So we made it to 25th September. For the second time in a year, sellers are making major changes to the way they do business on eBay, revising listings one by one, struggling to find information on how eBay’s latest round of changes will impact their particular business. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough. I’d really like to just get on with selling now.
Too much change, too often
Major changes are made on eBay far too often. Hardly a week goes by without some policy or other being revised, meaning sellers have a constant stream of new requirements to incorporate into their businesses. The time we’re spending at the moment changing our listings and figuring out new strategies to work around new policies, could be better spent working on our own websites and figuring out Google Adwords: at least then we’d eventually be in control.
eBay need to make it easier to keep up with their changes. Bulk editing is hard work, and when you have a hundred or a thousand or ten thousand listings to change, it’s really hard to justify spending the time to do so, again. There needs to be an easy way to change your shipping fees, or your returns policy, or even your email address on all your listings.
Policies are made, and then retracted, or tweaked, causing yet more work for sellers. eBay need to find a way to consult with their members before they make many of these changes: often as sellers, we understand the implications of what eBay do better than they do themselves. Policy changes need to be communicated fully, in advance, not piecemeal after the event.
Most importantly, eBay need to stop changing things. Let’s have some time to just get on with selling, please.
Lack of transparency
If eBay are sometimes poor at communicating, other times they’re just downright secretive, and this is doing no good to their relationship with sellers. Getting information about how the new search results work is like pulling teeth. eBay staff contradict each other. They can’t answer basic questions. And all this leaves sellers – rightly or wrongly – feeling as though they’re being duped. Getting sales on eBay feels more like gambling than running a business: if we don’t understand how to get ourselves to the top of the search results, we’re not going to hang around trying to figure it out, we’ll just go somewhere else to sell.
And it’s the same with feedback and DSRs: sellers are judged by those five little stars, but eBay won’t give us the information we need to improve. We’re encouraged to keep our scores above 4.8, but if they fall to 4.79, we don’t know if that’s one disgruntled buyer, or a real drop in the service we’re offering. How would eBay staff feel if their bonus depended on a secret target their boss kept to herself?
We’ve been promised “granularity” in DSRs: let’s have it. Let’s at least see how many buyers have left us each score. eBay need to stop using the excuse that we might harass our buyers if we think they’ve left us a 1 or a 2. A few sellers will do that anyway, but why are they punishing the rest of us for it? They say they want to make the site better: give us the tools to make it so.
Insecurity
Dolphins: need I say more? If you’re trading on eBay, you need to have in the back of your mind that eBay can take it all away at any moment, for any reason, with no warning whatsoever. Though eBay UK made an announcement in the summer that “we will be introducing a 1-month warning period for sellers who breach the Seller Non-Performance policy for the first time“, they didn’t quite mean what we all thought they meant. As clarified on the PowerSeller Board, “30 day warnings are given where appropriate. We have not guaranteed that every seller will get a warning.” You can still be stopped from selling, temporarily or permanently, with no notice, and no appeal.
And it’s not just about feedback and DSRs. eBay’s policy changes too can wipe your business out in a matter of days. If you were selling downloadable listing templates this time last year, you’re not any more, thanks to the policy that banned the sale of digital goods. Sellers of designer and brand name clothing are finding themselves suddenly restricted from selling too. Restrictions on particular trademarks are not being communicated to sellers, and so the first they know about it is when they suddenly can’t list any more of the stock they’ve tied their cash up in. Is that a way to do business? It’s safer to go elsewhere, somewhere where you’re in control.
Of course, it’s eBay’s site and they can do what they want, and that includes alienating every seller they’ve got if they choose to do so. But they shouldn’t count on sellers just bending over and taking it much longer.
We have more options now. When I started selling on eBay, setting up a website was difficult and expensive: eBay offered many sellers an opportunity to sell online that they couldn’t find any other way. Now, websites are both easy and cheap: why would any seller not have one? Comparison search engines and search marketing tools like Adwords make it easy and cheap to reach buyers. That easy, cheap connection with people who wanted to buy used to be eBay’s unique selling point, but it’s not any more. eBay can’t sit on their laurels forever. Unless they find a new way to reach out to sellers, to convince us that it’s worth persisting with eBay selling, I fear by this time next year, there won’t be many of us left.
This post was inspired by The Brews News’ “eBay Needs to Find a New Set of Tools to Motivate Sellers in 2009”, which you should certainly also read.
62 Responses
“Unless they find a new way to reach out to sellers, to convince us that it’s worth persisting with eBay selling, I fear by this time next year, there won’t be many of us left.”
Well said.
I haven’t even logged into eBay today yet, 5 years ago I used to break out in a cold sweat if I couldn’t get to a PC.
why would any seller not have one?
Indeed. In the not-too-distant past, people who had their own websites were looked upon as odd, foolish or both.
I predict that in the not-too-distant future, people who use Ebay as their main selling channel will be regarded as very strange indeed.
Well I set up my website two years ago – and left eBay 9 months ago. I could see the writing on the wall along time ago. It surprises me that so many eBay sellers have taken so long to make the move to their own website.
I have seen so many eBay “cheerleaders” over the last two years keep promoting eBay for its so called benefits, and then finally see the sense of their own websites. The problem is, websites take at least a year to get up and running, and get in search, and all those eBay “cheerleaders” will be struggling to catch up.
wonderful great news the more sellers that bugger off out of it the mores left for me , 😈
Spot on Sue.
We used to tell anyone and everyone that if we’d had our time again we’d have started out online on ebay and not with our own website as we did and that anyone looking to go online should start out on ebay as it was the best place to test markets and products without spending a fortune on websites, etc.. But not anymore.
Only a fool would keep all their eggs in the ebay basket and have absolutely no control over the fate of their own business, Whatever you may believe about the number of buyers ebay brings you they can also take everything away at the drop of a hat with no notice and no explanation. We won’t risk our livelihood like that.
In response to Greg and Andy:
I think, and I always have, that a mix of sales channels is the best strategy for any small retailer online. Websites can be up and profitable in a couple of weeks (yes, Greg, I mean that: I’ve done it and seen many other people do it too – it’s easy and cheap to get websites going these days).
My question moving forward is whether eBay even needs to be part of that mix, even as a customer acquisition strategy, or a stock liquidation strategy. Once, I’d’ve had had no doubt at all that it was invaluable in both of those areas, but now I’m starting to think that it’s more trouble than it is profitable.
Re 3 : I have put off setting up my own website because I felt that buyers ‘trusted’ ebay and they would not trust a website without a recognised brand. How did your sales on your own website compare to ebay and how quickly did it take for them to start coming through?
Re 6: Sue any tips on getting the website up and running? Do you suggest buying a package?
I don’t sell on my website, I simply direct people to ebay. One of the reasons is cost – I don’t want to pay for a shopping cart/checkout and maybe adwords to drive people to the site when ebay already provides that stuff. Is it worth paying for stuff when I might not make a single sale?
On the other hand, I would love to know what are the best options for doing this stuff, without spending a fortune, if the new ebay fee structure proves to be too expensive for me it’s a road I should investigate.
My OH bought a pair of shoes from a shooter-seller which arrived today.
I was surprised to find a business card in the package that offered a 10% off the next purchase, but was valid through their eBay shop only. They have about 1000 current listings and seem to be shifting a lot of product, but it puzzles me as to why they have not got another online presense. In fact, their email address is a free webmail account.
I can’t help but feel that this seller is missing a big opportunity, whilst also putting their entire business at risk by relying solely on eBay.
Couldn’t have said it better myself! eBay has inflicted seller fatigue and there is just no way they will turn the tide of sellers putting up their own websites. We started by buying a domain name in the aftermarket (easybayus just didn’t seem like a good name for an off eBay store – we ended up with KidsCoats).
It’s not as easy for us than setting it up in a week, maybe I’m a little slower than most. My job this weekend is to load 600 SKUs via a bulk uploader, then only another 2,600 to go after that. That’ll get the fall line up and then I can start preparing for the spring line.
Time will tell if its worth the effort. But I do know all our new initiatives will be focused on off eBay opportunities. We’re just going into a reactive mode on eBay.
Thanks for listing to my rants.
Another excellent post, Sue.
My website grew quite slowly, but boy am I glad I put the work in over the past 2-3 years as it is now my major source of income.
As things stand, I still plan to keep a presence on ebay for the foreseeable future, but that presence is reducing as time goes on, not least because of the recent ebay policy decision to ban items under 99p.
#7 & #8: HUtdFan and Kate:
It doesn’t need to be expensive: there are numerous “packages” that allow you to run an online store for a few pounds a month. Probably the cheapest option is your own hosting plus either OSCommerce or (better) Magento Commerce – both those are open source and therefore free to run. Otherwise EKM, JShops – or our lovely advertisers https://www.daily.co.uk/ Daily who will integrate with your eBay Shop.
All that said, if you’re a very very low volume seller, it’s hard to know what to advise. It might feel like it’s not worth you going to the effort of a website, but equally, confining all your sales to eBay is an incredibly risky strategy unless you really don’t need the money those sales are generating you.
Becuase of ebay’s fiddling, goal shifting and rug-pulling I have 3 other stable selling venues (well, they are a damn site more stable than ebay!) I don’t know whether to thank them or say “fools, you couldn’t just leave it alone could you?”
Unfortunately you reap what you sew and ebay have been sewing manure of late and it’s harvest time! It’s not just seller fatigue that’s setting in, the buyers are going elsewhere too.
I am well tired of it all and just when it’s supposed to get busier …
yeah right websites may be ok now or at least the perception of it is, though its delusionary to think because you have a website your independant and free
just because its not ebay ,
you still need google ,or microsoft, or apple, or dell, or amazon or your web host or your isp
their is always some piper to pay regardless of which dance you choose
14# Path of least resistance.
I agree with what most people have said here too. However, I still believe eBay is a worthwhile and viable channel to pursue with.
I sell in the car parts category and also in health and beauty. I find that more traffic is generated to my website from sales I get on eBay. I utilize the email marketing function on eBay and make sure I touch base on a monthly bases with my repeat customers with offers to my direct web site.
It has worked for me in the past and it is still working today. I feel with the changes, eBay has changed!! We need to get out of the mindset of what eBay was like 5,7,10 years ago.
Remember, we have a choice as sellers also to choose where we want to sell. so we need to decide in this time of economic uncertainty, do you really want to cut the sales and revenue that eBay provide??
We list nowhere else but ebay, we have no website
and no intentions of listing anywhere else but ebay in the near future
And we dont care if we are considered to be as daft as a box of frogs
were in this for the dosh
15
path to riches!
17 I am the same. I am really looking forward to no more relisting with the GTC listings maintaining my inventory. I would lose that benefit if I was selling elsewhere. I would need to hold more stock just incase I sold in two places at the same time.
this theory that somehow your not a proper business or in some way incomplete, unless you have your own webspace
is tosh,
if website works for you good ,and if ebay works for you good or if both work even better,
its all about making money not point scoring against ebay or being PC
#4, Less sellers equals less buyers and less traffic this doesn’t increase sales for those left on eBay, it’s a vicious circle. People will go to where the biggest choice is. It’s exactly this reason that’s seen the downfall of the high street towards out of town shopping centres and the net.
@20 – I totally agree with you. there is too many people out there trying to point score against eBay. My believe is get on with it, or ship out!! we need to remember eBay is a business too!! its an easy decison for me to make, while im still making a profit i will be trading on eBay. when the day comes where im not making money, thats the day I jump ship!
@21 – isnt that what the changes are all about!! giving the buyer more choice!!! hence more traffic to the site
ability to park your car ,is why folks used outof town shopping, not choice
I don’t think there’s much rhyme or reason to Ebay’s constant changes. Genuine Seller has a really good blog about Donahoe and his disruptive innovation theories.
John Donahoe, IMO, doesn’t see us sellers as human beings. Like Brews said, we’re just guinea pigs. But we are Main Street. He doesn’t understand we have the right to be treated fairly; we are important and many of us built our businesses on the trust that was the old Ebay. 9 short months of massive changes has been extremely taxing. If the changes mades sense, I could understand. Ebay has lost so much of it’s value and respect because of one egomaniac who had some lame brain theory about disruptive innovation. If I never hear the name John Donahoe again I would die happy.
What an absolutely class post Sue – I have to say, I agree with every single word of that!
The trouble is, I think ebay underestimate how many buyers are also sellers (even though they ought to be able to work it out)
Every time they introduce a policy which means sellers have to individually revise all their listings, I, for one, notice a dip in sales – presumably because so many buyers are busy revising their own listings.
Then, for every seller who’s too fed up to go through it all again & leaves to sell elsewhere, that’s another buyer lost – PLUS a percentage of their friends & family who they will also tell if they’re disgruntled enough (I think the average is 20 people who will be told about bad service received)
It’s a downward spiral 🙁
Angie, good point, but I don’t think it only applies to buyers who are sellers! Every time eBay change something on the site, buying activity (as far as I can see) decreases: it’s exactly what you’d expect, as buyers take time to get used to what’s changed: new item page layout, new search, whatever. That time spent learning how to use the site again is time that should have been spent shopping, and I know it is costing eBay sales, not least because I get emails from my regular eBay buyers saying “can I just email you my order because I can’t be bothered with all the new stuff on eBay”.
I have had my own website up and running since 1996. I sell my own artwork and to me it has been worth its weight in gold. Anyone with handmade items or large inventory must have a website. I use mine to not only display my work but have it set up for Google Base and I upload to Google once a month with any additions or corrections to my items. At present I have almost 200 items on Google Base. I also use my website to host my auction pictures, and also to keep customers who have bought a commission from me up to date on their purchase. I actually give a customer a secret page on my website where he can come and see the progress of his painting and email me any changes or suggestions for it. So, a website is not just a store…its MANY things. If you learn some HTML (I suggest HTML for Dummies or there are several good sites that teach HTML) you can keep your site humming along.
As to Ebay – I have no idea WHAT they’re doing and my sales there slumped to a degree where I don’t much care anymore. For the few sales I make there I can list on several free sites and not have the hassle, the expense, or have to jump thru anymore of Ebay’s foolish hoops just for the privilege of paying them thru the nose for no service and no exposure! I have the distinct feeling that they will be cutting almost all sellers loose in the near future. I see them as just a number of big-box stores selling their new wares and a source of advertising for other companies. If you want to see what Ebay is becoming…look at Amazon. You won’t find any auctions there and soon you won’t find them on Ebay either.
Just thought I’d give you all something to think about. There IS life beyond Ebay. Its hard to get out of that comfortable rut…but I think all sellers have to face the facts eventually. Ebay is dying as far as sellers are concerned.
Lisa,
John Donahoe is only part of the problem eBay has been flailing since 2004, when natural growth began to slow. Meg Whitman bought Paypal but had no idea how to expand the eBay concept into the Web 2.0 generation. eBay Express was supposed to be it but was badly conceived, badly executed, and hardly marketed at all.
eBay management never had the vision to persevere. They provided the opening for someone like John Donahoe, who can project the idea that he has a vision, to ram it through despite its destructiveness. In such an atmosphere, the voices of experience become the old fuddy-duddies standing in the way of progress.
I have been dealing with eBay for eight years now and run eBay accounts for a variety of businesses. I have also in the past advised companies to sell on eBay for Business Link Seminars ! Not anymore, with the tedious lack of communication skills eBay have, the no discussion: we are right all of the time attitude and the so called ‘eBay business support staff’ hardly knowing a thing (and really don’t care whether your eBay business flourishes ot not attitude), I will certainly be advising my clients that we need to diversify into ‘user and sales friendly’ marketplaces. I think eBay’s problems, and as usual, the wrong people are sitting in the wrong chairs !!
29,
26
et al
whats new?
everytime ebay changes anything for the last 10 years now
the end of ebay
doom and gloom stories are all over the boards and blogs
yet here we are still talking about ebay
and not that much about anyone else !
Yes it’s very easy to set up a web site nowdays but in my opinion (in most cases), if your not making sales on eBay you won’t be making sales on your own website. 🙁
eBay may have lost it’s buzz but in my opinion it’s still a very viable platform if you are selling a product that people want to buy, at a price that people want o pay, and delivering the customer service that people now expect (if I buy a jumper I want to wear it yesterday!).
#26 No I agree Sue, they are doing a grand job of alienating buyers as well, by making it difficult also for buyers to use the site 🙁
A mate of mine had an email from a relatively new (<10 FB) buyer this afternoon, along the lines of:
‘Hi I bought this item from you, but I can’t find you on ebay to buy another one. How can I buy another one please?’
Off at a slight tangent I know, sorry – shocking state of affairs though!
That time spent learning how to use the site again is time that should have been spent shopping
Unfortunately, one of the golden rules of the internet (as I know you know) is that buyers shouldn’t have to spend time re-learning how to use a site.
And frequently they won’t bother. Ebay have got away with a lot over the years thanks to a sense of loyalty felt by it’s ‘members’ …
Jimbo – you’re right….to a point. If you set up your website and sit idly by waiting for customers…yes, you’ll be sitting a LONG time. The internet is a huge huge place and just setting up a website address does not mean people will waltz thru your door. You need to first notify your ebay repeat customers. Get ads going thru Google adwords and even Amazon ads. Put your site name wherever you can…including at the bottom of all your emails. There are countless ways to advertise your site on the internet. It takes time and it takes WORK….but its been worthwhile for me (my site has long ago passed my ebay sales). I believe in the old saying “anything that is worth doing is worth doing well.” Of course, if you dont’ want to be proactive you can always sit and cry about lack of sales on ebay 😉
Incidentally, the old attitude that Ebay is THE place is no longer true for a LOT of sellers. This is why they are venturing out to sites like Etsy, Bonanzle, iOffer, eBid, eCrater, OnlineAuctions, Wigix, Overstock, Blujay…I can go on and on. Most of those are free to list on…so if you don’t sell you DON’T pay and many sellers will list the same stock on all or some of them! Sellers are slowly building those sites exactly the same way they built ebay so many years ago. I’m a 10 year ex-Ebay seller.
32 You say frequently they won’t bother – I have to disagree. People want to use the site, it is still one of the most visited on the web. What other options are there?
“Unless they find a new way to reach out to sellers, to convince us that it’s worth persisting with eBay selling, I fear by this time next year, there won’t be many of us left”
Loads have already left eBay including myself (after 5 years of low volume selling). Been trying out eBid but so far with very disappointing results. Have been investigating various other online avenues and will most likely go for my own website within the next few months.
Ebay have no interest in the small to medium sellers anymore, they want the big fish and the Buy It Now sales only. So they have no interest in clarifying their confusing new rules and regulations.
I closed my shop 2 weeks ago and only listed on the Irish 10c listing weekend on eBay Ireland last weekend, otherwise I won’t bother anymore.
It’s depressing and disappointing what’s happened to this brilliant online venue called eBay, but at least the changes get people off their arses and make them think about new things to try.
Regarding post #33. I think you’re right. IMO, Ebay is staying afloat because of the excellent sellers (and even the bad one, despite themselves). Ebay is a culture onto itself. Whether a buyer or seller, or both, people literally get ‘hooked’ on Ebay.
I’m still selling, although my sales are down, but I haven’t changed a thing (except what Ebay won’t allow). I’m sticking in there until the sales stop completely. Note: I am selling on other alternatives sites as well, but not with near the success.
Ebay has finally overstepped the mark completely, people are leaving in droves for sites like http://www.ebid.net, the alternatives may not have the traffic of eBay just yet, but where do you think all the disenfranchised sellers will be buying in the future, it sure as heck ain’t gonna be eBay!
Too often we hear conspiracy theories about eBay crashing its stock, padding listings for its own benefits, not caring about its sellers, etc.
I’m suddenly reminded of the Ultima video game series. In the final game of the series the hero realizes that he is part of the problem, empowers the people to solve their own problems, and then leaves forever. Perhaps this is exactly what eBay is doing. Sellers are being forced to adapt to quick and disruptive changes. Many are even forming their own sites.
Or it could just be really bad management.
have all those beating the drum about websites other venues ,considered that is the very reason ebay is no longer working for them ,
are they are taking their eye of the ball ,or spreading theirself too thinly,
most ebay sellers are one man bands, you cant play the flute and the trumpet at the same time
seems to me many find it easier just to blame ebay, for poor sales and problems, I can think of lots of things ebay could do better, though I can think of an awful lot more things that nowhere else can do better than ebay,
we too have sales blips and bad times , we dont just look at how ebay, is working
we look at how we do things, our prices, our listing methods, our stock,
what our competition is doing ,and the market place in general
we also look at other venues ,and other methods, we would certainly use any one, or anywhere if we thought for a moment they were more cost effort and time effective than ebay, but so far there is nothing that comes close
#39 North, I for one am certainly not blaming eBay for poor sales. My sales are just fine, thank you. What I AM blaming eBay for is my having to spend an awful lot of time amending listings and pissing about, AND my inability, due to eBay’s policies, to rely on the income my eBay sales generate.
well there ya go then! if sales are just fine, thats all anyone can ask for
though I know exactly what your saying
drives us nuts too,
the bugg,ering around with item specfics alone, will have us in the mad house
Gawd knows how anyone new to ebay manages to list ,or get anything seen
ebay need to start looking how to simplify things,
Dan Wilson came out with a good expression in another post, he mentioned
template creep I thought that was so apt,
ebay are also guilty of a similar complaint, with their forms and templates
and there are more trees branches and leaves in ebays categories than there are in the new forest
for instance we fill in the Ring size item specifics when listing on ebay uk
as ebay conveniantly converted them to the equivilent US size on the .com site
but without warning they decided not to
so droves of US buyers are now asking us what the ring size is
if only ebay had let us know ,we could have easily listed with the us size mentioned, we now need to answer a trillion questions or edit a couple of hundred listings
if sales are just fine, thats all anyone can ask for
I don’t think so. For example, how about an easy way of changing item specifics in bulk? 😉 My whole point is that eBay are distracting us from the important business of selling with ill-considered policy changes that make busy-work for no gain for anyone.
if only ebay had let us know
Precisely my point.
North, you are right – it does take a lot of work to maintain other venues as well, especially as a ‘one woman band’.
However, I think it is essential for the security of my business to do that. Lots of previous policy changes didn’t affect me personally, but I saw the writing on the wall loud & clear.
The recent policy change to ban sub-99p items affects a large proportion of my inventory. If ebay was my only venue, that would have been a huge blow. Fortunately it isn’t going to have such a detrimental effect on the business as a whole, as I can still sell that inventory on my website and Amazon.
Horses for courses & all that.
dont get me wrong ,if any other site worked for us we would not hesitate to use it,
ebay provides a service we pay for it and are happy[ish] customers,
but we dont owe them anything else and they dont owe us anything either
this is business, not my family or my community
Item specifics in jewellery drive me batty, for example I have to choose between clip-on and dangly or chandelier, I can’t have both. And I can’t have beaded and gothic or beaded and wedding, it’s a choice again. Why can’t wedding or gothic jewellery be beaded?
It’s barmy.
Kate, try listing on eBay France, where there are *two* item specifics for new/used. As you say, barmy.
Actually all I would like to see is eBay having a public feedback score, linked to the fees they charge. Sellers are in this position and eBay sell to their sellers. How do you think they would have manage to maintain their scores over the last year.
item specifics in antique jewellery dont have a RING or size option
there is no 12ct or 15ct etc,etc, etc ,etc ,etc ,etc, etc, etc,
ebay steers you into using item specifics, then drives you up the wall, who ever concocted the specific list has just pulled any old thing out of the air did anyone who sells these things ever get to suggest what might be best? rather than use some conveniant anorak that lurks the boards
“ANTIQUE” FINE JEWELLERY.and you get a NEW or USED option
how barmy is that
northumbrian, it’s not just eBay drives us crazy with stupid changes made without warning. It’s that you never know. You have adapted to all their antics so far, and good for you! But what about next month’s changes? or the month after that? Maybe they will decide they’ve gotten too many complaints about gemstones, and decide to limit your sales. Why not? They already did it to sellers of designer clothing. That’s why every professional seller needs a Plan B, just in case.
52
we are REAL professional sellers we did not became sellers because of ebay, we were buying and selling long before ebay ever existed, so we have a whole alphabet of plans not just a b
53 My biggest gripe norf is the amount of editing and revising you have to do, it’s all well and good us saying eBay is a tool etc but how much time do you waste each week unpaid fiddling about with eBay’s barmy policy’s,, my eBay business is about as reliable as a 1974 Austin Allegro
if I broke down the hours spent *issing about on eBay I doubt I would make minimum wage,, this is my gripe.
your in a unique situation with your products they are pretty much what eBay was designed for I think you will always be successful on eBay norf,,
it aint the same for everybody though.
Here’s a good example Norf, yesterday I noticed that a load of listings had “Postage to Europe” added, I didn’t bloody add that to any listings? Even an itailan postman could loose a bath ffs, let alone the massive cost of shipping,,
then this morning I find some more, go into revise them and it won’t let me, clicking on revise takes me to the sign in page then signing in gets stuck in a permenent loop.
I should be listing, answering emails etc, but yet again I am *issing about trying to fix stuff AGAIN, I haven’t even had my bloody eggs yet ffs,,
not a good start to a Monday.
luck of the draw init 😆
my swag is great for ebay
but would stand no chance in a home improvement show room
😉
ebay support is what drives me nuts
to get any sort of sense you usually need to email them 3 or 4 times
the first answer from ebay is nearly always useless
😆
Talking of home improvement showrooms,, I hear MFI are doing wholesale if you turn up with cash,, not that I bought 14 sofa’s yesterday and 7 chests of drawers 😆
Fingers crossed for Sunday, I gave my address as the Mabe Car Boot Sale,, well they aint gonna wanna have to take all that lot back to the store and unload them on a Sunday are they….
I would also like to get on with selling – but I can’t. Apparently I’ve listed too many branded goods, so I have to wait for my account to be reviewed before I can list anything else.
11,000+ feedback with no negs in the last 12 months, my lowest DSR is 4.7 & my account is under review. Can they blame us sellers for being naffed off with them?
Ebay makes changes + I crack out on policy changes, calling ebay to get the scoop and TESTING TESTING TESTING = sales doubled in 3 weeks. Fees are DOWN with the new structure and i’m about to drive into work with 52K worth of sales and about 820 packages going out today.
There is a way, but it is exhausting, takes risks and yes …is frustrating. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, which most have closed. Successful sales are capable right now …large or small sellers alike.
While everyone was complaining, I was keeping silent trying things. Now we are soaking in the benefits. …how long it last’s …humm??? who knows.
Website and Amazon should be implemented after the holidays.
#60 & I scored the winning goal in the 1988 World Cup 🙂
Yes I have to agree with all parties who have blogged against the new ebay search structure. Personally I think they must be losing a fortune. I have seen seller like me who used to use feature plus on most listing not use it at all.
I have seen my seller fees dramatcally reduce until I get used to the new system, interestingly enough I have an item on feature 1st and an item on standard listing and the standard listing come up higher?
I think the reason that eBay are doing this is to further reduce the sale price of goods and to keep the postage down for the buyer keeping there position as the No1 site for UK visitors. However they are going to have stiff competition in the future. Walmart have recently set up a free classified site in the USA https://walmart.oodle.com this must be worrying for eBay? as you cannot compete with FREE? FREE = put the competition out of business, and in this economy people will go for the free option. Lets face it while doing your on-line shopping you might as well sell something while you are at it?