Is eBay a place TO SELL OR NOT any LONGER? Is it dead / dying?

[fixfix]

Does anyone else feel the same? Is eBay no longer a platform for sellers? During my years of selling on eBay, I've noticed declining traffic. The traffic and sales were so much better previously Is it the algorithm that is messing up people's businesses? Always been an "eBay Top-rated Seller." Used promoted listings, shop, keywords, specs, and delivery options including express, "free" postage, and "not-free", promotions. Nothing seems to work. Still getting sales if you can call it this way (0-3 a day), but nothing like it used to be. 

Never actually stopped promoting (not at the full suggested rate but reasonable)

The traffic went dramatically down in the last 2-3 years. Just not picking up. Any recommendations, feelings, experiences, etc.

Thinking of leaving eBay for good... It's draining my energy trying to figure it out, but nothing works.

[fassiphone]

Long gone are the days when, as a private seller, you'd be selling multiple items in one day, almost everyday.

[theelench]

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@4_bathrooms wrote:

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@theelench wrote:

I know, so you will also have noticed that no-one else is interested in pointing out that it isn't just sellers mis-representing themselves that constitutes illegal trading.  

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I suspect that is because there are very few threads where it ever gets mentioned; in most cases a private seller has absolutely no way of knowing whether their buyer is purchasing as a business or not. A business using a private account to buy stock will not be apparent as such unless they mention that is what they are doing. A "private" seller with a history of listing dozens of BNWT items of clothing at a time - all in different sizes and pictured modelled on mannequins - is highly likely to be a trader masquerading as a private seller whether the seller realises it or not. However, it is far less clear when someone is buying as a business as you only have their feedback received as a buyer to go on and many private buyers (myself included) regularly buy things for other people.

That said, I actually believe the practice is more common than traders using private accounts for selling. The concept of traders using one account for buying and a different account for selling in order to hide what they originally paid for an item goes way back to before eBay even had distinct business and private account structures. A trader engaging in this type of arbitrage is almost certainly not going to want their details shown on their buying account in order to prevent their buyers from being able to link it to their selling account.    

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I agree with what you say but ebay, by allowing multiple accounts, has created a situation that is open to mis-representation and abuse when buying.  Just as it has created the situation for selling.

In particular I agree when you say "I believe the practice is more common than traders using private accounts for selling...".   

You've noticed that there are "very few threads where it ever gets mentioned"  and I've noticed that even on the few occasions where it is, it's ignored. 

There are regular posters that have opinions or advice to give on almost every topic that comes-up on the boards.  But not on that one, any mention is passed over without comment.

There are those whose sole reason for posting seems to be outing businesses trading on private accounts.  But even blatant examples of businesses mis-representing themselves to fool private sellers elicits no comment.  e.g  a vinyl seller boasting of having talked a private seller into selling them a rare record for their 'private collection', then flipping it to make a £100 profit, was completely ignored.

On one thread where I did mention the practice I was told by a respected regular that "That's business"  not "That's criminal" and their comment went unchallenged.  Just two examples which lead me to believe that the practice is rife and so widespread that it has become accepted business practice on ebay. 

It's something that ebay needs to address IMO.  When there were enough private buyers of collectables to give the traders some competition it wasn't such a problem, but now there aren't in many areas and their activities are becoming easier to spot.  So are the 'bargains' re-listed at inflated (or real market value) prices easier to see by the original sellers and ebay's reputation takes another knock every time they do.

[graja94]

I also buy for myself,  as I also collect  various things, I disagree that  something is worth what people will pay, I believe that only happens if it is an extremely rare item, and if something is that rare would they not be selling at Christie’s and not eBay, but you can see 10 identical items on eBay ranging from £180 to £700,    which is a good example of eBay sellers who price reasonably and sell their item, and the sellers who totally over inflate their prices and keep relisting because it is not selling!! You call me a trader, I call it a hobby I am not reliant on my flea market sales, Traders buy and sell as their main income in most cases. Traders are the ones who keep the market fluid they offer fair prices when buying, and do the same when selling.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

There is no actual definition of what a trader is.

However, at the crux of it, is someone who is buying, to sell at a profit.

There is also an allowance of up to £1000 in TURNOVER (not profit), per year, before you have to register as a sole trader etc.
So by saying that traders buy and sell as their main income, is way off the mark.

That may well be true in the majority of cases, but most certainly does not exclude those who are dabbling and exceed that £1000 per year.

So if you are actually buying with the intent to make a bit of money, you ARE trading, irrespective of the fact that you may only do something once a week, or month etc if it exceeds that thousand pounds.

And that simple fact is what an awful lot of people don't seem to get.

Not having a go, but trying to correct your misunderstanding of what it actually is.

[laserbloke2000]

I've been on ebay for 21 years now, but we stopped the big commercial account a decade ago now. Coming into my old personal account today, via the app, to try to sell a single item, I can see why sales have dropped off for you all. It's about impossible to get into the system, and then actually trying to sell something, the app is 100% broken. Add in the useless descriptions that are mostly lies from Chinese sellers or drop shippers, and the UX isn't one you'd repeat in a hurry. Just go look at the play store feedback for the app! 4.2 stars, but the last 6 months, there's few above 1 star.

Ebay has really, really lost it's way. 

[superchallenge]

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@graja94 wrote:

I disagree that  something is worth what people will pay...

Uh...OK. I'll be fair and wait until you've made the rest of your point before judging...

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@graja94 wrote:

...I believe that only happens if it is an extremely rare item, and if something is that rare would they not be selling at Christie’s and not eBay, but you can see 10 identical items on eBay ranging from £180 to £700,    which is a good example of eBay sellers who price reasonably and sell their item, and the sellers who totally over inflate their prices and keep relisting because it is not selling!!

Oh, I didn't need to judge. You successfully argued against yourself.

Item rarity doesn't come into it, though. If I have a coffee shop and I start trying to charge £50 for a cup of Gold Blend, the public would make it very, very clear that what I'm selling isn't worth the price that I'm charging. If I reduce the price over and over again until I'm selling at a price point that the public finds to be acceptable, then I might make some sales.

In your example, there are 10 identical items ranging from £180 to £700, and the ones priced reasonably are selling. The overpriced ones get relisted because they aren't selling. That's black and white proof that something is only worth what people are willing to pay for it.

[*maetrix*]

Yeah,agree with the item descriptions..

The whole "let ai write your item decsription" idea is misleading and needs removing now..it's almost as bad as sellers using stock photos..shouldn't be allowed full stop.

[4_bathrooms]

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@therenewalworkshopltd wrote:

There is no actual definition of what a trader is.

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There is, it can be found in any consumer legislation. For example, this is the definition used in the Consumer Contracts Regulations:

"“consumer” means an individual acting for purposes which are wholly or mainly outside that individual's trade, business, craft or profession;

“trader” means a person acting for purposes relating to that person's trade, business, craft or profession, whether acting personally or through another person acting in the trader's name or on the trader's behalf."

Pretty much identical definitions can be found in the Consumer Rights Act, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act etc.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I was basing that on how HMRC define things in order to decide whether you should be self employed or not.
They are little vague as such.
But yes of course you are going to find specific definitions in law, but they will all vary slightly, depending on which one it is.
The point however I was making, was just that if you are buying to sell, you are trading and not doing a hobby.
Whether that "hobby", is profitable or not or you main source of income.

[vintage_clearout]

I remember (wavering music....) when my parents moved house, I was about 20  and thankfully was 'resting between jobs' and put a lifetimes *bleep* I'd piled up in their garage plus plenty more of theirs on here.

It mostly all sold and although I wasn't charging top dollar, I was actually being quite ballsy with the pricing. I've done a funny thing in that I've kept a folder on my PC's over the years called (cunning this) 'eBay' and it has pictures of every single thing, more or less, I've ever sold on here over various accounts since the 90s. Thinking about some art project along the lines of "Everydays: the First 5000 Days" one day.

I occasionally flick through it as I add things, and although it doesn't record the price or if it sold, I just think about how I wouldn't even bother listing it now as for various reasons it probably wouldn't sell. Those reasons include eBay themselves, how they attract people to this site, fees, the overall market conditions (site flooded with low quality goods drop shippers etc...) and more.

The irony is that I remember spending HOURS at the post office (no print at home them) that month, to the point that the postmaster opened up specially for me one day and left me to self-scan on the now ubiquitous Horizon system for a couple of hours. And it still felt worth it. Now I can print and home and have things collected from the doorstep, it still isn't worth listing a lot of the same sorts of things.

[bish38]

things aren’t good. eBay simple delivery is a mess, and as a seller when i send an offer of a friendly discount the BPF fee bites me in the ass ! So many changes which suck it out of you trying to keep up and make sense of it all. Apart from that its summer which is always a low on ebay and we have global instability and also an awful lot of people are feeling a serious pinch.

ebay aren’t helping them selves at the moment and i have stopped selling completely and I’ll have a look later in the year. I’m feeling pretty gutted to stop and whereas in the past I really enjoyed it, it’s become a grind.

[carinya.designs]

There are real problems with the ebay platform, sales are at an all time low.. other platforms are selling fine yet ebays views are through the roof yet no conversion to sales