Is Ebay dying???

[retrohondaracing]

5 years ago I would list 30 things in a week and if only 25 sold I would be surprised / disappointed!

Now I list 30 items and only 1 or 2 sell per week???

Speaking to all my friends that Ebay they are having the same issue

I always research and make sure my prices are the lowest or equal lowest listed, what the hell is going on???

Is it due to Facebay / Gumtree or is that people just aren't spending money???

[davewil1964]

I would suggest not racing to the bottom, pricewise. If somebody else comes along and does the same thing, then somebody else, etc, you end up with products selling for way less than they are worth, and/or people thinking there's something wrong with them to be listed for so little.

My sales are average for me, although I have almost doubled my listings over the last 12 months. So my sell through is half, but my profits are at or better than the previous 2 financial years.

[thecatspjs]

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@retrohondaracing wrote:

5 years ago I would list 30 things in a week and if only 25 sold I would be surprised / disappointed!

Now I list 30 items and only 1 or 2 sell per week???

Speaking to all my friends that Ebay they are having the same issue

I always research and make sure my prices are the lowest or equal lowest listed, what the hell is going on???

Is it due to Facebay / Gumtree or is that people just aren't spending money???

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5 years ago there was a fraction of the online trading occuring. 

5 years ago eBay did not have the defective defect system in place that turned loyal sellers who purchased frequently on the platform, into very disgruntled consumers of a service who took their dollars elsewhere.

5 years ago there was little choice, and other platforms such as etsy and facebook had not made a dint in their available markets.

5 years ago eBay was still known to the faithful for picking up bargains at auction or for achieving premium prices throught the thrill of an auction

5 years in online trading, with growth at massive rates... IMO is a lifetime.   I can't even imagine where we will be in 5 years time given the tech that has been developed in the meantime and the massive growth in competition in sooo many market segments.

Its a challenge for sure.

[phorum_junkie*]

The last thing I do is cut prices. I find that with my auction listings most things sell eventually and if they do not sell after being listed through 2 or 3 free relisting cycles I take them off for a couple of weeks then put them on at a higher price and they quite often sell on first listing.

If you are asking low prices you are giving the impression you don't thnk your items are worth very much,

My sell through rate is lower now but as already said the number of items I have listed has increased a lot so my profit is about the same as it has been for about 3 years now.

I don't just rely on ebay now, I sell quite a few things on Gumtree, tried etsy but not much success there. Facebook was OK for a while but since they changed the format it has died a death for me.

Ebay is still by far the most lucerative outlet.

[retrohondaracing]

I haven't cut prices, I'm taking the same approach I have always had on Ebay, be the cheapest .

I deal on Gumtree and Facebay as well but its painful dealing with the timewasters....that was the best thing about Ebay originally - it eliminated tyre kickers!

[4green2000]

Is Ebay dying???.... you mean GREEDBAY right ?, getting there very fast. nothing like it was 3 years ago.

i had a few selling accounts and did very well but shut them down due to their new introduced dumb policies and greed. i would say there is alot less buyers n sellers now due to prices being higher etc...  greedbays greediness. i believe in KARMA

[chameleon54]

IS EBAY DYING ???

I wouldn't quite say dying, more just getting old, tired and cranky like the rest of us.

If you check the companies quarterly results to the U.S stock exchange you can get a pretty accurate reflection of how the company is really travelling. Growth in sales is there but it is in the range of 2-5 % compared to other similar online companies that are growing 20-30% per annum. ( Amazon is in the mid to high twenties ). Active buyers are increasing by several % per annum but active sellers are increasing at a similar rate. The companies profit and share price moves around a bit, but has basically been stagnant in the last 3-4 years.

What does this mean for your average small seller ???

Not good news I,m afraid. If you consider the huge rise in Chinese sellers as well as the attractive trading terms offered to the large Australian ( and international ) sellers, the share of the sales pie left for small sellers is shrinking fast. Add to this the fact that seller numbers are increasing on ebay globally and total sales are only growing a few % it validates what many small sellers have already noted. Sales for small sellers are falling very rapidly and by big percentages year on year.

It is worth remembering that sales of new items ( mainly from very large companies ) now make up over 80% of ebays total sales and auctions make up less than 10% of total sales. All signs that things are not going well for small sellers. These small sellers where also often regular buyers on ebay ( I know I once was ). Recycling money from sales to other often small ebay sellers through their ebay purchases.

Ebay has an identity crisis. It is not sure if it is a "mini me" Amazon or an antiques and collectibles fair for rare items. One thing the company is sure of, it doesn't want to be the garage sale of junk it once was and is actively moving away from this segment of the market.

IS EBAY DEAD ???......... I think as company, it is obviously struggling with stagnant growth and continually increasing online global competition. It is hanging in there with its push to large retailers, but if it continues to lose the buyer support from the millions of small ebay sellers worldwide, it could all be over fairly quickly for the company.

Either way, things are not looking very bright for millions of small ebay sellers.

The only thing that can save the company long term is to forget trying to compete with other major online competitors in the increasingly crowded online " mega mall market " and return to its roots of encouraging small sellers with unique items where it has a global competitive niche.

[tayablue.02]

I've noticed the past couple of months has been alot quiet for me on ebay and only now it's starting to pick up again.  I must say I'm enjoying selling on facebook lately.  I've never been so flat chat selling as I have been on facebook and the best part is I dont get charge a listing/selling let alone the rediculous  ebay postage fee!  I highly recommend the facebook online buy/swap/sell pages - there are so many to choose from 🙂 

[247newdeals]

People are still buying but eBay is flooded with Chinese sellers. Also there is a lot more large companies trading now and eBay promote them hard.The piece of the pie left left for small/medium sellers is shrinking and grabbing even a few crumbs is getting harder. I don't see eBay as dead it is just not friendly to local small/medium sellers

[lane-ends]

When i stared there was $2.45 parcel post for 250gm items, that enabled huge amounts of cheap small items to be shifted. Now the cost of postage means that you can't compete with major discount stoires and cheap imports.

People bought ebay auctions for the fun and novelty of it. Now they buy out of convenience so it has to be exactly what they want, and they want it now.

Hoping to clear job lots at auction each week ready for next weeks batch of listings has long gone. You need more and more listing (ie investment in stock) to get any sort of turnover.

You have to be more and more business like to compete with more business operators doing the same either via ebay or direct.