Impressions keep dropping

[brickworksmarket]

My impressions continue to drop for the previous month . So one day it may show 5000 for a particular date then a few days later 4000 for the same date. Not effecting page views and would be curious if anyone has the same thing happening. 

[domino-710]

OK - got me - where do you look. ??

[chameleon54]

While I dont follow impressions, I do regularly see anomalies in monthly / annual sales figures etc. when looking at them from different locations within the site. Clearly there are glitches embedded in the system with some parts of ebays computer programs not interfacing with others. One example is that sales figures in downloaded monthly reports do not always align with the sales figures shown in the date range search tied to the selling graph. 

I have also found ebay sales to be highly erratic at the moment. Not much for a week or two and then suddenly more sales than you can physically pack. The algorithms seem to be highly attuned to account activity at the moment, responding strongly to regularly listing new items. ( more so than at some other times ). Lack of new listings for a short period seems to see sales fall in a very deep hole, very quickly.

I,m trying to regulate listing just enough new items to keep sales moving, without getting totally smashed. Its a bit of a balancing act at the moment.

[p9games]

I've seen the "you get more sales if you list more items" comment on this board lots of times before but I don't buy the fact that listing items leads to some divine blessing bestowed upon you by the Ebay algorithm gods.  Instead it's just a function of how the platform works.  Ebay has millions of users looking for a variety of things.  Have more things, more variations, colours, sizes whatever you'll get more sales.

Late last year the API I used to connect my system to Ebay was having technical issues.  Those issues prevented me from listing new items for months.  Thankfully I was able to replenish listings that ran out of stock but I could not add anything new.  My sales took a small hit (few % perhaps) but certainly nothing to suggest that I had incurred the wrath of Ebay's algorithm gods.

Listing new items does lead to more sales, but in my view that is because your larger catalogue of items has a greater chance of attracting the notice of one of the platform's millions of users and NOT because you pleased Ebay's algorithm gods.

Focus on running a good business.  Instead of trying to second guess how the algorithm works.  

[chameleon54]

 " I've seen the "you get more sales if you list more items" comment on this board lots of times before but I don't buy the fact that listing items leads to some divine blessing bestowed upon you by the Ebay algorithm gods. "

Rather than ebay not using algorithms to sort searches, decide who see's what and encourage sales to particular sellers, there may be another answer that you might consider.

You sell a lot of very cheap ( under $3.00 ) items. There will always be lots of buyers who will happily spend a few bucks for a cheap shopping thrill, but a lot less who will spend $200 buying a book.

As most of the items you sell are very cheap, you will get lots of sales and so will be meeting one of the most important criteria for the algorithms to work in your favour. The more items you sell, the higher your visibility and so the more you sell. Unwittingly you are meeting the criteria for high visibility and so you dont understand how others with different business models could have a different experience to you.

Whether selling lots of $2.98 items is a great way to run a successful business may be another question. It takes the same effort to list, answer questions, pick, pack and post a $30 item as a $3.00 item, but the profit on the $30 can easily be $25 instead of a dollar or two achieved on a $3.00 item.

When this effort is converted to dollars per hour it can make the difference between earning $45 - $60 per hour, profit for time spent on ebay ( a reasonable salary ) and a few dollars per hour ( a fun hobby, but in no way a successful business )

" Listing new items does lead to more sales, but in my view that is because your larger catalogue of items has a greater chance of attracting the notice of one of the platform's millions of users and NOT because you pleased Ebay's algorithm gods. "

I regularly run around 2000 listings over three stores. Listing 20 or 30 new items will have virtually zero effect on my " larger catalogue " Also my items are often very specialised. Rather than having " millions of users " looking for my items, there may only be a handful of buyers worldwide who want what I,m selling but they are willing to pay huge money because they cant get it anywhere else.

Your post highlights the mistake many ebayers make in assuming what happens in your ebay " business " is identical for all other sellers. With ebay sellers need to try different things, listen to different opinions and work out what works best for their individual circumstances.