dismal sales again

[trustykeiley23]

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 ?

[davewil1964]

---

@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

[amber-eyed-girl]

---

@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.

[davidc4430]

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.

[amber-eyed-girl]

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

[*tippy*toes*]

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.

[erg-auto-electrical-wholesalers]

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

[amber-eyed-girl]

---

@*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

[rocket2retro]

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.

[bullitprooftools2016]

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.

[Anonymous]

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