Business is very slow :(

[sunshine2426]

Hi guys, I've been selling swimwear since December and it's been great.The last 2 weeks have been really quiet and I'm getting worried.I've never seen it this quiet. I'm thinking of closing my store and reopening it again when the season picks up again. Does anyone know when swimwear will pick up again? I sell mostly to the US.

[jackied2]

Re: the previous comment about Ebay Express... do you have any other information to support your opinion? I don't know much about Ebay Express so please share your thoughts in greater detail, and thanks!

[zarzuella]

I'm finding sales to be inconsistant; almost nothing for a few days then a rush on store items. I have yet to figure out just what triggers this. One thing is for sure, auction sales are almost non-existant. The only time I get a decent (30% if you call that decent) sell-through on auctions is when I have a hundred or so listed due to an eBay Canada promotion. It's rare to get multiple bids anymore, too.

[corkibaby]

I've found that last week was scarrier then scarrier....the last 2 days have been a little better...but express sure isn't helping at all....I'm quite upset about this new shopping option especially since us Canadians can't competeX-(

[zarzuella]

What makes you think Express is so busy? Everything I read on the other boards seem to indicate that it's flat and just not happening.

[corkibaby]

it seemed that everything stopped in my store when express started...but maybe...it has nothing to with it...crossing fingers

[sunshine2426]

WOW!!! Business has finally picked up last week and this week. Looks like it's back to work for me. Let's keep my fingers crossed that it stays busy 🙂

[corkibaby]

Same here : )

[gifts_of_elegance]

Stop!!!!!!!! Don't worry about WHY the market is slow. Use the slow times to pick up great bargains, do listing presentations, take pictures, etc......everything to get you ready for a busy market.

Good luck to all and may every Canadian seller reach Gold Power Seller level!

[sunshine2426]

Thanks for the tip. It has finally picked up and I'm enjoying working crazy hours again.

[yaron100]

i have been here exactly 1 year and i dont get it! it was booming up to about 3 months ago. so i knew summer is slow but now it is the end of september and it is really slow! i wonder why!?

[zarzuella]

The US economy?

[sunshine2426]

My fall is better than my summer was... strange.

[tea_past_times]

We are very busy Our Sales have never been higher. Our business has increased greatly in September over July & August. I would like to keep 300 items in my Ebay store but I can't because they sell faster than I can find and list them. It must be what you are selling and the time of year.

[futuretech_liquidations]

For us this is our busy period, the next three months will be crazy.

[cello10]

Everytime I read a thread like this I get the temptation to start a new thread...it would be called "the secret to successful selling on ebay". But once again I won't, because people need to figure things out on their own. But I will say a couple of things. For the people who've figured some things out, there is no slow periods on ebay, not in the summer, not in January, not now, not ever. Ebay is season proof, but is your business season proof? And there's a reason why teas business is doing quite well while a lot of you are struggling. The question is, does tea understand the reason why?....Food for thought;-)

[jackied2]

Dear Cello10,
Ummm thanks for your somewhat cryptic comment. I'd just like to point out that not everyone can change their offerings on a dime. If a seller's specialty happens to be tea (for whatever reason... maybe they have special knowledge on the subject or maybe they have a great connection to a supplier etc) then so be it. Other areas of selling on ebay are not the same as they used to be, no matter what your belief is about seasonality or not. My experience in being a powerseller for the last 4 years is that the buying market on ebay has changed considerably. Yes, if someone wants to survive and prosper they have to change with the times and/or circumstances. That it is not always so easily done. It is also true that ebay as a facilitator of this marketplace has placed their efforts into promoting certain categories of items over others. There are those who have benefitted and those who have not. The traditional areas of selling on ebay do not attract the same number of potential bidders. There are likely several reasons for this and that's why I started this discussion thread last year.. to get other sellers' opinions as to why that would be. Thanks for your input.

jackied2

[cello10]

Changing on a dime is tough for anyone, but I never claimed that is what was needed to be done. On a dime no, but if changes are what is required then they need to happen. As for them being done easily, well being in business isn't easy, otherwise more people would be in business. But as you stated, if you want to survive and prosper then you better make some changes if things aren't going so well.

I agree some areas of business no longer produce much on ebay, it's pretty obvious which areas those are and why. An example would be the ebay dollar store, who's time has come and gone. But I completely disagree that the traditional areas of selling on ebay don't attract as many bidders as they once did. In fact there are more bidders available now than ever. The tea I spoke about was not the product tea, but one of my fav's here teapastimes, a seller. He sells china cups basically, the type of item that can for sure be considered a traditional ebay item and he's doing very well. I am sure he has specialized knowledge on his product line and so he should. We're in business, each with our own speciality, we're supposed to educate ourselves to the point of experts in our field. That should be a given. As for his supply, he's explained in the past that he has pickers who find stuff for him, and he finds stuff on his own as well, so he's doing business in a very traditional "old school" ebay way. He doesn't have a special deal with a supplier that sets him apart or gives him an unfair advantage. At the same time, ebay's not spending a lot of their time promoting china cups that I know of. Yet despite all this, he's doing very well. How do you explain that?

[bare_bright]

I firmly Beleive a good portion of slow ebay sales are related to ebays upgradeing there system over the past few months, I noticed many aspects of ebay are very slow or simple unavailble during the late and early evening. Before all these upgrades I would sell 1 or more items
at night,Now it's like come 10 PM ebay in my area is closed.
also believe thats why they gave us the free insertion fees for a month. Another reason sales are down in Canada
is as we all know the green back buys less, thats what in the minds of most american buyers I would think and
now to top matters is all this talk about paying taxes
on ebay. It was on television, you can also watch and read the artical at www.ctv.ca just do a search for ebay
and it will be found. you know people are funny and react funny, oh no taxes on ebay, ya the consumer is thinking that, funny how rumers turn the story around.
ya the damm tax man is coming, and here I was beating my brains out to sell at least 1000$ per month to keep my status, now I wanna get rid of it. wow adding another 12 large to my income tax, blows me away. well thats my thoughts. Have A good day

[knestledown]

Hello everyone: This is the first time I play & I am pleased to see that other people's sales have dropped. I thought it was just me. Been selling super until the beginning of September. What happened?
The American dollar dropped & over the last month has dropped continuously till now where it is at par. WOW!
From Canada shipping books etc. is about 2-3 times the cost of a US sellers postal rate.
Ebay had a full month of back to back promotions which succeeded in lowering the demand for store bought items. Like selling at the flea market next to someone who is liquidating & selling everything for $0.25.
Ebay saturated the market with low priced stock making Ebay a buyers market. Now it is picking up a bit but Ebay will come along with another promo.
If you have a store, stash a bunch of stuff in your UNSOLD section for a month or two. Don't forget about it though cause it will disappear after 3 months.
Just before Xmas, maybe Nov. 30, relist everything. Then in January it will get quiet, end it if you can, perhaps through an ebay promo.
Relist it at the beginning of February if you sell antiques & collectables.
Watch the market closely & start liquidating a certain percentage of your inventory. As long as the US dollar is down, it will never be the same again.
Use your UNSOLD to your advantage & cut your rent & show your items a little less often. When an item is for sale & hasn't sold for a year, people think that they can get it for nothing. For me it is just a little closer to being sold. (or liquidated).
LIST A LOT-KEEP EBAY AUCTIONS GOING STRONG-CUT YOUR RENT-DON'T CLOSE YOUR STORE-CHANGE YOUR TACTICS!
AND BE CAREFUL WITH EBAY PROMOTIONS. JUST BECAUSE THE RATES ARE CHEAP, ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD. EVERYONE IS SELLING AT THIS TIME!
Hope this helps some people. It sure helped me.

Good luck everyone
Best wishes
Jack
Knestledownhouse Collectables

[corkibaby]

MY experience so far as been this. If you have a unique item that people find interesting and different...your item will sell....if your selling an item that 20 other people are selling the lowest price will get your sail. There are also slow times like any business. Summer is a tough time for a lot of sellers...for the reason that more people are out and about instead inside on there computers. I usually take this time to stock my store and come up with new items.

I do agree however that the week U.S. dollar isn't helping. As well as constant e-bay price hikes and un fair canadian postage charges. But all in all this is still agreat way to make a living with out leaving your home!