Not relisting ended items just not getting any sales

[collectingatcollectables]

Hi everybody

I cannot relisting ended items just not getting any sales.  I think I have had 3 sales this week.  I am worried I am throwing money in to an endless ebay pit.  after 22 years selling on Ebay going from £3500 a month to nearly zero.  I am not adding new items because I cannot go out an buy any as my sales are not viable for me to do this.  the fun has completely gone selling on Ebay it is now more stressful trying to figure out how to get more sales.  I know there is a  cost of living crisis and people hanging on to money and paying bills after Christmas.  but I did a fair last weekend and people were spending money we did very well.  but that is only once a month.

Yesterday I could not get onto my selling page some glitch with Ebay what chance do we have

Please Ebay go back to the old Ebay where it was fun and we could earn a living

Sorry people for the rant it is so frustrating.

Kind regards

Robert

[rainbowsprinkles7]

I have also had no sales from the 6th jan its just stopped completely. I ended all my listings changed some pictures and the titles and relisted. I was going to open a business account but the sales just nosed dived from the summer of 2023 and never recovered. I have also tried other platforms but they seem to be the same.  At the moment this is a hobbie i love the crafting side but the reselling is getting difficult I do not think i will give up my day job as eBay has had its day.

[vintagechinashop]

I'm presuming you have another account as I can only see 5 listings. EBay certainly isn't what it used to be but honestly you have to work hard to compete in todays markets. I used to have sales of over £2k per month and it's gone down to half of that but I do have to put the hours in changing listings and sending out offers 

Just a point if you are buying items and reselling then you should have a business account as you are a trader. Private selling accounts are just for people who sell items they no longer need and not for reselling 

[fatbobfan]

Suggest you look at Ebays best selling practices and act accordingly

Check the Ebay News sections, Youtube Channels things have changed and the platform needs to be worked

[collectingatcollectables]

Hi

That might be part of my problem if you are only seeing  5 listing,  as I have over 300 listings only one account and it is a business account has been for years .  I also file my self  assessments every year.

Kind regards

Robert

[superchallenge]

Easy mistake to make, but that poster was not referring to you.

[the-nutwood-collection]

Please take this comment as constructive - I think your postage charges are rather high for 2nd Class signed for, and this may be deterring buyers.  My advice would be to reduce the postage charge and add the difference to the price - or even offer freepost.

Also, 'signed for' services are not popular with buyers, especially when the item will fit through a letterbox.  Many people work outside the home, and they don't want the bother of a trip to the DO to collect the item, especially as many DOs are only open for a few hours a day.  Personally, I avoid 'signed for' items because my DO is within Birmingham's Clean Air Zone and it would cost me £8 to collect the item (and a 30 minute round-trip through the city centre).

T48 gives delivery confirmation with an image and that's OK to protect you from INRs, and I don't think it costs much more than 'signed for'.  You can only buy this online, but you can now hand it in to any post office.

[typo_lee]

Been selling on here for over 21 years and ebay is going down and down year on year for sales. Fees through the roof whilst still offering free postage when a 2nd class stamp has gone up 25p within a few years. I now sell on all online selling platforms to counter the loss on ebay. Its the only way forward and thank God I did. I would definitely not have all my eggs in one basket with ebay thats for sure.

[ducatimondo]

Ending and relisting might be your problem.

If you end an item that has been stagnant and relist it, then it will again be stagnant, as eBay reuse the metrics from the old listings that will affect search position and visibility.

You should be ending and then sell similar, then also make some changes to the listing whilst you are selling similar.

This will give the item better visibility as it will get a new listing boost.

It will also start the listing off with a blank canvas when it comes to many of the other metrics eBay use to demote items in search

[santlache_sales]

Robert

Like me and many others here who have seen a dramatic downturn in sales, you sell collectables.

Collectables are not a priority for people just now who are laden down with hefty bills and not a lot of spare cash, so expect selling to be tough especially where people who are buying can pick and choose.

Postage has been mentioned and I am in the same boat as you, after two hefty price rises last year Royal Mail have certainly hit us hard, and even 2nd Class Signed-For is not exactly a cheap option now when you have to already add on 10% that eBay steal from you for doing absolutely nothing.

As a professional I've no doubt you have seen a lot of people since Covid 'having a go' at selling collectables, and certainly one side of my market has almost totally crashed from these people and the market being flooded.

I know it's difficult but you just have to hang on in there, many will fall by the wayside during this period so you just have to be imaginative to draw buyers in, but do so without compromising your business practices, i.e. don't give stuff away just to get a sale.

Good luck.

[bojangled]

@collectingatcollectables 

I agree with @santlache_sales on the state of the collectibles category. Definitely a lot of 'have a go' sellers. I'm sure the car boots will be full of stock this season with people offloading as the HMRC thing will put them off. I also think that there are those buyers particularly in your categories that will always have disposable income. 

Would you take some constructive criticism though, you have some really great items, sometimes a patterned background detracts from the item. 

I'm not saying go with the everyday white that eBay suggest, maybe just plain?

Just my thoughts. 
Jo

[bricklanebargains]

One thing I noticed in these forums is that a significant proportion of sellers who regularly post here sell collectables and the common theme in their posts is decline in sales over the last few years. I`m sure this  is partly due to changes to Ebay`s algorithm, etc but the other factor could be the changing population demographics.    

[british-ceramics-and-paintings]

The collectables market has also been significantly damaged by much lower international visibility. Buyers from the USA, Australia, Asia etc cannot find items from UK sellers on Ebay like they could 5 - 15 years ago.