Not getting any sales at all

[k124445]

Hi everyone,

I started selling face masks on eBay from the end of July and was getting good sales, but for some reason after two weeks there was suddenly no more orders. I would like to know what the reason for this would be? Would I have clicked on something incorrectly? 

Thanks

[digital*ghost · Accepted solution]

The vast majority of people who wanted or needed one, has likely now bought one - nearly all mask makers / sellers have reported the same (i.e. good sales up until the last couple of weeks).

[love_of_cars]

They also now seem to be for sale in many types of shops, at least the ones that are still open here in VIC.

[wide-world-of-stamps]

They're everywhere here in country NSW, and the prices are coming down too.

The way the mail is at the moment, why would you buy them online if you need them now.

[springyzone]

Back at the start, in about March, you couldn't buy masks for love or money in any of the normal shops. I read that after the bushfires and the virus in China, our supplies were depleted. China bought back a lot.

Even in-what was it-about June?-they were hard to come by and later when the edict came in for compulsory masks, there was a scramble, although they were more plentiful by then.

But if you care to have a look around, you'll find a lot of people are now wearing the reusable masks. I know i am.

I bought them online in about July.

Just before I ordered, there was another site I visit where the person running it said they had run out but could get in reusable masks at a good price and who would be interested. I put my name down as very interested. But in the meantime I had to act and when I got a notification about 5 weeks later that new stock was in at that site, it was way past the time I needed them. I had bought elsewhere.

If you're selling disposable masks online on ebay, you'd need to be almost giving them away to sell them, I would imagine. They are available immediately just about everywhere and people have had time to switch to more permanent reusable masks, and a lot have done so. The urgency isn't there any more. It's like toilet paper, the rush on it has been and gone.

[south.coffee]

I went to buy petrol yesterday, walked into pay and greeted by a wall of masks and hand sanitiser in every size pack imaginable. Roadside litter is now full of disposable blue masks...

[*tippy*toes*]

A friend of mine was churning out over 100 masks a day and selling them on Facebook for $8 each. Both adult and kids sizes. She couldn't keep up with the demand. Then a week or so ago, complete stop. Not even any nibbles. She has now stated free to good home, and no one wants them. People that want reusable masks, have all they need now. Me, I prefer disposable as they afford better protection and I stockpiled years ago when the bird flu, or pig flu or whatever it was went through.

As mentioned, the party is over on capitalising on the mask industry. It's over. Plus, your prices being what they are compared to other selling platforms are quite high. If my friend can't give them away for free, you would be lucky to sell them for $15 now. Sorry.

[hobby_cds]

That business idea was fleeting at best....come the summer months it will all be a memory

[paper-jack]

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@digital*ghost wrote:

The vast majority of people who wanted or needed one, has likely now bought one - nearly all mask makers / sellers have reported the same (i.e. good sales up until the last couple of weeks).

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and then there are the people who are using up their stash of material to make masks and give them away. One woman I know did this for every one she knows. She made personalised masks (eg tartan for the Scots) and posted them for free.

[countessalmirena]

I have been using N95 masks. I wanted to protect a vulnerable family member.

Even now, I use the single-use accredited masks in situations where I frankly don't trust some members of the public to maintain social distancing and to be wearing masks correctly. I do have some reusable 3-layer masks that I made; these are for situations where the risk from others to me and to the people I love is low.

Just as a note to the OP... I only purchased the N95/P2 masks directly from an authorised industry-specific seller. I don't know why your sales have plummeted, as there were certainly many mask-buyers looking on eBay not too long ago. However, as others have mentioned, it could well be that people who live in mask-mandated areas have largely indeed sorted out their mask issues.