How many sellers are closing their shops or running down their account in 2024?

[ovleisure]

We have been a seller on here over a couple of our accounts for many years now.   Over this time we have seen a reduction in sales from a max of £13k pcm to £60 pcm.    We have been through mass seller culls, more and more control over the seller/buyer relationship, the forcing of managed payments, increases in fees and requirements to use promoted/advanced promoted and now bid for clicks, to the point where ebay is taking an unsustainable percentage of profit.  

This in turn has lead to such search manipulation as to be virtually impossible for any of our listings to be shown unless we implemented all of the additional promotions, and even then since everyone is in the same boat, it makes little difference.   Search has been broken as a result of all this, and whereas in the past, if your product met the search terms, you could get your item to show, this is now not much short of a miracle!

Maybe you could argue some of it is the economy, but when your listings barely get any visibility unless you pay through the nose for it, it becomes a weak argument at best.

We have closed our shop and have halved our listings, and will be running down all of the stock we do have via other marketplaces.  

I'm just curious what other peoples plans are in 2024, are you bearing with ebay in the hopes of better times, or moving on?

[theelench]

Someone today was kind enough to leave me Kudos for my post #8 from way back in Jan. '24.

It seems strange reading it again a year later.

I ended '24 with just 4 sales on ebay after jumping through the hoops and mucking about doing "Sell Similar" through the year, but still refusing to give in to ebay blackmail by sponsoring one-off items.

Needless to say I didn't bother to re-start after my winter break to avoid Late Delivery Defects, it just didn't seem worth it.

Can't say I'm sorry to be out of it, seeing whats been thrown at private sellers in the last few weeks.  Anyone willing to put up with how ebay is for private sellers now must be desperate indeed.

[moldosgifts]

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@theelench wrote:

Someone today was kind enough to leave me Kudos for my post #8 from way back in Jan. '24.

It seems strange reading it again a year later.

I ended '24 with just 4 sales on ebay after jumping through the hoops and mucking about doing "Sell Similar" through the year, but still refusing to give in to ebay blackmail by sponsoring one-off items.

Needless to say I didn't bother to re-start after my winter break to avoid Late Delivery Defects, it just didn't seem worth it.

Can't say I'm sorry to be out of it, seeing whats been thrown at private sellers in the last few weeks.  Anyone willing to put up with how ebay is for private sellers now must be desperate indeed.

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Desperate seem to be the common them on here for private sellers, selling to pay the the energy bill, put petrol in the car and food on the table. Desperate indeed.

[simplycollectibles2009]

I just had running with ebay ..in regard to them with holding funds.. even in the knowing positive feedback has been left .. holding money in order to make sure buyer are happy is nothing short of a joke ! ..it leaves it open to those unscrupulous individuals ..who claim items are damaged ..when it could of been  the buyers fault ? ie dropped the item or damaged it some way ..then claim it was down to the seller ..small time or private sellers have not got a chance .. I was selling disney key rings for £2.99 .. free p&p then ebay stuck their bogus buyers fee on top .. 84 p .. not sold one since ..in the process of closing account ..eBay seem to have forgot ..if it wasn't for sellers ..ebay wouldn't have become so financially well off ..I would advise anyone who is thinking to set up on eBay to think again ..there are far more less greedy selling platforms

[therenewalworkshopltd]

it leaves it open to those unscrupulous individuals ..who claim items are damaged ..when it could of been  the buyers fault ?

Please do explain how it actually makes any difference in this particular case whether or not the money is held?

Those unscrupulous buyers, will do that anyway and instead of the funds being in your wallet, it will be withdrawn from your bank account instead, if you don't have sufficient funds there already.

That particular issue, has been around since the year dot and whether you are a small private seller, or a business, it makes literally no difference at all.

If you were selling that item for £2.99 and the buyers fee has gone on top, why have you not used some common sense and reduced the price accordingly?  Instead of paying fees directly, they are being charged to the customer.  Or do you think that it should be entirely free to you?

Sell the same think on Vxxnted and exactly the same thing happens.  You set item price at £2.99, they then add on a buyers fee (or whatever they call it), which the buyer pays.  No difference.

What you and all those like you are not willing to concede, is that its actually cheaper for you to sell than it was when you were being charged fees.  You end up with more money in your pocket now comparatively!

And you certainly do far better than those of us who try to make a living selling on here.

[simplycollectibles2009]

once positive feedback has been left ..you should get your money .. why should I readjust my prices and lose
money for eBays benefit ? 

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Insults are not required.

Don't be so childish, as you obviously do not understand how things work.

I suggest that you actually read what I wrote, and then answer it.

[onlineflowerseeds]

Wow ebay offer is now at 16,000 via You lend ,

No thanx , 

That would tie me into a job i no longer want to be honest

Ebay is nice money , but i need a job i like , so it no longer feels like a job.

Ebay is such a chore now , paperwork is endless and now with Digital coming in and the business

doing so well it would exceed VAT levels , so next year profits would actually fall even though takings would

be up. , unless i increase my 70 hour a week to 90 and sell even more plus even more hours if i have to register for VAT.  

Filed my tax return already ,  switching back to PAYE and taking life easier now.

The stress here is enough to fill an artery......................

Oh yea , that neg you cant read , the only one i got ,   From a nice person who bought 1kg of seeds , then another 1kg seeds a month later but missed out on the buy 2 get 1 free , so i sent a message" hi you missed out on the buy 2 get 1 free so i have sent you a free one with the one you just bought",   got a neg for it .

No good deed goes unpunished on ebay !

Im not a psychologist , 

im not a horticulturist ,

im not an IT expert ,

im not a therapist ,

Im not a lawyer that can understand your terms and conditions ,

im not someone who can work 70 hours a week anymore

Just an average person who says enough is enough and thank you but no thank you anymore.

Good bye.

[moonspender]

I feel your pain

Ebay has become more and more complex to list and transact on.

More hoops to jump through

Dealing with tax and the paperwork a massive hassle

Paying more in fees ... getting less sales

Ebay more and more failing to understand the needs of business sellers

We could now both do a part time job on minimum wage and earn more, less hours  ... no hassle ... its becoming more and more appealing

[michaelsilverfox2011]

Very good overview of what's happening. Plus sellers can not longer start bidding at 99p as the buyer protection fee bumps small items up to a point where it's no longer possible to sell cheap items. Ebay in my opinion are over managing the profits they pull out from the sellers. 

[iposters]

Our Sales have tanked! Literally i'm over 50% down now over the last 3 years! I have a full time job now and have massively scaled back. So much happier too working full time rather than working on eBay 7 days a week dealing with muppet customers for eBay to take 30% Fees 

[vintagechinashop]

I’ve made the decision to downgrade my shop after 11 years. My fees this month have taken such a chunk of my sales by the time I have paid postage and packing costs it barely been worth my time on here. I have been listing on another platform and my sales have been better there with only 10% of what I have listed on here 

I’m sure there are many others considering this  especially with the constant changes on here   I may reconsider nearer to Christmas but for now in my quiet months I feel this is the best option for me 

[the_book_seekers]

ebay sent me a message today under guise of using bulk editing to 'power' my sales. It started with figures showing just how bad May has been, which did nothing for my mood.  What ebay wants me to do is bulk edit my listings into promoted listings and that isn't going to happen. More so after reading about ebay's last change to PLs. If this hastens the end of my time on ebay, so be it. 

[imperio-numismatico]

Only ebay is not more a platform to sell online.  It have become extremelly expensive and complicated. The problems with the international commerce have hit very hard ebay. It is just a matter to migrate. I have done one year ago, although the alternatives are not much better now (amazon) for the international situation.

Ebay have destroy it base of sellers of which they get the money to live with. It is a business going down. Just go away on time. Try etsy, is more reasonable 

[darth_baggins]

My tipping point is eBay's absolute refusal to support their sellers. Like when a buyer leaves neutral/negative feedback about the size of the item when the size is clearly mentioned in the title, the description and has a photo next to a penny and/or a rule.

But no, the buyer is entitled to their opinion so eBay won't remove it even though it's 100% buyer error.

Sellers are the ones that pay eBay fees and should be treated as customers, but we're not. We're treated like The Enemy.

[nuggett46]

I dropped in to this Business sellers board to see if, since the introduction of ''Buyer Protection Fees'' were introduced for private sellers, whether it had improved the business sellers sales at all. I gather it hasn't by the reading through a few comments. I am clearing out an extensive coin collection and am nearing the end now, but due to the BPF, am getting rid of most of my collection on other sites and by private word of mouth. Hence of course, I am buying a lot less on eBay than I was! Everything form plants to children's toys, home items etc. Those sales have gone elsewhere as I can find better prices on the open market, most with Free Delivery. What made me think that it may be better for business sales is the fact that, if a private seller puts an item up for say £10 a prospective buyer would see £11.12 inc BPF, but I assume that if a Business seller puts the same item up for £10, the buyer would see £10, therefore making his listing more competitive. Am I correct in that assumption? Also something else I have noticed is that the views on eBay have dwindled to almost zero. On the few items I list, I conducted a small experiment by listing the same items, 4 in fact, on eBay and another 'e' site. The views on the other site over the same period was 10 times that on the eBay site albeit without a buyer, but without views you won't get buyers will you. There was almost no danger of a clash as the items were very expensive and had 'Make an Offer', but the viewing difference was quite an eye opener. If that is the same across the whole of eBay, then there is something drastically wrong with this site now I would say.

[vintagevilarosa]

To be honest I find it easier to sell on facebook market place...I might sell it for a little big less but when you take into account the fees, the hassle and the postage costs its just so much easier. The only thing I dont like is that I can only sell in my own country on Market place not the rest of Europe!

[therenewalworkshopltd]

What made me think that it may be better for business sales is the fact that, if a private seller puts an item up for say £10 a prospective buyer would see £11.12 inc BPF, but I assume that if a Business seller puts the same item up for £10, the buyer would see £10, therefore making his listing more competitive. Am I correct in that assumption? 

The answer isn't quite as simple as you may think.

On the face of it, yes, you are correct.

However, when you compare the fees charged, it is cheaper by far for the private seller.

So what is actually happening, for those with sense, they are reducing their selling price to account for the fees charged, which is inevitably going to be cheaper than what a business seller can sell at.  Simply because we generally pay a fair bit more in fees.  Whether that be for listing, a shop, advertising etc.

What all those who are complaining about it don't see, is that it is actually better for them now, than when it was (prior to completely free) when paying the discounted fees.

[nuggett46]

I didn't say the answer was simple I don't think. Having been a business seller, many years back, I know full well what the cost is of being a business seller is or was.  I also am not complaining, as personally I do not care a jot if my coins sell or not, this is merely an observation made from years of being on eBay. What I was saying, and having spoken to buyers face to face as it were, because of the way eBay are getting their fees from private sellers, because we all know , that is what they are doing as 'Buyer Protection Fees'' is a load of tosh as there was always protection for the buyer if things didn't go to plan and eBay made sure of that. The buyer invariably did not lose out! What I was saying was that the price the buyer sees on a private sellers listing is or appears larger than if the same item was on a business sellers listing. This should make the Business seller more competitive, and rightly so as I know what the business sellers have to pay in fees and it is quite extortionate but that is not shown in the price that the buyer is looking at.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

What I was saying was that the price the buyer sees on a private sellers listing is or appears larger than if the same item was on a business sellers listing. 

That's exactly what I was saying.

On the face of it yes, your correct.

But that does not allow for the cost to sell the item.

So basing a sale on a single item for both a private seller and a business seller.

The item costs £5.  You sell the item at £15 as a private seller.

The selling prices adds on an extra £1.35

So the private seller makes a profit of £10

The business seller place it for sale at £15 gives fees of £2.08

So that same seller gets back £7.92

In order to get the same return, the business seller has to increase the price to allow for the extra fees.

So it makes no sense, to sell at the same price of £15, as it will cost you an extra 73p in comparison.
And that of course is ignoring the cost of listing the item, whether through shop fees or not, advertising and so on.

These are not allowing for the cost of VAT and based on the standard fee of 11.9% +30p.

Do you see what I'm getting at now?  You simply cannot compare like for like.

[nuggett46]

Sorry, but you are not getting what I am trying to say. I'm looking at it purely from a Buyers perspective, on what the BUYER sees when look
at their 2 listing. One at £10 and one at £11.12. for the same item! I would say the £10 gets bought, granted that the business seller would make a smaller return.
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