Is anything selling on eBay?

[minimutly]

I did sell a stainless steel exhaust x-pipe on there recently, but it was listed for months before it sold.

What ebay are doing now that they never used to, is give you a "free" listing, but then they only show your post to a very small audience. Then, a few weeks later, they email you and point out that your item isn't getting many views so the magical solution is to pay to "promote your item": a way of frustrating you into handing over money to them to advertise the thing you're trying to sell. It's one massive con based on psychological analysis of ebay behaviour over the last few years. Although you'll make the sale eventually, it's how long you're prepared to sit on it before it sells.

Someone above has mentioned Vinted. I've not used it yet but I'm open to trying that out in case it's better. Oddly enough, things may backfire on ebay if they actually end up making less money by trying to fleece people, and hoodwink them in to paying up through underhand marketing tactics.

Did Gumtree not take off? There was a time I thought "good, some competition for the fleecing ********"

 

[Memmeddu]

Try vinted they seem to be trying to become what evil bay used to be. But I do agree folk are hanging in to the little spare cash they have

Never sold a thing on eBay in 13 years
Sold few things on vinted, but I don't agree with their policy, they'll not refound you if you get scammed, they are cheap on shipping, is quick and whatever, but you can't sell things like airsoft replicas or related accessories.
Got restricted by them for selling a scope but they don't do anything about people selling MG42 barrels, presumably live ammunition, hand grenades or artillery fuses found with a metal detector
That's really bad, I've reported a bunch of this stuff but they simply reply that those things are not against their policy.
What drives me mad is people selling chockes for Beretta and Benelli shotguns Wich are totally illegal to own without a license here in Italy and they don't do anything about, despite those are functional weapon components, not just accessories as they modify the pellets and buckshots dispersion making the weapon more lethal.
They are totally guided by idiots because they allow that but not toy guns

 

[cheb]

After pretty much any search I do on Ebay I message them and tell them their searches are rubbish. I doubt they care but it makes feel I've tried.

 

[hotponyshoes]

So it getting pretty much pointless trying to sell stuff on eBay now then!


That sounds fraudulent to me

Good quality used items in good condition at a sensible price sell fine.

Really cheap stuff is not worth the effort.

Really expensive stuff is hard work as buyers are wary of scammers (plus they will try and scam you!)

If you want to sell something it's worth searching for that item first and see how many results you get and also look to see how far a private seller, with a single item the same, shows down in the search results.

If you have bought a pack of 100 m10x30 bolts for a job and only used 45 of them you'll see on the search you would be well down in the listing if you tried to sell them in packs of 5.
Better to list them as a box of 45 and then eventually, someone searching for qty=45 will see yours in the top of the results..

I don't think the fees are quite fraudulent as its all in the t&c's but it's definitely under-hand and something to be aware of.
On the other hand it can result in more sales and you only pay when you sell...

When you do an ebay search, theres a messsge at the tope, "showing most relevant results", click the show all button, and make it habbit to do for every search.

The other issue is some Chinese sellers ( pmq234, lathe tooling/carbide inserts for example), wont appear on .co.uk searches, I never understood why, but have to go to the ebay.com site to seach, then copy the item number to ebay.co.uk, to buy it. No problems buying or with shipping - many arrived quicker than they would from a UK shop.

Putting search terms in quotes helps as does the 'view similar' on a listing you like
Nothing really over-rides whatever ebay what to push at you though.

You have to pay extra if you want your listings to be included in the regular search results on international sites.
Otherwise, as you have found, buyers have to do some digging even if you post internationally.
If you have a unique item you'll often show up anyway (for free) if a buyers search returns less than 12 or so results they'll see 'items available from international sellers' at the end of the local returned results.

 

[zzr1200]

The other issue is some Chinese sellers ( pmq234, lathe tooling/carbide inserts for example), wont appear on .co.uk searches, I never understood why, but have to go to the ebay.com site to seach, then copy the item number to ebay.co.uk, to buy it. No problems buying or with shipping - many arrived quicker than they would from a UK shop.

I now buy most of my inserts via AliExpress and Temu, better discounts if you buy in bulk (50+ or 100 inserts at a time generally), but the delivery times are reducing with bonded warehousing in Europe now.....

My other UK prefered supplier is in Glasgow...

Carbide Inserts Turning Tools Grooving Tools Carbide Boring Bars Threading Inserts Associated Production Tools

Carbide Inserts Turning Tools Boring Bars Milling Cutters Threading Inserts U-drills Grooving Tools Part-Off tools End Mills Associated Production Tools

www.shop-apt.co.uk

 

[Rust Warrior]

Did Gumtree not take off? There was a time I thought "good, some competition for the fleecing ********"

I'm indifferent about Gumtree. I did buy my work van via a listing on there in 2020.

 

[Rust Warrior]

I've had this on all my listings but they are doing it straight away now, costs something like 13% of your selling fee.
How are they restricting my views though? I didn't know they were doing that.
Not happy.

They use computers to automatically restrict how many people can see the listing, or keep bumping it down to the bottom of the search results. Very crafty.

 

[Rust Warrior]

I wonder how long it’ll be before Vinted gets bought out by EBay?

This is a big issue in the world now, where companies buy out the competition to feather their own nests both financially, and strategically.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I'm indifferent about Gumtree. I did buy my work van via a listing on there in 2020.

I bought a chassis clamp from gumtree years ago...the seller is now a very good friend.

I don't do face ache...just too many time wasters on there.

eBay is good for stuff I need quickly...buts and bobs etc.

 

[Rust Warrior]

The other issue with ebay, and indeed Amazon these days, is sellers in places such as China, are listing the same items multiple times, and then adjusting the price by just a few pence on each one to avoid triggering a listing rules breach. It means they are flooding the listing pages with cheap stuff that they sell in bulk knowing most people won't have the energy or motivation to complain, send it back, and get a refund. In the meantime, people at home selling off one or two items get "hidden" in all the listing clutter.

There's also a variation on thie above trick, where they sell the same item under different brand names, and usually a totally neurotic-looking brand name such as, "BZhumY". Then the item appears with the exact same photo as another brand like, "Klrwerty". They mess about with the prices to manipulate the listing ranking, and then claim there's a only a few left. It's becoming an epidemic.

 

[Monkey Harris]

Amazon and Facebook have advantages over ebay..

 

[Rust Warrior]

I bought a chassis clamp from gumtree years ago...the seller is now a very good friend.

I don't do face ache...just too many time wasters on there.

eBay is good for stuff I need quickly...buts and bobs etc.

Oh yes, the Facebook Market place time-wasters who just send you the default, "Is it still available?" message, even though you say at the top of your advert, "If it's still listed, it's still availble". The best response to those people is, "No, it's no longer for sale. I'm just leaving the listing up for the joy of it".

 

[Rust Warrior]

ebay search is dire, like amazon, shows what they want to sell not what people want to buy.

"Buy all 3 for £xxx" and it's the exact same item, or similar. I have no idea how they come up with such ridiculous suggestions.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Oh yes, the Facebook Market place time-wasters who just send you the default, "Is it still available?"

In my experience as a buy I've found the following...

1. Sellers are totally unresponsive to genuine questions about items.
2. Where a seller does respond and I've agreed I want the item at the asking price the seller then becomes unresponsive!

Maybe I was just unlucky but it's just not for me so I just avoid it.

Over the years I've seen most of the scams...I stick with eBay/Amazon. If the item is over £50 or I'm suspicious I usually video the opening too...just makes life a lot easier.

 

[Rust Warrior]

In my experience as a buy I've found the following...

1. Sellers are totally unresponsive to genuine questions about items.
2. Where a seller does respond and I've agreed I want the item at the asking price the seller then becomes unresponsive!

Maybe I was just unlucky but it's just not for me so I just avoid it.

Over the years I've seen most of the scams...I stick with eBay/Amazon. If the item is over £50 or I'm suspicious I usually video the opening too...just makes life a lot easier.

Genuine sellers will respond. If they don't, it's either their message settings, or they're being very silly.

 

[Smallfry]

I've got a few things up for sale on eBay and most items haven't even had a view on them so I'm wondering is everyone keeping their money in their pockets right now?
It seems hard to sell stuff, Farcebook and Gumtree are the same
Has anyone else noticed this?

I have sold three things in the last week.

Does depend what it is though. I don't bother with FB marketplace or anywhere else now though

 

[Seadog]

It depends what it is that you're selling. I've done over 30 sales this year. I also have 37 auctions or bin sales, a lot of which don't have views.
That's just how it is.

 

[dobbslc]

I've got things like Eaton MCCB's, mini lights and mirrors, Honda brake pads etc, all at fair prices.
Just nothing is even getting views let alone watchers!

 

[reb78]

I bought a camera on Ebay recently so someone is buying!

As for amazon and Ebay searches, Ebay is far better than amazon. Amazon rarely brings up anything of interest and their interface is terrible.

 

[dobbslc]

Amazon rarely brings up anything of interest and their interface is terrible.

Yes it's bad. When I want to read the description of something I'm looking at I really don't want to have to scroll a mile through other adds and junk to see it.