posted on November 6, 2000 04:12:53 PM new
Let me say that I sell on eBay as a hobby and don't make a living out of it--thank God! I have been selling for 2 years now and its NEVER been as bad for me as it has been the past couple of weeks.
I have 15 items listed and two bids. One at the opening bid. I usually sell books but last week I listed baby clothes in lots. NO bids. My opening bids are low with priority shipping and they are nice clothes with good photos and detailed descriptions. On Saturday I went back to listing books and although I have hits on my counters, no bids. Again, low opening bids, good photos and descriptions and I made sure that I listed books that aren't easy to find or listed all over already.
I am starting to feel paranoid that I am the only one with this problem. I am seriously considering quitting eBay until January in hopes things pick up. But right now not feeling encouraged that things will.
Anyone else having a really bad time? I would love to know what categories/items are doing well now if any.
posted on November 6, 2000 04:18:21 PM new
It's been slow for me, too. To make up for it, I've had to raise the intial bid price in case it's a one-hit wonder (and to make up for eBay's higher FVFs). I've also been relisting much more than usual.
Putting off until January may not be a good idea. I always believed that November and December were good from all the holiday shopping.
posted on November 6, 2000 04:24:04 PM new
It's bad. The worst I've seen it. Glass and pottery is glutted with junk and repros. I sometimes wonder if the sheer volume of junk one has to wade through to find something to bid on has to do with the lack of bidders. I know it takes me way too much time to even slog through the "ending today". I don't even bother. Vintage clothing was hot a year ago. Now, it's slow too. Seller ratio is too high to the buyer ratio, I think. In past years, this was the busiest time of year on ebay. I've got tons of stuff to list, but I'm thinking, why bother. Depressing is right.
posted on November 6, 2000 04:44:15 PM new
you are certainly not alone. I average around 80 open auctions (I list pretty much every night), and lately have only averaged about 4 or 5 bids. That didn't suprise me too much in June, but I don't expect that sort of performance in November. Something has changed. Perhaps Ross was right - online auctions are a fad, and the fad is over. Depressing ('cause of all the junk I still have...)
posted on November 6, 2000 04:50:13 PM new
I sell on Ebay my sales been great there compared to the other place I sell.
I was just doing some aearching and bidding out there the thing that struck me is steap shipping prices.
I was looking to bid Mcdonald mini beanies from this year and the new election set that is out.
I found sellers with starting bid of $1.00 for a trio three mini bear shipping inside USA $5.00 . one bear starting bid $3.20 shipping insde USA $4.40 .
Mind you these beanies are little biger then your thumb. even three in package wont be over half a pound.
these sellers need to give shipping choses other then priority with insurace and Delivery comfermation who needs to insure a $1 win On a bean bag bear.
WWW.dman-n-company.com
posted on November 6, 2000 04:57:52 PM new
I started selling in March and decided to "quit for a while" in mid-September. I just sold general collectibles. At first it was great but then it got to the point where either I had one bid or no bids. It went from a hobby thing to an all my spare time thing just to make the same amount of money. I missed some relaxation time and my husband was complaining. I keep hearing about the busy time close to Christmas so if that shows up I may jump in again to try and make some extra Christmas shopping money. I have heard it is good sometimes to take a break from selling if you can afford to and then you get your enthusiasm back. I know my auction descriptions were a lot better and more creative when I was enthused and I spent more time getting my pictures "just right". I can see the Christmas shopping in the stores really starting to pick up already, so the bonanza may just be around the corner. I wouldn't give up until January just yet. But maybe even just a couple of days with no auctions to worry about may be good for you. Good luck. I'm keeping my eye on things and may be jumping back in soon myself.
posted on November 6, 2000 06:37:25 PM new
Summer was a little slow for me, but I can't complain too much. My September and October were excellent. I just try to start the bidding as low as possible, relative to my cost, and hope for the best. Most of the time it pays off. Auctions going into the final hours with 3+ bids have a certain momentum that encourages other people to bid.
posted on November 6, 2000 07:36:05 PM new
I sell as a hobby seller but I've been doing this on ebay for 4+ years. Sell mostly cameras/lenses/accessories from the 70s and 80s but much other general stuff I find at flea markets and garage sales. The demand for cameras fell off sharply in mid year and it hasn't recovered. Glass is saturated with common trash. The other way of looking at it is to take the glass is half full approach, not half empty. You still frequently get to sell off items that you have no use for and get some $$$s and get to buy what you might not otherwise purchase. Maybe this is what eBay has evolved into. We are reminded once again that the only constant in life is change.
posted on November 6, 2000 08:35:59 PM new
I know this will probably upset some people,But....I think poor service AND product have driven the bidders away. I have personally noticed (I sell and buy) with more and more frequency over the last couple of months, how long it takes the sellers to respond to end of Auction, send me my item, and the product live up to the picture and/or description. A lot of letdowns.I have tried to even upgrade my service, but I feel others are dragging me down with them.
[ edited by docpjw on Nov 6, 2000 08:50 PM ]
posted on November 6, 2000 08:40:32 PM new
I'm relatively new to eBay, only a year and a half, and mostly sell used photo equipment like the writer above, and I buy and sell used audio equipment. If the past is any indication, January and February are extremely slow months. I noticed a rise in the audio market in early spring and managed to get healthy bids on some of my personal equipment. Recently however, the audio market is flat, with prices being 60% of what I sold for.
As the writers above have mentioned, I too believe that the increased size of eBay has much to do with it. For serious buyers, i.e., those willing to pay what an item is worth, there are far too many listings to sort through.
Too, the number of sellers has increased outrageously, thus many of your customers may be buying from someone else.
posted on November 7, 2000 12:31:28 AM new
I have to agree that things have slowed waaayy down for collectibles sellers (I am one)...in June EVERYTHING I had at auction sold...summer slowed down, the first week in September was wonderful..now I sell 2 items a day, if I am lucky. I have a very eclectic collection...everything from vintage clothing, vintage jewelry, pottery, glass, etc. BUT I only sell rather unique items..all my jewelry is signed, the clothing is designer (just sold a really cute 1960's Betsey Johnson blouse for $32), the glass and pottery range from Blenko to Westmoreland to Hull..I even have several vintage Effanbee dolls...recently sold 4 mint Mrs. Albee figurines for over $300...However, i find that I have to list at my minimum acceptable price and I am paying more for the things I find at estate sales, etc which raises my prices. Am not sure what the real problem is but I do know it is not my shipping costs, EOA's, quality, descriptions, etc. Perhaps after the election...guess I will grasp at any straw right now! Yes, it is depressing and discouraging!
posted on November 7, 2000 01:18:38 AM new
My sales seemed to slow quite a bit in September and then have picked up quite a bit since then. I did excellent durring the summer months. I think that there's a lot more competition now and that could be the reason for the decrease in bids.
posted on November 7, 2000 08:10:16 AM new
Things will turn around. Just wait. I could be complaining that I'm taking it in the short regarding my stocks, but no, they will turn around. It may take a little time, but they will.
If I don't get a lot of sales on ebay, I list on yahoo, bidbay, golds, or amazon. You say some of them aren't worth listing on? Well, you can't list one time and expert miracles. It takes time. Think positive. Keep the aura positive.
posted on November 7, 2000 08:40:46 AM new
I think the book/CD market is inherently soft--eBay siphons customers over to Half and there are usually too many people using the Watch feature and not bidding.
I did rather well last night, but one item had only a single bidder and one got none--until I relisted it for a fraction of its value-hopefully it will climb up.
If there is not a ready demand for an item, and no one else offering it, it will not get any bids.
I would say the great eBay days are probably past and prices are down. However I enjoy the surprises and back things up with Yahoo.
BTW I agree that some of the problem is the sellers themselves. I know few auction sellers that I dealt with who meet my business standards on a performance basis. I still get stuff that's poorly packed and shipped late. This isn't rocket science.
posted on November 7, 2000 08:53:50 AM new
I have been looking in eBay and Yahoo for a few home electronics items. The items I am interested in are plentiful, and, they are receiving zero bids. Sellers appear to be relisting them over and over again.
The reason(s) I am not bidding:
Starting prices are higher than most on line discount stores, and,
Most of the sellers state "US only" in their shipping terms. Although I used to email these people to ask if they would ship to Canada, I got tired of getting no responses.
I figure these sellers are actually dealers who are using eBay for cheap advertising - most of their listings include a link to their 'store' where they offer a "better price" ...
posted on November 7, 2000 09:01:54 AM new
NOT ME....Nope, I'm not depressed where bidding is concerned.
59 items listed... 54 have BIDS that total 218.
All my auctions are doing EXTREMELY well.
I discovered the secret back in August and have done GREAT with my auctions since.
No relisting for me!
I am DEPRESSED because my RL does not permit me to list as much and often as I like.
2 part time jobs and a family keep me quit busy as it is.
Starting LOW at $1.00 and working with bidders to ship the cheapest way is the Key!
Now I'm off to my RL job for a 12 hour day
.
.
edited for packer by packer!!
.
Having a BAD HAIR DAY! ...
posted on November 7, 2000 10:26:11 AM new
I agree it's depressing. Actually these last 4 mos have been horrible for me. I mostly do books too but have branched out with designer clothes, and other odds and ends. I have good pix and descriptions, low shipping and great feedback- still no bids or bids at the end. My designer items have ended very disappointing and I have taken a loss as I start the bids low and don't use reserves. It's a catch 22 as if I start it higher no one will bid but lower no one bids much anyway so I take a loss. Won't be making that mistake again as I have a few more designer/vintage items to list and won't take such a loss.
I don't think ebay will ever be the same to be honest. I hate that watch feature, most bids come at the end and then because of that there are not as many and I just am not making the $$$ I once was compared to the time I am putting in.
posted on November 7, 2000 11:30:41 AM new
Someone stated:
Every time sales are down I re-evaluate and see where I can do things differently. It usually helps.
Another stated frustration that sellers don't sell internationally.
My bids were down, but I've made adjustments, and things are really great right now! I've started once again selling internationally as well.
Experiment! Lower or eliminate handling fees. Dress up your decriptions. Are you flexible enough in payment options? I've always accepted checks, and in over 1,000 transactions, NEVER A PROBLEM. Take a chance, start your bids lower. Daily I will have a $.01 auction on something that is fairly popular anyway & have been pleased with the results. The old inventory I keep marking it down until it sells--you may not make a profit on everything (hopefully most items), but sometimes you need to take a small loss in order to just get rid of it. Also, I change my inventory, constantly add to it, experiment (by small dollar leaps & bounds).
It's fun, just look at it like a game, be creative, and check your competitors. I have a really great competitor. We buy stuff from each other & they are very polite, they must be aware of who I am. Because I lowered my opening bid $.50 to $1 from theirs, I forced them to do so, and in the spirit of fun, we are both getting more bids! I wish them well! There appears to be room for both of us on the market.
posted on November 7, 2000 12:40:58 PM new
Sales are horribly low and slow. But like as Llama said, they WILL pick up. Maybe after the holidays, who knows, but they have to pick up.
I thought eBay was going uphill... every time I list a new auction the increment of the auction numbers inbetween keep getting larger, which means more listings from other people.
posted on November 7, 2000 01:59:47 PM new
I listed during the November 2 Post-o-rama. When the current auctions end, I will take off until just after Christmas.
Last year I enjoyed brisk sales in October and early November and then a crash as the holidays approached.
Right after Christmas is great--people get new computers and Christmas cash to spend. Plus the cold winter weather keeps folks inside.
In S. California we are still enjoying warm days so many folks are outside enjoying what is left of the season.
