eBay GMV Down 4 Percent in the Fourth Quarter 2019

by: shellhut

I would love to know if the number of listings went down because of GTC.  Because I don't list as much as I used to because of it.  I'm sure I am not the only one.  When I've searched for items since GTC went into effect, there are much less listings than their used to be.  If the listings aren't there, then the sales aren't going to happen either.  We will never know, because they will never get rid of GTC, so they say.   Nothing worse in business then inconstancy.  You can't give away something for free for years and years and then start charging for it.  It chases people away.

by: eBay Shill Buster

eBay is giving nothing away, they charge for listings via eBay store subscriptions, no other marketplace charges for listings like eBay does, Amazon has unlimited GTC listings, eBay wants to charge for the first listing then every 30 days they want to charges sellers again.

eBay is run by the incompetent who think they are entitled to free cash that they never really earned, that is why they think they can get away with defrauding sellers, because they have had it so easy for so long.

Sellers are rapidly removing inventory from eBay's fee churning scammy marketplace and are downsizing or closing their eBay stores.

by: Carl

I am still surprised that eBay are charging you for GTC relists. Not sure how they thought it was a good thing.
Over here in England, you get 1,000 unique listings a month, GTC relists are free and do not come off the 1,000 for the following month.
Sellers could have 10s of thousands of listings and they never cost a penny.
That is why I am surprised that a market like the size of the US doesn't have it the same. Very strange.

by: Geetar

@Carl.

Maybe thats why the US Ebay business went down much much more than all other locations.

I always had my listings under 1000. All my items I already had as GTC. So this does not effect me anyway. I do however use inkfrog to end all listings that do not sell in 30 days. So even if I didnt want any listings to renew I could use that.

by: eBay Shill Buster

Carl, because the company is run by White Collar Criminals like Wenig and his criminal partners like Temkin who have cashed in 100's of millions of dollars in stock options.

by: eBay Shill Buster

Carl, I was just thinking since our laws differ from your laws in the UK, eBay may be able to get away with the automated good til canceled fee churning script here in the USA since members here must agree not to file class action lawsuits. eBay lost a class action in the past on this very same GTC relisting issue and paid out millions to settle the case.

Today eBay members here in the USA are prohibited from joining class action lawsuits and must submit to arbitration in the state of Utah for any legal claims against eBay. So eBay recycled the very same GTC relisting scam once again thinking that there could be no mass recourse against them in the USA. Maybe such a scam is illegal in the UK is the only reason I can see that it would not be duplicated in your country, that or the executives in the UK actually have some common business sense.

by: Carl

Well, whatever the reason, things will have to change and soon for you lot.
Last quarter, Amazon announced a 14% increase; this quarter, they have just announced a 21% increase. With 61% of sales due to the US alone.
eBay may want to ponder on that fact.
I don't think it is any surprise given how many times I have heard/read people are pulling inventory off eBay and putting it on Amazon. It must have played at minimum, a small part in those Amazon figures.
eBay cannot blame the decline of "market conditions" or "people holding on to their money in uncertain economic times", not with those Amazon result.
There can only be one conclusion: It is eBay themselves that are doing something wrong.
Will the penny drop? I doubt it...

by: eBay Shill Buster

eBay executives are certainly inept, they have been for at least a decade, their idea of modernizing the marketplace is FORCING SELLERS INTO SELLER HUB, forcing them into eBay Payments, forcing them to pay more to sell on eBay in the form of Promoted Listings.

You can not FORCE customers into anything, they do not want the choice taken away from them, so sellers are pulling inventory, here in the USA they are selling on mobile apps Offerup.com and Letgo.com, eBay can't compete with these new companies, let alone Amazon where many eBay sellers have moved inventory due to the criminal tactics of Devin Wenig.

by: iheartjacksparrow

@Carl - How are sales for you in England? Do you hear many stories about how sales have declined significantly, like sellers in the U.S. say?

by: Snapped

“... all while driving more margin expansion.”

That’s really all that needs knowing, and it’s right there - a dollop of plainspeak dressing atop that whitewash word salad Mr S would have those still in their gutters, and those gullible on street level, masticate.

Margin expansion. The Noble goal, sure. But it’s in the ‘how’, no?

On eBay, that ‘how’ is not by ‘innovation’ claimed. Like, name one. One that didn’t expand eBay’s waist line at seller expense and without nourishment in return. Can’t be done.

And it’s certainly not gonna erupt by “leveraging structured data”. Because even if you can chew that chunk of lettuce, consider how any ‘data’, by it’s definition, is only information self defined. Once it starts being tinkered with by those who arrogantly believe they know you better than you know you, It becomes a product. A tool. A lever perhaps, but the only thing being ‘levered’ by that product is every seller’s wallet.

Margin expanding indeed. Just not for their paying customers.

As for those persevering buyers who need now swim the sea of ‘China’ with every search, (and another lap with every ‘enhancement’ to date), here’s a real innovative idea: Get outta their face. Quit thinking for them. Stop chasing them away with bandwagoned AI and klutzy incompetent ‘data’ machinating. Be a marketplace that actually IS a marketplace.

As for eBay’s own ‘longevity’, notwithstanding P.T. Barnum’s edict regarding “suckers” and their birth rates, while it’s mathematically possible to continue ad infinitum increasing profit (say 1% per) while decreasing business (say 4% per - and that doesn’t even count the boomerangs), it will eventually (and inevitably, likely rapidly) become impractical - and more costly to raid the purses than what they will yield.

If there are even enough left by then.

No, the time for ‘innovative leveraging’ has passed, a bit over a decade ago. They could have had a place at the big table AND leveraged the untouchable that they were then, instead of trashing that square peg trying to shove it into the round hole of retailing, and then charging the accused for the bullet used to extinguish them while denying due process. Also a plagiarized idea, btw. From guess who.

One final thought - that was the big one - the consume till ya drop quarter. Think it’ll be better this one, now a third consumed itself? Poobah pro temp Mr. S seems to. He’s all “excited” about it.

Poor guy can’t even talk straight...

by: DingDong

Amazon sales up 21%
Paypal growth up 18%
eBay still wetting on the side of my pant leg

by: Carl

@iheartjacksparrow - the eBay forums over here are full of threads about eBay being a scammers paradise or about lack of sales.
Most seem to post just to make sure it isn't their account only that is facing the problem.
I think it is the same on all eBay sites. Most people seem to be feeling it.
My own personal sales have been steadily increasing over the months. I am in a minority though.
I have 3,300 items listed and sell between 250 - 350 a month; generally over 300 though. I sell mainly media CDs, DVDs, Games etc...I don't know if that makes a difference.
I have noticed though that if you have a few returns or bad feedback, your sales suddenly seem to be throttled for a few weeks.
You go from about 10 a day to 1 or 2 at the most.

by: toolguy

Let's face it when it comes to sellers eBay is way more popular but when it comes to buyers Amazon is. . . .

The proof is right here on this website!

by: wilburnet

I'm based in the UK and returned back to Ebay from Etsy and my sales have been pretty good. Not so much this month, but got 3 orders today as a lot of UK workers get paid this week.

by: ebayout

Can't say I'm typical, but I went from a basic store to a starter store. I do my 100 free listings and stop. Then, I watch my basket. If a BIN item gets down to one day left, I presume it's a dog and yank it. No GTC fee for this momma's boy.
Sidenote...been on for 20+ years w/ near $600K gross. I've seen a LOT of 20 year sellers on the boards saying they're packing it in. I'll be in that number sometime this year.
The thrill is gone.

by: toolguy

@eBayout

I have a (1) basic store and (2) starter stores

I try to keep the 450 listings up & going. . . .We don't go over our alotted listings very often. The listings I've done the last few days on the z50com account have cost me .25 cents each since we ran over our 250 for this month.

The GTC listings have cost me a few dollars each month, nothing to cry over that's for sure. . . . .

by: CanBrit

@eBay Shill Buster

I've mentioned this a few times. I am no eBay lover or shill. I hate the darn idiots, every thieving criminal and a lawyer one of them.

But, this GTC got stuck in my throat until now. I started swapping my listings out at 21 days, 50 at a time. I have now reached the point where all my listings are on no longer than 21 - 22 days. This is what it has done for me.

42.9% Up Compared to prior period (31 days)
389.3%Up Compared to a year ago.

The figures are proving that by not falling into the trap of GTC, I'm getting more visibility, more sales, more $$$. When Nimrod Sweetnam said they were not going to revisit the GTC decision, I knew the only reason for that was because it was a money grab at us. (Even though for the life of me, I don't know how they think we sellers can support their mindless greed).

I started this business to make money. I am making money and now more money. I didn't have to do these types of tactics in the beginning. People were seeing my items. Now I have loads of new customers, new trade happening every day.

It works. I don't know why everyone isn't trying it??

by: toolguy

@CanBrit

No matter how you slice it or dice it you only get so many free listings a month.

50 free
100 free (starter store)
250 free (basic store)
1000 free (premium store)
10,000 free (anchor store)

The only thing ending them early is going to do is make it so your items don't show up in a Google search. As far as eBay's search goes I think your way is better but I wouldn't end my listings until day 29 or 30 instead of 21 or 22. . . .If you end them early like that you don't get to list as many items as if you waited 29 or 30 days. . . .

by: eBay Shill Buster

CanBrit, all items are ended now when they get close to 2 days, we are getting very low sell through rates on eBay, they are not worth our time any longer, all new inventory is going to Amazon.

eBay is pay to play, they get no pay unless we get play, in other words, they perform or they do not make a dime.

by: unsuckEBAY

''Update 1/28/2020: eBay GMV declined 8% in the US in the fourth quarter of 2019, eBay revealed during an earnings call with Wall Street analysts on Tuesday.''
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Andy Cring stated eBay's US Marketplace GMV's quarterly DECLINE was an astonishing NINE PERCENT!! ... During peak holiday shopping season when everyone else is surging!

(I believe the 8% figure is YoY for eBay, Inc.).

''US GMV was down 9%, driven by a six point impact from internet sales tax....'' (from the transcript)