Good luck and I hope you do well

 

[mato]

The single largest factor that seems to hit ebay sellers negatively (at least from what I've seen) is the buyer's perception that what you're selling can be found easily at a later time. When you're only listing a few things, your customers may pounce with the assumption that they may not have a chance to get it again. Once you begin listing lots and lots of items, you start to present yourself as a business rather than an individual who is letting go of some rare items. This is what I've noticed with plant sales, anyway, but it may not be as applicable to what you're selling.

 

[CarnivoreGirl]

I'm not an Ebay seller specifically, though I am artist who's had online stores and am pretty familiar with selling online and online marketing.

Selling anything online is EXTREMELY competitive now. Unless you have something nobody else carries, it's not enough to just have a store with plenty of items. You need excellent photos of your items, a good social media presence, an email list, a consistent brand, etc. You have to be creative and make customers want to buy from you over anyone else. And you always have to be doing something new and exciting to keep your audience.

Also, Ebay has been around forever, but I haven't bought anything off Ebay in years. In some ways, the website seems dated. Maybe people are getting bored of it? Lots of trendy, new marketplaces are popping up too. I always find myself buying from Amazon or Etsy. Even though Amazon is massive too, it feels cleaner and more organized. The Ebay website has just always felt "cluttered" to me.

 

[ps3isawesome]

Ya, I'd highly recommend learning social media. It's the most cost-effective way to create brand image, public relations, and direct channel of communication between you and the client.

 

[NatchGreyes]

I'm not an Ebay seller specifically, though I am artist who's had online stores and am pretty familiar with selling online and online marketing.

Selling anything online is EXTREMELY competitive now. Unless you have something nobody else carries, it's not enough to just have a store with plenty of items. You need excellent photos of your items, a good social media presence, an email list, a consistent brand, etc. You have to be creative and make customers want to buy from you over anyone else. And you always have to be doing something new and exciting to keep your audience.

Also, Ebay has been around forever, but I haven't bought anything off Ebay in years. In some ways, the website seems dated. Maybe people are getting bored of it? Lots of trendy, new marketplaces are popping up too. I always find myself buying from Amazon or Etsy. Even though Amazon is massive too, it feels cleaner and more organized. The Ebay website has just always felt "cluttered" to me.

I haven't sold on eBay recently for a variety of reasons, but I'll second this statement that there are many more platforms for selling now, some of which are better for sales than others. It really depends on what you're selling.

The only thing I look at on eBay is plant sales, and I can tell from a buyer's perspective that sales have really dropped off - or the same people have an incredible number of plants in stock and have had those in stock for quite a while. Sure, some sellers seem to have pretty high turnover, but I think that sales have dropped off significantly as people have started to look at other platforms. (That's the trend that got me to stop selling on eBay).

 

[pearldiver]

I sell things on Ebay from time to time. Lately I have not listed anything for some months, as the last few listings I did almost nothing sold. When you consider the fees and Paypal's fees there is a point at which if you ask for less than a certain $ amount, you will make nothing or lose money depending upon the shipping and other things. And Ebay always encourages you to start items at 99 cents with free shipping to get more bids. Thanks but no. And do please turn off the default setting to include your auctions in their "international shipping" program. I lost big time on a sale that way. To the plus, the guy in Germany was very happy with the purchase/item. Once I asked one of their reps where could I go and see all in one place - here is the sold item and what it cost...here are the Ebay fees...here are the Paypal fees...and here is the exact amount we put into your Paypal account. There is not one. One thing that may be part of the problem, as I see someone alluded to earlier is their search function. I used to look for stuff for my car as a matter of course. Usually that would return maybe five to twenty or so items. Real easy to see if there might be something I wanted. Now the same search will return literally tens or hundreds of thousands of hits. How do you wade through that? You don't. You just quit looking.