Business closing, poor sales and then......

[limitlesscollectables]

I am closing my eBay business, because it is not worth it anymore, literally making a few pounds a day and having gone from a £70k business, the Brexit mess and the Russia illegal war has ended sales all over Europe. High postage prices in the UK and across the world and now with what orange face is doing to the world financial markets we are all heading for an even bigger dip in sales. I literally cannot get any lower I don't think.

Today though, a nice wake up of a purchase of over 40 magazines which is fantastic UNTIL you realise the buyer is from the USA, has 3 feedback, been a member for a few years and last made a purchase over 6 months ago. Total price for them, over £700 and you just know already that they are not going to be interested in paying, bought magazines mixed in with global shipping purchases, not queried anything, not paid for anything.

Have messaged them to say it will be better and more cost-effective to put it in one lot and use Global Shipping, it is one of those moments where you find typing a message hard knowing they will barely read it, let alone reply.

Yet another hopeless moment of my career on this dwindling platform and of course, I have the wonderful wait of days until eBay will do anything to allow me to relist the magazines.

I just wanted sales to survive, it is my only income and it is incredibly frustrating people still take the p***.

[bojangled]

@limitlesscollectables 

I just wanted to respond to this I do feel your pain. I’m sorry to hear you are considering closing.
There is a possibility your buyer may come through. 
Sales aren’t brilliant for me atm, have you considered downgrading your shop while this furore settles? 
Jo

[limitlesscollectables]

Just to update, 42 cancellation requests recevied today.....

"Order placed by mistake" 

Final nail in eBay coffin for me, nothing will happen to the "buyer" - sellers can be treated like mugs on eBay and no-one other than other sellers in the same boat understand what it does to someone when stuff like this happens.

[qualitycardsandgifts]

I too am closing up at the end of the month.     Gone from featured shop, to basic shop but lack of sales, and increasing INR cases due to ebays unreasonably delivery forecasts have been the final nails in the coffin.    I’ve been on here for years, and will miss it, but it just isn’t feasible any more.   

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I get that that kind of thing is annoying, but why on earth do you think that it's an issue?

It is literally the buyers right to cancel an order and something that we all have at one time or another.

I've literally had one this morning for an item selling for £70!  I'd still rather the customer cancelled it, than the cost/messing of a return.

Surely, you would rather have it cancelled than have a buyer return them?  Or even a return as Not as described and you have to pay for that?

But why on earth should anything happen to the buyer?

If you bought something and you changed your mind would you still want the order?

[limitlesscollectables]

You must have missed the point, this was 42 orders placed by the same person, over £360 worth of items... with Zero intention of paying for them.

I would prefer to rip them off and thrown them in a field…

I am afraid, with an online marketplace, I do not see why anyone would feel some sense of agreement with a buyer for clicking on an item, reading about it, deciding you wish to purchase it, then doing that same thing another 41 times and then deciding actually you didn't want any of it. it is ridiculous.

As it stands, the buyer will be restricted from buying and bidding for this (i spoke wth eBay CS) - something you will feel is harsh of course, but that is your choice.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

No, I didn't miss the point at all.

I merely pointed out that it is the buyers legal right to do this.

How exactly is it that you know that the buyer had no intention of paying for them?
Just because they didn't in the end, does not necessarily mean that there is no intention.

If it is someone who is trying to get at you (as you seem to think), then they would be buying the most expensive items you have and claiming none deliver, or item not as described etc and getting a refund.

You didn't answer my questions though, if you changed more mind just after buying something online, would you still go through with the purchase?

And would you rather them return after buying them?

As to what CS said, yes, of course they always say what they mean.  They are known for it!

They cannot restrict someone for exercising their legal right.  The only time that kind of action is likely to be taken, is if that particular person is doing it all of the time.

You need to step back and think logically about this kind of thing, not with your feelings.

It is a part of selling online, just like having to honour returns and such like.

[limitlesscollectables]

You are responding to a thread moaning about a non-paying bidder and sticking up for their actions.

I can understand if I was making a post about one single buyer who didn't buy - it happens, have been on eBay for years and years and had thousands of transactions (and of course a number of cancellations) - I am not an idiot, but come on man, 40+ listings and over £300 but yeah, what is the fuss for, silly me, why am I annoyed - "it could have been worse...." is what you seem to think is a justified response and going to calm my frustrations - it is literary not the point.

I cannot take you seriously, I am afraid, you are surely on the wind up, and here to offer arguments that don't need to be made, no more response from you needed, but I am sure you will make one.

[vintage-emporium-jedburgh]

Its also a legal right to choose whom your goods are available  ,

which is not an option on ebay ,when you have few if any effective ways  of  blocking disruptive unwelcome   buyers

[vintage-emporium-jedburgh]

of course there  is the blocked buyer list 

blah blah , that only. shuts the door after the horse has wrecked your shop and bolted

[vintage-emporium-jedburgh]

Were not closing our ebay business were just not using ebay at the moment,

 With  no listings live . First time in over 25 years

its just so relaxing 

Non of the needless frustrations and headaches that come with ebay selling

[the-nutwood-collection]

I worked with someone who, when he returned home in the early hours worse the wear for drink, would order things from eBay - a trombone, a bowler hat, clothes that wouldn't fit him, kids' toys - the list of weird things that would be of no use to him was endless.  He would have no recollection of his buying spree the following day.

He was really cool about it.  He said it was amusing to open the parcels and see what he'd bought.  His fave was the bagpipes.

To give him credit, he never sent the stuff back.

I thought it was an odd way to live your life - getting hammered and buying stuff from eBay in the early hours.  However, we all have different ways of enjoying ourselves, and should be tolerant of the little foibles of others.   

[jackthebordercollie]

I went down to the cheap store no sales one or two a week. Then eBay started to charge me over 1000 items 12p a time. So went back up back to the store up and started to get 7 sales per day which is not good or bad. But I’ve started to sell again. 

[tonyfisher]

What Brexit mess? Do you mean the restoration of British sovereignty? Good job you never lived in the 40s during the pesky WW2 mess.

[qualitycardsandgifts]

I suppose it depends on what you’re selling.    I get between 5 & 10 sales a day, but the margins are so low it just isn’t worth it.    Yes, sales are good but when your cost of sales is over 30% and you give free postage, it’s time to call it a day.   I might still list a few items, but will have to factor in the 12p each listing fee.   

[bojangled]

@qualitycardsandgifts Thing is without a shop the listing fee is 30p plus VAT I believe.

Jo

[kh-shakhib]

Hi everyone,

This discussion has gotten a bit heated. Please remember that, while it is fine to disagree with others, discussion should always remain friendly and respectful as required by the Community Guidelines .

Thank you for your cooperation.

[the_bald_orc]

Just a heads up, the screenshot contains the buyer's username.

[bravergrace]

I'm not at all convinced that buyers in the USA have a legal right to cancel orders placed in the UK.  I don't think they have a legal right to cancel domestic orders - at least, not in every US state.

From the buyer's point of view, they may not have realised the seller was overseas or that the stuff wouldn't arrive within a day or two.

But  eBay ought to limit on the number of orders a new buyer can place without having to pay upfront.  They certainly used to do this, and I think under the new system it's still supposed to be the norm for sales made on auctions and through best offer.

However, from OP's point of view, this is a ridiculous waste of time - and (depending whether they sell multiples or single-item listings), could well cost them money in listing fees.

The only advice I can give, is:

- if the purchases have actually ENDED the listings, make sure you use "relist" rather than "sell similar", so you get the visibility boost for prior sales.

- set your buyer requirements to limit the number of items that novice buyers can buy from you.

As for those sellers who don't see it as a problem for the seller, presumably you don't remember that night when an eBay seller, a prolific poster on the eBay boards, had a brainstorm and, around midnight, and blitzed the listings of the sellers he disliked, buying their entire stock, leaving offensive and obscene feedback, but never paying.

CS's initial reaction was:

- don't worry, the feedback will disappear in a fortnight if he doesn't pay.

- he'll probably pay, can't see why you're worried.

- don't relist until the unpaid item cases have been opened and closed. 

- all you've lost out on is listing fees, your seller status and fee discounts for 3 months, and a fortnight's sales while you wait for the cases to open and close.  

- you can always get the obscene wording removed from the feedback, but not the negative ratings.

- once all the unpaid item cases have been closed, he'll be banned from buying, no problem.

eBay are perfectly able restrict the activity of novice buyers.  They certainly used to do so, and if they don't, it's very unfair on sellers.

[qualitycardsandgifts]

Thanks, forgot about that.    Even worse then.   Shame I'm not a private seller