shops

[raitistiprai-0]

Hi. Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong? When I was a private seller my weekly turnover was around £700-£1000 per week. I've had a business account for almost two months now and my turnover is under £300 per week and it's dropping every week.

[moonspender]

I think many of us are asking the same question.

Could be Easter

Could be the Trump effect

Could be you need to pay for promoted listings to boost your listings.

Could be buyers are using different sites.

Could be we are in recession

Could be everyones bills have gone up and they are reassessing what they spend money on.

Honestly I dont thing there is just one reason; it is slow and probably coinsidence but I think there are probably many of us re-assessing our business plans at the moment.

[1956glyn]

Just to add i think the BPF and Simple delivery is putting private sellers off.    Its certainly stopped us from listing.      IF private sellers are not selling due to the above then i honestly think they will also stop buying.

I really dislike the site nowadays and after many many years......just cannot be bothered with it.    

some may say ....yes new sellers join every day.   My opinion is yes but after they realise everything thats involved including payment holds etc they may list a few items and then not bother.

[cobwebcottage]

Just a few small observations which I hope you will take in good will.

Have a search at the sold listings for a Brexit 50p to see the average price achieved.

Mercedes tipper - A typo in the title ( we all do it). It will help if its corrected plus you don't have a description, just the size. It also seems to be listed twice which is against the duplicate listing policy.

Abandoned storage room - not allowed as its classed as a mystery item and buyers do not know the quality, quantity or condition of the items. An INAD case waiting to happen which will knock your performance stats.

Listing descriptions using AI. A lot of buyers don't like AI as its not you as the seller describing the item but a fantasy description.

I hope these few points help and best of luck selling.

[typo_lee]

Your absolutely bob on. This isn’t just an eBay problem as all our platforms are quiet at present. Admittedly not as much as eBay as we are 50% down on here on last month. 

[art2own]

My observation is that eBay seems to be prioritising business sellers operating under private accounts. I’ve seen this when comparing similar sellers on private accounts to myself, looking at their recent sales history and noticing they have several times more in sales and takings than I do with similar listings and a similar amount of stock.

I realised late last year that eBay is no longer viable for me as a business seller. I still have items for sale, but I haven’t listed anything new since then, as it’s no longer worthwhile under the current setup. Lack of sales and high fees, unlevel playing field, constant stupid unnecessary changes causing alienation to users left right and centre.  It honestly feels like being in a bad, manipulative and abusive relationship. The only person I can blame now is myself for staying on here so long. 

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I honestly don't believe that for a minute.

If the private (business) sellers are doing better, it's because they have lower prices due to lower costs.

They aren't being prioritised by Ebay, it doesn't make a great deal of sense from their perspective to do so does it?

If they are, in means that they are earning less money than they would be with regular business sellers.

And why on earth would they do that?

But everywhere seems to be depressed currently and not just Ebay.

So if that is the case, it makes sense that people aren't spending money on collectables as there are higher priorities for their money.  This will turn, but how long it will take is anyone's guess.

[art2own]

Here’s just one example of the glaring disparity between business and private account sales, as discerned via the “sold items” page on eBay.

My business account:
6 items sold, with 212 active Buy It Now listings
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_dkr=1&iconV2Request=true&_blrs=recall_filtering&_ssn=art2own&stor...

Versus a private account:
136 items sold, with 234 active Buy It Now listings
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?item=405739841658&_ssn=cristina.c&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1&_sop=16

The private account is not just doing better, they are knocking it out of the field. It’s worth noting that eBay doesn’t display all sold listings. Over the past three months, I’ve actually sold 21 items, so it's fair to assume the private account has likely sold more than is currently visible too. All my listings accept offers.

Can you believe it now?

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I'm sorry, but just because someone else has sold more, does not mean that they are getting better visibility than you are.

As I said previously, it makes no logical sense for Ebay to promote something that will make them less money.

But you don't know how they are getting their sales anyway.

Are they selling cheaper?  Are they advertising?  Do they have a website?  A shop?  An online presence?  And how many other reasons could be listed.....

You cannot compare and know, as you do not know all of the facts.

You are in fact making an assumption, based on what you perceive to be the facts.

[art2own]

Thank you for your input, but I can’t help but feel there’s a lot more prioritizing going on at a system level. All I personally know is I’ve used every tool available to eBay business accounts in the past—both paid and unpaid—to try and increase sales during both good and bad periods, with very little to no obvious benefit from doing so. I create detailed listings, compared to the basic or non-existent descriptions used by most private sellers (i.e. highlighted). I have similar items listed across two business accounts, and in nearly two decades on here, I’ve never come anywhere close to achieving anything like that level of sales, even in the good old days. And the private seller highlighted isn’t the only one I’ve bookmarked—there are several others who I've come across who for no obvious reason are absolutely killing it on here, achieving a level of sales vs listings I would consider unrealistic in the category I sell in. Yet I also see many similar aged and experienced business sellers whose sales have also died like mine have.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I do get what your saying, but the fact is, you really don't know what those others are doing.

I just cannot see any logical reason why Ebay would want sellers who make them less money, to be prioritised in any way.

I don't advertise across my accounts and it comes in spurts recently.  I get busy days and dead ones.  With no real logic to it, other than the weekend being a bit busier.  And of course when people are paid gives a boost.

But in the main, I'm selling mostly things that are required.  ie on this account clothing, though it is slow.  But I also do a lot of refurbished goods, such as small appliances and the like and they do fly out.

My biggest issue with them, is actually getting enough stock to keep them topped up.

I guess the point I'm making though, is that things like Artwork etc are going to slow down a lot more, as people just don't have the money to spend at the moment.  

[bzmotman]

What strikes me immediately is that your competitor keeps their listing very straightforward & simple. When I look at yours you have reams of words covering every possible scenario - by the way they do not comply with Ebay T&Cs as you say about accepting cheques, bank transfer etc. I understand why you feel it necessary to put it all there but to mind the sheer volume of it just puts prospective buyers off. 

Perhaps it might be worth trying a few listings similar to your competitor to see if you get better results. Personally I'm always willing to copy/adapt a successful sellers format.

[art2own]

You must have seen one of my older listings, my newer listings no longer include any payment terms. I've also updated the format in my latest listings to include bullet points that highlight the key details for buyers who prefer a quick overview, followed by a more in-depth description for those who want to learn more about the artwork. I've aimed to create listings that look professional and refined in the hope that they appeal to buyers, and cover all the common questions buyers typically ask about artwork, or used to ask, when such details weren’t included. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186851908366

As a trial, I have considered removing the description and condition entirely. But to be honest, I don't understand how they get away with cutting so many corners without a whole load of problems with disgruntled buyers.

[sheba-knows-best]

I know nothing about art but I have eyes. Just glancing through you and your competitor's listings - but focusing on the sold ones - you look entirely different.

YOU look like a seller of "quirky, interesting, intelligent" art for quirky people who don't care what others think,  whilst your competitor looks like a seller appealing to buyers who want to appear rich and knowledgeable about art  - all extravagant gold frames and traditional oils.  

Isn't it a point of you're selling to different clientele? And unfortunately there a lot more people in the world right now who want to appear rich vs people who will  browse for something they love and want to look at every day for the rest of their life.

[sheba-knows-best]

---

@sheba-knows-best wrote:

I know nothing about art but I have eyes. Just glancing through you and your competitor's listings - but focusing on the sold ones - you look entirely different.

YOU look like a seller of "quirky, interesting, intelligent" art for quirky people who don't care what others think,  whilst your competitor looks like a seller appealing to buyers who want to appear rich and knowledgeable about art  - all extravagant gold frames and traditional oils.  

Isn't it a point of you're selling to different clientele? And unfortunately there a lot more people in the world right now who want to appear rich vs people who will  browse for something they love and want to look at every day for the rest of their life.

---

Possibly you appeal to different age brackets too... and whilst there are a lot of poor pensioners, there are a good few rich ones too (maybe with more conservative tastes) with time on their hands to browse, who wouldn't even see the witches in your Trowski sale (I loved them) and if they did, would hate the naughty bits 🙂

[johns-auction]

I have a broad selection of art for sale, those listings are the ones people have bought. I also have a good number of traditional antique paintings in oils and watercolours by listed artists in my active listings. 

[art2own]

I signed in with the wrong account... Johns-Auction is my other account.

[sheba-knows-best]

---

@johns-auction wrote:

I have a broad selection of art for sale, those listings are the ones people have bought. I also have a good number of traditional antique paintings in oils and watercolours by listed artists in my active listings. 

---

Hi. I searched your non-sold items and your competitor's. I do see you have a wide variety. But I stand by my original point. If I were someone who wanted traditional oil painted pictures - any artist -  already framed with a 'stately home' look (whether for myself or a client who I was doing interior design for) I would browse their page because their's is relentlessly 'stately home' style  - whilst yours is very varied.

To put it another way to elaborate on my point, if I wanted a new picture (and all of my walls are covered with pictures I collect from small art fairs - my own town hosts one each year) I WOULD browse your items because they are interesting and varied - whereas I would give your competitor all of 20 seconds before clicking away .