topic Re: dismal sales again in Selling

dismal sales again

trustykeiley23 — Wed, 18 May 2016 19:57:04 GMT

Ebay used to be pretty good for a couple of years then I had a bad few months last year, then sales and views picked up.I have spent hundreds of dollars on lovely new stock, my prices are very fair. but lately sales have suddenly dropped off again .I was trading at about 60% of this time last year, but now about 30% anyone else feeling left out ?

Re: dismal sales again

*tippy*toes* — Wed, 18 May 2016 21:04:51 GMT

Most of your items are Summery type things, so may just be the wrong time of year for people to be buying. Others here have noticed a down turn in sales, through various different categories. Others, like myself, are plodding along OK. If you've got any Winter stock, try listing some of that and see if things improve. Good luck!

Re: dismal sales again

sydneybristowwine — Wed, 18 May 2016 21:27:48 GMT

You are definitely not the only one. It takes months for my items to be sold

@trustykeiley23 wrote:
Ebay used to be pretty good for a couple of years then I had a bad few months last year, then sales and views picked up.I have spent hundreds of dollars on lovely new stock, my prices are very fair. but lately sales have suddenly dropped off again .I was trading at about 60% of this time last year, but now about 30% anyone else feeling left out ?

Re: dismal sales again

lmckec2009 — Wed, 18 May 2016 23:16:34 GMT

It is even harder than it was part of last year, then a pick up, now way down again, i have lots of new stock lots of items listed great feedback but hardly any sales ?

Re: dismal sales again

davidc4430 — Wed, 18 May 2016 23:33:24 GMT

looking at your items i see womens warmer weather clothing.

do you not notice big stores who sell summer wear at this time of year are dropping the prices to sometimes super low prices to clear summer stock to make room for winter wear.?

thats what your up against in the clothing trade.

buyers can buy end of season summer clothes cheap now and have the ability to try it on before buying and return it if they change their minds.

if even the big stores cant shift stock what hope do you have?

Re: dismal sales again

trustykeiley23 — Thu, 19 May 2016 01:56:44 GMT

thanks there are not many items up for sale, I have closed my store, a friend will try listing some of my new stock to see if that makes a difference.I used to have more that 250 items listed

Re: dismal sales again

trustykeiley23 — Thu, 19 May 2016 01:58:29 GMT

ladies going on holiday often can't get swimmers in their town at this time of year, I used to do well thanks David

Re: dismal sales again

trustykeiley23 — Thu, 19 May 2016 02:10:54 GMT

Ebay recommended I auction a lovely warm night gown starting at .$10.00 including postage ,yes ,it sold for that I was out of pocket $8.00 postage, + a $39 night dress which was sent beautifully wrapped in white tissue paper

,the lady did not even have the grace to give feedback

Re: dismal sales again

jellybirddesigns — Thu, 19 May 2016 02:38:06 GMT

Why would you follow an Ebay recommendation, especially starting the bidding at a lower price than you would otherwise accept?

We often see people complaining because they listed something at 99c (or some other crazy low price) and that's what it sold for.

Personally I list everything as BIN at a price I am happy with and in general I have good sales which tick over fairly consistently.

These days auctions do not necessarily do well in many categories. A seller is often better off with BIN listings.

So your buyer didn't leave feedback - it's not compulsory.

I have had over 1000+ transactions, but have 740 feedback.

Re: dismal sales again

davidc4430 — Thu, 19 May 2016 03:11:08 GMT

please do not take ebay recomendations as the correct selling price.

if i did that 90% of my items would be listed at 99cents.

if you can't sell your items at say cost + 10% + postage then you need to stop selling.

your losing time and money.

set your base price where you make a profit unless you just want rid of your stuff and are willing to pay someone to buy it.

Re: dismal sales again

davewil1964 — Thu, 19 May 2016 03:38:57 GMT

@davidc4430 wrote:
please do not take ebay recomendations as the correct selling price.
if i did that 90% of my items would be listed at 99cents.
if you can't sell your items at say cost + 10% + postage then you need to stop selling.
your losing time and money.
set your base price where you make a profit unless you just want rid of your stuff and are willing to pay someone to buy it.

+ 10% + profit

Re: dismal sales again

amber-eyed-girl — Thu, 19 May 2016 04:21:35 GMT

@trustykeiley23 wrote:
Ebay recommended I auction a lovely warm night gown starting at .$10.00 including postage ,yes ,it sold for that I was out of pocket $8.00 postage, + a $39 night dress which was sent beautifully wrapped in white tissue paper
,the lady did not even have the grace to give feedback

As others have said, eBay recommendations are not to be taken as a rule. Think about all your costs and a reasonable profit.

It's nice that you package carefully, that can help get repeat buyers.

The basic minimum is to ensure that items are packed so they reach the buyer in a respectable condition...garments in tissue paper is the way to go. That means factor in the little extras in the packaging/presentation, too.

If the lady paid quickly and did not complain unfairly about anything...you are doing well. Feedback is good to build a reputation as a seller starting out, after that, it has less meaning (except when it's bad).

She isn't responsible for the low price...take it as a learning experience. eBay isn't what it used to be for auctions. Their suggested start prices (particularly the ridiculous 99 cents one) belong to an eBay from years ago. When there would be quite a bit of bidding on anything popular/decent/new.

Re: dismal sales again

davidc4430 — Thu, 19 May 2016 04:27:05 GMT

did i mention maths and me are not very good. lol

but ya get the point. she sold a $40 dress for $10 including $8 delivery.

why would you list at such a low price knowing someone might be the only bidder.

Re: dismal sales again

amber-eyed-girl — Thu, 19 May 2016 04:33:26 GMT

eBay spin. The recommendations are meant to be based on recent sales for similar stuff.

Re: dismal sales again

*tippy*toes* — Thu, 19 May 2016 07:26:35 GMT

It is spin too. I followed their recommendations on one item just to see what happened. It was about $2 below my previous start bid price. Next time it dropped into unsold, the recommendation was to drop the price again. Then again, then again. I think if I kept going, it would have ended with a start bid of 1c. I upped it back up to the original start price and it sold the next time I listed it.

Re: dismal sales again

erg-auto-electrical-wholesalers — Thu, 19 May 2016 07:35:50 GMT

Yeh my sales drop the last 2 weeks. Also in my industry as well.

Re: dismal sales again

amber-eyed-girl — Thu, 19 May 2016 08:21:22 GMT

@*tippy*toes* wrote:
It is spin too. I followed their recommendations on one item just to see what happened. It was about $2 below my previous start bid price. Next time it dropped into unsold, the recommendation was to drop the price again. Then again, then again. I think if I kept going, it would have ended with a start bid of 1c. I upped it back up to the original start price and it sold the next time I listed it.

Technically...the start bid could be zero! (If the system accepts that)

Don't forget to include "free" post in with that, too...ouch

Re: dismal sales again

rocket2retro — Thu, 19 May 2016 10:28:25 GMT

It appears eBay sales are significantly down for a lot of sellers based on the many discussion board threads. The general consensus seems to be that many sellers (myself included) started experiencing a big downturn in sales 18-24 months ago which is continuing.

Re: dismal sales again

bullitprooftools2016 — Fri, 20 May 2016 01:13:38 GMT

My stuff is workshop gear so there is no summer/winter changes. My sales have been down since xmas on and off ebay. I've ordered some new stock, some of which is different to the norm which I am hoping may bring in new customers.

The general economic outlook isn't bright so margins may have to be cut for a few months to keep stock moving.

Re: dismal sales again

Anonymous — Fri, 20 May 2016 02:02:10 GMT

this is the worst week i have had since i started selling 2 years ago.

I have no idea whats going on

Ive even run a sale on markdown manager and its made no difference