Ebay sales plummeted

[PGTV]

Has anyone noticed their ebay sales going down? This December (sales data) has been the worse in my company history - my weekly sales is equivalent to what I usually would did/do in a day or two.

is the effects of covid (uncertainty) having an issue that customers do not have too much to spend or has eBay brought something in that I am unaware of?

 

[Tim Ford]

Seeing the opposite, Competitor?

What's your area?

 

[Chris Hanson]

I would think the same, it appears you have competition in your sector or something on your shop is not working as it used to.

 

[Paul Norman]

Overall, I believe Ebay is in that phase of business life in which they either need to reinvent themselves, or join Halfords in the list of businesses we are faintly surprised to know are still there.

It's all about Amazon now, init.

 

[fisicx]

It's all about Amazon now, init.

Interestingly I rarely use Amazon, I get just about everything I need from eBay.

Today it was a box of WD40 being flogged off cheap (I lead such an exciting life).

 

[MBE2017]

I buy literally everything from Amazon, next day delivery, and possibly the best return policy around, I don’t even compare prices 90% of the time anymore. It is just so convenient.

 

[Toon]

Yes, our sales on Amazon are the lowest they've been in quite a few years. Other platforms are roughly the same but eBay is about half from what we would expect it to be.

 

[thetiger2015]

Amazon are obliterating eBay. They don't even need to be the cheapest. It's the almost immediate delivery and huge product range from multiple sellers.

I genuinely haven't bought something from eBay since 2019. I needed a battery for an old car. That was my last purchase using their platform.

I don't actually know what the usp of eBay is. You've got places like Etsy or Not On The Highstreet for retail shopping this Christmas, lots of little shops too. Amazon do everything else...TVs? RC toys? I can't think of why I would use eBay unless it's finding parts for an obscure model of car, like I did in 2019. Facebook Marketplace now takes care of local sellers, that really has been the dent in eBay that Amazon couldn't achieve.

 

[Socio South West]

I don't bother looking at eBay any longer -in most sectors its been washed away on a tide of Far Eastern companies with cheap copies at prices they know its not worth the hassle of chasing the warranties.

I don't doubt there is some good stuff in among the multiple adverts but like others I lean towards the Bezos monster if I want retail stuff and other less pedantic platforms if I want to sell anything

 

[DontAsk]

Ebay have tried to become a marketplace reather than an auction site and p****d off a lot of auction bidders, at least in the areas I am interested in.

I will often search Amazon if I don't quite know what I am looking for, but then buy elsewhere at a better price, sometimes from the same retailer. A lot of Amazon sellers seem to be taking the p**s on pricing, maybe to cover the high costs, or high returns rate, or ...

Example, my wife found this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-G...4?keywords=glubot&qid=1639499312&s=diy&sr=1-4 brilliant invention, but I bought from here https://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/fastcap-glubot-glue-bottle-and-tip-kit-16-oz/ cheaper, even after adding postage. I could go on ...

 

[thetiger2015]

I will often search Amazon if I don't quite know what I am looking for, but then buy elsewhere at a better price, sometimes from the same retailer. A lot of Amazon sellers seem to be taking the p**s on pricing, maybe to cover the high costs, or high returns rate, or ...

Example, my wife found this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-G...4?keywords=glubot&qid=1639499312&s=diy&sr=1-4 brilliant invention, but I bought from here https://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/fastcap-glubot-glue-bottle-and-tip-kit-16-oz/ cheaper, even after adding postage. I could go on ...

The higher cost is a mixture of factoring in the Amazon fees, the returns and the fact Amazon orders take priority over your other orders sometimes, because you're chasing the positive feedback and don't want any delays.

Also, it's possible that they make a large % of sales through Amazon, so they cannot afford to rely on their own platform. If they've got 25% through Amazon, 25% through PPC and 50% through a mixture of Organic/Social/Other, too big a risk to drop Amazon. People will be doing what you've done, see the Amazon listing first and then shop on their website. They would never have got your order without that Amazon listing, so, it kind of works but they have to bump up the price to cover Amazons complex fee structure and associated costs.

Strangely, for a marketplace, Amazon is not about price. It's about super fast delivery and huge brand awareness. They get so much traffic, I think Alibaba is the only comparison worldwide. In the west, Amazon is king of PPC, traffic, conversion rates and post purchase marketing.

 

[fisicx]

Is that super fast delivery a prime thing?

 

[Smithco]

I don't actually know what the usp of eBay is.

eBay treats its sellers much better. Amazon treats them like cash cows and with contempt.

eBay is often cheaper as there are fewer scams, returns and lower fees for sellers.

eBay has customer service for sellers, often in native English. Amazon has copy-paste drones in the 3rd world.

The comments above that people don't check prices elsewhere is interesting. I recently put some stuff from £9.99 to £14.99 to see what happened (as it costs much more to sell on Amazon when you factor in extra time and Amazon BS so we want more money for that). Sales are unchanged. It's true, some people don't check prices.

 

[Alan]

Is that super fast delivery a prime thing?

Yes - once you are hooked on Amazon it is difficult to go back to eBay 3 to 5 day delivery when you can order something and get it probably quicker than planning a trip to the shops.

Like I needed a tin of contact adhesive, choice - go out tomorrow spend 15 minutes driving to Screwfix pay £5.35 and 15 minutes back. Or pay £5.50 and get it delivered to my door by 1pm. No brainer.

 

[MBE2017]

I stopped selling on eBay approx seven years ago in large volumes, fed up with unknown rule changes in listings, goalposts constantly being moved. You could wake up in the morning to find 80% of listings had just been cancelled or suspended from the previous day with no reason given.

I have never sold much through Amazon, since when dropping eBay I wanted to use my own site and actually feel in control of my business. What I do know, is back then eBay treated their sellers terribly, and were constantly trying to morph into another Amazon.

I don’t know hardly anyone looking on eBay these days, I used to sell over 100,000 items each year through them, was a power seller etc, never had any help from eBay, just the opposite. Best decision I made was to drop them, but glad it works for some people.

 

[LMN118]

I believe them to be OK, mostly sales are up in keeping with the season. I've found there is usually only three reasons why sales drop on eBay, in order:

A competitor has emerged or undercut your prices (often on eBay they will undercut you even making a loss)

eBay sales listing is broken for your item (check by searching for the title to see if it appears in search results)

Nobody wants what you are selling (obviously)


I only use Amazon, from everything from alcohol to tools. I do check off amazon for prices etc. more often than not Amazon is cheaper.

In the Amazon vs eBay debate, I have no experience selling on Amazon but am very tempt to switch to fulfilled by Amazon, if I can shunt them all the work then I can disappear from the UK and do some travelling. Even if it means I make less money. Although there seems to be contradictions, Amazon says if it has standard barcode you can send as is, videos from sellers say you have to label the item with an amazon specific SKU which seems a little pointless if they can just scan the standard barcode to get all the information.

eBay are pretty terrible, I believe the loss in sellers has finally spurred them to action judging by the fact they actually fight on your behalf in cases, they are also improving seller protections after decades of kicking us in the face.

Unfortunately, they are still stuck behind the times. Stuck in some sort of quasi mutant marketplace/auction house. We pay for shops that nobody uses, only reason we pay is for free listing, something we shouldn't be charged for in the first place. There is no pre-order function on the site, despite some of us getting the majority of sales from pre-orders.

 

[14Steve14]

Is that super fast delivery a prime thing?

I find now that on my website customers are also wanting the same delivery as they can get on Amazon. I get many comparing delivery on the website to Amazon. Everyone seems to want everything yesterday.

 

[AW-UK]

I rarely shop on Amazon, I prefer eBay, I don't mind waiting a few days for my delivery, I don't use Amazon Prime anyway so the delivery is about the same, and some of my stuff comes from China and you're lucky if it arrives in 3 - 5 weeks let alone days, lately eBay shipments have been about 1 - 2 days after they have marked as dispatched, which for Xmas time is quite impressive!

 

[Mr D]

Overall, I believe Ebay is in that phase of business life in which they either need to reinvent themselves, or join Halfords in the list of businesses we are faintly surprised to know are still there.

It's all about Amazon now, init.

Many businesses use both.

 

[Mr D]

Amazon are obliterating eBay. They don't even need to be the cheapest. It's the almost immediate delivery and huge product range from multiple sellers.

I genuinely haven't bought something from eBay since 2019. I needed a battery for an old car. That was my last purchase using their platform.

I don't actually know what the usp of eBay is. You've got places like Etsy or Not On The Highstreet for retail shopping this Christmas, lots of little shops too. Amazon do everything else...TVs? RC toys? I can't think of why I would use eBay unless it's finding parts for an obscure model of car, like I did in 2019. Facebook Marketplace now takes care of local sellers, that really has been the dent in eBay that Amazon couldn't achieve.

Obliterating? Amazon have had those advantages for about 7 or 8 years.
Ebay still doing well.

I find certain items sell a lot better on ebay. Also a whole let less sellers causing suspensions of rivals on ebay.

 

[fisicx]

If you want a box of rawlpugs, some rope, a bit of plastic sheet and so on eBay is still better than Amazon.

Got 25m of edge strip off eBay with two day delivery. Amazon didn’t even list the product I wanted.

 

[MBE2017]

If you want a box of rawlpugs, some rope, a bit of plastic sheet and so on eBay is still better than Amazon.

Got 25m of edge strip off eBay with two day delivery. Amazon didn’t even list the product I wanted.

For such items I wouldn’t consider eBay or Amazon, living in a reasonably sized town, I have three Screwfix outlets, and two similar competitors. Quick online order, ready to collect within five minutes, all within three miles.

It all depends on the end clients and urgency of the material required. I tend to need things straight away, so look for next day delivered as a bare minimum, but Amazon even do sameday deliveries on some items. Hence why cost goes down the list of criteria for myself, my time is much more valuable, I just charge according to my costs. I find my clients want everything today or tommorow, and are prepared to pay to achieve that.

I use local wholesalers just as much for large quantities, but as I mentioned before, online Amazon is just so convenient for most.

 

[Mr D]

If you want a box of rawlpugs, some rope, a bit of plastic sheet and so on eBay is still better than Amazon.

Got 25m of edge strip off eBay with two day delivery. Amazon didn’t even list the product I wanted.

Ebay better than amazon for them because the sellers list the items on ebay rather than amazon.

Both sites require sellers to list items for sale. Amazon is of course also a retailer in its own right so a competitor for mainstream items available from suppliers.
And like all retailers they don't bother spending the money on stuff that doesn't sell quick enough. The small sellers will.

A seller may list an item that sells one or two a year and secure in the knowledge amazon aren't going to start stocking the item.
A seller may list a top 1,000 toy in the run up to christmas and have several dozen competitors on the same page including amazon.
An item that sells every 5 minutes, risk is the sheer number of other sellers and the elbowing off to the side by amazon.


This year, like most years, I purchased most of my christmas presents from the two sites. Plus Etsy for items not available on either of those two bigger sites. Speed wasn't essential though of course needed delivery in time for christmas. Item itself was the main driver in where I would purchase, not price or speed of delivery.
Sure, Prime delivery is nice - getting the item on a Monday rather than a Tuesday is not always a good thing.
So waiting an extra day to order because they are so efficient! I'm better getting delivery on a day I'm at home and not stuck in a meeting.

 

[The Byre]

I can't remember the exact figures, but Amazon does about ten times the business of eBay in the UK.

That said, you need more than just those two - any and every platform - get your stuff on it!

 

[Mr D]

I can't remember the exact figures, but Amazon does about ten times the business of eBay in the UK.

That said, you need more than just those two - any and every platform - get your stuff on it!

Amazon, 56% of its sales is 3rd party. $110 billion total, that makes it 61.6 billion.
Ebay same period, 19.5 billion.

So 3 times more done via amazon.

 

[ecommerce84]

I used to buy a lot on eBay but recently that has dwindled to next to nothing. As mentioned above FB marketplace has replaced eBay for larger local items, and since Screwfix opened 5 minutes away I buy those sorts of things from them.

The only time I’ve used Amazon in the last 10 years is because we had vouchers to spend. Wouldn’t go near them otherwise.

 

[WhizzPeople]

I buy basically everything, even grocery from Amazon. Probably I am the ideal Prime customer. I feel insecure buying stuff from eBay. I have to check sellers reviews and ratings before placing an order. On the other hand, as long as it is a Prime product, I am sure of its authenticity.

 

[alan1302]

I buy basically everything, even grocery from Amazon. Probably I am the ideal Prime customer. I feel insecure buying stuff from eBay. I have to check sellers reviews and ratings before placing an order. On the other hand, as long as it is a Prime product, I am sure of its authenticity.

There are plenty of dubious items sold via Prime...only way that you will pretty much guarantee authenticity is if it's Amazon that is the seller.

 

[japancool]

OTOH, if you're looking for a ZX Spectrum, ebay is the better choice.

 

[Dinky]

Interestingly I rarely use Amazon, I get just about everything I need from eBay.

Today it was a box of WD40 being flogged off cheap (I lead such an exciting life).

Same, although I started on Amazon, find the product I want which is usually under the £20 limit for free delivery, then find the same product on eBay slightly cheaper and buy it from there.

 

[Dinky]

I don’t know hardly anyone looking on eBay these days, I used to sell over 100,000 items each year through them, was a power seller etc, never had any help from eBay, just the opposite. Best decision I made was to drop them, but glad it works for some people.

Did you managed to equal your sales on eBay via your own website, and how long did that take please?

 

[MBE2017]

Did you managed to equal your sales on eBay via your own website, and how long did that take please?

Never equalled the number of sales, but surpassed the profit lost after approx three years, and also had no item missing claims or threats of negative reviews if I did not credit some money. Larger but fewer orders, reduced postage and courier costs, nicer clients overall.

I’m sure it is different for everyone, not trying to put anyone off eBay, for myself I wanted to be in control of my own destiny, not blown around every few months by yet more changes instigated by eBay.

Things might be different on that platform now.

 

[Dinky]

Never equalled the number of sales, but surpassed the profit lost after approx three years, and also had no item missing claims or threats of negative reviews if I did not credit some money. Larger but fewer orders, reduced postage and courier costs, nicer clients overall.

I’m sure it is different for everyone, not trying to put anyone off eBay, for myself I wanted to be in control of my own destiny, not blown around every few months by yet more changes instigated by eBay.

Things might be different on that platform now.

Sounds like heaven! You've definitely selected the preferred path, but I think so many people are still enticed by the instant customer base provided by Amazon and eBay that it's hard to break away from.

 

[ideasreaction]

Was the drop is sales quite sudden? Or has it been declining for the last year or so? I haven't noticed my sales drop on there despite the market share falling YOY