Ebay Customer Care

[diecastmanhattan]

Just spoken with Ebay 'Customer Care' re low sales in the last 6 months,  following 20+ years on this site selling.

 When I asked why I should remain with Ebay,  not close my shop,  increasing my Ad rate, or paying more out of meagre profits to actually get listings where they can be seen - she couldn't give me an answer - from their big book of answers to passify the customer.

She then went on to tell me that maybe it was the wrong time of year to sell things!!

Finally when I suggested that Ebay in the UK was breaking, and maybe it was time to move to another platform, her reply was 'that's up to you'

As a customer of Ebay - maybe the agents should try harder to keep their customers, without the 'don't care' approach 

[tobiasd4]

A lot of sellers are noticing slow sales.

Maybe ask question on business seller board. 

[papso22]

What exactly did you expect the CS agent to say or do, to keep you here?

[john1297576]

“increasing my Ad rate”

In my opinion the ad. rate is a con. No experience with Business rates, but there was a grand announcement  about free to list and sell for business sellers, almost immediately followed by unpopular measures, buyer protection and Not very simple Simple Delivery.

Then sales started to disappear, private sellers being encouraged to use the recommended ad. rates up to I think maximum I have seen 14%, to increase exposure. Basically saying that while using  Free, no one is going to see your listings, so pay more in fees than before the “improvements”. 

If a lower rate than the recommended rate is selected, sellers are then told, a lower rate will reduce your exposure.

Even minor changes to buyer protection, once above about £20 in value, only reduces cost to buyers by about 5p, big deal. Even worse, where it is possible to avoid “Simple” buyers still pay for Buyer Protection, without being told that it virtually does not exist if seller opts out. Seller is responsible just as we always have been.

No idea whether these changes only apply to ebay UK, but looks like we are considered the suckers to put up with ebay’s profit making ideas.

[diecastmanhattan]

Thanks for the reply, but if a lot of sellers are noticing low sales - then clearly ebay needs do something to try and keep its customers, private or business.  I guess it is a bad time to sell things with Christmas getting in the way!

[diecastmanhattan]

Thanks for an Excellent reply, and I agree with everything you've said.  Wow! - I've earnt a 'Reply Badge' - that will help to pay the bills!!

[diecastmanhattan]

...Er - to show some interest would be nice - but then to someone in the Phillipines or wherever, my sales are of no importance I guess. 

[red_magpie]

Her replies seem perfectly reasonable. The time of year can certainly be a factor in falling sales, but it isn't up to eBay customer support to analyse your sales or suggest ways in which you could increase them.

It sounds as though you were just trying to goad CS into admitting that eBay's own changes have damaged your sales. Maybe they have, but you're lucky that she didn't hang up when it became clear that you just wanted to complain.

As the lady said, if you're thinking of leaving, that's up to you.  And at least her advice is correct and truthful, which can't be said of all CS responses.

[diecastmanhattan]

This time of year, is certainly not a factor in low sales - everybody knows that Q4 is the busiest time for any retailer.