Massive drop in sales

[autocamplifestyle]

We sell on both the main platforms and mostly they would be level in terms of sales , until a couple of months ago , when ebay sales just fell off a cliff , I had to check that our listings were still there . Has anything bizarre happened ? Anyone else finding the same ? 

[juliebrookes]

Since i went away for a couple of weeks my sales have completely gone. I used to sell 1-2 items per day and I have sold only one in 2 months!

It's worse since listing is free.

Julie

[mccanpete.2bn5e]

I hear you! I had a similar result after an absence recently. Not the first.

[simplyessential_uk]

If you went away for a couple of weeks your history will be hit - sort your listings by ending soonest (due to renew) end the listing and list them as similar (not relist)  - just do that as each listing comes to its end and see if that helps - Ebay see them as "new" listings and gives them a bump for a week.

[juliebrookes]

Thank you so much for the advice. I will definitely try that xSent from my Galaxy

[mccanpete.2bn5e]

Thanks, I'll give that a try!

[ancienthandsltd]

Hi guys i have tried every method that exists to improve sales. Annual sales have dropped from £300k+  to £100k this was mainly using auction style listings but now you can list 500 auctions and maybe 10 items sell if you are lucky with barely any bids, where before i was selling 2000+ items a month on auction so a drop that significant and from these other complaints is proof that ebay has messed up the antique and collectibles category. 

Even promoted listings are a waste of time i think near 40% off all listings in decorative collectibles category have been promoted  so there is no advantage just greed from ebay for fees. 

Also the new algorithmns and category changes killed it. Gone from getting 20+ bids on every item to 0 bids and no views crazy and a shame. 

[cobwebcottage]

Have you considered describing your items as reproductions instead of Rare, Ancient and Original?

You have more Roman rings listed than the British Museum has on display. Many as low as £14 and lots of the same Scorpion pattern in different coloured stones?

This may also reduce your negative feedback comments.

[billyboy1961paul]

I agree that antiques and collectibles us a mess as ebay don't really understand that a 1950s studio vase is something a bit more than a vase. Not antique but highly collectable and yet just falls into a pit of vases.

As most of my sales are US it wont get any better if tariffs and customs fees are raised by Trump.

A pity because UK sellers are far cheaper than US auction houses.

[signed-sealed-delivered]

Yes I have and make no diff at all

[signed-sealed-delivered]

make no diff at all, in fact worse!

[theelench]

I agree with you although I'm only selling off my vintage glass to stop my heirs throwing it into a skip, so have never had many listings or made a lot of money.

Five years ago I might sell a couple of items a month, since ebay wrecked the collectables market with category changes, for the next couple of years I sold 13 items per year.

But because I won't promote, my sales last year were 4.

I've now stopped selling here altogether.  That it's ebay that has wrecked its own market and not just that my glass has gone out of fashion is demonstrated by my sales of the same items on ebid.  The last three years my sales went up.  2022 = 17.  '23 = 24.  '24 = 28.

Buyers here just won't be bothered to try to winnow 500 Bagley vases out of 50K+ mostly modern vases in "Decorative Cookware & Tableware > Vases".  It must have been obvious to ebay that they'd go to other sites where they'll be shown exactly what they type in the search box, not a mountain of Promoted listings that are often not even vaguely related to what they're looking for.

[55ptc]

Take a couple of your best selling items & alter the title, the description & possibly the item specifics - only slightly, nothing drastic required - say once every 10 days & see how this goes. Companies these days use ai so, activity in listing will make it more visible on eBay. Hope this helps. If it does, which I think it will. Make a note to freshen things up as a routine to keep your listings visible.

Regards Paul 

[crg_music]

Free listing days were always a bad day to list, market flooded, I have hundreds of bits ready to list after the 4th.

[theelench]

I tried that with relisting as "Sell Similar" at regular intervals and with increasing numbers of listings as I listed something 'new' every week thereby ending last year with 40+ listings.

Previously just by listing new items for a 7 day auction, then re-listing as GTC for a month or two gave me a minimum of 13 sales p.a.

Last year, even with the regular re-lists and growing listing numbers, but no promotion I 'achieved' 4 sales.  What a waste of time!!!

On the other site, where I also list one new item each week, I made 28 sales and without any of the time wasting 'refreshing' nonsense.  Listings I made 1 / 3 / 5 years before or just a week ago are all still as visible as the the first day they went live, waiting for the right buyer to come along and find them.

I don't think "refreshing" listings on ebay works, what counts for getting visibility is the Promotion fee.  No fee, no sale.

IMO I only got the four sales I did get because ebay threw me a bit of bait once in a while to stop hopes of a sale completely dying.

But all the time and trouble to create 50 unique listings to get 4 sales is a waste of time for fools game.   Free to sell is a lie under such conditions and a fools game I won't be playing in future.

[baz000000]

eBay is getting desperate with their seller money grabs, though they are now switching their focus with the introduction of a buyers premium on private seller items. 

When promo listings first came around they worked well. You'd see ads popping up all over the place and all for a 1% premium. Not bad at all. Then they raised the minimum to 2%. Then they cut back on their external site advertising. The recommended promo premium was always quite high at 7% to 11% but now it isn't uncommon to see the recommended promotion premium suggested at 17%. Pretty much to just boost your listing internally within eBay. 

In the old days before regulatory rip off fees and rising placement costs we would average at around 12% costs that included eBay fees and return losses. Today we regularly hit 19%. All while our sales have fallen by 90% as we refuse to play the eBay game.

eBay used to be a lot cheaper than Amazon listing but not really any longer. We are in the process of phasing out product listings as the stock is exhausted and plan to end our 20 year relationship with eBay in 2027/28.

[sumnites]

Remember it is January a long month, people wait to be paid. They have bills for Xmas spending. They may be eyeing up holidays and saving for such. There is also an impressive competitor on the scene. Free post once your basket reaches £15, cheap items same as on ebay as most businesses source from...China. The site offer no quibble refunds without return required for at least 1 item per order. No 'Dutch Auction' type messages of partial refunds like on ebay, no adding VAT after you 'purchase'. Orders delivered in little over a week. £4 credit if delivery delayed. No confusion as to where the stock is and how it will arrive. This is what ebay business sellers are up against.

Private sellers of one offs are facing a generation of minimalist living should they even have their own property! The day of the 'collector' is in decline. They view the clutter of their parents homes with horror. The population is being squeezed, people have uncertainty about their job security so spend on essentials only like food, trying to run a car and bills/heating. 

If people arent selling on ebay it is a  simple matter of people not affording items and the postage or they dont want it. Of course you could 'sell' at 99p freepost.....

[mazda-mx5-mk3-parts]

Thanks for the message but what I sell people buy all year round some years
January has been the best month of the year for sales ebay has had my
account held at below standard because of three deceitful ebay buyers who
are proliflic liars just to get their own way through their lazy zero
common sense actions of which ebay took their side so the current climate
in the uk has nothing to do with it at all

[caremblemsuk]

Same thing sales are down 70% I think its cos of so many chinese sellers also getting ebay  incentives  low rates  and subsidised postage allowing them to cut prices to the bone and impacting on long established sellers  top rated ones 

[greenscent7]

Sellers fees has put buyers off and the price of items has been inflated too much. Ebay has messed up their once easy image. 

[buffster1963]

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@greenscent7 wrote:

Sellers fees has put buyers off and the price of items has been inflated too much. Ebay has messed up their once easy image. 

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And yet most sellers complaining of no sales should be registered as a business and not subject to the changes.