A similar question was asked a few days ago on the Selling on eBay discussion board:
My own opinion is summarized in post #23
"Flooding did and still does contribute to lower "sell through" rate and lower prices realized for auction listings and longer "time on the shelf" for fixed price listings. It is one but only factor affecting all of eBay.
When we look at Canadian sellers specifically, there are other factors. The shifting preference by buyers to purchase listings offering "free shipping" has worked relatively well for American sellers but the concept has been much more challenging for Canadians generally facing higher shipping costs through Canada Post than Americans though USPS. And the gap seems to grow over the years.
We also have the lower Canadian dollar. Most Canadian sellers list in US$. By doing so they often outprice themselves on the Canadian marketplace. Some may argue that few Canadians buy their "stuff" True. But raising prices to Canadians by using the more expensive American dollar will not improve the situation.
Another important factor to consider is that the marketplace is often looking for "new stuff". Things or categories that did well years ago may not attract as many buyers on eBay today. Possibly these buyers have moved to other sources of supply. I remember reading posts on these Canadian boards years ago about sellers lining up at Value Village to buy their "stuff" and list it on eBay at double or triple what they paid. I do not recall seeing many such posts this year. Maybe Value Village has raised prices over the years and/or packing and shipping costs have raised so much that buyers no longer see the bargains. Or...or.. or...
My point is that while overall sales on eBay may have gone up over the years, the competition (number of listings) has increased at a much higher rate. All that while markets have shifted somewhat, costs have gone up, tastes have changed, and Canadian sellers face specific challenges not faced by American competitors.
Successful sellers adapt to changes. There is no option. And there are many reasons to be optimistic when we look around these Canadian boards and find plenty of success stories: Canadian sellers finding ways to sell on eBay and make a profit
(even old gals and guys - long retired - still moving thousands of dollars every month, working part time).
And you may have noticed that nowhere did I blame eBay for any of that "sale slowdown". Frankly, they are not the problem."
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