has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now

I sell on another id and have been a seller for 10 years and have experienced a huge downturn from $500 to $800 a week to now zero this week, buyers are scarce even watchers, ebay is useless in finding why, just says sellers are dependant on buyers-what if they have dissapeared like here? I am only giving it another few weeks to show something is happening beyond my control & will not have any money to pay ebay for my store and listers, any suggestions?

Message 1 of 187
Latest reply
186 REPLIES 186

has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now

I sell used books and my sales are holding up quite well.

 

Horses for courses, I suppose.

Message 11 of 187
Latest reply

has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now

Opening my shop 18 months ago was the best move I ever made. I had no idea I would actually sell as many cushion covers as I have, and I've been thrilled by the positive response from people who like to support an Aussie seller and buy something hand made. I especially get a kick when an overseas buyer loves my items - so cool to think my cushion covers are sitting in some house in the UK or wherever, lol.

 

Some months are a bit higher or lower and can vary by up to $500 or more, but that is normal. For me selling here has been totally worth it, so I'm definitely not complaining.

 

One thing I have learned to do is diversify. In the beginning I had just the cushion covers, then I branched out into a few other things, also hand-made or from my stash. I've had a phenomenal response to those listings so it has definitely paid off.

 

I've also just invested in an embroidery machine, so soon I will be adding even more variety to my store.

 

I guess it really just depends on what you sell.

Message 12 of 187
Latest reply

has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now


@cushioncovers wrote:

Opening my shop 18 months ago was the best move I ever made. I had no idea I would actually sell as many cushion covers as I have, and I've been thrilled by the positive response from people who like to support an Aussie seller and buy something hand made. I especially get a kick when an overseas buyer loves my items - so cool to think my cushion covers are sitting in some house in the UK or wherever, lol.

 

Some months are a bit higher or lower and can vary by up to $500 or more, but that is normal. For me selling here has been totally worth it, so I'm definitely not complaining.

 

One thing I have learned to do is diversify. In the beginning I had just the cushion covers, then I branched out into a few other things, also hand-made or from my stash. I've had a phenomenal response to those listings so it has definitely paid off.

 

I've also just invested in an embroidery machine, so soon I will be adding even more variety to my store.

 

I guess it really just depends on what you sell.


I think you have hit the nail on the head. Sellers who are trying to compete with millions of other listings in saturated categories such as women's clothing or mobile phone accessories are struggling to get noticed. The individual item is like a droplet lost amongst a sea of other listings.

 

 Add in the fact that these items have become so cheap now, new from the store where you can try it on and see if it suits and it is understandable that sellers of used items in these categories are struggling.  Even sellers of used, high end, branded clothing are competing with op shops. ( which is where a lot of branded clothing on ebay originally comes from. )

 

By the time the seller adds their margin, plus the extra to pay ebay fees, plus postage costs, plus an allowance for customers abusing ebays money back guarantee system, the clothing often becomes much more expensive than buyers can find it for in the same op shops, the seller buys stock from.

 

Small sellers on ebay often have more success selling unique items into niche markets that have not been flooded by other sellers. Even a product such as books allow this targetting of niches. Books on uncommon subjects such as keeping pheasants or local histories of small towns are often a rare item of specific interest to a niche market and can sell very well and achieve good prices.

 

If you keep doing the same thing, you will keep getting the same result. This might sound a bit hard, but if a product line is just not selling on ebay, maybe its time to consider experimenting to find something different that buyers actually want.

 

 

Message 13 of 187
Latest reply

has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now

I have answered in my selling id so you can see what I sell:

This is all very well for the odd few that seem to be doing okay? but not for those that are not, again I say we had good sales until the end of december and it took 3 months to drop to zero sales, as far as being diversified, I selll plants in several different types or families, all are equally affected as are others I have been observing and several I know, sales just dissapeared, again I say Cyclone Debbie has not helped our sales niche but that was 2 weeks back and does not account for the rest of the year so far! we were also selling well last year in the face of a lot of competition as others try what you do however I have one of the largest group of followers in what I sell so it would be assumed I have a lot of return customers which I did have and have had & still have=-before January hit and that was the reality of it-Sales just went down quickly and I even list items nobody has but me or are in short supply with no action.

I have started a 20% off sale now on some items across the board and see what happens over the next 2 weeks, if it stays the same I doubt if I will be listing anymore on ebay after April and add to my supplying to nurseries which I also do-note sales are not down here but have been the highest since January so go figure? a lot of the items were what I could not sell on ebay so I freshened ny listings and took them to the nursery-and I get about the same reurn selling this way. so I am perplexed as this does not match what is happening on ebay?

Anyway it stands to reason there are a lot of ebayers out there that are not making a go of it no matter what they try and thus will compound those that are doing okay as Ebay must be bleeding and losing sellers at an alarming rate-no business can survive this and can only go one way-just like the sellers, somewhere else or just don't bother anymore, must admit I'd have a lot of time!

Message 14 of 187
Latest reply

has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now

You have some nice plants and attractive photos. My only concern as a buyer would be the responses you have left for the occasional red and grey dots you have. I know some buyers dont read descriptions and can be a real pain when things are not quite how they imagined, but it pays to respond to negative feedback in a polite and proffesional way. Potential buyers will be clicking on the red and grey dots and will be reading your responses to feedback for the next 12 months.

 

There are structural changes including changes to listing rankings that are impacting sellers at the moment. This makes it all the more important to manage the little things we do have an influence over in the best way possible.

Message 15 of 187
Latest reply

has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now

eBay has been good for me.

 

It has seen, for me, a moderate decline over the past 5 years and it has certainly got tougher and more competitive in that time, mainly because all my competitors use it, where as 5 years ago, they did not.

 

That is life, that is business, if it was EASY anyone could do it, rather than 90% of them being wage slaves for someone else..

 

It has been quiet so far in April, but March was excellent.

 

Before going on holiday in Feb, I listed 400 new items and many of them sold during March.

 

I haven't listed or bought much stock lately, so no surprise, sales start to taper off.

 

For me, that is what eBay has been all about for many years.

 

List something people want at a reasonable price and provide good service and it will sell, eventually.

 

But it is a matter of horses for courses. Some things don't sell or are very slow.

 

After a while, you get to know what they are.

 

Also, some things that were popular years ago, you can't give them away now.

 

Tastes and styles change. Just because it sold in the past does not always mean it will sell in the future.

Message 16 of 187
Latest reply

has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now

x3n0m
Community Member

Am noticing stuff that used to sell at $60-$80 is not even selling in Australia for $20 with free post so is actually not even worth listing on ebay at all and is best earmarked for garage sale at $5 or less as to risk the International postage and abundance of international ebay scammers emerging is becoming foolhardy for a mere $5 profit etc and lets not mention the actual time and effort involved as that will just upset many sellers who kid themselves that ebay is in fact profitable these days ..

 

Can't really blame ebay for this latest downturn in sales; it is the Australian economy, a huge swathe of Australian society now has zero disposable income due to underemployment and massive rental costs etc etc which if we are very lucky will only amount to homelessness for an additional few 100 thousand Australians .. what we are witnessing is a perfect storm of deregulation, free trade and globalism which will most certainly destroy all but the so called "go getters" (fly by night ruthless cowboys) that our Government relentlessly spruiks as being desirable workers and all others shall be called leaners (lifters and leaners) we are now heading towards an economic depression for the lower rungs of society whilst the go-getters (exploiters (corporates, bankers, Cayman Islands Invester Groups etc) rape what is left of our economy) .. the government want to fix the problem by cutting tax revenue and giving business a 25 Billion Dollar gift all the while attacking workers wages (retail and hospitality awards for starters .. many of these workers are in fact children) ..

 

Hello Mr Government if Australian workers have no disposable income then what is the use of upscaling a business? thus; so the tax breaks are coming whilst businesses are in fact in the process of downsizing and consolidating .. batten down the hatches .. things will get bumpy from here ..

 

Australia; its all about "Jorbs and Growf" didn't ya know? .. its a god dammed train wreck and it won't be in slow motion, it will be brutal and will affect millions of Australian's standard of living who have done nothing wrong whilst government has moulded the economy to suit the big end of town who now want everything outsourced to $1 per hour workers in the third world etc .. and now the government triumphantly fiddles whilst Rome burns ..

 

The survivors will need to be very very bright people who know where, when and how to hide as I warn that this coming wave (consumer downturn) is going to smash our economy ..

Message 17 of 187
Latest reply

has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now


@yeoldecoinco wrote:

eBay has been good for me.

 

 

 

 

 

Also, some things that were popular years ago, you can't give them away now.

 

Tastes and styles change. Just because it sold in the past does not always mean it will sell in the future.


Very true. Vintage chinaware was very saleable ten years ago, but things such as Carltonware attract very little interest now. 

 

The Chinese are making repros of just about anything now. I had a dash / gauge cluster for an old classic car for sale awhile ago. It should have been worth around $150, but I was suprised to find the Chinese where selling brand new, reproductions for around $200 delivered. Consequently I ended selling mine for around half what I expected it to be worth.

 

Rare Holden accessoroes for early models used to be worth very big money, but now these are all available as new reproductions. This has put a major dampener on prices. I wouldnt want to be running a store selling DVD,s or cassette music tapes.

Message 18 of 187
Latest reply

has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now

Hi Dave; I've taken over my daughter's books & pop culture listings - no sales there either! How on earth do you find the incentive to list?  I've marked down all stock on both ID's

 

Message 19 of 187
Latest reply

has anybody else having a sales crash in oz ebay since the new year and experiencing no sales now

I sell the same items on both eBay and another site, and up until around November the eBay sales were approx 2 - 3 times higher than the other site.  Since December and particularly recently this has completely reversed, I am continuing to sell the same numbers on the other site but eBay has fallen into a hole, and the sales ratio is now higher on the other site than eBay.  I have particularly noticed on days when I have no eBay sales or only a couple the other site spikes.  This would suggest to me that there is either issues with the eBay search or there is throttling!!   I believe sales on the other site are helped by Google search so maybe eBay also still has issues with Google?

---------------------------------------------------
Profanity is no substitute for wit.
Message 20 of 187
Latest reply