Time To Say Goodbye To eBay?

southerndave

Just a Friday night moan.....but I have had a feeling for a long time now that it might be time to say goodbye to eBay and sadly for all the wrong reasons.

I have been buying and selling on there for a long time but recently I have found that as a seller:

1. Sales are tougher, no-one is buying.
2. Postal prices are getting silly and really damaging chances of selling anything of low value.
3. Buyers (with respect) seem to get stupider by the week. Lots of time wasters, lots of non payers and so many people simply do not read the descriptions at all and are surprised when they don't get what they thought they were getting.
4. The fees are crippling.

And as a Buyer....

1. Bargains are fewer and further between.
2. Prices are going up (see postage and fees above)
3. More and more new or nearly new/shop seconds rather than genuine second hand deals.
4. Swamped with ads.

So on reflection I am wondering if now is the time to give it up both as a seller and buyer. Seems a lot of people are using Facebook nowadays, quick sales, cash-in-hand and less hassle.....

Be interested in how others are fairing!?!:cool:

Strapped

If you live in the centre of a big city, then you might scratch a second income from FB sales. But ebay and Amazon are where the buyers are, certainly for distance sales.

RFW

It depends what you're buying and selling, some markets are relatively buoyant some have hit rock bottom and keep dropping.

I've changed 75% of what I was selling 2-3 years ago, and probably 90% or more from when I started on Ebay 10+ years ago.

Some items are no longer worth selling, be that due to Ebay fees or the price of postage.

soolin

I change my stock all the time, as soon as a market starts dying on me I get out.

I think a lot of sellers stubbornly stick with the same stock and don't appreciate that many things change all the time.

I do sell on Facebook as well, but it is tiresome with all the no shows.

ballisticbrian

southerndave, eBay wont last forever, many things will change, many platforms will come and go, all manner of things will change. Just a few probing questions for you: can you see opportunity in change? Can you turn a difficult situation to your advantage? How can you add value to your products? Can you use your skills or knowledge to provide value to your customers?
If you can't answer positively to any of these questions, then , yes, get out of the game.

Brooker_Dave

southerndave wrote: »

1. Sales are tougher, no-one is buying.
2. Postal prices are getting silly and really damaging chances of selling anything of low value.
3. Buyers (with respect) seem to get stupider by the week. Lots of time wasters, lots of non payers and so many people simply do not read the descriptions at all and are surprised when they don't get what they thought they were getting.
4. The fees are crippling.

Once upon a time ebay was just a venue, and everyone did well,

Then they decided to meddle.

Now it's a mess and to keep earning off it they had to ramp up the fees for the brave few who still use it.

southerndave

Interesting replies and I like the shandy idea best so far!!!

I see some of you must be 'pro' sellers as you refer to products and markets, which I can see as good if you have a line of things. I am really just selling off clutter and junk (to me of coourse) rather than anything specific, so its harder to see 'opportunites' or change markets in the ways suggested. Anyway, good to see different points of view, always helps with persective on things!

RFW

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

Now it's a mess and to keep earning off it they had to ramp up the fees for the brave few who still use it.

I've so missed these comments. Do you still carry the "end of Ebay is nigh" sandwich board? It must be weighing heavy 5 years on.

porto_bello

I am surprised when people state that they derive their income from 'selling on eBay'. To me, that equates to putting all their eggs and hopes in one basket.

If I generated my income from selling on-line, I think I would try to put my fingers in as many internet selling venues as possible, since it offers a degree of security.

It's not inconceivable that eBay or Paypal could rack up their fees as eBay has already done before, wiping out profits and many viable businesses overnight.

For example, if Paypal raised it's fees to 10%, buyer behaviour would remain unchanged, but many sellers' profits would be wiped out. I wonder how many of those sellers actually have a plan B or C, if selling on eBay and/or via Paypal suddenly became unprofitable.

Strapped

porto_bello wrote: »

I am surprised when people state that they derive their income from 'selling on eBay'. To me, that equates to putting all their eggs and hopes in one basket.

If I generated my income from selling on-line, I think I would try to put my fingers in as many internet selling venues as possible, since it offers a degree of security.

It's not inconceivable that eBay or Paypal could rack up their fees as eBay has already done before, wiping out profits and many viable businesses overnight.

For example, if Paypal raised it's fees to 10%, buyer behaviour would remain unchanged, but many sellers' profits would be wiped out. I wonder how many of those sellers actually have a plan B or C, if selling on eBay and/or via Paypal suddenly became unprofitable.

That's such a good point. In my case, I'd manage to get rid of remaining stock via Facebook & the summer fetes I do, but I guess failing that, it would be back to car boot sales for an almighty clear-out and then I'd go back to contracting. To stay in the game, you'd have to have your own, effective, website. Which costs.

londondealer

I have to agree. I think eBay has had it's day. I think it's become a victim of its own success.

I'm also looking at selling on Facebook.