Ebay Sales Completely Dead **November 2024** ‌

[theglo-68]

Hi

We have been selling on ebay for over 10 years. Sales have been down since start of 2024 but its completely dead. Like we look at our stats from July to September and sales figures are less that what we are paying ebay for Promoted listings etc.

Although we have moved our inventory to Amazon and tiktok but wondered what has actually happened to our Ebay. It used to be aweseome but we now cannot even afford to list.  Listings are sat there doing nothing even with promoted listings.

November has been our difficult month so far as with Zero sales i mean come on there got to be something causing this loss. Is it new so called AI.

Please share your findings.🤔🤔

🤔🤔🤔

[fatbobfan]

Even an Ebay UK Exec on their YouTube channel calls the algorythm, the 'Dark Art' 

Probably best to crack on and wait for normal service to resume, it gets there eventually, would be good if they didnt do it in peak selling period for many sellers

[555njp]

Meanwhile tumble weed blows freely across the site……

If they made search work, so no hiding listings, no PL nonsense then sellers could sell, buyers would buy (actually find what they need) and eBay would attract more buyers/sellers and make more money.

Worked fine 10 years ago…!

[adriaaylin0]

Do feel sorry for business sellers. The 0.30p + for listing then selling fees on top of that, gives you hardly any profit.

Seems to have got worse since Ebay starting giving private sellers £0.00 selling fees.

[vintique*violet]

No - it is because there are more BUSINESS sellers masquerading in the PRIVATE and eBay are not addressing it... If eBay think that the " holding" of funds on private seller accounts will make any difference to weed them out - they are mistaken. 

[street_automotive]

We pay £437  + vat for our store, we then pay for all promoted listings to, we are paying 50% in fees and ebay costs alone per month at the moment for no extra exposure to be honest. 

I know people who have started selling stuff via a private account with their own items and are selling and making more profits then we are as an individual which is a huge concern.

Private sellers get no fees and also don't get pushed for a shop

Ebay has died since they decided to mess around with there algorithm and all this promoted listings rubbish, they were making a fortune anyway just with their fees and now they have got more greedy and causing small business's to close. 

They also don't ever help sellers and always choose a buyers side

Returns have become a joke also, as people will refuse to read and advert or look at photos and then wonder why an item doesnt fit or its not what they expected

No other platform works for us unfortunately so we are a bit stuck. If it carries on i can see us closing to.

EBAY MAYBE HELP SELLERS OUT BEFORE YOU GO BUST IN THE FUTURE TO!

[woodlandspares]

I'm in the same business as you but not got to the 50% yet (about 30% though).  I've refused to give them anymore of the cake and was thinking that's why they have started to switch the shop off every weekend just so ill send more vouchers, offers and promos. Just struggling to find another outlet for second hand car parts otherwise id be off in a flash.

[street_automotive]

Likewise! We have tried Shopify, that doesnt get the traffic! You can try Breakerlink but again doesn't get a huge volume. 

Used to sell more when we had less items listed, seems like now they have reeled us in we don't get the exposure anymore. 

Someone needs to set up an ebay type business but just for car parts which i know people are trying to do but you need a huge capital to start this sort of thing 

[theelench]

IMO you are looking at the worsening situation for business sellers the wrong way round.

Something like 10 years ago it was regularly quoted on the boards that it was business sellers who were making ebay record profits by selling masses of Brand New goods.   I distinctly remember the numbers quoted to back-up that statement, 80% of goods on ebay were Brand New and overwhelmingly sold by business sellers.  The other 20% was Used goods, mostly sold by private sellers.  I don't recall that ebay ever gave any numbers for the numbers of each type of seller.

I wonder what those percentages are today ?   90% / 10%, 95% / 5% ?   Businesses flocked to ebay, but private sellers began to leave as it became predominantly a business dominated shopping mall.

Ebay was very happy to make the site ever more enticing to business sellers, very often at the expense of private sellers.  At best, I would say, private sellers and the effect of ebays various changes on them were just ignored, despite much protest from private sellers at every step away from the original ebay boot-fair, dominated by private sellers.

But now the chickens are coming home to roost.  Even the CEO has belatedly acknowledged that buyers that also sell, buy more than buyers who just buy.  Also IMO, businesses re-cycle a smaller percentage of their earning on ebay than private sellers do with what they earn.

Ebay has never, in my 10+ years of experience, been a more horrible site to try to sell on as a private seller.   Managed Payments, the loss of paypal, the introduction of IS, the removal of most second-hand / collectables and  antiques categories and the increasingly obvious ebay policy of hiding listings that don't pay for Sponsorship, another tool aimed at business sellers, have made it that way.

Free Listings and FVF Offers might have stemmed the tide for a while but even non-business sellers twig that their sales are falling after a while and realise that 80% off nothing = nothing in their pocket.

Free to sell is the same again, no fees on no sales = more nothing.

Even today a rather well hidden "announcement" shows ebay is planning compulsory Holds on all private seller payouts from February.  What a wonderful way to encourage private sellers to list more (and be a free billboard for business seller's ads.) and stick around to buy more from those businesses   --   I don't think.

[vintique*violet]

Thank you - you have expressed far better than I could.... 

I have " emptied" my watch list of "tempting" things to buy and needed items... I will refrain from " temptation" and go elsewhere for my needed items - I will not " recycle" my funds to line the pockets of eBay oligarchs to  purchase ( nor use them to pay to promote either)  anymore... and that means that sellers on here ( business or otherwise) will lose out  - now x that by even just a 1000 ( I am positive it will be far more) ...the kickback will be a hard one. 

[theelench]

I don't think ebay actually said "weeding out" was anything to do with compulsory payment Holds for private sellers. 

My first thoughts on the subject on another thread included that idea as the only good thing I could think of that might come out of it, if it does persuade any un-registered to register correctly.

Personally I think, come January with ebay asking for NINOs followed by Holds on all private seller's payouts in February will have only one result, another exodus of private sellers and inevitably even less sales for businesses sellers.

I certainly won't be wasting any more time trying to sell here, it's a waste of time.

[howmuchtobid]

You give the impression it's a great place for business sellers.....it isn't. Also as a private seller why do you expect to be able to trade for free? You pay no fees now so why not pay for promoted listings? Please enlighten me.

[1956glyn]

Slighty changing the subject...

I listed an item and within a few hours i got this message

Let’s improve your listing

This listing isn't performing well – but you can change that. We've curated recommendations designed specifically to sell this item below

A day or so later it sold....without paying to promote it etc etc as suggested        I think that the listing did perform well 🙂

[howmuchtobid]

You don't have any items for sale......how do you expect to make a sale?

[1956glyn]

May i join in on this post?

As a private seller i do not necessarily expect to list for free and would be happy paying some fees on items that sell.    IF i am paying fees then i am selling.

As to promoting listings.......i have found that it makes zero difference and does not equate to sales so a total waste of time. 

[vintique*violet]

Invisibility is the word of the month... for eBay sellers who don't pay to promote their wares 😉 

[vintique*violet]

I get these - still awaiting a sale - they also want you to chat with an associate for them to encourage you to " pay to promote" ... if ALL listings were visible , sales would happen organically. 

[vintique*violet]

Private sellers did not expect or ask for the " free to sell" - this was a new eBay implementation... 

It's a softener... as now the plan is to " hold" your funds until delivery notification received... typically this could be up to 2 weeks or more. 

Next plan is......" take your pick"   .....? 

[vintique*violet]

No they didn't - and if genuine business sellers are thinking it will, they are sadly mistaken. 

Oh I have my exit plan already planned so I will be joining you... as I said prior, my watch list is now "watching" nothing, Christmas or not, I will buy elsewhere.... No more "funds" from me. 

[exponential_developments]

Filter the money into something else.

[leadhills_scot]

So far this month I've actually had 5 sales, without any promotions. Could be because I've added an ending date to the titles of any listings with watchers. The rest will come off as they come due for renewal.