Impressions broken again??

[swiss_expert_uk]

Can you please check if there is another problem with impressions? Another counting glitch? These stats can not be correct. Organic impressions promoted views down to under 3000 views today at time of writing. This time last week almost 73000 views. Please help.  dave@ebay kat@ebay 

[paul*tribesandvibes*]

For what it's worth, I went through my listings and sent out a pile of 'offers' yesterday evening, which sparked 2 sales plus a non-offer sale. I did the same this morning, and that sparked another 3 sales, plus a non-offer sale.

I can only tell you what happened - maybe you can try this too - or maybe I just got lucky! These days, it's hard to tell!

[best-range]

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@paul*tribesandvibes* wrote:

For what it's worth, I went through my listings and sent out a pile of 'offers' yesterday evening, which sparked 2 sales plus a non-offer sale. I did the same this morning, and that sparked another 3 sales, plus a non-offer sale.

I can only tell you what happened - maybe you can try this too - or maybe I just got lucky! These days, it's hard to tell!

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How did you "go through your listings & sent offers" ? it's ebay that determines which listings are eligible to sent offers in your seller hub under "Tasks", if the listing is not selected by ebay as "eligible" you cannot sent any offers.

Secondly you can only sent offers on single listings & not MVL , ebay IT team has not yet figured out how to do it.

I have mostly MVL, I do have a few single listings & normally when I'm "switched on" the number of listings to sent offers to increases & of course I always sent them, it's part of a routine, but when I'm in my "0 sales day"  there are no eligible listings to sent offers to in my Hub. 

That's one way I can tell if I'm "visible or invisible" to buyers that day, no offers = invisible, offers increasing = visible.

I had a very good day on Thursday without sending any offers, but since I have 0 sales on payday weekend.

The same happened last week, very good day on Thursday followed by very few sales for the next 7 days afterwards until Thursday & then nothing since.

[paul*tribesandvibes*]

@best-range  I just click on the 'Active Listings', and manually click on the drop down option next to each listing which says 'send offers'. I dont automate anything in ebay if I have a choice in the matter, so I can send out whatever offers I want to send.

I stopped doing MVL listings a while ago, idk, it just felt like they were being overlooked. I think ebay gets far more if you list Blue Ones, Red Ones and Green Ones on three separate listings rather than 1 listing with all three on it. So that's why I had a feeling that my MVLs were being shoved to one side by ebay. When I started listing stuff separately, it got a much better response/sales.

I nearly always find that on paydays we dont get sales. It used to be the case that we were knee-deep in them,  but this has not happened this year, it seems to have changed so that we start to get picked up around the 4th of the month. 🙈

Sorry, I keep changing from 'I' to 'We' - my partner and I work together, but I'm the gobby one on the forums 😄

[best-range]

Thanks Paul for your kind advise,

Sorry OP for slightly derailing the topic.

I tried to go manually to sent offers but my drop down menu does not have that option you speak of to Sent Offers, I can select the listing & then go to "Sell Faster - Sent Offers" which is at the top of the page, but then get warning :

So I'm only allowed to sent offers when ebay selects the listings for me & not otherwise.

As to the splitting the MVL into single listings I did try that in the past & had very little views/sales from the single listings but am glad it worked for you, I think it depends what you sell.

Further analysing my sales,  the great majority of sales for me come from MVL format esp. the oldest ones listed with huge selling history & very little comes from single listings in comparison to MVL.

Sure if it was the other way round I'd split my listings into single.

In general why would I try to change anything if it works perfectly well some days/weeks but not others ?

Example given in my previous post, where good sales days are followed by 1-3 days of no sales at all.

Or a week of very good daily sales is followed by a week with almost no sales.

If sales are good for a few days or a few weeks & then suddenly & abruptly stop, I dont think this has anything do do with me doing or not doing anything with my listings.

I'll def. put it down to the endless & unnecessary live tests & tinkering with the site as well as "rationing visibility", resulting in the "on/off" erratic sales.

[paul*tribesandvibes*]

@best-range and with apologies to the OP - could I just mention that I get that error message too occasionally. I think you can only send offers on items with recent watchers, and if you try to send another offer too soon, you get the 'Listings Not Eligible' message. So if you automate it, it may be a few days/week/weeks before you can send more offers.

[fatbobfan]

Payday is coming, we thought the same

29th September we sent 80 offers additionally we specifically targeted 30 existing customers with vouchers for repeat business

Sales 30th September- Zero

Sales today (1st) 3 all not offer/voucher related

Wish I could figure it out

[tothemoonresales]

Well, I have never known a time like this, I am now convinced this platform is dying!

Managed to speak to a human on Friday and went through everything and the only "solution" I was told for no sales was "item titles". Apparently (and this is what I was told) eBay search now doesn't want any long titles or titles containing numbers, as people now use the drop-down item's specifics to find items (though I never have personally!)

example

Hugo Boss Long Sleeved Mens Shirt 2XL Checked  Vintage 90s (old title)

So the title he claims now should be something like " Hugo Boss Mens Shirt xxl Check" 

Was told my account was in good order (top-rated seller blah de blah) my prices were competitive and this was literally the only thing he could think of telling me to basically get me off the phone.

I have done what he says, plus currently updating all my photos. Thus far one sale since Friday!!! Beyond a joke, funny how I see sold listings with similar items selling for more than I am selling them for as well.

Am getting a few odd watches but send out offers and nothing. Could it be a case of more sellers than buyers on here now also?

The last roll of the dice for me now downgraded to the basic shop and at the moment not even worth paying for that. Even now as a part-time thing, this is becoming more stress than it's worth tbh!

[paul*tribesandvibes*]

@tothemoonresales thank you for posting the information that you received, and congrats on getting a real human. I have my doubts though, and it's not for your reporting, it's for the information itself. So please dont take this as an attack on you personally ...

I have had this sneaking suspicion for a while that CS staff are either reading from a script, or if they sense that we are already quoting the script back at them because we've heard it so many times, that they are literally making stuff up to appease us.

If, as this CS rep said, ebay doesn't want long titles any more etc etc - why do they not tell us that in their Business Update letters? If we cannot use numbers now they should report it somewhere. Give us the skinny ebay! Tell us directly what we should be doing rather than us having to resort to rogue/bored CS reps giving us silly information, or chinese whispers and theories on the forums rather than actual ebay requirements.

I think you are right, this marketplace is out of control and dying. More Sellers than Buyers. It used to be so much fun. You knew where you were. Your listing fee and your good reputation got you to the top. You didn't mind paying the final fee. There were no impressions or fancy graphs, just payment for service to ebay and to us.

[tothemoonresales]

@paul*tribesandvibes* totally agree on all points I have never heard this one before but yes he claimed anything with numbers in is a no-no in the title. So putting a number amount for an item or a year messes with the search engine and won't be found (don't shoot the messenger lol).

Also again claiming everyone in 2023 uses the item's specifics to find items, its laughable as a buyer I have never used this as a way to find items.

Would be good if someone else could contact CS and also ask about the titles to see what answer they get. Like you say they are basically making it all up at this point! Over 20 years of buying and selling in various guises but convinced it's done! 

Have noticed even the YouTube "experts" are getting less and less vocal as well.

[goingfishinguk]

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@tothemoonresales wrote:

Managed to speak to a human on Friday and went through everything and the only "solution" I was told for no sales was "item titles". Apparently (and this is what I was told) eBay search now doesn't want any long titles or titles containing numbers, as people now use the drop-down item's specifics to find items (though I never have personally!)

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Now see this is what is so frustrating with eBay.  You and probably many others are given that advice.  However watch the 'Prep for Peak' video on this page and it never mentions not using numbers.  It also states use the full 80 title words if possible so totally contradicting what you are instructed to do.

It also mentions using white backgrounds but eBay is rolling out their updated site where all the backgrounds are a dull grey/beige.  At least eBay should get their story straight.  It's seems to me they do not know what is best for their own site.

Also as a side note if everyone uses their best practise in forms of keywords, photos, titles etc etc then what gives you best visibility?  If everyone has everything as perfect as it can be how can you get better views, of course, money.  Throwing more money at eBay will get you better views, or at least you'd hope so.

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[tothemoonresales]

@goingfishinguk  I agree again totally was always led to believe to use the whole 80 characters and have done so forever. This CS "expert" 100% said this is wrong so who am I to argue with these company experts?

When it comes to plain backgrounds have done this also forever but seeing so many sellers in my niche doing well with a background so changing mine from plain to this just to see. Who knows at this point?

All I know is all my stock will be going to the car boot next season if nothing improves, fruitless exercise this is at this point imo.

NB - its actually laughable what I have been told, as how about all the jigsaws for sale everyone obviously states how many pieces in the title!!!!

[the-nutwood-collection]

Google Shopping prefers a plain white or pale background to an image because it makes the product stand out.  Cluttered backgrounds don't read well on a small image, and day-glo colour backgrounds are a problem for users with visual disabilities.

Interesting post on the .com site from February of this year (https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Do-we-need-a-white-background-for-Google-No/td-p/33591480) that contradicts the CS advice. 

From today's ebay for business podcast:  "I know you want to use your fancy backgrounds and the woodgrain backdrop and we used to say Google won't accept this and they've changed their ways so you know, they now accept these backgrounds. You can use 'em if you want..." 

Seems like .com and .uk aren't on the same page.

[fatbobfan]

Shocking

marco@ebay katie@ebay dave@ebay I will continue to highlight and rant about poor CS just look at post 607

Ebay Business YT from the Ebay Open event, in the last 7 days says exactly the opposite to the advice given in post 607

We get contradicting information, or and this is my opinion from experience CS agents who just waffle and make things up. For many on this forum its a livelyhood, its appalling, just glad we dont treat our customers like Ebay does, its shameful.

[tackshackuk]

I have to agree cs are all contradicting their selves. I spoke to cs yesterday who went through the normal, item title, price, promo listing everytime i picked holes and said all this was done he came up with the analytics have changed and noone knows what they are - helpful! He said it could be price or photos he just didn't know and i was told to play around until something worked. I had to laugh as at one stage he was saying analytics change all the time (during the day) so it could be price then change to pictures and it was to make sure everyone had sales - random, they have no idea. We also had a chat about impression and why the impression that were going up (in green) but i had not had a sale with the ones in green again didn't have an answer. It's like doing a jigsaw in the dark.

I also pointed out that if i was a customer on ebay and their system was looking for good pictures or titles i wouldn't be getting the best price. He said ebay wouldn't hide listings i don't agree.

[wakeson]

Anyone here use the promoted listing advanced !! and notice a massive drop in impressions yesterday !! 

went from arounf 2000 a day on avrage to 166 !! 

also the fees came to £14 in the advertising dashboard but the profarmance review they charged me £120..

 the figures coming from ebay are all wrong, nothing adds up, yesterday my fees cam to 58.8% of total sold !! its a bloody joke

[paul*tribesandvibes*]

@wakeson 😮 those ebay fees are awful! I dont do advanced, I wouldn't leave ebay in charge of my toilet rolls supply let alone my advertising revenue. But my standard promotions and my organic impressions fell 2 days ago and have literally levelled off,  both of them.

I dont think ebay care really whether we stay or go. They have managed to generate a fear culture on here for some of us. From a point of doing OK, your sales drop to almost nothing, so you panic and do Promoted Listings. 2% at first, for some it works, for a while and then it stops working after a few weeks or months. So you increase to 3% and that worked for a while too. And then it doesn't. So folks get really fearful because they've put their heart and soul into their business, so they increase the % or do advance promotions etc etc ...

Ebay get their money. They dont seem to give a rats about us or our livelihoods because there is always someone behind us who will take our place if we leave. And ebay wont care about them either, or the ones that replace them. There will always be people who will 'try this site out for month or two and see how it goes'. And it will go fine for a month or two, and then the cycle begins again.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm sick of the BS from ebay and how this site works (or doesn't!) these days. I've been on here for about 17 years, and have seen a few changes, and the main one being how ebay try to run my business for me these days. I've gone from approx £1800 in September 2019, down to £930 in September 2022, down to £400 in September 2023. I apologise to any new folks on here, sorry to be a grumpy trousers, but this is how I see it. I am happy for those folks that are making a living on here, good for you - just watch your backs.

[british-ceramics-and-paintings]

I don't think there are lots of sellers replacing existing ones,  I think that is a myth, you only need to look at the stats relating to GMV, active sellers and buyers. 

I'm seeing lots of business sellers reducing their listings or leaving the site altogether, I'm not seeing lots of business sellers replacing them.

[oceanartsnorthdevon]

On my promotion dashboard showing my sellers performance today, all in green showing increased sales, impression etc (which I haven't seen personally as it has been dead for last couple of days) for some reason the "Sales" figure and "Ad Fees" shown as increased in green, the figures are in dollars?

[wakeson]

@paul*tribesandvibes* dont apoligise for anything, the truth is ecatly what you just said, there rinsing us of the proffits and ther just killing business on here, there are lots of sellers leaving the promoted listing alone now, ive reducced mine and with the keywords the ones i stopped running have casued the other to go up surprise surprise.

My standard promotions are all around 20% now !! my new website will be my main concern now, eBay amazon wet are juse give a legal right to rip selers off in my opinion.

[paul*tribesandvibes*]

@wakeson yup,  it's just not worth it anymore. We're concentrating on our own website too - re-doubling our efforts and it's paying off. We have much more fun on there and we are still the same honourable, trustworthy business sellers that we've always been. We've never needed ebay to moderate our business dealings. We just wanted to enjoy this platform - but that ship has long sailed. And if the sales continue as they are currently going, Christmas or not we may have to walk away because it will cost us more to stay here with shop fees, promotion fees, listing fees, final fees, it's losing money. Sales need to at least x10 for us to stay here! Let's hope Santa is reading this 🎅