POOR SALES = MORE BUYERS NO LONGER USING EBAY?

[candytan67]

So I managed to find some info on yesterday's eBay 2021 Q4 Results.

It came as no suprise to me - after seeing my own declining site sales last year - that again for the third consecutive quarter that the "Number of Active Ebay Buyers" has fallen down to 147million, an overal yearly decline of nearly 10% . 

2021 Q2 = 156million 

2021 Q3 = 152million

2021 Q4 = 147million

2021 Q1 = 163million.......................2021 Q4 = 147million  (-9.8%)

While I am no fan of eBay and the manner it treats it's sellers - I would not like to see the site fail.

Why do buyers appear to be deserting eBay?

We need the answer fast and eBay need to find a solution even faster to help save our businesses.

Is the current "eBay search" (The Sales Prevention Tool) to blame?...........................or is it something else?

Answers on a postcard please!

[theelench]

We might all be together on the same site, but IMHO that's about it.  Sellers rely on sales, ebay relies on fees generated by those sales.

It seems to me that ebay hasn't just given up on increasing sales, according to the CEO they are successfully reducing the numbers of "low value" buyers, in favour of increasing the number of high value sales in selected categories ($1000 sneakers / Pokemon cards etc).  

To plug what must be quite a big gap, ebay seems to be increasing fees, not the number of fees collected.  I read somewhere that ebay.com will be increasing FVFs and the "Penalty Fee" attached to Service Metrics.  The increase in the basic PL rate from 1% to 2% and playing visibility games to twist sellers arms to get more of them to promote their listings.

Some businesses are performing well, but many are not.  Private sellers are probably, on some sort of average basis, probably doing even worse.

That's how ebay still continues to make (somewhat reduced) profits while showing an almost continuous decline in buyers, sellers and sales.

[vintagechinashop]

I think it really depends on what you sell. Pre covid as a buyer I'd always look at eBay first but during lockdown things changed a lot of eBay sellers closed down if they couldn't get items delivered and people, me included turned to Amazon and my buying habits were actually changed for good.  The reason sales might be good is if you are selling things which people can't get on Amazon like collectibles. I benefit from this but I would say sales post covid have not been at that level. I kept going through covid and sales like for many others boomed. I've just been placed on garden leave with my day job so I'm hoping with extra time to spend my sales will go up to help my decline in income 

keep your fingers crossed for me because I love what I do and if I could boost the current income I might not have to go back to full time working and instead reap the rewards of the world of eBay that I love 

[cardhawkuk]

100% agree.

As I noted on another post recently, the city analysts are still positive on ebay on the basis ebay are constantly increasing their "net take" ie the proportion of the fees that end up in their pocket as opposed to the sellers - but that goose can only lay so many golden eggs before they exhaust it completely.

If they could get the site back to the effective selling platform it used to be then there would be skin in the game for ebay and the sellers, but they appear fixated on figuring out underhand ways to take more from the sellers to make up for the fact they have let the platform fall into disrepair.

I understand their are problems with the global economy and all the rest of it, but thats a separate issue to the fact the platform has been tinkered to death almost.

[w.l.stubbs]

I would have thought that the downturn in global economy would have seen an increase in sales from private sellers trying to raise cash to ease a difficult situation, but it seems E-bay has turned them away by being a clunky and overly complicated place to sell even with 80% per cent  off FVF deals.

I have great sympathy for anyone trying to run a business from E-bay sales because rinsing sellers for all they can get is doomed to failure and is looking more and more like desperation and will only turn into decline through ever dimishing returns.

What a complete shambles they have made of a once thriving and exciting place to shop.

[prr635]

I have noticed a drastic reduction in my sales on eBay.  I can only put it down to their ridiculous fees    I only tend to list things when I get a 70% sales fees offer as otherwise it's not worth the effort of listing items, to make such a low return.  I have started selling on Vinted and although sceptical at first have been very impressed with my sale returns. They charge no fees to the seller and offer a good service to buyers.  I have used eBay for many many years & now think they are just charging too much for a small time seller such as myself. It's totally pointless listening anything at a low price, as the profit is so small, it's just not worth it! Sorry eBay but Vinted is far better!!!

[kaz-sandvika]

I have had very bad experiences with Chinese Sellers and Buyers targeting my business.  They have targeted my business 2 fold by undercutting on best-selling lines and also selling as private sellers with no returns policies.   Also targeting established businesses by buying with the sole intention of returning, to simply disrupt businesses and take a trade via individuals working for them. They operate from new accounts based across the UK,  habitually from Universities, as students.   These behaviors should be reported to eBay.  The more who are reported may encourage eBay to realize what is going on and put a stop to it before UK businesses are forced to close

[sam_in_barbate]

I am about to start selling elsewhere, it is useless here now, unless you have something so rare that just happens to fall infront of a buyer who is searching specifically.  My watchers are an astonishing 10% of what they used to be, & this last weekend I sent out over 30 offers, on items that had a handful of watchers, I received one counteroffer back at 50% less than the offer I had sent.. Even the spellchecker function barely works these days LOL

[litp*records]

"Send offer" worked great for me until a few months ago I noticed that my offers weren't "getting through"?  I wondered if anyone actually even saw them.  Eg. Sending out offers to 20 watchers, with 20% off, on items that were ALREADY the cheapest on the platform... would usually result in at least 4 or 5 sales.  But now, 1 sale if I am lucky.  Maybe buyers are expecting to make a counter offer, which I usually disable because it's already a steal.

The key indicator for me will be in mid April when students get their 3rd loan/grant payment, and at the end of April when those on benefits get the cost of living payment of £300 coming in.  If things don't pick up then, I will be seriously worried.

[And yes it is called a cost of living payment not "cost of existing"... you are allowed to have fun and buy *some* entertainment items. Goodness knows our feudal lords have heated pools, horse stables, duck houses, orangeries and myriad other luxuries that I would argue they did not earn and do not deserve, albeit that's a discussion for another topic...]

[gabore7]

Late refund (3-5 days minimum!), 

Bad quality sellers using EBay for scams and trick buyers constantly, 

EBay careless with buyers, 

more bad quality, misleading products selling on EBay and so on and on and on... 

7 out of 10 products sent back in 2022,

Expensive selling fees, slow sales, huge reduction from the earned money. 

Leaving EBay can improve ones financial and time management. 

[papers-mate-420]

1 of The reasons is maybe sellers are sick and tired of certain watchers that never buy and also they might of found another website to sell on etc...

[Anonymous]

Dearest eBay, you can now rename the website to China.Com. 
Sick of having to check if the seller is in China! 
The UK only function fails miserably! 

£10.78 for a Bamboo pen holder!
UK only selected. 

All sellers in China. 
100 yards away from me. £3.99 @ Wilko

Ohh the exercise! 

[jolly-chef]

I would have thought that more sellers would be forced out of the woods, but it looks like it's not working that way.

I think that more people can't afford to buy new items so are holding onto their old stuff, hence the volume of second-hand items for sale is reducing.

[qualitycardsandgifts]

I have units in a retail centre, selling similar items to the ones I have on eBay.     Sales are strong and increasing, but my eBay sales have virtually stopped.    Something has happened and I can only think that I have been switched off.   I'm just glad I don't employ anyone.   

[w.l.stubbs]

There is still a huge supply of seconhand goods just not on E-bay, the type of stuff I collect can be bought directly from auction houses, most dealers are just middle men or women on E-bay they buy directly from auction hiouses then stick it on E-bay with a mark up and in some cases a huge one. 

It is just cheaper for me to buy direct now even with auction house fees, the only items I buy now on E-bay are from private sellers not dealers when they appear.

The amount of Chinese and India made tat that appears in searches I do which shouldn't in the catogories I buy in has turned E-bay into just another very ordinary E-commerce site, they have totally lost the excitement of being a online boot sale.

They can only rinse sellers so far before the whole thing will collapse.

[prr635]

Yes. It’s a shame. EBay used to be a fun place to buy & sell. Not now!
I used to sell loads of stuff but have found over the last year very little is selling. It’s pointless selling something for a couple of pounds. By the time ebay take their fees I’m lucky to make 50p profit!


Sent from my iPhone

[vintagechinashop]

I don't find send offers productive at all. I try and send out a few per day as I know eBay like this but for me it reaps very little rewards. 
my sales are dire so far this month and I'm jumping through endless eBay hoops hoping that it might make a difference to visability but thus far it hasn't 

I keep praying for an eBay miracle to help with ever increasing bills but as yet I haven't been blessed

ill kneel at my bedside tonight. You never know ✌️

[papers-mate-420]

You need to learn to sell away from ebay don't just rely on ebay cos you will struggle like i am as i am selling more lately away from ebay like i did again last night sold a few more items from my ebay shop like you need to put the word out to friends of friends and it will pick up soon not like ebay just get boring watchers most of the time but in the end if i run out of stock and they still watch they will lose out as i will unlist so all good in the end more options is better i think.

[1956glyn]

I have no clue what buyers want lately.  We list quality items cheap and still not a lot of sales 😞

I think there is money around but maybe buyers are buying needs and not wants

My current listing should have flown by now.    I have no clue why it has not.

[whf-southampton]

Interesting that they only look at buyers - the other side of the issue is sellers. What are the seller numbers doing?

The two sides are linked - if you have less sellers then you get less buyers. (Look at the High Streets less sellers so less buyers so less sellers etc etc)

As a seller and a buyer it is important to get the needs of both balanced and in my experience this has not been the case

If anyone knows what the seller numbers are doing over the same period then you might see a pattern

[papers-mate-420]

Best thing is just keep trying and like i said get the word out to friends of friends away from ebay that is all i know it is working for me slowly building up my customers base this way plus it also cuts out the middle man meaning i can sell a bit cheaper on the streets like as my sales on ebay is at snail pase.