Power Sellers Unite

GAELICTITCA · Joined: 25 Apr 2005 Posts: 1384

Since the last round of artifically inflated Ebay listing numbers
began to tumble a couple days ago I've been watching the
counts at Ebay. 17,000,000 listings fell to around 12,8000,000
(which we all knew they would) but then they continued to slide
very steadily. Then the "half-price" auction fee sale notice was
circulated last night -- the count was at about 12,400,000.

So early this morning I glance at the count to see if a bunch of
folks had burned the midnight oil listing away --- but the counts
were showing 12,200,000. Odd, I thought, but then maybe
people aren't as stupid as Ebay seems to think they are. Oh,
well, we'll see...........

Well, I just looked at the site count again and was really given
a jolt:

eBay 11,106,267 -1143308 -10.29% August 1, 2006 5:16 pm

Can this be really true? Not that I want to doubt it (and it would
just prove that Ebay's assumptions about how stupid people are
really WRONG) - but to be at the point of coming close to dipping
below 11,000,000 listings on the site ????

Wow, if I thought yesterday's move to have a sale so soon after
the last one was an act of despiration, Meggie and Bill must really
be sweating this erosion of the CORE numbers.

cglcollect · Joined: 21 Jul 2006 Posts: 53

One can only hope..If it is real, it shows that sellers are getting tired of being tricked into start listings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Why not run a real sale on Sunday with 0% insertion fees and gallery and say just .5% FVF OR is this too generous for ePay?????

GAELICTITCA · Joined: 25 Apr 2005 Posts: 1384

What I find most interesting is that if these numbers are indeed
accurate, then Ebay's base count has taken a big tumble below what
their counts had been running prior to the combined fee hike/2 day
insertion fee sale double whammy announcement. All this in light of
yet another listing fee sale?

Almost makes me morbidly giddy!

psunite · Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 6213 Location: Columbus OH

Well I have been randomly watching the ebay and jotting down the number of stores. Below are rough estimates. Nothing too drastic but about 400 stores gone in a little over a week is a safe bet that its caused by the fee increase. I wonder if its going to fall sharper once the fees take effect

07/21/06
24900

07/25/06
24875

07/28/06
24650

07/31/06
24550

08/01/06
24475

GAELICTITCA · Joined: 25 Apr 2005 Posts: 1384

psunite wrote (View Post): › docWrite("quote") I wonder if its going to fall sharper once the fees take effect

Going by the talk over on the Ebay stores forum, while many of
the sellers there closed up shop this week, a whole lot of them are
going to hang out until the fee increases go into effect or until their
billing period ends (for some, that was at midnight last night -- for
the others it'll be midnight on August 15th). I think the downward
trend for the stores will pick up steam through the month.

PattyPooh · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Posts: 682

[b][I][U]One can only hope :!: :twisted:

wphamilton · Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 1940 Location: Georgia

psunite, I believe those numbers to be Featured Stores only. There may be tens of thousands of Basic Stores closing, but I don't know of any quick way to check that.

It's unusual for core listings to drop at the same time. I don't think I've ever seen this happen on a reduced price listing day. If this down trend continues it's proof that listing fees are too high for the market even when reduced, and eBay should heed their own demands of sellers - that overpriced and slow-selling items (or listing service in their case) be reduced in price and/or replaced with more attractive offerings.

GAELICTITCA · Joined: 25 Apr 2005 Posts: 1384

Okie, just went and checked the Ebay counts again - an hour later:

eBay 12,339,636 +96551 0.78% August 1, 2006 6:16

Still running lower than usual, though up from the stats a while a
ago, and can't be of any comfort to the Ebay execs.

Guess the *MAGIC* really is gone

nopaypal · Joined: 23 Feb 2006 Posts: 2008

Quote: › docWrite("quote")it shows that sellers are getting tired of being tricked into start listings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
some people dont like to start listings on tuesdays; but i've done it fer years & it doesnt seem to make any difference.
:!:

i dont like to start em on wednesdays, since that's the middle of the week...but i think it all depends on what ya sell. which is why it's so hard to compare apples to oranges on the online auction sites...
:?:

fer instance: my best friend had someone email her from chicago about 15 minnits after she listed something yesterday. he offered her $200 fer the item (a vintage corkscrew--!!). so she edited the listing to add a BIN price of $200, & it was gone. and this was on a tuesday...
:shock:

as i always say: if yer selling what they really want, they will come...& they will pay ya any damn way ya want em to! the real trick is to finger out what they want...
:?