Sales have fallen off the edge of a cliff.
Summary: billh59 reported a significant decline in eBay sales, with others agreeing and sharing similar experiences. Participants believe this may be due to technical issues with eBay's features, the influence of the holiday season, or changes in eBay's algorithms and fees. Some expressed frustration over the disappearance of the "eBay premium service" logo and a perceived decline in visibility for business sellers compared to private sellers. Several participants are considering shifting to alternative platforms due to dissatisfaction with eBay's current practices. Suggestions for dealing with the decline include refreshing listings and exploring other sales channels.
Has anyone else had MAJOR fall off in sales
over the last week. 1 x sale Saturday, 1 x sale Tuesday,
1 x sale Wednesday. Sales have fallen off the edge of a cliff.
Also my "ebay premium service" logo
is missing off some of my items, is it a technical issue?
Thanks Bill H
vintagechinashop
·yesterday at 4:19 PMI have many more no sales days than sale days now my expectations are very low However it’s coming to the end of my quiet months once the children go back to school historically sales improve month on month until February or March. I had to downgrade my shop a few months ago and remove a lot of listings. I have started to take new pictures and do totally fresh listings and it has improved things a little but this is very time consuming so it will take me a while. I had 1200 listings and currently only have 250 so I’m having to select what I sell very carefully I’m going to give it till the end of the year and I have already been moving to other platforms. My vinted and Etsy sales far exceed the sales on here I do think eBay have themselves to blame by making this site into a glorified boot sale
The things I sell no longer reach the prices that they did 10 years ago and my issue is that I paid decent money for my stock when prices were high and I can’t bring myself to sell at a loss so that probably doesn’t help when they are private sellers paying no fees not accepting returns and basically selling things much cheaper than I can because of the seller fees Sadly if things don’t improve on here I’ll have to call it a day and sell on free sites like Facebook in bulk lots to me the enjoyment has gone. Retirement is calling me
eastnorfolkvintageandhome
·2 days agoIt has been going downhill since November 2024 for me, so much so I have closed my shop three times. Reopened this month to give eBay the benefit of the doubt and guess what - zero sales. I don't have many listings and I'm not motivated to keep listing, but at this point I'm just going to use the auctions to clear stock . I had an offer yesterday which I accepted but there was then an 'issue' with the pending payment and the buyer has gone AWOL. All I would like from eBay is honesty. So many people are saying the same thing it can't all be down to summer, economy etc etc And don't get me started on the 1000 listings from 'private' accounts while business sellers are trying to do the 'right' thing and just continually getting rinsed for more and more money. Anyway, rant over. Happy Saturday all.
dwhairandbeautystore
·3 days agoI just sold 3 tubes of moisturiser which I was selling at £21.95 each to compete with everyone else. I put a multibuy offer on as that's another thing eBay keep pushing.
The total should have been £65.85, which as a private seller without multibuy discounts, I would have probably lost £5 buyer protection fee and £3.65 postage.
The discount took it down to £60.57, eBays fees took it down to £47.56 and then I have to pay £3.65 postage.
So I actually get less then £44, which incidentally is about what one tube of this would cost in the shops!!
the_brick_lodge
·2 days ago · Edited"I would have probably lost £5 buyer protection fee and £3.65 postage."
£5? Don't be silly BPF would have been £3. Postage would have £3.38 as well.
The disparity in fees and service is shocking. Although it seems you paid some fees for promoted standard and you can't really complain about the multi-buy discount, £4.87 extra in fees and for what exactly? Did eBay do anything different for you than they would do for a private sale? Well in fact they actually did less for you as SD means you drop the parcel off and then forget about it.
dwhairandbeautystore
·2 days agoThat's without even promoting, I've never signed up for that, it's extortion!! The fees we already pay should include promotion, otherwise what are we paying them for? I send most things with Royal Mail but even that is something I'm going to have to downgrade for most items until I've cleared my stock as it's 60p more per item. At one point not so long ago, I was selling over 100 items a week so that soon adds up!
the_brick_lodge
·2 days ago · EditedIs beauty 10.9% FVF?
That would make fees on £60.57 totalling £9.50 FVF + 48p fixed (both inc VAT), with the £3.65 for postage leaving you with £46.94 after both fees and postage. Still not great but a bit better than £44.
You can see why so many are selling on private accounts, an extra £6.98 in fees is a lot of money on that sale.
dwhairandbeautystore
·yesterday at 7:40 PMIncluding VAT it works out at 16-17% per sale. They take 1/6 of all my turnover per month and postage costs are about the same again.
It most definitely isn't the 10% they used to advertise years ago!
I've just deleted loads more listings. Put some on my private account and the rest on Vinted. I'm selling 3 times more on there than eBay now.
I've threatened it so many times but am closing my business down now unless something drastic changes by the end of the month when most of my listings would have expired.
I've noticed several others in my category also have been selling off stock on private accounts so I refuse to keep paying extortionate fees while being undercut.
eastnorfolkvintageandhome
·2 days agoIt's so disheartening isn't it? I'm so disillusioned with eBay.
the_book_seekers
·4 days agoThe last two months have started very badly, with barely anything over the first half before a small pick up in the second half. Now August is starting off in the same fashion. I'm glad I don't depend on ebay at the moment.
appletree23
·3 days agoSadly i do depend on ebay and i'm not selling which also means i'm not buying atm either so i'm proper stuck in a rut atm with no choice but to close down soon. Thanks ebay, you're ruining lives here with your totalitarian attempt to squeeze even more money off Business sellers.
diecastmanhattan
·5 days agoI think that Ebay care so little now about sellers in general, particularly business sellers,. They have enough sellers in the USA, so the little old UK can be sacrificed without causing them any problems. 25 years I've spent selling on ebay, and sadly now, a once great company to use, has become totally a waste of time, and other platforms have got to be a better bet. Fees alone, promoted listings, and general lack of interest in this site, have killed a once great place to sell. Ebay have made loads of money from us, especially business sellers, and now they are loosing the market to better platforms. RIP ebay - the end is near - and the worst thing is - they don't seem to want to save their own business.
billh59
OP5 days agoI totally agree, I've sold on ebay for 26 years...Sales have collapsed lately.
I spoke to someone from ebay over 14 days ago, they sent me an email to send some information on some of the things that are wrong....email from them, will be in touch within 48 hours....STILL NO reply.
diecastmanhattan
·5 days agoThis doesn't surprise me - last time I spoke with them, the first Customer Advisor cut me off, the second went to get a Manager, and never came back, and the third, although pleasant, just didn't know how to deal with my problem - so instead asked me if there was something else that they could help me with - Absolutely useless!
wheretheloveb
·4 days ago · EditedAgree with you.
I've been here a long time with lots of happy and successful selling, but the dysfunctions on this site now are enough to give you a meltdown.
It's hard to gauge how well ebay are really doing. It appears like they're struggling, with all the disgruntled buyers and sellers, competition from other platforms, plus wringing us with fees to try and recover lost revenue. These companies though are not fools (well most of the time) and the directions they go in are obviously carefully considered to make sure they prosper and grow..... It doesn't really matter about 'us'
I think the next 12 months or so might be a very revealing period. Other selling platforms gaining momentum, plus there's a determined attempt from Gamestop to acquire eBay and turn it around.
As for selling on other platforms though, I've dipped my toe into the big V and while it had some really positive results, it also has some extremely frustrating and annoying issues
willrose-elec
·5 days agoThe writing is on the wall for eBay, they thought Amazon was the problem but the problem is eBay have shafted their customers (sellers) for years and now they are paying the price. Only a matter of time before Facebook launch their app in the UK and clean up. eBay have previously been able to buy any competitors or out-price them but Facebook is too big to buy.
maarsy
·5 days agoit has been a month now since i cut back the size of my show due to no sales and stupid shop fees , while i got rid of 80 % of my stock mainly the lower value items and refreshed a few my actual revenue for that month was only 20 % lower which is partially covered by the 60 odd quid i pay less in shop fees . i think allot has to do with ebay ignoring older stock that you might have . as i have noticed even when my item is priced best it does not always show first in the search when i select to show by price . while it could be blamed on the search engine its not really fair on the buyer who selects to show the cheapest item first and gets shown something else and buys that thinking that is cheaper ( in which case i lose out on a sale and the buyer pays more in fees to ebay ) there is just a growing level of unfairness where they make it more appealing to buy from private sellers who can offer lower shipping rates and don't have to deal with rising business costs .
and to confirm with others who sell on etsy , yes the sales there have increased compared to ebay and no i do not promote other than accepting the off site adds which for me makes up of only like 1 in 7 sales . i do not feel like paying ebay up front to promote and take money on adds or clicks if there is no result .
the_brick_lodge
·5 days agoSome of your listings appear to go back to October last year with some maybe being nearly 2 years old. I don't think the search likes old listings, if you are now on a basic shop you have more listings than those included with the subscription and that doesn't count new things you add but I do think it is worth ending old listings and putting them back up again.
I end around 25 a day and relist with sell similar, I have no idea if it actually does anything but it is a 2 second job as it can be done in bulk.
slash-halen
·6 days agoIt's understandable to think it's the ecomony, but my sales on Etsy are 20% up compared to July last year, and are down 70% on ebay compared to July last year. So it's definitely a sign that people are moving away from ebay, and I can't blame them.
The site is broken, the overzealous delivery estimates are promising delivery times that 90% of the time will NOT be met by Royal Mail.
Private sellers can increase their inventory by 300 listings a month for FREE whilst we pay a high shop fee. Ebay will not remove these sellers even though they are breaking consumer laws.
And I will not even start on Promoted listings, this is possibly the biggest reason my sales have reduced dramatically. Ebay take enough, why should they get 30% of every sale for us to compete, do they expect us to sell for free whilst private sellers make money!
If you're not already, get yourselves set up on other platforms, ebay are too busy wanting to be a cross between Temu and Vinted.
bearandballoon
·6 days agoInteresting comment. Do you promote your listings on Etsy in any way?
slash-halen
·6 days agoI don't use Etsy Ads, it never worked for me, but I do have Offsite Ads enabled on both Etsy stores. On my photography shop it pulls in roughly 25% of my sales, so having that enabled for that market is important. However mastering your SEO for your 13 tags are key, I use the marketplace insights and the hints under the search bar to see what people are actually searching for. Obviously learning the seller handbook is often overlooked, simple practises like avoiding using plurals in your tags and duplicating keywords help a great deal.
wheretheloveb
·6 days agoI think we're in a perfect storm.
The economy and time of year are playing a part, but like you I agree it's ebays greed and site dysfunctions that are the main drivers
slash-halen
·6 days agoYes I think you're right.
appletree23
·6 days ago · EditedThe way i see it is the only people that should have to pay to promote are the private sellers so they can compete with the (already paying fees) Business sellers, Business sellers are already paying quite high fees so why should we have to pay even more? having top rated seller status, 100% feedback etc means sweet FA atm if you don't also pay to promote, when they sell the idea of becoming a Business seller to you saying you'll get top rated status and be placed higher in the listings but atm if you don't pay to promote they just bury your listings. I will never pay to promote even if it means no longer selling here. Even this new seller forum isn't as good as the last one, in the last one even mentioning Vinted, market place or other platfroms the comment would be removed, but not here, i'm not sure if anyone from ebay even looks at these forums tbh.
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoZero sales today :0(
appletree23
·1 week agoSame, came very close to clicking the close account button earlier. Going to wait for the pending return i have(hopefully not a scam) and i've said to myself if things haven't picked up by then i'm done. Will sell off the last of my stock elsewhere and go back to the shiddy 9-5 i used to do.
dwhairandbeautystore
·6 days agoI've seen they demoted me from 'Top Seller' status because I had 3 people open INR cases for very cheap items while I was on holiday and I didn't refund them straight away!
I did however, respond to the cases and ask them for delivery office details so I could investigate but they ignored me and eBay refunded them on my behalf anyway.
They are also now limiting my private account so have obviously automatically linked the 2.
Vinted it is for me now. Sales are going to be slow and steady but I'd rather earn £150 a week on there than a few pounds a day on here and then get charged extra fees for the privilege!!
I'm leaving the listings I've already paid for to run out and then I'm done.
Will also mean I'm going to have to default on credit cards as I've been forced to rely on them this year so they've destroyed my business and my credit. Well done eBay!!!
appletree23
·5 days ago · EditedI currently have two items lost in the Royal mail system so Royal mail are adding to the stress, both sent 48 tracked with signature, both arrived at buyers local delivery depots and then are just sitting there, so i've no doubt got two INR claims coming, Whereas a private seller using ebays "simple delivery" wouldn't even have to worry as ebay would cover it and remove any negatives left for the private sellers, so not sure what incentive there is to be a Business seller at all. would be nice if sellers all took a stand and stopped paying to promote. After paying my rent and most recent electric bill i've got £100 left in the bank, £400 in my ebay balance to refund the potential scam return i have coming. So also well done ebay you've tried to get extra money from us but will end up with no money from us at all, or the countless private sellers running a business either.
dwhairandbeautystore
·3 days agoDon't refund that buyer if it's a scam. Get straight on to ebay and show them your proof but actually speak to a person so their automated system doesn't just refund - honestly I have actually spoken to a couple of really helpful people there recently who have actually removed a couple of negs for me and paid me back once they realised I'd been scammed. They also admitted they knew there were loads again at the moment. Have you checked the feedback your buyer has left others? I usually find this is very telling. I really hope they just got a better deal and are returning it in the same condition you posted in!
nutrafituk
·1 week ago · EditedIt has been going on for years, however at shocking scale over the recent months.
vintagejeanscollectoruk
·1 week agoGot a sale just now on day 26. Let’s see how the rest of the month goes!
wheretheloveb
·1 week agoAlot of gossip going round on YT (from experienced pro sellers) basically saying the same as what's discussed here........ ebay rinsing business sellers to the point of strangulation and that it cant last, especially because of increasing pressure from other selling platforms. Facebook have launched a new selling app and it's getting good reviews. Apparently it's ethos is to treat sellers as the customers, so even more competition might be a good thing. When I spoke to a specialist at ebay CS the other day he did mention other platforms taking a bigger chunk of the market.
Maybe we can hope this place will do something to keep us on board instead of driving us away
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoI've just been doing a bit more reasearch this morning.
I used my private account to search for listings on my business account.
For one item, I typed in the exact wording I'd used (I usually make it different to other sellers) and the colour of the item.
eBay showed me about 50 listings before mine, none of which had the same wording, even though I'd selected 'best match'.
Half of the listings it showed me were for cheap Chinese fakes, all being sold for £5.95, when the value of the product is £23.
They are actively pushing counterfeit makeup.
I don't stand a chance in this scenario so I'm glad I cancelled my shop subscription and am now transferring everything to my private account and Vinted as the 30 day listings expire.
I don't care if it's 'against the rules' any longer. I've paid them 20 years of fees and they seem to be going out of their way to screw me over for the privilege.
I can't pay my bills on the £2 odd I earned yesterday after postage. I'm also sick and tired of people damaging my items to get free returns when they change their mind.
eBay has had it's day as far as I'm concerned.
appletree23
·1 week agoI'm also done, as on top of hardly selling, today i've had a buyer open a return with the "ordered by mistake" option, turns out they have used it for ten days, been gifted one by someone, so, have then opened a false return case against me, and what can i do about it? sweet FA that's what, so i'm done with this shizzle.
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoIf they return an item in a different condition to what you sent it in, you should have the option to deduct some money from the refund?
I'm not sure if it's different in your category but I can deduct up to 50%.
appletree23
·1 week agoIt is possible i may be able to do this, i sent them a politely worded message saying it needed to be returned in it's original condition with warranty sticker in place, which i mention in my listing that they need to be untouched and in place still, i then got them to admit they had installed the macOS and if they had used it then they needed to wipe it and remove any accounts they put on, thankfully they admitted they did set it up and have used it and they were in the process of wiping it and removing accounts on it before the return, not realising their admittance to using it has given me grounds to deduct a percentage as they have admitted using it, but, it's more likely to be a 15% deduction rather than the full 50%, ill also be videoing the unboxing upon it's return and if it's a scam(which it may be) then ill deduct the full 50%, contact action fraud and get a crime number and go from there, but all this on top of hardly any sales means atm i'm royally up the swanny. :(
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoIf it is a scam, phone eBay straight away - don't refund anything!!
I got caught out like that last week!
When I phoned she said they can reverse a decision ebay made but not if I voluntarily refund them.
Call them direct on 03453553229
I'd saved the number and got through much quicker than if you go through the bot for a call-back.
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoI feel exactly the same. Most of my buyers are lovely or no problem at all, but there has definitely been an big increase of scams again recently.
If I know full well they're scamming me (I keep photographic evidence of every order as I'm packing, alongside the label) I will call them out on it now. It's very unprofessional, I know, but I'm sick of the depths some people sink to and know they'll probably get away with it.
When you're struggling to make ends meet as much as we are now, it makes my blood boil when people steal.
maarsy
·5 days agoi noticed the same issue for ages , even if my item matches better in price and description other listings show higher even though they are not marked as ads
appletree23
·1 week ago · EditedIs the new FB app available now in the UK? i thought it was still US only atm, if they have launched the UK one ill defo check it out.
technthread
·1 week agoUS only at the moment.
Can you really be bothered with all the tyre kickers though? I’m not sure I’d last very long there.
appletree23
·1 week agoI can, ill just make everything collection only, not selling owt on here atm so any other avenues i can explore i will.
technthread
·1 week agoFair enough. I had a bad experience with it selling a TV years ago, people not turning up, others seemed like they were scoping to see when I wouldn’t be home… I wasn’t a fan.
appletree23
·1 week agoWell i had a zero feedback buyer message me the other day on here, who i blocked as it seemed fishy, then the cnut turned up on my doorstep as ebay show my address so thought he'd just turn up at my door, which obviously concerned me even further as he knows what i sell and exactly where i live, so, that's always a worry.
technthread
·1 week ago · EditedWild. It’s no wonder people stay on private accounts.
It’s the one thing that is a bug bear of mine when the address info isn’t enforced on any other platform where I have sold. I’m like a broken record on this, if it was such a big deal the other platforms wouldn’t get away with it.
dwhairandbeautystore
·3 days agoI used to work for someone on here who sold a very high number of antiques & jewellery. We always used a PO Box address for eBay so nobody knew the address the stock was stored at. Could you do that?
dwhairandbeautystore
·3 days agoWould Gumtree work for what you sell??
vintagejeanscollectoruk
·1 week agoNo sale for 26 days, 242 items, top rated, 100% feedback, all items promoted at medium rate PLS, rare vintage Levis.
1 sale in July for £46!
Hope this changes soon...
appletree23
·1 week agoGive them another 10-15% and they will fly out, while you make sweet FA and go out of business, cheers fleecebay.
appletree23
·1 week ago · EditedEnough is enough, just pulled out my remaining ebay balance and if no sales by Sunday i'm out as it's just making me more and more miserable and it 100% never used to be like this. So, good luck everyone, i hope it improves for you or ebay finally cave and change things back to how they were, but i doubt they will, seems they are only heading one way. Was fun while it lasted. Add to that i put 4 items up on V and all sold within an hour!
wheretheloveb
·1 week agoI'm with you on the vinted thing. Couldn't believe the high number of views / watchers when I pulled some items over to V that weren't performing here. One sold within 10 mins and others quickly followed.
But....... from what I been reading, and experiencing, the site has got some REALLY annoying traits. They're very keen on handing out bans (I got a 3 day one after only 2 days on the site). It was for a stupid Ai moderation thing and I was vindicated after appeal but loads of sellers are getting bans sometimes for life.
Vinted love private sellers clearing out a few clothes but they seem to hate business sellers selling anything else.
I find the site too basic and over automated with very limited features. Customer service is even worse than ebay.
Everyone's mileage is different of course and you may find it works well so good luck
appletree23
·1 week agoThanks for that info, i only really need to sell 3-4 a week as quite high value items, but, i'm also testing out a couple of other sites as well, i'm at the point of desperation so will try anything rn as i'm clearly being limited on here, not long back i would have sold 4-5 on here in a week and that money would've already been reinvested on this platform, i know somethings not right as even the guy i chat to in my local post office said to me "long time no see" when i went to post a low value item i sold, so even he has notice how little i'm posting out atm.
the_brick_lodge
·1 week agoIn addition to above when the buyer says something was damaged in the post the other place will simply say you didn't pack it properly or if the buyer returns a piece of paper instead of the item the customer service is just automated for the most part.
Whilst I'm sure most sales go fine, I'd be a bit more wary of selling high value stuff on there compared to other places.
appletree23
·1 week ago · EditedAgain thanks for the added info, but, a seller i was buying off regularly on here(not at the moment as i'm not selling anything so can't buy anything) has had the same on this platform, has had a toilet seat returned, books, or claimed box was empty when it arrived and as always ebay sided with the buyer and the seller got shafted, so, that happens even on this platform, sadly V don't allow collect only so the higher value of my items are listed as collection only on another fairly well known platform which limits my potential customer base but i am already seeing more interest than i am here so not much choice for me really.
appletree23
·1 week agoStill dead as a dodo here, 1 sale in 8 days and my lowest priced item which was just 2 usb-c ports, so, hardly going to cover my rent with that one lol. If i don't get any sales over the weekend ill have to close my account, if i don't sell i can't buy and if i can't buy i cannot sustain my account anyway as ill have no stock at all, as another user said if sellers aren't selling and paying nowhere near what they were paying ebay in fees surely ebays profits must be on the decline, getting no fees from me and not getting the fees on the items i'd normally be buying on here, so ebay are losing out on two lots of fees.
padanpcparts
·1 week agoIt's quiet currently, but then it's the off-season for the products I sell and should pick up in September. I don't mind a quieter June-August period in all honesty.
typo_lee
·1 week agoDead as a door nail. Never known it this bad. It is the summer holidays for schools and Im guessing this has a lot to do with it. I live in a touristy part of north wales and paid £9 for two single scoop ice creams the other day!! Its daylight robbery and I dont know how families are affording a summer holiday here quite frankly. So I doubt people are spending on unnecessary goods. We sell back to school products though and they arent even selling when they should be flying out!
santlache_sales
·1 week ago · EditedFive items sold in a month, and ebay will be wanting a shop fee off me in a couple of days.....
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoI just got this from Google - I don't know if it'll help or if it's something you've already tried.
I've read before about Cassini, it seems to be running the show!
Key Drivers Behind the Sales Decline
The Cassini Algorithm Shift: eBay’s search engine heavily penalises stagnant listings. If inventory sits unedited with old titles or incomplete item specifics, Cassini buries it. It prioritises conversion velocity—meaning if a listing gets impressions but no clicks, it is quickly suppressed. [1, 2, 3]
Promoted Listings Saturation: The expansion of eBay’s Promoted Listings (including updated click-attribution models) means organic reach is harder to sustain. Stores not aggressively managing ad rates are losing top-of-page real estate to competitors. [1, 2]
Private Seller Incentives: Massive fee-free promotions for casual sellers have flooded the marketplace with low-cost consumer supply, diluting traffic for traditional business categories like clothing, media, and collectibles. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Reduced Discretionary Spending: High living costs and economic uncertainty have squeezed consumer confidence. Non-essential, mid-tier items are experiencing longer sell-through times. [1, 2, 3, 5]
Step-by-Step Recovery Strategy
To restart momentum and signal to the algorithm that your store is highly active, implement these tactical steps:
1. Purge and Refresh Dead Stock
End and Sell Similar: Do not just let items auto-renew. Locate items older than 60–90 days, end the listings completely, and use the "Sell Similar" function. This assigns a brand-new item ID, triggering a "new listing" visibility boost from Cassini. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Run a Clearance Sale: Use the Markdown Manager to slash prices by 30% to 50% on older inventory. Even breaking even on a few items triggers conversion data that boosts your entire store's authority. [1, 2]
2. Audit Item Specifics and Titles
Complete Every Field: eBay frequently updates required metadata. Fill out every single item specific field, even the optional ones, as these act as search filters for buyers. [1, 2, 3]
Optimise Front-Loaded Keywords: Put the most critical descriptive words in the first 3-4 words of your title. Eliminate fluff characters (e.g., "L@@K", "Wow").
3. Adjust Your Promoted Listings Strategy
Review Ad Rates: If using Promoted Listings Standard, ensure your ad rate is competitive with the current category average, but avoid overpaying.
Toggle Campaigns: If sales are completely dead, turn off a campaign for 24 hours, then turn it back on with a minor tweak to force the system to re-index your items.
4. Feed the Algorithm Daily [1]
List Consistently: Cassini rewards continuous store activity. Instead of listing 50 items on Sunday, schedule or draft them so you are launching 5 to 7 new listings every single day. [1, 2]
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoI've just done this with 20 stagnant listings so I'll let you know if it makes any difference but I'm not holding my breath!
I've sold one item a day the last 3 days after a couple of much busier weeks than that!
I don't think it's a coincidence that I've had a spate of scammers leave me bad feedback for calling them out recently.
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoOk, so I've sold 4 items today which is 3 more than each of the last few days. Maybe a refresh actually wakes up their Cassini bot and allows buyers to see your shop?! Who knows. My sales are still only 1/6 of what they were 2 years ago so it's not sustainable either way.
wheretheloveb
·1 week agoYes good advice, although alot of us are already doing this.
It's the promoted listings carp that really gets me:
''Review Ad Rates: If using Promoted Listings Standard, ensure your ad rate is competitive with the current category average, but avoid overpaying''
Avoid overpaying ??.... you must be joking. We're already overpaying with the standard commission fee. A few more percent makes it unworkable for alot of sellers.
And as for ''filling out all the item specifics''.......
When you see how many choices and drop down menus there are, it takes you best part of 1/2 an hour to do one single listing !!
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoI ended up selling 6 items yesterday in the end, which is 5 more than the previous few days.
I already add all the relevant item specifics so I'm also not wasting time by filling in every single one - the vast majority are irrelevant!
I sold an equal amount yesterday on Vinted to what I did on my eBay business account and paid no fees on there.
eBay are going to have to start looking afer their business sellers soon, unless it's actually their goal to get rid of us all??
technthread
·1 week ago · EditedI like using V but it may not be reliable for you long term because you sell brand new items. They allow Pro sellers but they still ban our type of accounts all the time for commercial selling if we upload too many new items. They are very vague on how many new items is too many and they will do it without warning.
It is actually V who want to get rid of us. eBay have more of a Darwinian attitude towards us.
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoYeah I've noticed actually, they hid a couple of my listings yesterday until they'd satisfied themselves I was adhering to their catalogue rules!
Looks like I'm just going to have to do a bit at a time until I've shifted a lot more stock.
I reported 2 accounts this morning as they are both selling a large number of a £52 Elemis product for around £20 including postage. There is absolutely no way this is genuine unless they're selling a batch of stolen goods.
eBay said they'd done nothing wrong. So I appealed and said if it wasn't removed I'd be reporting this to Trading Standards, along with the fact I've reported them to eBay twice.
They just responded that they've still found they've done nothing wrong!!
So they are now knowingly allowing people to sell either stolen or counterfeit skincare on here, knowing it's very likely harmful.
I don't want to be linked to a corporation that's this corrupt any longer.
technthread
·1 week ago · EditedIt’s a minefield in most categories now. The counterfitters are tightening up on the obvious tells as well so it’s getting near to the stage where we will only know for sure if we manufactured it.
One of my mates was taking a supplement from a company for 12 months and randomly saw a video on it where lab tests were done and it didn’t contain the levels of ingredient the company claimed it was basically doing nish and he’d spent a few hundred quid on the stuff up to then 🤣. Even when it’s ‘legit’ it may not be legit these days.
the_book_seekers
·1 week agoI've been revising listings and have had to stop as ebay now wants to charge me a 12p insertion fee to revise. Another old glitch rearing it's ugly head again. It's a real pain as its stopping me from revising listings.
wheretheloveb
·1 week ago · EditedSurely this can't be true ? I've just tried it out on some listings and didn't see any fee charges.
Is it dependent on certain types of revision or something ..... or because you have a shop ?
the_book_seekers
·1 week agoThis is not the first time this has happened. I was going through listings revising some item specifics when the problems started. Initially I was doing the revisions and scrolling down to find I had only a preview option. The option to revise with above fees was missing so I was having to back out of the editing and go in again. Shortly after this I started to be shown the 12p insertion fee. It was random, some revisions showed the insertion fees, others didn't. The issue has nothing to do with having a shop, it's a glitch that has been reported on these boards before. Annoying, especially if you don't notice it. I've got a list of revisions to go back and do tonight. Hopefully ebay will behave itself.
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week ago · EditedThey shouldn't charge you just to revise them as you've already paid.
They do charge 12p an item if you end the listings and then 'sell similar', which is apparently how you need to do it if you want Cassini to treat it as a new listing and push it to the top.
I spent £2.40 yesterday doing this with 20 items and although none of those sold, it did seem to give my account a litttle bit of a boost.
Still nothing like enough to make it viable to continue long-term.
appletree23
·1 week agoI revised all my listings yesterday and didn't get charged anything extra than my initial insertion fee, but, so far revising has done sweet FA anyway so no choice but to close my account soon as it's simply not sustainable. And all i get from ebay is pay us more and more and you'll do well, but, i can't afford to pay them a penny more than i already do. Just pure greed on ebays part and could spell a big downfall for them in the long run.
billh59
OP1 week agoI'm fed up with emails offering to promote my listings,
Isn't that standard we expect for the amount of fees business sellers pay?
Not to be downgraded below 0 and 1 feedback sellers?
Please someone tell me why the wording has been removed =
"ebay premium seller" and now just a blue logo??
appletree23
·1 week ago · EditedSame here, offering 50% off promoted fees but for me that still isn't viable so as i've posted if i don't get any sales buy sunday i'm jumping over to V, as i put 4 items on there and all sold within an hour and no fees, and as i sell second hand items it's looking viable for me.
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoWhat was that old fable about the fishermans wife being given three wishes and getting more and more greedy? And then she ended up with nothing!?
That's the way they're going now I think.
appletree23
·1 week agoWell, they've had next to nothing off me this week, and nothing off the people i'd normally be buying and restocking off, normally i'd spend most of my week waiting in for deliveries, but as i've bought nothing all week i've just been twiddling my thumbs trying to figure out where else i can sell my items :/
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week ago · EditedI've finally bitten the bullet and cancelled my shop subscription after nearly 20 years selling on here.
I'm letting each item run til it's about to refresh then cancelling it.
There are far too many sellers in my category undercutting my prices because they are listed as 'private' sellers, even though they're selling the same number of brand new identical products and are avoiding fees. The buyers fee is minimal in comparisson.
Sadly my stock has a shelf life so I will have to lose money reducing prices just to shift it but I am also now drip feeding it onto my private account and Vinted.
I'm paying my taxes and only selling authentic, fresh products so I'm not going to be made to feel bad about doing that now when everyone else is doing it.
eBay is now flooded with side hustles and sooooo many cheap Chinese fakes that people are willing to risk their health buying, just to save a few quid! Crazy.
Reporting them to eBay used to work but now they don't care.
The scammers are out in force too at the moment and I've had enough of being polite to them while we both know they are stealing from me!!
wheretheloveb
·1 week agoThe whole 'side hustle' culture has become so big in recent times. It's a sad reflection on the state of the economy and stagnant wages. Having one regular job simply doesn't meet the cost of living. Plus, all the stuff on TV.... bargain hunts, youtube flippers etc has fueled the surge in part time (or rather full time) private sellers on this site. In some ways you can't blame them but it severely impacts on those of us doing it properly
dwhairandbeautystore
·1 week agoWhat's crazy is that eBay were earning £2.5k a month off me and now it's more like a few hundred a month. I don't understand how they're winning?!
appletree23
·1 week agoMaybe as more long term sellers start to vacate and move over to other platforms it may kick EBAY up the proverbial as something is clearly messing with everyone's sales and making this platform no longer a viable place to sell.
santlache_sales
·1 week agoI have just been looking at the same option, what with an 87% drop in sales in the last month and only five items sold all month.
I've already come down a shop level to basic 18 months ago and culled the site of over 200 items, now like you I am seriously thinking of ditching the basic shop, such is the fall of eBay who certainly don't reward loyalty and give nothing back at all.
appletree23
·1 week agoIt's been awful since march this year and once again next month i'm close to going under, If you don't bow down and pay them even more money to promote they seem to drip feed you just enough sales to stop you abandoning the site altogether, although i like others am seeking out other platforms as selling on here just isn't viable atm, so, time to test the water elsewhere as i simply cannot afford to pay them anymore than i already do. I also notice i'm not gettting the usual barrage of ridiculous messages and low ball offers i used to get so my visibility is 100% down on what it used to be. Again, ebay are shooting themselves in the foot, if i don't sell they don't get my fees and as i also buy on here they also miss out on the fees other sellers would pay on the items i'd buy so they lose out twice, and all because they want to squeeze another 10% or more off me which i will never be able to pay.
billh59
OP1 week agoThanks for your reply, exactly the same with me, I won't pay anymore fee's to promote my items. I pay over the odd's in FEES now. Why have they removed the "ebay premium service" wording and just left the blue logo? To me it is trying to downgrade sellers with 100% feedback, so they are trying to force sellers to pay to promote. Surely that is what ebay should be doing as STANDARD? I did a search last week for one of my badges and noticed a sellers item with NO feedback, higher up the search listing than mine?? HELP.
appletree23
·1 week agoI've got 100% feedback and a lot of my buyers are so happy they go an extra mile when leaving me feedback with a lot stating i've given them the best ebay buying experience they have ever had. I'd say 100% feedback, top rated seller and ebay premium service means sweet FA nowadays, all they care about is pushing you to promote and squeeze away even more of your already low profits, i reckon if i had 80% positive, no top rated status and no premium badge but paid 15% to promote i'd get more sales than i do now, hence 100% feedback and top rated seller status not meaning a whole lot with how ebay works nowadays.
billh59
OP1 week agoMy main issue is why have they removed the wording "ebay premium service" and just left a blue logo, Its like a down grade, because I won't pay to promote my listings. I have 100% feedback 18.5K.
wheretheloveb
·1 week agoAgree 100% and feel your pain re going under.
The increase in fees with all this promoted listings stuff is pure daylight robbery and corporate greed.
If there's any professional sellers out there who can turn a profit after paying PL fees, on top of all the regular business expenses, I'd love to know your secret !
Regarding other platforms, I have shifted some items that have been getting no attention on here for a month, to another well known site and the views and watchers went through the roof in a couple of hours !! There were also some sales to back it up.
Explain that to me Ebay ??
That site though does have it's own very frustrating issues.
Ebay is supposed to be, always has been the GOAT but it feels very different all of a sudden
appletree23
·1 week agoI've been refreshing listings every 2 weeks to prevent stagnant listings, changing wording and whatnot and nothing works, but, i'd wager if i paid and extra 10-15% to promote i'd suddenly see a massive increase, but seen as i'm only just staying above water as it is there is no way i can afford even a 2% promotion(which would do sweet FA anyway). Time to explore other avenues and if they seem viable ill jump ship altogether and only buy off here and no longer sell.
wheretheloveb
·1 week agoAgree 100% and feel your pain re going under.
The increase in fees with all this promoted listings stuff is pure daylight robbery and corporate greed.
If there's any professional sellers out there who can turn a profit after paying PL fees, on top of all the regular business expenses, I'd love to know your secret !
Regarding other platforms, I have shifted some items that have been getting no attention on here for a month, to another well known site and the views and watchers went through the roof in a couple of hours !! There were also some sales to back it up.
Explain that to me Ebay ??
That site though does have it's own very frustrating issues.
Ebay is supposed to be, always has been the GOAT but it feels very different all of a sudden
vintagejeanscollectoruk
·2 weeks ago21 days with no sale, top rated 100% feedback, all items promoted at a medium rate.
2 sales in the last 6 weeks!!!!! 242 items, not selling junk. No idea what’s going on.
the_brick_lodge
·2 weeks agoSome of your listings seem to have been on site for over 4 months, you might as well make the most of your free shop listings by ending listings when they have a couple of hours left (some people seem to still use ending soonest to search so I think it's best to do it as close to renewal as possible) and use sell similar to put up a brand new listing.
Obviously won't see a sudden flood of sales but it might help those listings which have gone stale and sunk in the search results.
billh59
OP1 week agoThanks for your reply, exactly the same with me, I won't pay anymore fee's to promote my items. I pay over the odd's in FEES now. Why have they removed the "ebay premium service" wording and just left the blue logo? To me it is trying to downgrade sellers with 100% feedback, so they are trying to force sellers to pay to promote. Surely that is what ebay should be doing as STANDARD? I did a search last week for one of my badges and noticed a sellers item with NO feedback, higher up the search listing than mine?? HELP.