more oddness on ebay

soolin

I've noticed some more 'oddness' on ebay which supports the conspiracy theory that some sellers are invisible.

I had some unsold things on my private account that had virtually no views (1 or 2 in a 10 day period) and no sales at all, they were relisted several times. I found some more similar things , near identical and as I needed a lot of positive stars quickly I listed them as well- near identical titles and all my photos are about the same quality.

Unfortunately I listed them on my business account in error but decided to leave them there- and they all sold on first listing. I actually then relisted the unsold stuff from my private account on to my business account, and have had bids within minutes of listing and one now has 11 watchers.

So, either some strange conspiracy theory is in force , or else the majority of buyers buy on Best Match.

I did actually contact Live Chat (which is always fun!) and asked them a) whether there was any reason I couldn't do this, and b) why I got page views on one account and not the other. They told me i could do it and ebay like business sellers to use a business account (so completely misunderstood that question) and then gave me some random nonsense about buying experience and making sure my photos were good.

RFW

I waver between the conspiracy theorists about Best Match. I was a little on the side of some things don't sell well so live with it. There will always be someone complaining that their crappy badges don't sell, but too many sellers seem to have a gripe based in reality.

Having 'messed about' with duration of listings, cancelling some old listings and 'relisting' via 'sell similar' (instead of relist) some older items have started to sell again. So there are obvious visibility issues.

Best match is the default search on PCs, mobiles and tablets. Most buyers don't even know they need to change their searches.

I'm very much of the opinion that my days on Ebay are numbered, I'm doing fairly well on Amazon and have another project that's gathering steam. Ebay seems to be a little screwed up, they need a clear strategy to move forward. I doubt that business-wise it will be a problem for them in the short term, after all they are still selling items and earnning revenue.

Whether the new software for searching they are introducing (in January?) will make a difference, for me, at least, it is likely to be too late.

The days of having all your business on Ebay (if you are a business) should be over for everyone, if it isn't start selling elsewhere now.

soolin

My stuff does not have any other logical market like Amazon, I'm rather stuck with ebay as I can churn out loads (especially on my business MVLs) at very little effort.

This latest stuff is all second hand genuine private stuff, in a similar theme , quick and easy to pack and send, as I've said before any business line though that stops selling I drop instantly and move to another.

I do have another face to face venue that is starting to pick up- but it is quite hard work compared to ebay.

RFW

soolin wrote: »

I do have another face to face venue that is starting to pick up- but it is quite hard work compared to ebay.

I find the same with Amazon, I mostly have to add inventory myself as the majority isn't in there. Ebay is by far the easiest way to sell for me but I can see it dying for me, I have my existing customers but they'll follow me anyway. Getting new trade on Ebay from 'passers by' is getting increasingly difficult.

soolin

Well I'm persevering with my off line venture but I am unsure how much more I will do due to the time committments and financial return- but at least I can sell items that would otherwise have take an age to wrap and pack. Not worrying about stars, feedback or the vagaries of the postal service is rather nice as well!

TrickyWicky

Years ago I decided to try selling a few bits on ebay with the thought of setting up an ebay business. I listed several things and do you think I could find any of them myself when searching? No.

Strangely I've had more luck as a private seller although the things I sold were rarer and harder to find. I have however always been suspicious of the way ebay makes things visible.

campdave

Best match seems weird - in my area, a general search for the items I sell would bring up several of my best selling items, alongside good selling items of other sellers.

More recently, best match brings up some of my good sellers, new items from other sellers, things that seem to have sold very little (and don't even seem relatively popular).

I do searches on my pc and ipad, and the results seem to vary slightly from device to device, so I'm sure that it's mixed around for other users too.

Seems to make a mockery of what "best match" should be.

oldone_2

Talking of 'odd', I have noticed something that doesn't seem quite right.

I sell around 200-300 a week and looking at the statistics, they just don't make sense.

For two to 3 days, all new buyers will come from say N.Ireland/ North West England. Then these regions will vanish and for another two to 3 days all new buyers will come from the South west/ South East. These then are replaced by two or three days of buyers from Scotland/ North East.

I appreciate my sample is too small to be really significant, but statistically the odds of this happening are quite high.

It is almost as if e-Bay are filtering searches; and rotating what each region sees in my categories.

campdave

I don't notice regions, but with sales abroad I do - most of my overseas sales go to Australia, but recently I've had a few days with quite a few sales to Canada, then drying up again, USA, then quiet, Belgium, then quiet, and France then quiet.

charlies_mum

I am really starting to believe the conspiracy theory. I am a TRS, with approximately 100 items listed. Up until Monday I was selling 2/3 items per day, but since then nothing. This happened a couple of weeks ago, four days of nothing then suddenly it all started up again.

I am sure something weird is happening with Ebay.

soolin

I am also coming round to the consipracy theory as I am seeng some of the same patterns that people have mentioned above.

For instance about 3 weeks ago virtually everything i sold went to Wales, Gwent to be exact- I was having to print out labels so I didn't get the house name wrong as some were quite complicated. Then suddenly, no more Welsh buyers but all in New Zealand- now they are varied again, with perhaps a slight emphasis on Lancashire.

My husband has also on occasions seen something he wants and asked me to buy it (he doesn't have my log in). I've searched with him on the ipad and seen say 11 results, gone to the main PC to buy it and the same search has shown me 24 results a minute or two later!

My own items doing a search as a guest will show up differently on a best match depending on what device I search with, one of my lines wasn't even visible on the ipad one day- yet the next day I got a huge rush of sales and it was suddenly visible again.

The TRS oard is full of such examples- maybe we are deluding ourselves and all need to make a tin foil hat just in case- but I have seen the difference directly myself and can replicate my results to show others.