eBay

bluedaisyclippings · ‎01-18-2014

Seriously. I've been selling since 2004 and I understand natural lows and highs in sales. I check my category, magazine clippings, often, and the sell rate is usually somewhere around 20 percent. Now of 72000 llistings 950 sold, in that category. I haven't made a sale in two weeks. This never happens. You can look at the pages of sold items and see a dramatic drop around the begining of January. I know it was Christmas. I've been doing this since 2004. Sales actually kinda go up after Christmas usually. I assumed it was people spending their Chrstmas money. Something is wrong. Is it that shopping cart? Aaargh.

Has anyone else noticed this???

rose-dee · ‎01-21-2014

@i*m-still-here wrote:
List a desirable item for 99 cents with Free Shipping.
If it sells quickly, then the problem isn't the search.
If it sits and sits, then that is a good indication that the problem is the search.

Unfortunately this will do nothing to confirm whether the OP's buyers are having trouble with the checkout process, and may just attract some bottom feeders, which is the last thing the OP needs now.

The "Pinks" have clearly indicated that they're aware there is a problem with incompatibility between the US and Canadian sites where checkout is concerned. They don't seem to be terribly anxious to deal with it, because, as they said, the cart system will soon be introduced on eBay.ca. Please take a look at the last Wednesday board discussion - the response from the eBay staffers was not very helpful.

I've recently encountered problems with "cart" checkout when attempting to purchase multiple items from a US buyer, and I see Canadian sellers reporting that their US buyers are finding it impossible to make multiple purchases (i.e. put more than 1 item in the cart and being forced to process immediate payment).

This is a new problem, and one that nobody seems to have a clear handle on. It has nothing to do with Cassini or other search parameters.

Sellers should keep raising this issue on the Wednesday board discussions until eBay pays attention. I imagine it could be disastrous for many sellers unless it gets fixed or unless a workaround is put in place until the cart arrives in Canada.

pierrelebel · ‎01-21-2014

"....complaining that their items are not selling and they are blaming the search (Cassini?)."

Yes, we have seen thousands of sellers complaining of lack of sales over the years. Sometimes it happens very suddenly - everything is dead for a few days or a week - sometimes it happens gradually. All at times, we blame eBay - why not? Must be a glitch somewhere, a change in their search engine, etc..., And quite often we are right: the problem was caused by an eBay glitch that went undetected.

However, often it is simply that: a few or several days without a sale.

The lack of a "shopping cart" on eBay.ca should not affect sales. Many in fact believe (I am one of them) that a shopping cart on eBay reduces sales. For those interested on the subject, please take a look at: http://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate

A real problem affecting many sellers usually selling multiples items to the same buyers originated with this eBay.com announcement in Spring 2013: http://announcements.ebay.com/2013/03/2013-spring-seller-update-free-listings-for-all-sellers/

more specifically:

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/news/springupdate2013/unpaiditems.html?sspagename=SIC:spring...

Back to the original question - more often than not, after investigation, the "lack of sale" problem is caused by a lack of visibility (seller forgot to enter a shipping price to the USA for example), etc... or maybe buyers are not buying those items, this week, at those prices.

Before jumping to conclusion: investigate. How many hits are you getting this week for each listing compared to last week, last month? If the number of hits is historically consistent, the problem has nothing to do with eBay search results: your buyers are "on strike!". If hits are down very substantially, then it is time to take another look: where is the problem?

There is no easy answer here folks.

I suggest the following:

Get your facts straight and bring the questions (not your conclusion or accusation) directly to eBay staff and management on their Wednesday Board Hour (from 1;;00pm to 2:00pm Eastern time):

http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Weekly-Board-Hour-Session/bd-p/23000000073

Good Luck.

Reducing the impact of unpaid items: Over the coming months, to reduce the occurrence of unpaid items, eligible fixed price, Best Offer and Buy It Now items will continue to be available for sale until a buyer commits and/or pays. If you do get an unpaid item, you can file a case as early as two days after the item sold. - See more at: http://announcements.ebay.com/2013/03/2013-spring-seller-update-free-listings-for-all-sellers/#sthas...

pierrelebel · ‎01-21-2014

PS - I generally sell to buyers purchasing multiple items. They buy on eBay.com and on eBay.ca. They have had few problems checking out and paying me.

bluedaisyclippings · ‎01-21-2014

That is a great idea but I'm not blaming the search. As far as I can see, I come up in searches, no problem. I don't have any sure thing clippings. I'm usually surprised at who sells. I am keeping this idea in mind though and am going to try it or some version of it

bluedaisyclippings · ‎01-21-2014

Sigh. I'm a bit offended by this response. i didn't just start selling yesterday. I'm not jumping to conclusions. I shouldn't have said "what has ebay done". I think that's what has led you to believe I have no idea what regular sales fluctuations look like.

Thank you for your advice.

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-22-2014

It does not matter whether you list on .ca or .com as long as you have your shipping set up properly for the U.S.

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-22-2014

I think that you are taking things that have been written here in the wrong way. I haven't seen any posts that have purposely been offensive...only ones that are trying to help and/or make suggestions about what the problem might be. None of us know 'everything' regardless of how long we have been selling here so we give what information we can.

bb_cool_stuff · ‎01-22-2014

Colleague sick today so I got called in. At least I get tomorrow off.

Was thinking about this today.

I don't have any sure thing clippings.

I don't know your category at all, but why are you not researching items that are not listed.

Just out of curiosity I checked three titles that interested me under clippings & found zero listings.

I'm sure you can find plenty more. Be pro active & set your own trend.

What have you got to lose.

I had done this years ago.

When the sports card boom started in 1990 & pretty well ended in 1991, BB found a way.

While the hockey card dealers slugged it out at shows & drove prices down, BB bought & sold World Wrestling Federation cards at a fraction of the price of a case of hockey cards.

Wrestling was very hot back then & who was the only one selling these Boxes, Packs & Cards, BB. I had no competition for over a year. The others just did not catch on. Most were from the Danforth so that explained everything.

I was getting way more for a 1990 Hulk Hogan , Ultimate Warrior & other popular wrestlers than the hockey dealers were getting for a Gretzky/Lemieux from the same year.

Hot show back then was 90210 & Brian Austin Green was brought in for an autograph session at a card show in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Who was selling 90210 Boxes, Packs & Cards ? BB. Who else was? I couldn't believe it, No One.

Bought three cases, again for a fraction of the price of hockey cards.

Since there was no competition, I was able to set my own outrageous prices. Isn't capitalism wonderful ?

Not boasting, but I was able to take my family on two vacations that year to Mexico with the profits.

Bottom line, find something no one else is selling in your category.

Best of luck.

brandeentertainment · ‎01-22-2014

Clippings from the National Geographic LOL......

i*m-still-here · ‎01-22-2014

OK. When items don't sell many sellers point the finger at the search or Cassini and IMO that is usually not the problem.

Really, blue, the fact that you could clip ads out of magazines and sell them is something.

The number of people who will pay you to do that it limited and perhaps it's just run its course.

Perhaps it's just time get creative again and if you could do it once, you can do it again with a new idea.

bb_cool_stuff · ‎01-22-2014

Clippings from the National Geographic LOL.....

When we were pre-teens National Geographic was Playboy magazine at a cheaper price.

Of course you had to find the right issue.

i*m-still-here · ‎01-22-2014

When I was still under 10 years old I used to to cut out coupons from magazines and cash them in.

I asked everyone I knew for their old magazines and even went the laundry mats where they had the most amazing women's magazines.

They must have thought I was really cute and looking for pretty pictures for my scrap book.

I took those coupons to the Grocery Stores and they gave me cash for them.

I made a lot of money that way and often $50/trip. WAY too much money for a 9 year old especially in those days when most kids were getting a quarter for allowance.

bb_cool_stuff · ‎01-22-2014

Perhaps it's just time get creative again and if you could do it once, you could do it again with a new idea.

Have no experience in regards to the category, but you are right, time to get creative again.

Mentioned it previously in an earlier post, find something in your category that no one else is selling.

Did very well with secondary market cards at shows, but keep in mind that was over twenty years ago & those days were over in 1991.

There is still money to be made in secondary markets, you just have to find your niche in the category & perhaps an additional one.

When it comes to business there is no such word as " Can't "

rose-dee · ‎01-22-2014

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
I think that you are taking things that have been written here in the wrong way. I haven't seen any posts that have purposely been offensive...only ones that are trying to help and/or make suggestions about what the problem might be. None of us know 'everything' regardless of how long we have been selling here so we give what information we can.

I agree. I don't think any of the posters are being deliberately insulting, but everyone offers ideas from their own point of view to try and find a possible resolution for problems that are brought to the boards. And I think most of us know that eventually we'll all need advice too, or at least the opinions of other sellers, on some issue or another.

I also agree with "bb's" comments, which is essentially what I was trying to say in Post #26. Sometimes certain items do run through the available supply of interested buyers, or attract so many competitors that sales drop dramatically and a seller has to look for new avenues to offer. It's something to consider if you know that the dry spell is for reasons other than seasonal fluctuations.

However, my view is that a seasonal fluctuation on the "old" eBay used to mean a predictable slump for a limited period, but not a total absence of sales.

My opinion is that things have changed so radically on the new eBay, that there are many of these unpredictable and inexplicable drastic "dead zones" and dramatic peaks than there used to be. It seems to me there's a different kind of boom and bust dynamic at play now on the "new" eBay, and it is unsettling. What the underlying reasons are is really anybody's guess.

Pierre is right though, that it's best approaching an issue like this from an analytical point of view, rather than starting from the point of assuming that eBay has done something to cause it. For example, you mention that most of your sales are one-off (single item sales), and most are to the U.S. This would suggest that there isn't a cart problem going on, at least for your particular store.

I'm not saying there isn't a cart checkout incompatibility anywhere on eBay, because the eBay.ca reps have acknowledged there is, but that may not be the reason for your current 'dead zone'. I just had a US buyer today purchase 3 items and apparently there was no problem -- she was able to request a combined invoice (for reduced shipping), and I was able to combine the items. Maybe it's more of a hit-and-miss problem than pandemic, I don't know.

My guess is that if you list a few new items at auction and/or at fixed price with various time limits, and locate a few more items to appeal to a new set of buyers, you may break the spell and you'll find February will be a very good month.

bluedaisyclippings · ‎01-23-2014

Sorry you guys. I'm just frustrated because I'm asking if technical glitches could be the problem and the answers I'm getting are ignoring that and suggesting I don't know my category, don't understand market fluctuations and don't research my own category. It's frustrating for me. I understand that I am in an odd category and so it is hard enough for you all to believe I've ever sold one, let alone selling repeatedly over the course of ten years. I understand that it is easier for you all to assume that the category has just simply died. Just like that. You guys don't know me at all so I can't understand why everyone assumes I'm so unaware.

Anyway, I may have found the answer but I'm not technically savvy enough to know for sure. On Jan 6 Inkfrog made an announcement that they were under DDOS attack from China. I have still not made even one single sale since Jan 4. What a coincidence! Another Canadian seller that I watch, who sells clippings is still doing very well, using Auctiva.

When something goes wrong I check forums. You guys sell. Tell me you don't FEEL the difference between market fluctuations and a total blackout glitch. I checked the ebay forums first this time and came across the shopping cart issue. Troubleshooting gliches is not my forte. I am lost. The timing worked well with my situation. The timing for the DDOS at Inkfrog is even more precise.

Thank you though for your time. I really do appreciate everyones input.

rose-dee · ‎01-23-2014

Hi again 'bluedaisy'-- I thought I'd just check a few of your listings as if I were a buyer.

Your eBay gallery photos look fine, the Inkfrog frames and pictures in them all look fine, and on a couple of them I'm seeing the eBay notice that "someone has watched this item in the last hour", so you're getting some lookers at least, which should be reassuring. All the usual price, shipping, and seller information is visible on the listings I looked at. Your items are showing up in searches. Nothing looks unusual or missing that I could see.

Even if Inkfrog itself had a meltdown, the frame is downloaded onto eBay's computers and shouldn't interfere with the search or checkout process. Your eBay gallery photos should ensure that at least those will always be visible to eBay users, regardless of what happens to Inkfrog.

I don't know what else to say, except that this may be one of those "black holes" that never used to happen to most regular sellers, and now seem to be reported frequently.

I know I've had a couple of them in the past 6 months -- I had one with not a single sale in 17 days. Like you, I was very worried that the "dead zone" was the result of a technical bug. Then suddenly, and inexplicably (because I really hadn't changed anything), there was a big burst of sales after each one.

I had never seen this sort of pattern in previous years (these were not the usual "slumps", but complete and absolute, fairly lengthy blank periods). Now, well, I'm -- sort of -- getting used to expecting this boom-and-bust pattern. I still don't know what the explanation is, but I believe it's somehow connected with all the ways eBay has dramatically changed this site over the past year.

Is it possible this is the first one that's happened to you? My guess is that you'll encounter another one at some point, but that the current "black hole" will end soon and you'll be wondering what on earth suddenly happened to bring the buyers back. Who really knows?

bluedaisyclippings · ‎01-23-2014

Thank you so much for your response. It feels like you really do get where I'm coming from. I am happy to hear you've had a black hole like this and came out the other side! I'm going to hope that everything works out for me too. I'm also checking out Auctiva, just in case. There were a few changes to the Inkfrog lister regarding the GSP. Technically unrelated to me but changes in one area often mess things up in others. I'm still going to give Auctiva a try if it is possible to have some listings on Inkfrog and others on Auctiva, at the same time.

I can't thank you enough for taking your time to check my listings and respond in these posts!

rose-dee · ‎01-23-2014

You're so welcome; I'm glad I might have been of some help, and I hope things look up for you soon. Sometimes it's a comfort just to know that you're not alone in experiencing a strange occurrence on this site -- it seems there have been so many bizarre things going on during this past year on eBay.

Your watchers are there, so obviously the buyers are still checking your items out. I think it's just a matter of time. Hang on another few days and just keep listing.

By the way, hello out there in Vancouver! I spent nearly 30 years on the West Coast (Vancouver and Victoria), and boy, today and yesterday I wouldn't have minded a few rainy days above freezing (I'm in Nova Scotia now, and we've had a particularly nasty winter so far, 4 doses of blizzards, and it's only January).

ricarmic · ‎01-23-2014

I checked out one of your items a Dooney and Bourke item (the girl off Nasville or the "cheerleader if you were a Heros fan) that you listed under Auctiva and it said that it has 4 watchers per hour......that has to be good news (eventually).....