Sales Downfall in March 2024

I wonder if anyone else noticed a sudden downfall in sales.

 

Sales are non existent in March however January and February were reasonabley good months.

 

Please share your thoughts!

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

Very odd. Our external views are consistent all through the month.

Message 21 of 171
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Sales Downfall in March 2024

A bank customer advisor told me last week that in spring and summer many customers will need to renegotiate their fixed-term mortgage deals, because that's when their anniversary of buying their home comes up. The majority of movers buy a place in spring and early summer.

 

Perhaps some people are reining in general spending, given reports in the News last year of the ticking time-bomb in 2024 of much more expensive mortgage deals. When a mortgage rises by a lot per month (in the past I've had at least one deal that saw a rise of £100+ p.m.) no wonder people might cut back on general spending until they find out the amount of their new mortgage deal.

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

I belive Ebay`s main customer base in the UK are among the worst hit by the cost of living crisis. I`m talking the lower middle class, pensioners, those on benefits and I don`t see the light at the end of the tunnel. The level of destitution in some parts of this country is shocking.   

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

While the country may be struggling, the country didn't suddenly start struggling during the 2nd week of March. 

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

Same here.  Now suddenly down over 40% on March last year.  Jan and Feb were similar to last year. 

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Sales Downfall in March 2024


@therenewalworkshopltd wrote:

I really don't believe that Ebay is dying.  It is just a bad time in general for all.

The whole country is struggling at the moment, which is obviously going to be affecting your sales!

People simply don't have the money to pay their bills, let alone buy extra things.

So many companies have gone bust, or have you not noticed this?

 


Ebay has lost 40 million active buyers since 2018 (its peak of 175 ish million... NOT during covid as popularly claimed, during which it was actually on the decline!)

 

So that's a massive chunk of active buyers worldwide gone in just 6 years.  When the next report comes out I expect that number to have declined even further.

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

Again, eBay's active buyers didn't suddenty walk away in the 2nd week of March.

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

You know that you can make all sorts out of figures and statistics.

By the same token, in 2018, Ebay had revenue of $10.7 Bn, yet in 2022 it was 9.7bn.  Not quite as shocking as it looks on the face of it.  And 2014 it was 12.8bn, one of the highest in it's history.  Of note, all figures up until 2014 include revenue from Paypal.  After that point, it's excluded.  Which does allow for the differences.

The figures are fairly consistent over the last 10 years, with no significant drops in revenue.

It's actually fairly consistent with the global business climate.

 

It's not all about the number of users, but the quality of the sales.

And frankly, if you believe that the platform is dying, why are you still here?

 

But the whole thing here, is why are "my" sales dropping off a cliff!

As I said earlier, there could be issues with the platform, but my own figures don't bear that out!  

It's more about what your selling and how you are selling etc.  There are all the usual things to check, such as listing over 90 days old etc.  Change what your doing, add new products and so on.  Staying still, never got anyone anywhere.

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

Yes, I agree that figures can be 'glossed' or 'spun' to come to very different conclusions but in support of @litp*records interpretation I'd add my experience of selling on another site, much smaller and less well known than ebay.

 

After years of sales that rarely got above single figures a year, as my ebay sales declined I began to notice a corresponding increase in sales on the other site, slowly but surely over several years.  (Admittedly not too difficult for a very low volume seller, selling collectables, which I regard as an erratic area anyway)  At the end of 2019 I had sold 25 items on ebay and 5 items on the other site.

 

At the end of 2020, with lock-down and furlough from work reducing wages, sales on ebay were 16.  Sales on the other site were 26.  At the time I put this down to buyers, at home with time on their hands browsing more and different sites.  But, apart from a dip in 2021, when things got back to something like normal, that reversal has continued every year since.  2023's ebay sales were 13, the other site 24.

 

So far this year, ebay 1 sale, the other site 18 so far.  Admittedly I've more or less given-up on ebay this year and don't list much after the last two years dismal performance.  I think something changed during Lock-down for many buyers.  They had the time and evidently the inclination to start looking beyond ebay and they stopped automatically searching on ebay first.

 

Regarding ebays revenue and how it's remained consistent over the last ten years.  It's been noted here by many that over those years that as sales fall, the percentage ebay takes in fees has increased, to prop up revenue.

 

While the revenue figures up to 2014 included paypal, subsequently they included revenue from MP.  Which I remember the CEO at the time saying would increase ebays figures (I can't remember by how many billions).

Even within the last quarters' revenue figures and for a few more over the last couple of years, it has been noted that the only growth area has been PL fees and in his Last Quarter Report the CEO (I'm pretty sure) actually mentioned that PL was "propping-up" revenue.

 

All in all, to me, that looks like ebay has turned from a sales generating platform, deriving its main revenue from increasing sales.  Into a fee generating platform, relying less on sales and more on MP, PL and all the rest of its fees to maintain its revenue in the face of falling sales.

 

And I have to say that with the increased complexity of using ebay, its anti-small time seller policies and above all, how expensive it now is to sell on, compared with the other site,  I don't see the situation being reversed.

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

i agree this is not economics , this is date specific . The country just didnt stop buying on the 15th March . The fact that many users have the same date for a downturn suggests clearly AI is the issue. EBay has done something , we will never know what, that has resulted in a lot of accounts being affected by a sudden drop. When people experience issues on the same day this cannot be the ecomomics of the UK or anything other than platform changes that the AI is then affecting sales on accounts. 

 

The sad thing is this happens reguarly now where lots of accounts are suddenly hit. I would guess ebay is pushing the larger accounts , Argos types at the detriment of the smaller accounts , so taking sales away from smaller businesses and pushing them onto the larger corporate accounts. I believe these platform tweaks are meant to help the bigger businesses when they feel the squeeze , ebay turns up the taps for them at the cost of the rest of us, simply because the AI knows how many buyers they hav and how to make them convert a view to a sale.

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

My sales for this month are half of last years. Never have listings over 90 days old, they get ended when they have had no views in the month. Not got many listed at the moment, as they made a mess of the ending dates which mucked everything up. Spent the last few weeks preparing the ended listings ready for my final full years trading before retirement in early 2025.

 

On another note I stopped buying on ebay when I ran out of money in Paypal and do wonder how many others did as well.  Although I do buy most thing online, I don't buy clothes or household goods. Normally it is books, puzzles  and toys/pressies  for the grandkids. Come to that I only buy on Amazon if I can't find what I want elsewhere. Much prefer to support the small retailers.

 

 

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

Not sure Ebay is holding up very well on a like for like basis in any shape or form. Simply look at the GMV figures, when you adjust for any kind of inflation the numbers are very very weak. Not sure how anyone can argue with that.

 

Ebay is being propped up by promoted listings and the fact it now charges for aspects it didn't used to, i.e. fees on postage and packing, customs charges and international transaction fees.

 

The GMV numbers are woeful.

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

I have only had 3 sales in the last 31 days, most of the listing have no page views either and lack of feedback too but nothing new there. Frustrating times to say the least.

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

The downward trend continues.  Today's the worst day sales-wise in 15 years.  Meantime monthly sales are down over 30% on last year.  (Jan and Feb were OK and similar to last year.)  The drop-off began on 9th March, saleswise and views-wise.  Up till then things were OK.

This has nothing to do with the UK economy suddenly falling off a cliff during the 2nd week of March, and everything to do with eBay's forever diddling about. 

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Sales Downfall in March 2024


@bricklanebargains wrote:

I belive Ebay`s main customer base in the UK are among the worst hit by the cost of living crisis. I`m talking the lower middle class, pensioners, those on benefits and I don`t see the light at the end of the tunnel. The level of destitution in some parts of this country is shocking.   


Kind of see your point there.

At our weekly public open days the budget end of products struggle to sell.

Yet the £300 - £500+ items are having to be restocked most weeks.

So summing up. for those in a more fortunate financial position, the cost of living 

is a minor inconvenience rather than a problem.

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Astronomy is looking up
Message 35 of 171
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Sales Downfall in March 2024

I am new to ebay, Jan 2024 was when I joined as a Seller, Straight away sales came and then suddenly stopped! It's early days for myself to really judge, But since it was the same T-shirts that were selling and were obviously popular I wondered were my customers went.

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

Seriously, another business masquerading as a private seller!

 

Of all the problems on Ebay, this has to be the biggest!

 

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Sales Downfall in March 2024

I have not sold a thing since the 6th March I have tried everything except paying for of site adds.

 

I have been listing tweeking listings but nothing works something  happened around the 6/9 March imo  as page views have either dissapeared or no page views at all on new listings. I have sold more on Etsy handmade items than I have sold on Ebay in the last few months. Cant list my other items on there as they are bought in to sell.

 

I have been listing on other sites as well but still no sales.

 

Temu is the reason for no sales its cheap, quick delivery, if your item does not arrive by the due date given you are refunded straight away and told to keep the item. I have a friend who buys on that site all the time Temu use Evri for deliveries we all know how unreliable they are so Temu must be losing a lot of money. 

 

I bought my first thing on here in months should have been delivered by 25th still not arrived I am not putting in an INR case yet I know how bad that feels for the seller. Why is just Ebay that items dont arrive on time every other site always arrives on time or before............Something is so wrong with ebay.

 

 

 


Maureen

SimplyC Accessories
Message 38 of 171
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Sales Downfall in March 2024

Whilst I sympathise that your not selling much at the moment, I am a bit stumped by your statement: 

 

"Why is just Ebay that items dont arrive on time every other site always arrives on time or before............Something is so wrong with ebay."

 

How on earth is that anything to do with Ebay?  It's up to the seller to post an item and the courier to deliver it!

That can't possibly be Ebay's fault.

Apart from the odd item that has an issue with postage, everything I sell on Ebay arrives on or ahead of estimated delivery times.

 

 

Message 39 of 171
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Sales Downfall in March 2024

Hi

 

Yes our sales the same fom middle of March dropped and not reach £100 brutto per day what we had every day.

 before. When talked with Costumers service they says all the time same. Maybe because other people selling simillar or promotion not on. But all of my active list promotion on. So I hope they will be back normal soon

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