No sales

[swiss_expert_uk]

What is going on at eBay?

No sales, no offers no response to offers, last sale 15 hours ago and counting. I sell worldwide, all listings promoted, TRS, eBay premium service, fast and free, NO SALES. 

Everything's collapsed since mid march/early April. 
Something changed at eBay during this time that has collapsed my sales and views prior to that time I had regular sales,  and offers throughout the day and night, from all over the world.

Suddenly nobody wants to buy what they were calmouring to buy previously. 

This is nothing to do with the economy so please don't wheel out that lazy excuse. 

[woolyhippo-ltd]

I think the point of this whole thread is that ebay sales have fallen off a cliff, we all know something is wrong and ebay are keeping silent. 

It is too coincidenetal to have happened like this at the same time to us all and there be nothing  wrong with the system. 

But also combined with a very bad retail month in general, does not help. Latest figures from the CBI indicate a 44% drop in retail sails for April and that figure fits exactly what mine have done. 

Ebay sales normally beat the high street but with the system having been tampered with. We are now no better than the high street. 

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I would suggest that you read what you have actually just written.

You are contradicting, what you are quoting!

CBI indicate a 44% drop in retail sales.  That's exactly what your sales have done.

But Ebay has dropped just the same!  Could the two, possibly be linked in some way?

Maybe, because retail sales in general have fallen, sales on Ebay have fallen as well, as they are actually retail sales!  

Key findings included:

• Retail sales volumes fell sharply in the year to April (weighted balance of -44%), after staying broadly flat in March (+2%). Retailers expect sales to fall again next month, but at a slower pace (-19%).
• Sales were reported to be below “average” for the time of year (-20%, from 0% in March). Sales are set to remain below seasonal norms next month (-25%).
• Orders placed on suppliers also fell sharply in April (-49%), having now fallen for a full year. Orders are expected to decline again next month, though at a slower pace (-30%).
• Retailers’ stock positions were reported to be above “adequate” (+8%) in April, firming from a position of adequacy in March (-1%). Nonetheless, stock adequacy remained below its long-run average (+17%) and is expected to soften a little next month (+4%).

[bittyboy101]

Union locks are great, I used to colect them as a kid and the first one I ever got was from my classroom door back in 1990 when my form teacher got so fedup of other teachers just using their master keys and helping themselves to all her stationary !!!... she took me in her car to the local hardware store to help her choose a new lock for the classroom door because she knew I liked locks, and I chose her an identical Union horzontal lock (2077 type) priced at £11.87 back then but with a DIFFERENTLY CUT KEY that the other teacher's master keys will NOT FIT ! - That afternoon she had me changing the lock which fitted like a glove into the door with no adjustments ! and even used the OLD striker plate from the 1960's too !... as my reward, the teacher said I could have the old lock LOL ! - This was my first ever Union lock !

Now I have 100's of them !

They are good locks but very common, I would list them on eBay with a reasonable starting bid that's fair for yourself and see what happens, as people do collect them and obtaining keys for them can be done easily by a good locksmith who stocks ready cut Union keys.

Good luck man ! 🙂  

[technthread]

Amazing! That's on my to do list for tomorrow then, a lot of them nearly went in a skip so I went to the effort of removing them all from the doors, I must have at least 5 or 6 laying around from the 1960's/70's. 

[dwtrading2015]

The suggested % promo is now over 16% for most of my listings.  I flirted with using the recommended minus a %, didn't see the listing declared promo % change at all.  I've reverted to fixed rates, some very low depending on the amount of competition.  Problem is the buy it now price can be well off the catagory average which can significantly impact listing position no matter what the fixed % is.

The only way I can see eBay returning to earning from fvf due volume of sales rather than trying to squeeze more and more from ever diminishing sales is to get the search fixed and as it was 3 or 4 years ago and then embark on a major year long promo blitz through every search engine and social network returning search hits people want and expect.  It worked before. 

There is a limit to how much can be squeezed in fees and the internal eBay monitoring wil have been well ware for sometime of the numbers of sellers and listings dropping like a stone.

And also sort out the horrific mess on the 'app' results page.  It is awash with everybody elses listing and your own buried.  You have to hunt for the item description amongst all the desperate *bleep*.

LESS IS MORE!

[woolyhippo-ltd]

I get your point and there probably is something in this, but the fact is that the ebay system is still system is still in a mess and happened at the same time as this drop off quoted by the CBI, Thus I am now down about 60% in May.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Don't forget that the figures quoted are just averages.

Which means some retailers will only see very small differences, but others could see extremely large ones.

As long as your figures aren't massively far away from the average, then you should be doing ok in comparison.

The problem obviously comes when your fixed costs don't change, or go up, but your sales go down.

I've managed to slightly grow,though it's been muted this last month or so.  A lot will depend on what you are actually selling, particularly so with the time of year, as summer is just around the corner now, which is traditionally a quieter time of you for most people.

[woolyhippo-ltd]

Well this has made me look at my Fixed costs and some of them can be changed for sure. 

[bits_n_bobs_heaven]

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@woolyhippo-ltd wrote:

I think the point of this whole thread is that ebay sales have fallen off a cliff, we all know something is wrong and ebay are keeping silent. 

It is too coincidenetal to have happened like this at the same time to us all and there be nothing  wrong with the system. 

But also combined with a very bad retail month in general, does not help. Latest figures from the CBI indicate a 44% drop in retail sails for April and that figure fits exactly what mine have done. 

Ebay sales normally beat the high street but with the system having been tampered with. We are now no better than the high street. 

---

I'm down 100% - I've sold absolutely nothing since clothes became totally free to sell for private sellers.

Anything else is listed on the eBay promo offers, which a few were selling each month, again this month absolutely nothing - down 100%.

So it seems overall, I'm personally down a further 66% from the latest CBI rate..................🤔🤔.

It's not key works, items specifics, descriptions, pictures, free P&P, stated P&P, high, medium or low price etc etc - absolutely nothing makes the slightest difference.........🤔🙄😯😮🤐.

If eBay think for one moment that I'm ever going to pay to promote my listings, then they can think again. It's clear and evident that listings are hidden / put on the back burner or just don't appear within the wonderful defunct AI search facility and yet search visible / visible Chinese Sellers maskerading as UK sellers have visible listings,  in abundance......🤔🙄😯😮🤐.

[bittyboy101]

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@bits_n_bobs_heaven wrote:

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@woolyhippo-ltd wrote:

I think the point of this whole thread is that ebay sales have fallen off a cliff, we all know something is wrong and ebay are keeping silent. 

It is too coincidenetal to have happened like this at the same time to us all and there be nothing  wrong with the system. 

But also combined with a very bad retail month in general, does not help. Latest figures from the CBI indicate a 44% drop in retail sails for April and that figure fits exactly what mine have done. 

Ebay sales normally beat the high street but with the system having been tampered with. We are now no better than the high street. 

---

I'm down 100% - I've sold absolutely nothing since clothes became totally free to sell for private sellers.

Anything else is listed on the eBay promo offers, which a few were selling each month, again this month absolutely nothing - down 100%.

So it seems overall, I'm personally down a further 66% from the latest CBI rate..................🤔🤔.

It's not key works, items specifics, descriptions, pictures, free P&P, stated P&P, high, medium or low price etc etc - absolutely nothing makes the slightest difference.........🤔🙄😯😮🤐.

If eBay think for one moment that I'm ever going to pay to promote my listings, then they can think again. It's clear and evident that listings are hidden / put on the back burner or just don't appear within the wonderful defunct AI search facility and yet search visible / visible Chinese Sellers maskerading as UK sellers have visible listings,  in abundance......🤔🙄😯😮🤐.

---

Listed all my stuff on Saturday night with an "80% off selling fees"  promo offer i had received earlier that day ...a few of my items are getting very little views and the rest has just stayed GHOSTED with no views and any slightest bit of interest 😞

Last year (or the year before) I did post on these boards a thread on "no sales after receiving an 80% promo offer from eBay" because I noticeiid that whenever I receive these promotion offers from eBay to tempt me to list my stuff cheaper and make it more attractive for the potential buyers, I then have no views or sales for 3-4 weeks thereafter...

It's like eBay don't really want to help you make any money anymore...  😞   

[theelench]

Don't the CBI do their survey every month ?  If so then the figures are only relevant as April's snap-shot point on a continuous trend indicator.

Have the CBI figures shown retail sales falling for a year, or more ?

This thread is now a year old and day by day, month by month, every  month sellers come forward to say their ebay sales are in decline.  Often, if they sell on other sites as well as ebay, they say sales elsewhere are not affected, or perhaps only to a lesser degree.

Not being a business I don't have a costs calculator or spreadsheet, but as an ebay buyer and a seller on another site I notice that over time the differential between what I can sell an item for on the other site (all I want is a 'fair' price) and how much I add to the ebay price to get the same price, has widened.    

In April we all saw RM prices increase, with ebay's skimming also increasing proportionately and a new Regulatory Operating Fee, all of which businesses will have added to their prices.  So apart from the problems buyers have finding stuff with ebay's search, if buyers do find it, they'll increasingly find that it's available elsewhere cheaper.  Especially if business sellers are also loading PL fees onto their prices.  Even for my one-off items, which showed a small reduction in ebay's Recommended percentage during April, have started creeping up again.

Yes I increased my postage prices on the other site, but can still offer a (smaller) discount on RM over-the-counter price, but compared to ebay, my prices elsewhere look even more competitive when compared with ebay. 

Something buyers have noticed, I think, having sold nearly as many items in the first 3 months of this year as in 12 last year.  I've only sold 2 items on ebay this year, admittedly I might have sold more if I'd listed more, but I've more or less given up listing stuff, just to see it sit there month after month gathering 'Watching' traders waiting for an offer.  It seems to me that they are the only potential buyers with the patience and perseverance to find my items.  But in return for all their hard work and desperate to maintain their margins, they will only buy at fire-sale prices. 

[bittyboy101]

Now ended all my listings....

Nothing of mine I've listed on eBay getting seen and sold anymore....

80% Promotion offer = pure poison with no views or sales after that....

No point selling on here now... I'm just   flogging a dead horse 😞

Will give it a few days and  try again...

May be time to look for another site  to sell from...

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[bittyboy101]

Well I have been looking but can't seem to find a site that I feel comfortable selling on like I do with eBay...

So I'm gonna give this one more try and relist a few of my items WITHOUT any promo sale blocking nonsense and see how I go...

I just wanna make a few pounds to pay off some of my paypal credit... god know's It never used to be this hard 2 years ago to get a few sales on eBay and make a little bit of pocket money... I used to sell items for £320 a go in 2018-2020.. now I can't even sell a £40 lock !... come on eBay please don't turn my light off so soon... before I have a chance to sell anything ! 😞 

[bits_n_bobs_heaven]

Wishing you all the best bittyboy101!

The same for me, no eBay sales and 100% down, although I'm now doubling up the same items on another site and have sold a few on there with  100% of the sale proceeds - no seller fee's - I then remove those personal item listings from eBay.

I've tried every combination of anything on eBay, except obviously not paying to promote listings, and it remains dead for me. I hardly come on to eBay now except to relist or schedule relistings / sell similar.

At the end of the day, I gave up listing personal items solely on eBay 2 months ago and I don't care which platform I sell my personal items on, excluding the obvious waste of time facescam market place etc, as long as they eventually go! 😆

[bittyboy101]

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@bits_n_bobs_heaven wrote:

Wishing you all the best bittyboy101!

The same for me, no eBay sales and 100% down, although I'm now doubling up the same items on another site and have sold a few on there with  100% of the sale proceeds - no seller fee's - I then remove those personal item listings from eBay.

I've tried every combination of anything on eBay, except obviously not paying to promote listings, and it remains dead for me. I hardly come on to eBay now except to relist or schedule relistings / sell similar.

At the end of the day, I gave up listing personal items solely on eBay 2 months ago and I don't care which platform I sell my personal items on, excluding the obvious waste of time facescam market place etc, as long as they eventually go! 😆

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Thank you so much Bits & Bobs 🙂

I wish you all the very best with your sales on eBay and on the other websites too.

When I relist my stiff on eBay and they index a few of my items PROPERLY, it feels like the shop window is open for a few hours (less than 1 day where I would be getting views and maybe a sale on 1 item), then all of a sudden the shop shutters come down and stay down for many weeks (where the views and sales would then stop), until I take everthing off eBay and relist again under "sell similar" then the cycle repeats...

God knows WHY eBay do this to many of us ?.... It is definitely like some sort of sales/visibility ROTA...   

[dwtrading2015]

Bitty, are you perhaps the victim of a competitor flaging your listings?  I would expect eBay system to automatically drop your exposure when reported and restored maybe days or even weeks later after being reviewed.  Some comptitors can be very difficult.  You could try and ask CS to monitor any reporting activity and see if there is a pattern.  I've had this problem before on Etsy.

[woolyhippo-ltd]

Sory to hear this bitty.

[theelench]

"God knows why ebay do this to many of us?...."

Perhaps because for quite a few quarters now ebay has been able to report huge growth in Advertising Revenue while at the same time reporting falling numbers for buyers, sellers and sales.  

However, this last quarter that rate of growth appeared to be slowing.  Perhaps the bubble is about to start to deflate ?  As fewer sellers are willing to throw good money after bad, keeping the gravy-trail rolling along for execs. and shareholders while failing more and more sellers.

If advertising revenue continues to fall will ebay belatedly get the search to work properly and show buyers what they're looking for, or restrict sales even further to try to squeeze a little more from those sellers and sales that are left ?  

[woolyhippo-ltd]

I believe there was a type of promoted listings program that was ended in about 2012. In the end it clogged up the whole system that there was no advantage to it as everyone did it. 

I would love to think that all this work they are clearly doing on the servers would serve some sort of positive purpose. 

Or am I  just desperate for some sense out of all this situtation?

[bittyboy101]

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@dwtrading2015 wrote:

Bitty, are you perhaps the victim of a competitor flaging your listings?  I would expect eBay system to automatically drop your exposure when reported and restored maybe days or even weeks later after being reviewed.  Some comptitors can be very difficult.  You could try and ask CS to monitor any reporting activity and see if there is a pattern.  I've had this problem before on Etsy.

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Thanks mate 😉  👍