Confused about auction visibility when selling (because I'm not getting much at all)

[minijunkie]

Hi folks,

I've noticed my auctions are not getting very many views despite matching the right keywords (I sell painted miniatures for Warhammer so I use things like "Warhammer 40K Painted Army" etc in the titles). 

I list on ebay.ca...I'm starting to wonder if my auctions aren't very visible on the US site or other countries. For example I opened an incognito window and I can't even find my latest auction listing when I search multiple ways. 

Is there like... a setting I'm not aware of that might be limiting my auction listing visibility on other ebay sites? One thing I noticed is when I tried to say "also list on ebay UK" (a checkbox) I couldn't post the listing. It said something about "because you are using managed payments". But I thought we all have to use managed payments via ebay these days?

I'd love any assistance or experiences you guys have in dealing with this! Thanks!

[marnotom!]

The fact that you don't specify information on shipping costs to most of your preferred destinations may be pushing your visibility down pretty hard.  Do you usually post one of these offerings at a time, or do you usually have a few auctions on the go simultaneously to increase interest and visibility?

Also, we do seem to be in an especially slow period right now.  My hypothesis is that it has something to do with it being tax time.

And for what it's worth, from what I can see you're listing on .com, not .ca.

[ricarmic]

As a note, I usually look forward to the "blow your tax refund time", that's when us sellers traditionally see larger discretionery purchases from buyers, I would think that would be the case for this type of material.

Having said this, I haven't noticed that surge since COVID not last year and not really this year that I've noticed. Perhaps too many things for folks to worry about, or spend on inflationery impacted staples.... 

[msau4301]

As marnotom has said you are listed on .com not .ca. Not sure if you were chosing your pricing on Canadian dollars or US but you listed in US. I don't know anything about these figures but I think it would help if you actually had the word "figures" in your title. When I tried searching first Warhammer 40K figures you were no where to be seen. If I take the word figures out of the search you appear but I think more people would search with the word figures. To show you the extremes in search results if you just say Warhammer 40K there are 78,000 results, as soon as you say Warhammer 40K figures it drops down to 3,300. The more specifics will narrow you down but it may be important to have the word figures in there(?). When I tried "Warhammer 40K Painted" you came up near the top, but what about the people that add the word figure, as soon as 40K Painted Figures you are gone again. No experience in this category at all but just wanted to tell you what my untrained eye sees in search.

[ricarmic]

I'm assuming you know the way view shows changed a few months ago, which reduced the higher numbers we used to see. (in theory they got rid of non productive views)

Generally for me, I have a lot of auctions closing with 5 or fewer views, generally only the stuff of wider interest or hot stuff is going above 10 views, something getting up into the 50 to 100 is awesome compared to what is happening for a normal item. Generally those only happen when something gets a lot of bids on it.

Specialty stuff is often very small a couple views or so.

The days of starting auctions for things like this for $1 IMO are behind us, at least in my world that's the case because there just aren't the number of competing bidders anymore (for a wide variety of reasons).

My guess is your stuff is like my specialty stuff, but I'm a stamp guy and that could be an incorrect observation as I don't know your field at all....

[minijunkie]

Thanks everyone - I actually have two auctions listed. One is about 150 USD, and one is much bigger (2500 ish) but that one is the one not getting any views at all. I think I listed that one on .ca    So now my confusion is if I should be listing on .com or .ca? Most of my buyers are American actually (historically anyways). Also I think I list all domestic and international shipping for a flat fee - if not then I messed up somehow. 

[minijunkie]

Usually 1-3 at a time yeah. 

[ricarmic]

I only see one item the $150.

The $2500 one isn't showing, you maybe should check the shipping to make sure you haven't blocked Canada somehow (ie only have US shipping identified), that's often the case why it can't be seen here.

Myself, when possible I list on the site I expect it to sell on, I sell about half and half .COM and .CA. IMO US folks prefer to buy on the ,COM site plus you can have a planned price like $149.99 if you list on .CA it ends up changing every day and is a weird number like $147.43 US$.

The $149.99 one running looked ok for flat rate shipping to Canada and USA.

[minijunkie]

Thanks for taking a look at this for me. I never used to have a problem with this topic - I'd list an auction, get lots of views, and sell it almost always to the USA 🙂   

I guess I'll try listing on .com instead of .ca and see if that helps. I just relisted the larger auction on .com and I still don't see it in search when I use an incognito window and look for "newly listed". I'm a little baffled. I'm definitely using all the right keywords (I saw someone suggested figures but most warhammer auctions don't use that term - still, I appreciate the suggestion!). 

[minijunkie]

I just noticed my 150 one shows up on .ca

What's weird though is: that one shows up on both sites properly. If I go to .com I can find it there too, with a US dollar price. So I'm confused why my other auction isn't working. Ill keep noodling on it and will look again at the shipping options. 

[msau4301]

As ricarmic has said I only see the $150 item also. (When clicking on your name "view listings".)

[minijunkie]

Yeah. Same thing even for me 🙂 

It's confusing. It doesn't show up in newly listed even though I just posted it on ebay.com and it says it's active. 

[minijunkie]

I wonder if it has something to do with my "max selling limit per month". My max is 5000 per month right now, and I think my current price takes me over that. It didn't prevent me listing it though, like it used to.

[minijunkie]

I lowered my price under the threshhold (X amount remaining in April). Still not appearing in searches. So frustrating!

[flipistics]

Do you have a link to the higher priced one that isn't showing?

[minijunkie]

Yep here it is. I’m checking this morning and same thing - it won’t show up in search and has only the views from myself and my sister who I asked to test the link. I don’t understand why it won’t appear in search on .com

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166064246793?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=nSlK_VaBR3W&sss...

[minijunkie]

(Or .ca). It won’t appear in any searches. Not even low in the rankings or something - it isn’t coming up at all.

[msau4301]

The link worked and it let me add it to my watchlist and everything seems to look okay but you are right it doesn't show up in searches at all.

Not sure if the maximum selling limit you mentioned earlier ($5,000 per month) is a factor because of it being an auction? If that $5,000 is Canadian the item starts at $2,170 Canadian so maybe because if item was bid up (no way to know how high) that is a factor?? 

I see listing says you painted these yourself, amazing job! I had a boyfriend waaaaaay back in the 90's who used to buy and paint tiny Game Workshop pieces.

Hope you get it sorted out.

[minijunkie]

Thank you for the compliment.

Maybe I’ll take it down and relist it again and see what happens (now that it’s May, my seller limit will have gone back up).

[minijunkie]

I meant that thank you to be more enthusiastic! 🙂