Decline in sales not just eBay

[gumardee_coins_and_banknotes]

So I have been reading the forums from Amazon and Etsy as well as the eBay forums that are in English, and sometimes translate the foreigh languages. And I see this slow down in sales everywhere. As well as department stores.

So I think our problems of slow sales is more than just this site. With the decline in house values, it is scaring a lot of people, and a lot of people are in negative equity and are struggling. I smell a recession comming.

Thank you, please put your imput below.

Glen

[springyzone]

I'm old enough to have seen that things definitely do go in cycles and you're right, property values have decreased about 10%, at least here in the Melbourne suburbs. I think it was a correction that had to come. The market was buoyant & confident 2 years ago.

I've sensed a bit more hesitation in the market though since at least mid last year. The trouble I think comes down to the fact that the average worker just isn't earning the sort of income that could justify such high house prices. It was out of proportion.

Coupled with that is the fact a lot of people have what i would call huge mortgages and now there is talk of interest rates rising eventually (which is pretty much a certainty, given how low they have been).

So possibly quite a few people aren't quite as confident as they were a couple of years ago. Or not your low to middle income earners, anyway.

People are still spending money but perhaps they might be thinking a bit more carefully about the non essential items before splurging.

[digital*ghost]

eBay (and Australian) sales have certainly fallen, but international sales have increased steadily over the last few months - about the only benefit (to me) of the Aussie dollar falling against the US dollar, but at the same time makes new stock purchases harder, since the majority of my stuff is imported and priced in USD. 

[melinachristina]

You are right. Buyer participation is very patchy just about everywhere. Were noticing the same. Sales are few and far between and it’s hard to get lookers, let alone watchers. High end expensive items, in our neck of the woods just aren’t selling for us, so we’ve refrained from listing them. The cheaper items seem to be the preference at the moment.

Although, the old standard applies. If you’ve got something people really want, it’ll sell. I’m not sure about margins though. They seem tight too.

Unlike some other poor souls I’m pleased were not relying on eBay for income. Some must be hurting.

Melina.

[daydreams_12]

Like you springy, I also well remember many of these cycles.  A point also is the fact that here in NSW we have just had an election and it is only a matter of weeks away before a Federal one.  People are scared to spend unless it is essential.  Job security is not great with many businesses shutting shop weekly.  Just this week in south western Sydney over 200 were advised that there jobs are to go in a couple of months.  Many people do not know how they will pay rent/mortgage, pay bills and feed kids in 6 months time. 

I would not like to be relying on retail in any form for my income.

[performance_parts_clearance_centre]

In the "bricks & mortar" business I'm employed by, sales across the three brands trading under our parent company have been steadily decreasing for the last few years, due to a combination of less overall demand and an increasing number of online sellers fragmenting the available market.

It's absolutely not just an eBay thing, it's right across the board.

[jellybirddesigns]

Whilst I agree that sales do go in cycles, my shop has been trending upwards since I opened it 4 years ago.

Some months can be a bit weird - for example in the middle of March I was down 40% compared to the same time last year, but then suddenly I had a rush of sales in the last 8 days and ended the month almost 20% above last years figures.

I do have 2 other online stores on Etsy which I opened up about 3 years and 1 year ago respectively. Their income stream definitely helps to add to my overall gross annual figures. The diversity has definitely helped.

I'm not going to retire anytime soon, but collectively between the 3 stores I do ok.

[chameleon54]

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@gumardee_coins_and_banknotes wrote:

So I have been reading the forums from Amazon and Etsy as well as the eBay forums that are in English, and sometimes translate the foreigh languages. And I see this slow down in sales everywhere. As well as department stores.

So I think our problems of slow sales is more than just this site. With the decline in house values, it is scaring a lot of people, and a lot of people are in negative equity and are struggling. I smell a recession comming.

Thank you, please put your imput below.

Glen

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On the global front, the U.S economic & jobs figures for March where released last night. Employment grew by 198,000 for the month, ( about average since Trump was elected ) but retail employment was down 11,000. This was attributed to more people buying online. Economic growth ( annualised ) was nearly 4 %, again average figures since Trump took over. Despite the squealing and scare mongering of the U.S political lefts, Trump appears to be delivering stable economic growth in the U.S.

The only hint of recession in the U.S is that casual employment has been falling for the last few months. This is a leading indicator and could signal bosses, cutting casuals first, before permanent staff, but permanent staff numbers are growing ? All up pretty good numbers coming out of the U.S.

The interesting discussion coming from the U.S is the drugs ( Opiod ) epedemic sweeping some U.S states. Younger white males are particularly affected with this having a noted statistical effect on jobless figures in some U.S states. Trump is trying to clamp down on the illegal imports of cheap Fentinal from China which has been identified as a major cause of the problem. The drugs issue is currently one of the biggest drags on the U.S economy. Sound Familiar ?. People living in comfortable suburbs in Australia may not be seeing the problem, but ice is causing huge problems here in Australia.

China is slowing though, so some dark clouds on the horizon for us. This will keep our local Federal reserve cautious about raising interest rates any time soon.

My concern is more about the 100 year economic cycle. We see a major global economic crash every 100 years or so, the last being the 1920,s depression. If this pattern continues the biggy could be just around the corner ( although it could be argued we have already had it with the financial crisis of the early 2000,s )

[melinachristina]

Some interesting points about the US and China. Instability in government, and we’ve had plenty of that here, always flows through. Elections are another factor, made worse this time I think by the abject lack of faith in either major to do what needs to be done. We just seem to have been treading water for years.

Im told my ideas about Donald are fairly radical, but I honestly think he’s doing a pretty darn good job. A Donald type here would put the cat amongst them, that’s for sure.

Personally, not that I’m any expert, I don’t think it’s just a blip. It’s long haul and lots of things need to change before the roses start smelling like roses again.

Our politicians today are wearing twins of chic pea size. We need walnuts!!

Melina.

[chameleon54]

I have concerns about Trumps handling of international affairs and the risk he poses to global military stability, but on the domestic front I don't think he can be any worse than Hilary Clinton. She is only interested in the establishment and business sector and is completely alienated from the poor and disenfranchised. ( sound familiar ? Both of our major parties are only interested in cronyism )

Trump may not be poor and disenfranchised, but he has made this group his core voter base, so is invested in seeing things improve for this social class. Wages for the lowest income earners have been steadily improving since Trump was elected, with an increase in minimum wages of 6 cents in March. Six cents may not seem much, but when combined with six cents last month and six cents the month before it totals maybe seventy cents for the year. Minimum wages in the U.S are much lower than Australia so the annual rises are significant.

There is no doubt the U.S establishment hate Trump and have done everything they can to tear him down. This has included making claims of false criminal charges against him at the highest level in an attempt to have him impeached. If the establishment hate him so much, he must be doing something right.