What is going on with eBay sales 2024?

[cherishedjewelleryuk]

Anybody know why eBay shop sales have substantially reduced in 2024? Since April 2024 there seems to be a lot of shop sellers saying their sales have decreased to virtually nothing this year? 

[eyewear247]

I had my latest weekly payout today. It was the lowest total in 2024 when a week before Christmas in previous years it would of usually been a bumper week.

Compared with the same time 12 months ago my eBay sales have been on a downward slide all year but since October they have been in freefall and my sales are barely covering my modest salary let alone replenishing the sold stock.

I very much fear that after 20 years of trading on eBay if things do not pick up very soon my business may be reduced to a part time side hustle at best.

[brookmusic]

The way i see it for small business sellers like myself, you can't compete with the big sellers who sell 1000's of items for very little margin new goods and secondhand goods, (though some get a lot of negative feedbacks and dont care) who can afford to promote every item, you can't compete with the so called private sellers with large accounts, in minutes i can find some with 10-32k transactions, that to me is not private its a business, and they pay no fees now so can cut there prices, as many have said ebay used to work well , i say some sort of flat fee for all make it a level playing field, bring back the old days when i first started 20 years ago it was fun mainly auctions , watch them run have a few that shock you, those days have gone

[charmkeyrings]

Yes... Temu, Vinted, Shein, Ali Express etc and so forth.

[theelench]

In my line of Collectables even ebid has managed to out-sell ebay for the past few years.  This year the gap between the two is the widest ever.

IMO because over their my stuff is easy to find, on ebay it just isn't.

Ebid sales up again and ebay sales down to four, probably because I refuse to Promote at their suggested rate which would mean I'd be paying them 20 - 25% of the sale price and the postage.

Even for a private seller that is quite a few percent too much. 

[bravergrace]

I think it's down to several factors, but a major one is that business sellers are being crippled with ever higher fees, and are competing against huge numbers of unregistered businesses who pay no fees at all, and don't accept returns.

If your competitors simply open half a dozen "private" accounts, eBay allows them to sell free of fees, and free of returns.

You, on the other hand, pay shop fees (and/or listing fees), fees on sales, fees on postage, fees on international sales, etc.  And if you want your items to be shown to potential buyers, you are also expected to pay promoted listing fees.

Ultimately, if you sell £1000-worth of goods, and eBay takes 30% of that, and requires you to accept returns in accordance with the law, you cannot compete with your less scrupulous competitors, who buy their goods at the same prices as you, but pay no fees at all and don't accept returns.

[charmkeyrings]

I think you just nailed it.  I'm sure your items would sell well here, as would mine and other's.  If only people could see them.  Ebay software.... Show this guy in West Yorkshire only.  Right they've had a sale, now switch them off it's someone elses turn.  We have too many sellers and not enough buyers..