Sales have just STOPPED???

[shamrockshirts]

Is anyone else experiencing ridiculously slow sales? 

I've been selling here for over 5 years, an average of 10 items per day, every day of the week.  Then suddenly on Saturday, my sales just stopped.  Ebay can't give me an explanation for it, I've changed nothing in my listings or my settings. 

My products are still selling as normal on my other online sites, and my other ebay accounts are also selling as normal.

Any ideas what could be going on?  It's costing me a fortune!  X-(

[davewil1964]

As I understand it a member can only have private feedback if they are not selling anything. Which would tend to mean they are a buyer, who can only get positive feedback anyway.

Tracey, I'm sure you're aware you can start auctions at any amount you like. Unfortunately things don't sell here for what they used to since most categories now get flooded by foreign listings with foreign government subsidised postage. Although USPS has recently put their parcel prices up and Royal Mail is due to on 2 April. Either way, taking on board constructive criticism and tweaking your listings MIGHT realise you more sales which MIGHT make it worth the effort involved.

[leader-of-the-band]

at the risk of being berated . . . . I will comment on this thread.

In your opening post you asked "Any ideas what could be going on?  It's costing me a fortune!". Yet, when offered some opinions on what you could do to try to turn things around you attack the ones that are trying to help you.  You can choose to ignore them, but it was you that stated it was costing you a fortune, yet the good advice given in an attempt to help you was FREE.

As for private feedback, there are many reasons for having private feedback that are not sinister.  Those who collect valuable items such as coins and banknotes may wish to have private feedback as a security measure.  Someone with a disability who buys a lot of items to help with their disability may wish to keep those purchases private.  A husband might wish to keep his purchases from his wife, or a wife may wish to keep her purchases private.  Some people have nosey relatives who just love to see what others are buying.  I could go on, but I am tired.  Please just accept that some eBayers choose to have their feedback profile set to private for non-sinister reasons.

No matter how good the feedback scores look, if an eBay member has private feedback then it should instantly ring an alarm bell in your head. I wouldn't recommend buying anything from an eBay member with a private feedback profile. If you are desperate for the item that the member is selling my advice would be to contact the seller before you purchase the item.

Finally, I for one, will NEVER buy anything from someone with private feedback . . . . no eBayer will.  The reason . . . . an eBayer who chooses to have their feedback profile set to "Private" IS NOT able to sell.  eBay rules . . . . . sellers MUST have a public feedback profile.

[leader-of-the-band]

sorry . . . . forgot the smiley face to show that my last post was a friendly post . . . .so here it is 🙂

[digital*ghost]

thanks for your help but iam not going to do auctions as they just go for 99 cents , i have done free postage , iam not going to give things away .

actually the way things are no one is buying , we have a few companys outside ebay of a diff nature and we just dont get the work we used to after being in the game 20 years as pty ltd , so its my understanding that people are struggling and wont spend money on things that are not essential , that includes ebay , and even retial stores are doing it hard , sign of the times thanks to labour gov

I hope you take my post in the spirit that's intended, but I think if you look at both your comments that I've quoted, and the comments of others who have already offered advice, in a constructive light, you'll see that you might actually be able to take the advice as an opportunity to give yourself a better chance of selling some of the items, not giving them away and not constantly relisting.

If people don't have as much ready cash to spend on those kinds of things, it means you have to try that little bit harder to make them choose you over anyone else, and it also means people aren't as prepared to risk the money they spend when they do spend it.

With something clothing, that doesn't just have to come down to lower prices or free gifts. It means the more information you can give, the more informed and therefore confident the buyer is, and ultimately the better chance you're giving yourself of selling - people might once have bought on the basis of sizing alone, but now they know that sometimes it doesn't work out, it might not fit, and that means either working with the seller to return the item, if they accept returns, or figuring out something else to do with the item  - I see you don't accept returns, which is your choice, but it increases the risk of purchase from the buyer's perspective. They're buying on faith alone, if they buy, and if it doesn't fit they may have to re-sell it and hope they get somewhere near what they paid. 

Putting in measurements will give you a competitive edge over all the other clothing sellers who don't. Telling people what's in the soap, and/or giving some insight as to how it's made, might give them a better idea of its relative value... and so on. 

[carly2579]

to be honest  i looked at tracys listings and thought that they were tacky???  but  each to their own

[viewmont1071]

http://online.rit.edu/faculty/teaching_strategies/adult_learners.cfm

In summary, adult learners usually approach learning differently than younger learners:

they are more self-guided in their learning they bring more, and expect to bring more, to a learning situation because of their wider experience

- and can take more away they require learning "to make sense"

- they will not perform a learning activity just because the instructor said to do it

Often skeptical about new information; prefer to try it out before accepting it

keep on treating new posters like kids and you can expect more bleating

[viewmont1071]

Teaching Strategies for Adult Learners

This means that you may find certain teaching strategies more effective than others with your adult learners.

Adults have years of experience and a wealth of knowledge

Use your adult students as resources for yourself and for other students; use open-ended questions to draw out students' knowledge and experiences; provide many opportunities for dialogue among students

Adults have established values, beliefs, and opinions

Take time to clarify student expecatations of the course; permit debate and the challenge of ideas; be careful to protect minority opinions within the class

Adults expect to be treated as adults

Treat questions and comments with respect; acknowledge contributions students make to the class; do not expect students to necessarily agree with your plan for the course

Adults need to feel self-directed

Engage students in designing the learning process; expect students to want more than one medium for learning and to want control over the learning pace and start/stop times

[lyndal1838]

Tracey, I m really not surprised that your candles and soaps are not selling. If I was looking for hand made candles or soaps I would be looking for something pretty or elegant with a nice perfume...something I would be happy to give as a gift or use myself.

I can find nothing attractive in face and butt soap, particularly when the butt soap has monkey fart fragrance.

When people have limited money to spend they are not likely to spend it on joke items with unpleasant perfumes...especially if the items have premium prices and high postage.

[colkym]

I cant see the logic in butt and face soap either, nor the other female one, and if the smell is as described, thanks but I will pass...

The novelty soaps are a good idea for a joke, but too expensive- no way would I pay $20 (incl post) for a joke.

If you cant take constructive criticism on face value without thinking everyone is picking on you, then not posting about it would probably be a smarter idea.  Since you have just got a whole group doing your market research for you for free, maybe you should heed the advice given?  ?:|

[digital*ghost]

Adults have years of experience and a wealth of knowledge

Use your adult students as resources for yourself and for other students; use open-ended questions to draw out students' knowledge and experiences; provide many opportunities for dialogue among students

 This isn't a classroom with any teachers - if it's to be likened to a classroom at all, it's one where everyone is a student, and threads would be the equivalent of 'dialogue among students' - something would be wrong if the students sat around only offering leading statements or open ended questions.

When students adults engage in dialogue, they relate their 'experience and wealth of knowledge' (sometimes lack thereof) via opinions and advice.

Perhaps the discussion board has all the same kinds of problems as other classrooms where teachers are absent, there's a few spitballs flying around and we have our equivalent of the kid who was always saying 'um-ah, I'm telling..." and some will occasionally be sent to "the principal's office", but there's no teacher with authority, a lesson plan and who's invested in what - or if - their students learn.