I Think I Am About Done With Ebay

[a-carpy-connection]

Is Ebay vaiable for small businesses now?

The only way listings get seen are by promoting. Customer service is terrible. Cant ever get to speak to a Uk rep. Sellers have no protection.

I have been an Ebay member for 20 years now and i think i have had just about enough. I dont think this is the best direction for my business anymore. Most of my litings now make more money for ebay than myself. We try our hardest to be "top rated sellers" with both great quality items and equally great customer service yet we have no protection from rouge/ Lying buyers. The frustrating thing is getting through to the Uk call centers. In the past i have had great help from these. When we get through to India the help just isnt there. The online help is just frustrating and totally pointless. 

We keep getting encouraged to "open an Ebay Shop" Promote this - Promote that but the only people to benefit are ebay. Ebay currently take 25% of my sales. On small value items that is alot when i post everything free. All of this to compete with the guys wo sell low quality items for the same value becuase they promote aswell. 

I wonder what we actually pay for to sell on ebay.  Last tax year my ebay fees ran into a few thousand pounds which for a small business is alot. I wonder how better that money would be spent on marketing and advertising for my website. I guess its time to take the hit and bin Ebay altogehther. Put all of my energies into My website and other avenues. 

[pg_kicks]

Obviously I dont know your margins and we are in a very different market space but if your website is growing could you not use eBay as marketing/advertising for your website?

Obviously dont make a loss on anything you sell on eBay but when you send an order out have a business card or similar with your website on and maybe even a discount code for your site so if you get return customers they just instantly go to your site. You'll obviously still get people returning on eBay as they trust it more but also new customers who may then just go direct to the site after the first purchase and see you are offering a great service and products. 

[typo_lee]

We are down 21.5% on previous year and so glad we expanded on to the 'other' online selling platforms!

[a-carpy-connection]

Hi, 

Thanks for your reply. My market space is Carp fishing tackle.

I do exactly that. I have some very nice printed compliment slips that go in with every order with a discount code included. But for some reason people still prefer ebay as its easy. My products are even cheaper on the website. I can do this due to the lack of fees i am having to pay.  Just 2% to the eccomerce payment provider. 

To compete on Ebay i have to do multi buy offers of upto 5%. Promote the listings at 9%. Ebay shop at £35 a month and offer free postage at £1.55.  Bearing in mind the bulk of my products are hand made by myself  + Materials cost. I only sell low cost items. Avarage around £5-7. So on a £5.85 product do the maths. Its just not worth it. 

The final nail in the coffin was some Bad feedback left for an item that i know is a great quality item. I use it myself alot to the extreme and never had the issues this certain buyer says hes had.  Niether have all the other 100s of buyers who have bought and used the product. He leaves bad feedback nearly 4 months after buying the product with out even contacting me for a resolution. . As sellers we have very little protection against this. Its just not worth the stress and lack of profit using Ebay anymore

[a-carpy-connection]

Yes. Mine is even worse than that. Time to move on. 

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

UK distance selling laws give buyers a lot of protection.

Sellers dont get any protection other than from ebay when INR is claimed but tracking is provided.

I have been with ebay since 2008 and never known it as bad for a buyer or a seller.

Just too many sellers now willing to sell for peanuts.

Poor experience as a buyer like glut of Chinese listings and hundreds of same item in search results.

[modelmorph]

We all spend a long time of our healthy lives in work. This work takes up our 'precious' time to earn money. It should at least be fun, rewarding and have challenges that feel like we are achieving something. If it's not doing this then it starts to erode us.  

My mate pushed trolleys at a supermarket at 17. He said he hated it, his boss, the weather and everything, he moaned every Friday night about it. But still does it at 45. The familiarity of his routine gives him comfort but also acts as his prison.  I feel sorry for the man he could have been and the opportunities he has missed. 

It’s a reminder that while the familiarity of a routine can offer comfort, it’s crucial to recognize when it starts to limit personal growth. Striving for improvement, embracing change, and exploring new paths can lead to enriching experiences and unveil opportunities previously unconsidered.

You have mentioned what you would like to do, put it into action and see how it does. Good luck. 

[red_apple_av]

Our sales are down 30% compared to last January! on eBay, its a dying platform

[a-carpy-connection]

It gets worse. I now have a buyer messageing me saying an item he bought in May last year hasnt arrived. Again my argument is with the ebay system showing items "not delivered" if they are not tracked.

This guy has obviously gone through his listings and seen this and thought he would try it on. Again, i expect as a seller i have no protection against this as it was a low cost item sent 2nd class sent 8 months ago. 

The system in the image is totally flawd and i get this a lot. Its ebay basicly telling buyers that the item has not been delivered yet. Buyers see this and it gives them grounds to put in a INR.

[tressygirl]

Yep,  your buyer may well have seen that info showing allegedley a delivery was not made, but your buyer is trying it on,   they are way,  way too late to claim an item not received case.  You do have eBay protection here.

Even if a case can be opened,  there's no  option for them to escalate so the case just times out and closes.

They are too late to go to their payment provider too,  so you can confidentally ignore any request here,  for a refund.

@a-carpy-connection 

[a-carpy-connection]

Hi, thank you for your reply. You are very right. I have spoken to eBay and they say the same.

My point is, and I have brought this up in a previous post, the whole order details section is wrong with regards showing if the item has been delivered. It should only be available if tracking has been issued. If something has been posted with no tracking then the option should not be there to show if it's been delivered or not. It just gives buyers the ammunition to open INR. All items now are posted large letter which 90% of the time the postman scans and it shows as delivered on my RM account. I have had buyers over the past couple of months saying item has not arrived when with the RM tracking shows it has on my click and drop account. The item always misteriously ends up with a neighbour. 

The whole system is flawed. Ebay do not want to know. I have contacted them about it. 

Cheers,

mark

[ovbargains]

Unfortunately, eBay feels like flogging a dead horse at the moment and has been for some time.   We sold £100 in the last 30 days and half of that is an item RM have "pulled out for manual scanning" and the tracking hasnt updated so we know eBay will allow zero time for it to be delivered and we will likely lose the money and the item.

I used to enjoy the thrill of buying items from the big auction houses for resale, finding some real gems to sell on here, but now it just all leaves a slightly nasty taste in your mouth!  We run another business thats just had the best month in its history!  All on our own website, so I'm going to convert all the stock I have for this business and start another website for that.

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

If your selling common items then sponsored listings might help.

The trick with selling on ebay is to sell unique items then you can mark up prices.