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.🤔🤔

🤔🤔🤔

[iceblue_uk]

I'm aware of these things but it's the change in ratio of organic to promoted sales that is inexplicable, with much less promotion this ratio should increase in favour of organic sales. Whatever the case may be, I think the whole promoted listings system is a bit of a mess just like most other ebay systems. I see pay per click fees on listings that have always performed at a certain level suddenly see-sawing lately from acceptable to unaffordable and back again every few days.

Another suspicious issue is the current 50% off pay per click fees offer. A certain listing of ours has historically always attained a roughly 50% PPC conversion rate over the last 2 years; however, once we added it to a PPC campaign in this 50% off promotion the conversion rate immediately halved to 25%, meaning that the PPC fees after the 50% discount are exactly the same as they were before this offer started. Another strange coincidence perhaps.

[simplyfeminomacho]

We have not even recouped our shop fee for the month. Is it any longer worth running a shop on eBay?

[auctiongabble]

The only benefit of having a shop as a 'business seller' is the amount of free listing that are given as part of subscription charge.

 Atleast your saving on selling fees

[cobwebcottage]

I would suggest that if you registered correctly as a business seller, you would gain more trust from buyers. 

In my personal opinion, the font you are using on your listings is very 'busy' and hard to read. 

[sheba-knows-best]

Two of us have already done similar tests. I think detailed in the "share your tips for increasing sales" thread but possibly it also had a thread of its own started by @vintagewatchpart who spent months analysing the data

I trialled ditching PL during the summer (apart from a few one day 12-24 hour turns on to try and jump start organic, which didnt happen) - it crushed my organic impressions and made my sales even worse. The graph below shows all. However it worked well for @vintagewatchpart  who may well pop along and comment

I think it depends on your category

[fatbobfan]

Your concerns are very concerning, especially on PPC as a seasoned seller 

My own experience was a cut off all PL and everything went off the cliff in a bad away and panic set in  and increased to around 5-9% PL standard.

Reading the numerous threads I slowly and mean very slowly reduced to 2% minimum, for competing against Private Sellers when my listings are not the cheapest and I have higher costs.

Still believe its knowing your market, who are your competitors and what are you competing against, Quality, Price, Uniqueness, Market place saturation, Keyword results, so many factors.

There are a few interesting theads, with varied opinions, I stand by the above, know what your up against and figure how to get the best result. Some swear by dropping PL and some make good money with it, works for some and not for others

[vintagewatchpart]

Yes, 11 months no promoting and counting. Myself and Sheba experienced hugely different results and my thread details pretty much all of what happened to my sales but as far as I know others have not managed to replicate the success.

November for me, I was 96% up on last years sales. Last year I was promoting everything, this year I am promoting nothing.  I have shared what I have done personally in the tips to increase sales thread and recommend it if anyone wants some tips.

That 96% increase by the way represents over £10,000 in additional revenue. If I were promoting at the same rate as I was last year, my Ebay fees would have been an additional £3232, just for November - insane. 

Hopefully others can find success by not promoting or can find patterns in the algorithm. 

[r.soles_sneakers]

Yeah they are coming away from their original concept for people selling privately

 I was selling roughly between 15 - 20 items per month and since June 2023 it slowly died. I never had zero sales in a month but last year four month of that year I have had zero sales and the odd 1 or 2 sales in between. There’s obviously something going on.

i have a Mac book air for sale and that normally would get hundreds of views at least but it’s been 2 weeks and only 4 views lol

 I also have another account and it’s the same . No sales , barely any views it’s just pointless listing on here now.

i would love eBay to be up front and explain after all the loyalty years I have out in since 2006 to say that the platforms not for private sellers any more! So we can just move on.

 Is ridiculous

[auctiongabble]

It's no better for business sellers on here!

Consistant, 3 wks no views then 1 wk views spike by 1000% plus then back down again

Ebay have damaged their own platform, they have got greedy with increasing fees in particular Jewellery which is now highest fee on ebay.

Made changes to system that makes it worse, searching for items is ridiculous, items from overseas are shown priority over UK sellers.

[theelench]

Squeeze hard enough and even a diamond turns to dust.  Unfortunately ebay squeezed and squeezed and just didn't know when to stop.

[cb-home-textiles]

Awaiting Despatch 0 

This is now becoming all too regular . Yesterday tried to find my listings on ebay some were just not showing even the ones where I had cranked up PL % 

With little visibility how can we get sales . Had an OK day on Sunday bit I knew a few bad days would follow its not fun anymore . 

Gavin 

CB 

[exponential_developments]

Its dead, but so is my competition..........on products that have to be bought from somewhere as they are used now more than ever, ie every electrical device has capacitors etc.

[cobravipe]

Same here. We have been selling on ebay for 20 years, but it is now comming to an end.

To me, the reason is simple. Ebay made a huge mistake giving private sellers free fees. Now I am being undercut by these so called Private sellers, who seem to have more stuff listed than me, can sell it cheaper than me and don't have to accept returns.

If ebay had half a brian, they would have dropped the listing fees for business sellers, at the end of the day, it's them that are the backbone of ebay these days. Most people want to buy new items.

The other problem I find it that when I type in one of my items, it is down the bottom of the page, whilst the same item at a higher price, listed in China is at the top of the page! I have even promoted items and they are further down the page than the Chinese listings. 

I think ebay need someone new in charge, or they will be gone in a couple of years.

[bittyboy101]

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@cobravipe wrote:

Same here. We have been selling on ebay for 20 years, but it is now comming to an end.

To me, the reason is simple. Ebay made a huge mistake giving private sellers free fees. Now I am being undercut by these so called Private sellers, who seem to have more stuff listed than me, can sell it cheaper than me and don't have to accept returns.

If ebay had half a brian, they would have dropped the listing fees for business sellers, at the end of the day, it's them that are the backbone of ebay these days. Most people want to buy new items.

The other problem I find it that when I type in one of my items, it is down the bottom of the page, whilst the same item at a higher price, listed in China is at the top of the page! I have even promoted items and they are further down the page than the Chinese listings. 

I think ebay need someone new in charge, or they will be gone in a couple of years.

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Sorry to say but you're somewhat wrong regarding "most people shopping on eBay want new items"

Why would they when they can find them cheaper and available straightaway at their local high street shops or in their local markets without having to pay for postage and wait days for it to arrive ?

Most people are searching eBay for the USED, OLD COLLECTABLE AND HARD TO FIND RARE ITEMS, these are often being sold by SMALL BUSINESS SELLERS and MANY PRIVATE SELLERS.

This is my main attraction to eBay - I like USED interesting old stuff... NOT new ten-a-penny items which I can find in my local pound shop !

[cobravipe]

Ten penny items which you can find in poundland Lol.

I think you will find more new items sell that second hand. I'm not saying no-one buys used items, I'm saying more new items sell than second hand. 

[bittyboy101]

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@cobravipe wrote:

Ten penny items which you can find in poundland Lol.

I think you will find more new items sell that second hand. I'm not saying no-one buys used items, I'm saying more new items sell than second hand. 

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Agree more new items do sell because eBay always shows and favors them over used, old items and 90% of what new items eBay does show in the searches are always from China !

Sorry, man, I didn't mean to be so hard on you, I was just expressing an opinion lol 😁😎

[theelench]

But who do you think is buying your New Items?

Do you talk to 'random' members of the public?   Your friends, neighbours, relatives, work colleagues, people in your local pub or club.  If you do you'll quickly find that most of them don't ever bother looking at ebay these days.

Ebay is panicking because it's finally woken up to the fact that "buyers who also sell buy more than buyers who don't sell"  (roughly quoted from the CEO of ebay).  But at least since the introduction of MP, every change has led to more of them leaving.  The number of private sellers might still look healthy on paper to ebay execs., but the reality is that too many have been replaced by businesses avoiding fees by registering as private sellers.

They have prospered by undercutting those businesses that pay their fees, but as private sellers decrease, so do sales to both other genuine private sellers and businesses registered properly.

That is the problem that needs fixing.  If it isn't I have to agree with you "ebay will be gone in a couple of years".

But has ebay taken the bull by the horns?  NO, it's trying to claw back private sellers with Free to Sell then undoes that good work by announcing compulsory payment holds and compulsory Simple Delivery for private sellers.  MORE CHANGES that will drive some of them away when ebay needs every one of them it can get to sign-up.

[hersant60]

Hi yes your completely correct.  eBay is a waste of time.  Nothing in 5 days.

Vinted on the other hand is fantastic.

Selling 10 items a day.

[bojangled]

@bittyboy101 completely agree with you!
The fact their current advertising campaign is running on used items suggests just that. 

I also think as eBay approaches 30 years there are many that have come and gone, but plenty are still here, many of my buyers of collectible ephemera are of shall we say ‘Nokia 3310’ generation and much older.  That was the point of eBay to begin with, hard to find treasures etc. surely they are still a big target audience. Because nostalgia sells. 

 It’s also speculated that the millennial generation aren’t buyers on here, and I’ve had a sharp increase in guest buyers recently, who maybe can’t be bothered to go through all the registration rigmarole and have grown up with instant purchase process. ( I’m not knocking them btw.) 

Anyway I’ve gone OT..apologies 

Jo

[bittyboy101]

No need to apologize ! - I totally agree with you Jo 😎