Re slow down in sales.

[ammolitehunter]

I have just has a whole week with nary a sale.

This has NEVER happened before so I started checking friendly competitors and suppliers and they are seeing the same thing.

Wondering if this was an Ebay thing I checked with a seller outside Ebay in my product area who has a very successful stand alone site and they confirm sales have plummeted too.

So now I have established that this is not limited to Ebay.

I now hear that Walmart is reporting dropping sales and is cutting back on their orders from suppliers.

I also know that the US is printing $95Billion a month out of thin air just to keep their economic juggling balls in the air--and that cannot end well.

So people--I believe we are seeing the onset of a major Global economic malaise that is starting to spread in spite of the lying MSM who tell us all is well and that a recovery is underway.

Batten down the hatches folks---we are being lied to.

[rose-dee]

I was wondering when someone would bring this subject up.  If it's any consolation, you're not alone.  I've had no sales, not even small ones, in nearly 2 weeks.  This is extremely unusual for me, but I have no doubt that it's linked to the fear that many Americans (and others) are feeling over the current standoff in the U.S. and the looming mid-October debacle.  

When even Wal-Mart sees a drop, you know people are scared.  Whether the fear is realistic or not, the perception of crisis is.  The media only helps to add fuel to the fire.  

In such a climate, it's no wonder people cut back drastically on non-essential purchases.  There's nothing much we small sellers on eBay can do but cross our fingers, touch wood and wait...

[femmefan1946]

And my sales are steady even picking up a little. I also sell under a different ID discount postage and have made several good sales on eBay and otherwise to eBay sellers recently, so I can assume they are also selling steadily.

How does your sales dropoff compare with your September /October sales in 2012? In 2013?

I am not surprised that US customers might be skittish since the anarchists took over the US government.  Are you getting a higher proportion of European and Canadian sales? Not numbers, proportion.

[ammolitehunter]

Sales down 50% last year.

Sell 90% to the US and yes--more orders fom UK and Europe over the last few months.

You and I are catering to a different clientele so sales comparison may not be valuable.

I am getting the same sort of slow down story from everyone I talk to in the fine jewelry business.

[rumi69]

Since august 16, the visits on mysites are being wayyyyyyyyy down.  I know I closed my stores for two weeks in september but it started 3 weeks before.  Things have been really quiet compared to usual.  Would it be the new search engine?????

[pjcdn2005]

Would it be the new search engine?????

That would be my guess.

It has been unusally slow for me too but in the last couple of days, business has picked up a bit. I hope it stays like that.

[007steveb16]

-I'm figuring out that having running/ending auctions boosts my single day "Buy It Now" sales by 75%.

-Without auctions running/ending, Mondays are by far my highest grossing sales day for Buy It Now. Usually 10-15 sales.

-Without auctions running/ending, Wednesday is by far my lowest grossing sales day for Buy It Now. 1-4 sales.

- Every other day, Buy It Now sales average around 5-8 sales.

I suppose I'm doing OK but still trying to figure it all out essentially.

[cumos55]

About Cassini-----

One thing that I constantly do is look at what happens to the major category in which I list.

and then I start seeing patterns in what eBay was doing to get the best out of the new search.

What I saw applies specifically to books..... things may be different for each category of inventory on eBay.

For non-fiction books  the first things is Subject  followed by Topic.... and then what is placed in the title of a listing..

Subject, Topic and Title are critical.... Subtitle and description add to the mix  but are used only to perhaps catch what the seller has done wrong in Subject, Topic and Title.....  and that is a big "maybe"

Many people do not understand that if they do not categorize the book properly... it will not be viewed properly by the search engine.... or they will not get full value for their listing  if it is an auction lsiting, specifically

I sell nonfiction books...  volumes/books that contain information....

Content is more important that the title of a book, and the author ... Yet there are sellers that  categorize a book improperly and place all of the wrong words in a title.... 

With Cassini it is not important to know how it works.

It is important to place the item for sale in the right category with the right words in the title ....  It is what Cassini sees and not its programming that creates the search report.

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Another thing to look at is the 16 month window......  If a listing has been on eBay longer than 16 months it is not considered to be important, mainly because it has not sold,    and will not receive a high priority in a search.

  I had too many listings  that fell into this time period... I started ending listings on Day 29 of a cycle  and relist on Day 30 of that  cycle.

This alone put my Page views up....

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A relist and an understanding  what I had to do to have my listings viewed by Cassini in the "right" way  has made a big difference in page views...

And compared to others  my sales have held....  Maybe not the best ... but things  are happening in an acceptable manner... relative to other sellers in my major category.

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I am always looking for new inventory... outside my major category.....  I would keep  adding to this new category....  and then people start buying... not one book... but several, using the principle of multiple listings to get the cost of shipping per book down to a "respectable" level.  Critical mass is atleast 30 listings in a new category  and the more listings in that category  the better things are.....  mainly  with the view to multiple purchases by a buyer.

____________________________

The high cost of shipping to the US and internationally has hurt....sales..  My focus  has become the Canadian buyer  and providing a type of inventory  that is very costly for them to buy from a non-Canadian sellers...

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Although no sale days are difficult to take... I have learned to accept the reality that the sales will come...

and then...

Look at some of the wild situations... such as no sales on Monday and Tuesday... one small less than $20 sale on Wednesday... followed with no sales on Thursday and Friday....  followed by a flood of sales over the next week... and that was last year when sales were very good.

I do have to admit that sales have slowed down.....Yet  they are still there.....compared to my competitors .  indicators over the past 30 days show that people  are starting to make that important decision  to buy....  Looking will only get them so far.

I have made many adjustments and potential buyers need time t adjust to what I have done....

--------------------------------------------

Now how would you classify a book with the title "Just  Dummies".... Perhaps a how to do book... Title with the word dummies used to apply to an understanding of computers  and now to other how to do categories.

If all you put in the title was "Just Dummies"    you would be wrong...

This book is about Cruise Missile Testing over northern Canada.... and "Dummies"  refers to unarmed missiles..

Content was more important than the title of the book..... The book sold... at my price....

[pierrelebel]

On any given day, thousands of eBay sellers can claim that their recent sales have gone down.

On any given day, thousands of eBay sellers can claim that their recent sales have gone up.

With millions of sellers worldwide, sales by individual sellers will fluctuate for a variety of reasons.

On these boards, we usually hear from sellers who experienced a sales decrease while those with sales increase are too busy invoicing, packing and shipping to complain about it!

When looking at the BIG picture, we see that overall sales by all sellers on eBay increase about 10% year over year.  Some will do better, some will not.  eBay may change how their search engine works and these changes will impact some sellers.  However, once again, looking at the big picture sales will take place.  For every sale lost by one seller, it is gained by another.

eBay will publish its third quarter financial results next Wednesday, October 16th.  I do not have a crystal ball but it is easy to predict that sales by all sellers on eBay will have increased over the same period last year.

I know my own sales are down because I am now retired and only list a few items from time to time. Someone else is picking up the sales I could have had.

And life does go on.

[rose-dee]

"Another thing to look at is the 16 month window......  If a listing has been on eBay longer than 16 months it is not considered to be important, mainly because it has not sold,    and will not receive a high priority in a search."

This comment caught my attention because I had a couple of items that fell into this scenario ("stale" stock) that nevertheless were showing up consistently on page 1 of every search in the applicable category for months.  The conclusion I came to was that something else was generating placement, so I'm not sure the 16-month window always makes a difference, or perhaps only in certain categories.  

I doubt the new search engine is entirely to blame for sales slowdowns, although I do think it may play a role in the distribution of sales for any given seller -- the boom and bust type of cycle. 

I think sellers in "luxury" or "discretionary" categories will be affected more seriously by general fiscal malaise.  Sellers offering practical items that everyone needs, or items with solid collectible value will probably always have a steady lineup of buyers.  I can certainly say this is the case in a category I'm very familiar with - antique clothing.  People perceive good quality antiques as investments that hold their value in economically uncertain times. The same is probably true for coins, stamps, antique furniture, and other quality collectibles. 

[cumos55]

More page views... more visitors to my store....is an indicator that there will be more sales.

Of particular note is the fact that the average sale price for items so far in 2013  is the same as that for the whole of 2012...

 I also look at my potential for sales in each month

If they buy 50 items at the lowest price... sales will be about $750 per month.

If they buy 50 items at the highest price average... sales will be close to $5000 per month

My average will never be lower than $750 a month...  and much closer to that high value..

Nothing is perfect......  however, I must point out that eBay has been a great help with books.

insertion fees are low at 5 cents for every 30 days GTC....  for all sellers of books.and with a FVF = 9 %  on sales plus postage.

and with that fees will be close to $1000 less for 2013 than 2012.

---------------------------------------------

October 9 was a no sale day   that followed a series of very good days.

and today October 10 started off with a bang... with a  very good sale to a US buyer

October 3 to 8 were very good ... after October 1 and 2 with no sales .... and after a very good September 30

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Over the past 6 months my biggest buyer has purchased about 14 books on Mennonite history.... and he lives in the Czech Republic....   Mennonite history is complementary and ties in very well  to my major niche for book listings... Manitoba has a very high population of Mennonite that settled in the late 1800s-early 1900s.

A very good  single sale was the two volume CN reorganization process books for $175.  Over the past two years  I have sold about 10 of this two volume set... at $150 per two volume set...  I kept collection this two volume set  untill they all sold

While  my best two sales  were at $95 each... with me bouncing sales off similar books  with one of them listed for $425  with six best offers refused  Listed both books on Thursday, one sold on Saturday and the second on Tuesday.... and that high priced book is still listed.  My books were  like new  with slipcase, limited edition 950 and 1000...  signed by the author, 

I did my thing and came out with $390 in sales.....and that $425 book is now listed at $325  with lots of competition...

Selling on eBay is knowing where to find inventory,  knowing what price to list , and at what price buyers are willing to pay

It is  a balancing act.... It also helps to have good feedback... providing high quality inventory,, pack it well for shipping  and fast shipping.... that is what my feedback says

Airmail to the US... about 8 days... including Tracked Packet.

Surface mail using Expedited parcel USA is also close to 8 days.

International shipping is surface mail with tracking... buyers have been patient  without question ... 

[cumos55]

I had a lot of listings dating back to 2009, and 2010....    I left them there too long...  mainly because sales were super good in the years before June 2013...  but there was already an indicator of a slow down in sales

I made my adjustment in June,  and sales were super in July.   and I can see in my traffic reports that these older listings are now being viewed on a regular basis....

Complications factors...

(1) The higher cost of shipping to the US and internationally.... in 2012 sales to Canadian buyers  was 60 % of total sales....  So far in 2013 this number is 70 %

(2) My adjustment in June 2013  destroyed all of my watchers on those listings.....  Page views are good after June

(3) Cassini perhaps....had an effect... Keywords were added to listings... The keywords came directly from the titles of categories in my store...  Page views are higher... in general... Visits are up as well.

(4) A comparison with other sellers in my major category did show a reduction in sales overall... but I did hold my own relative to them.... More recently I get the impression that  I am doing very well compared to these same sellers.... perhaps based on my understanding of Cassini

(5) I have been building up new inventory in new categories of books... and that is starting to show sales... slow so far but good...

(6) Over the past 6 months my search for new inventory, all categories, especially the newer categories,  in my store,   has been very successful......  The last week in September was very good with major charity sales, as well as other super sales....Lots of new inventory in categories I know will sell well based on previous experience.....

[bb_cool_stuff]

It is just too difficult to explain the fluctuation in sales.  A myriad of reasons perhaps.

Like Steve mentioned, i have run a few auctions lately & it has seemed to draw some extra traffic according to Omniture.

Sales started slow out of blocks last month & yet it ended up being my best month so far this year.

The silly season will be a good indicator as to where we rank in the eBay universe..

This will give us time to make additional adjustments & changes for the New Year when the postal rates increase once again.

[rose-dee]

---

@bb_cool_stuff wrote:

This will give us time to make additional adjustments & changes for the New Year when the postal rates increase once again.

---

Oh noooooo, you're right, you've just reminded me -- that again, like the annual 'flu season I so look forward to!  By this time of the year I'm in a nice little groove postally-speaking, and almost manage to forget about the January CP rate hikes. 

I feel like that woman in the ad who sees a brown leaf falling, realizes it's autumn and starts screammmminnnggg!!! 

[pierrelebel]

http://canadianmags.blogspot.ca/2013/07/canada-post-announces-service-changes.html

That is one.  There are many other similar reports of postal fee increases for 2014

[bb_cool_stuff]

I have mentioned it previously.

We seem to be a resilient bunch & yet somehow, with all the obstacles thrown our way, we still find a way to make it work for us.

[pierrelebel]

Curious about a drop in your sales? Worth taking a look:

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y13/m10/i15/s01

[cumos55]

This article is a good summary of what is already present in this discussion....

About "renewing" listings.

There is a large book seller on eBay  with millions... not thousands of listings.

If you watch his counts, you might see anywhere from 2 to 4 million and more listings on eBay.  Listings are being added and deleted on a regular basis....

I have at times relisted a single  listing... only to see it at the top of a book category for close to three weeks.

Too many people put it on eBay and let it sit....

Revising  does also appear to have an effect on what happens to a listing.  I bulk edit  the postal code... 500 listings at a time.....  Is it benefit...  maybe... and it does not take long.....

Sometimes  listings will go dead.....  Buyers will buy until they want no more... and then sales dry up...

One has to keep adding new inventory.... new categories... complementary to what is already listed.

New competition.... How many sellers know what their competition is doing?  and how can a seller outshine the competition....

and above all ... how many really understand how to adjust a listing such that Cassini  "views" a listing in the 'right way"

Sellers used to place a store on vacation overnight.... Have not heard this in a while

And.. sometimes  it takes a while for the search protocol to respond to a revision... and then it also takes time for buyers to then follow through on  how listings are showing up in the "new" search reports....  Buyers have to learn how to deal with the new search protocol.

[pierrelebel]

"Sellers used to place a store on vacation overnight.... Have not heard this in a while"

In the "good old days", a seller could put the store "on vacation" for a minimum of 24 hours, listings not available on site, to reopen the following day and get preferential placement in search for a few hours.

Was it worth it?

Some sellers claimed great results.  I tried it a few times and did not notice any appreciable increase in business.

Different strokes for different folks.

[cumos55]

eBay runs on the basis of 30 day cycles

With 900 listings in a store....  30 of those GTC listings should be ending each day.

Also ... if a sellers sells in several categories... listings in each category should also be spread across  a 30 day cycle...

The first time a buyer comes to a store is through a search on eBay... Once a buyer finds a store that they like... they will then go directly to a store... bypassing a lot of listings available from other sellers.

How many times does one go to a local mall and walk past a lot of stores...  just to get to their favourite store.

One thing to watch....  What happens to traffic when new listings are added to a store?... Are they watching for new listings?