eBay Sellers, Are You Better Off Than You Were a Year Ago?

by: Bidderboy

I am absolutely not better off than I was a year ago. Sales have steadily diminished to the point where, for the 1st time in 15 years, I am thinking of getting back into the job market. I may have no choice. I have kept up with all of the changes and continued to market the collectible items I sell as I have always done. I have a 100% positive feedback score on over 18,000 feedbacks and 5's across the board on the stupid DSR's. If it was not for my loyal return customers I might be out of business now. A year ago I was lamenting my loss of eBay income. Now I am getting desperate and beginning to consider options that I hoped i would never have to consider again. I know there are a lot of factors at play here besides eBay's mismanagement and shenanigans, but those are by far the most responsible for the lack of sales and income. I don't know if I'm more heartbroken or angry. The part that infuriates me the most is that I joined eBay originally because I read Pierre Omidyar's mission statement and it spoke to me. I came to eBay as an entrepreneur and was wildly successful (I have over 1 million dollars in sales). Then eBay became the meddlesome, know-nothing-about-my-business boss who began micro-managing me. I left the work force for freedom and independence to do my own thing with the help of the eBay platform. Now I feel more stifled than ever as eBay has imposed it's one size fits all constraints on my once successful enterprise. I have gone from being the loudest and most enthusiastic cheerleader eBay ever had to being a dispirited, dissatisfied critic who sees eBay as more of an adversary than a business partner. And, despite what Toolguy will inevitably say, I know I am not the only one....

by: phantom

Sales are down 22% from previous years. Ebay is in a death spiral and need to go back to the basics.
Ebay thinks that they are smarter than everyone else and will think there way out of existence leaving sellers stuck with a lot of inventory. SURPRISE

by: sendur

Yes we are better of; no more crap of defects etc, not having to live up to the 20th to see what mess we're getting in now.

Ebay is playing it fair now for us. Sales aren't that bad, though we're seeing a movement to Amazon, but hey we are there also.  

by: arisdisc

Absolutely not. In fact, I've gone 3 full days without a single sale. I don't think that has ever happened since I signed on in 1999.

The obvious reason to me? I had to downsize my 'store' from Anchor to Premium because of the absurd price changes couple months back. I was doing fine with 2500 listings a month and then suddenly my choices are 10,000 a month (for an additional $1440 a year!)...or downsize. I really had no choice - the jump in fees was crazy.

I just can't believe an established company like this one, while having their meeting about the 'store price fee' change, couldn't come up with a tier BETWEEN Anchor and Premium. I would have been happy to pay a nominal higher store fee for say...5,000 listings.
But no, I'm down to 1,000 listings and absolutely NOTHING is selling.

Don't even bother to ask this question again a year from now. The way things are going, I'll more than likely be done.

by: FeelingFroggy

About the same as last year. Maybe a tad better.

I don't have to look at Donuthole each morning.

And I'm one year closer to telling PAYPIG to drop dead.

by: Rexford

No, no and no. It's quite difficult to sell an item when it is hidden by eBay much of the time, and despite the fact that they say that we have no selling limits I'd say that that is a big fat lie.

Cassini does what it was implemented to do--steer buyers straight to eBay's enterprise sellers and the Chinese.

It is shameless how eBay takes small sellers money and gives them so little in return.  Only sociopathic management could manage to sleep at night knowing that.

Earnings come out tomorrow.  I am sure they will crow about how well they are doing.

by: Wire

Yes I'm better off.  Shut down my Ebay account and no longer have to deal with their headaches!  It's been a very relaxing year for me.

by: Randy

@Bidderboy
I couldn't have said it better myself!

by: White Rabbit

I'm a lot better off too but had very little to do with Ebay. :-) the buyers are less and less there.  

by: Scotty

Bidderboy - has summed it up in one concise statement.  Brilliant summary....that should be sent to Wenig and his executive team.

by: iheartjacksparrow

What Bidderboy wrote should be engraved on plaques and mailed to every eBay executive.

by: pace306

Bidderboy is %101 correct.

Each year, each new eBay hire with no experience in ecommerce, only makes things worse.

It's seems as if ebays seller Updates are only about how to fleece it's sellers in some new way.

I'm spending more time then ever getting Amazon and FBA working via feeds etc. I can't spend the wasted time on ebays platform, one that just wants to punish me for protecting myself from their buyers.

Whatever eBay says it's doing - it's not, it's doing the exact opposite.  

by: The End

Number of items in my favorite categories has been reduced by at least 50%. Given the mindset of those in charge, Ebay will be a ghost in just a few more years.

by: moto-science

Trust Ebay at your peril......they are an accessory for possible sales and advertising. Build your future somewhere else :  Almost anywhere else will have less turmoil and sheer nonsense. Ebay is ~unstable platform......

by: mcposty

Lol, as if they "broke" up at all, they are still sewn together by the hip.

by: rhawk

I am better off.

I quit ebay a month ago.

6 years ago I was netting 4,000 per month from ebay.

JD disrupted my business, and it continued on through CEO Wighead.

The Cassinini algorithm is  set to fail sellers at the slightest sales dip.  It compounds lack of visibility to the point of no return.

Ebay is evil, corrupt, and does not show your listings.  

It is no place to base a business upon.

by: Rexford

Congratulations JD and Mr. Wenig. Mission accomplished.  Reading the comments and hearing first hand how you have crushed small businesses...gut wrenching.  

by: gizmo

After many years , I stopped selling approx. 6 months ago. I am better off , pocket & mind. Between freebies , stealing my shipping , & to dang many returns , most of which were forced , I just plain gave up on them. They gave up long ago , could not make since of their BS. Im just waiting for day 180 , & Im deleting my last account. I do not buy or sell there any longer. Not even good for research. WORTHLESS !

by: bpm

Better off?! That's a joke! I'm in month 16 of hidden sales limits imposed on my account - 6k in sales for 3 months, 5k for the next 3 months, then 4k, then 3, then 2, and now I have £1500 in sales every single month irrespective of the number of listings in my shop.

This is way below what is necessary to maintain my business (antiques, with Ebay my sole income - I know, I know, please dont tell me to diversify, I didnt and I'm paying the price for being on Ebay only); I am job hunting. Sales in the last 12 months are down 70%.

by: Scotty

@BPM:  It seems there is some sort of socialist ''egalitarianism'' being applied by ebay for the benefit of new or casual sellers at the expense of long-time established sellers.  I have no doubt they ''direct'' views to the newbies (get them addicted like like the junkies plan) then subject them to the disappearing item act the rest of us are experiencing.  Apparently, long-term commitment to being a top and reliable seller means nothing and will actually get you penalized in the land of ebay.  As evidenced by your staged decline in sales (same exact thing has happened to me....and I think they are currently imposing another round of this as I have posted I have had 2 sales now in 8+ days....3500+ items in store and 75 new, unique offerings every Sat & Sun in auction...with 1 bid for the last auction that ended Sun. 17 July and no bids currently on the latest batch this week).  It is really unbelievable as who at ebay does one direct this issue to....Manila?  That is a total waste of time, and frankly, it is disrespectful to long-time established sellers to have to speak with someone who knows absolutely nothing about anything.  I have no idea how these companies get away with the walls they have built to shield themselves from their customers....if I did that as a customer service component via my ebay store, they would boot me in a heartbeat.  There really is no where to turn as they truly do not care.