eBay is officially dead

[fashionxpress2008]

Yesterday:

17,000 listing across 13 eBay countries = no sales

200 listings on Vinted (same prices) = 10 sales

1,000 listings on Depop (same prices) = 6 sales

Shall I give up 🙂 

[typo_lee]

I think clothing sales on ebay is indeed dead due to Vinted etc. But not all businesses are dead on here.

[exponential_developments]

But who is doing ok on here consistently....?

[superchallenge]

I seem to be. Genuinely.

Sales fluctuate of course, but I've had only two "blank" days without a single sale since September 1st, and the store was on "Time Away" across both those days.

[sheba-knows-best]

---

@exponential_developments wrote:

But who is doing ok on here consistently....?

---

I am. In pre-loved clothing. Still having to work hard to keep profit growth in line with sales growth but that's in line with pretty much any successful business in these economically challenged times.

[potters_uk]

I also think that when people see Amazon, they actually see a business regardless of independant sellers using it whereas Ebay has always been seen as a place where you go to get things cheaper from a conglomeration of individuals and Ebay  is just the hosting site.

[firkinspares]

had a great week last week. one sale this week. hmm

[pureshoresswimwear]

Its been bad for me, it was like someone switched us off.

lucky to get a sale every few days now.

i have a few theories but nothing concrete. all changed when they changed the item specifics in your listings.

It seems the more info you add the lower in the searches you become.

i have to go brand, type, size, colour when searching for an item for mine to appear. If just search brand and item type its several pages down before i even start seeing my listings, funny thing is you see other listings that dont even have the keywords you typed still show above yours.

I also think once your account has been "marked" by the bots its very hard to recover.

Sometimes having "time away" for a week gives a little boost when you go back online but drops again after a few weeks.

Running out of ideas and not prepaired to pay for promotions on everything to increase sales as i still think that is just a fix but not tested it so can not comment too much on PP.

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

Ebay seems to be getting quieter and quieter as the years roll by.

Ebay used to be fun and sales would come in every day.

Along with a few messages asking about listings.

Now its mostly dead.

[gedwal]

Hi typo-lee I inclined to agree with you. I have been an Ebay member since June 2003. I have 100% feedback of 593, although not a patch on your's.

I used to think Ebay was the best thing since sliced bread but these days I look forward to the time it goes out

of business. In the early days I was happy to defend them when others would moan about paying their fees. I would point out if they advertied in any other advertising media they pay for it regardless of whether the item sold or not. 

These days they have become a law unto their selves and offer protection to the buyers and none to sellers and yet it's the seller who pay a percentage of the sale whilst buyers pay nothing. How often do we hear stories of sellers having money taken from their acount and refunded to a complaing buyer. They make no effort to check if the buyers claims are legitimate. I have been fortunate during the sales I've made and the couple of issues I've had over the years have always been left to me to resolve, Ebay being unprepared to offer any assistance what so ever.

These days I seldom sell on Ebay. I did, however, recently sell two chairs that the buyer picked and her feelings of Ebay where the same as mine. She pointed out most of her sales were now done through Gumtree and Facebook Market Place, much the same as me. I recently had a couple of items listen on both Ebay and Gumtree and I received a far better responce on Gumtree.

Their contact and chat line is buried about four or five menus deep making it almost impossible to find. Having found it saved it to a bookmark. These days it's not even possibe to speak to an operator just a bot that is second best to useless.

I currently have in issue where a buyer purchased a TV box from me. Shortly afterwards he contacted me through Ebay complaining it did'nt work. I know it did because I checked it before sending. I have just checked his feedback and find nearly all of his feedback of 350 consists of only about 3 o 4 different feedback comments. The buyers and sellers are either all copying each other or something more dubious is going on. Once again no means, that I can find, exists to have Ebay check this members feedback.

Look after the sellers Ebay, that's where your money from. 

[delantha]

How about NOTHING!! My weekends are usually busy. So much so that hubby makes the tea. NOW for the past 6-8 months I'm doing the tea. 🙂

Sales--

[brindsey]

I sympathise with you OP.  I'm just a small seller, one step up from a hobbyist  subsidising my pension - you're trying to earn a living.

I can't compete with the stream of 'private' businesses since the introduction of free listings/FVF's.

Here's the breakdown of one of my recent promoted sales :

 'Private' business are getting all the perks, and I'm paying heavily to subsidise them.  

I've nowhere to go except Vinted or Depop, and I've really not a lot of faith in either as it stands, but will consider if Vinted Pro in introduced in the UK.  As was said earlier in the thread the site (Vinted that is) is overrun with businesses, so my commiserations to the poster who said earlier they were banned because their photos were too professional.

I will ride the storm, and with reference to the OP, I can afford to do this as my eBay income is merely a subsidy to my pension.   

eBay will probably extend the free listing/FVF's to the accessories category, and the influx of 'private' businesses will continue and become a deluge. Then, these sellers will be asked for their NINO's, and will vaporize into the ether.

Which is why eBay will leave it as long as they dare before asking for the information.

I have averaged around 450 listings,  paying the extra insertion fees over the shop subscription.  These will gradually be reducted to around the free allocation of 250.  I have also deleted all the 'promotions'.

We shall see what the year end brings.  eBay was, and could still be, the best place to sell.  In the interim, my very best to the OP.

[mawels_87]

Vinted  is my number one place to buy now. Post costs for buyers on eBay have gone through the roof.  Vinted isn't a business selling site but most of what see are business accounts. They don't just sale clothes. They sale so much more. personally I rarely buy here anymore as the site is expensive and cluttered with floods of many ads from promoting listening.