Sales down?

[argenticspirit]

I've been wondering if anyone else has had a bad April/May in regards to sales? My main line of items is fishing related, and April/May/June/July are generally my strongest months. Over the past few years my selling percentage is highest in these months and my auction prices the best.

April was slower than March for me with similar numbers listed and so far the past week has been my lowest number of bids and selling percentage since I started ebay(I've sold around 2% this past week compared to nearly %100 in years past during the same period) The kicker is I have even MORE selection than usual.

Any insight?

[cumos55]

56 listings currently on eBay

It is sometimes that I suspect that buyers have bought all they want....  and are not looking for something new

Or

You have new competition.  Has there been an increase in number of listings in the category in which you sell? 

Or people are spending their money elsewhere...  outside your category

It is also tax time......  in the US... April 15.... in Canada, ...April 30 extended to May 5.... because of a Netfile shutdown for 5 days...

Another thing .... I am always  looking for new categories of inventory that would complement what I already sell.....sales are slow to start, but a definite increase in purchases the more that is added to this new category.....

ending and restarting a listing also appears to get the attention of Cassini, the search engine.

Are your competitors listing in a new way... new approach to titles, and more.... in response to how Cassini does its job.

[cumos55]

The average day for the ice to breakup on the rivers in southern Manitoba is April 10,  and much later as we move north

It was a late spring... with very little potential for summer indicated so far.

Ice breakup was a month late...... and it is abnormally "cold"

Who wants to go fishing in such weather... Nobody is thinking of fishing..... only working to recover from a very cold winter with lots of snow... bad roads... and.......

[bb_cool_stuff]

I am always looking  for new categories of inventory that would complement what I already sell...

Exactly cumos.

I think that is the only way lightweight sellers, like myself, will be able to survive.

Adds to the "Fun Factor" when we are out picking.

[argenticspirit]

I've thought about the late spring, and it does make sense, but the weather has been progressively nicer the past few weeks and my sales have actually went down. I had a really good march by previous years standards, and then a bad April. There does appear to be more competition in the category, but not for the types and styles I sell. Add I have competitive prices and what is considered top quality flies, it just is baffling me how I've sold 80%+ of my listings consistently for 4 years and then at what should be prime time, sales drop to nil.

I have several other categories of items I sell, but I generally stick to other sites for those. I guess I need to branch out further and hope the turn in the weather helps it pick up.