Why People Are Quitting eBay (more than EVER before)

[@TheAussieFlipper]

have you considered quitting?

[@RebeccaMorris-v6m]

I've quit and restarted a few times over the years.

[@vickya8653]

Yep. Accepting there’s not a lot of spare cash around. I sell books so profit on the low side. Now with the latest rise with Aus Post thinking I may just run my stock down and decide if I want to continue selling.

[@CashWill_Trading]

I have quit. Between the OP shop prices and the cost of shipping increasing and trying to juggle a full time job and young family I just don't have the time to source quality items to sell. I also despise the advertising process on eBay.

[@Flip_Goat]

Nah, I can beat the wage of any job. I’d rather be spending time building my own company!

[@Mrs-Resell]

no..I just roll with the punches..that is life of being in business..eBay still very good opportunity compared to having a brick and mortar retail shop. Ive done both and eBay is still more profitable..you just have to adapt with any changes.

[@DocReasonable]

Ebay's not the problem -- the problem is insane postage costs and interest rates. Almost more often than not, the postage is more expensive than the sale item. And if you try to sell in bulk, that just jacks up the postage even more.

[@sandyolsen9776]

eBay is a lot of the problem. They auto accept returns and, even if the buyer opens a fraudulent return, you must refund 100%. The feedback that was designed to be a review of the seller, has now become a review on the product, nothing to do with the seller. SOOO many negatives will be coming your way. eBay won't take them down. eBay is so critical on what you write on your ads, cross all t's and dot all i's and still expect to have to deliver as fast as Amazon! I've been selling on eBay since 1995. I hope to retire from it very, very soon. I picked up a part-time this year, never needed that before but the best advice I can give to anyone thinking about selling on this platform is... keep a large buffer of funds for the returns, lose the free shipping you need to have to compete on every one of those returns and make sure you have a 'real job'. Best of luck to anyone trying to start here.

[@DarkCloud_64]

eBay is 100% the problem. Postage is the sellers option not eBay.

[@DocReasonable]

@@DarkCloud_64 Postage is an option??

[@PathsOfReason]

eBay is the problem: bad policies and bad customer services.

[@vnvmode]

ebay has always been the main problem. i haven't sold on there for about 4 years and sell on other platforms. I think about reselling on there now and again but then i think about all the b.s. that comes with it.

[@AC-vn1wl]

The auspost increase again this month has made me question the side hustle vs not buying and selling on the platform. Some months are great but between eBay fees and fees the charge on top of auspost selling fees is huge.

[@nicholewhiteside9147]

I am a fairly new eBay seller, being 8 weeks in. I am in that lucky position where I could focus on learning with the knowledge that if I keep plugging away, the financial rewards may come. I mostly list 1 item per day, so that I am not get overwhelmed with the knowledge I am acquiring, and thus far it’s working for me. Much of what I have learn’t have come from you Matt, and Mel from Back from Burn Out. I spent time surfing eBay itself and then hit Google when the information being provided did not make sense. Thanks so much for sharing the knowledge you have gained. Here’s to my next 8 weeks. Loving what I have learn’t thus far 😊😊😊

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Incredible Nichole ☺️☺️

[@CoilsDesign]

Been doing ebay since 2001, sales are down 70%, but I still keep listing :)

[@TheAussieFlipper]

keep at it my friend!!

[@CoilsDesign]

@TheAussieFlipper love your channel, I wish I had the time to video my storage shed finds, etc

[@TheAussieFlipper]

@@CoilsDesign turn the camera on and hit upload. it can be less work than you think

[@CoilsDesign]

@TheAussieFlipper thanks mate, I will definitely consider it ;)

[@colleenwarrender9141]

The problem is that because Ebay takes their commission from the postage as well, it is effectively making a small satchel over $1.00 more than the Aus Post price anyway

[@TheAussieFlipper]

This is true

[@bajuracan]

I didn’t watched the video but I just wanted to comment to your tittle. I think that eBay’s fees are so high that most of the profits go to eBay, sometimes it feels like we work for eBay instead of feeling like we have our own business. In my case the only way to get any sales is to do the dynamic promotion; recently I had to put a cap on the promotion and my sales also took a dump. So in my case if I quit it will be because of the fees that eBay takes - those are technically my profits.

[@aliasmarkus]

I'm just a small time seller and have always sent everything free and tracked. Being small time, I only get the tier 1 discount and to top it off, I'm considered regional so it's a much smaller discount. In fact if I send to another regional area, there is no discount at all!! I've now started listing my items with a token $10 freight charge ($15 for express) just to help cover the costs. So far people seem happy to pay it. The other thing I've had to do is focus on higher margin products..

[@TheAussieFlipper]

This is great! Attention to the detail will ensure you stay profitable.. love your work mate - it's different for everyone so you've got to focus on your own situation! Happy selling!

[@welcometomysecret6423]

I left eBay many many years ago when they put in that you had to use pay pal over the last 11 years I have sold on market place gumtree and just by word of mouth I don’t see why people choose to pay to sell items or pay for postage still make good money it pays for my medication and my power bill once your known as a seller in your area people will contact you when they want to buy stuff or get rid of stuff

[@TheAussieFlipper]

If it’s working for you that’s epic!!

[@welcometomysecret6423]

@@TheAussieFlipper yeah I live in a small country yuppie town so the op shops are great and we don’t have a toy shop or a sports shop hell you can’t even buy new clothes or shoes here lol I mainly sell kids toys I was a you tuber the other day that was in op shops near where I live and I thought go away lol

[@welcometomysecret6423]

Love your channel long time watcher finally subbed

[@merridybenton7028]

I was not working before deciding to do ebay and without another income you need to have a sink or swim attitude as it makes you have to learn how to play the ebay game rather than a part time person who can put it in the too hard basket as they have another income. I am not quitting as the ebay money pays for my holidays for which I have had 2 overseas holidays in the 2023/2024 financial year (8 weeks away in total- my ebay store had a holiday for 6 weeks also).

[@darkmonk99]

Great videos you are a straight shooter-I have an Etsy store also for jewellery,sales are small now compertion is high,advertising is expensive and postage kills me-selling earrings for $12.99 cost say $8 postage pretty hard to make a buck competing with China their postage not much-Guess never give up-Even selling at markets,$70 for the day plus public liability insurance-Either create diffrent art or sell something unique-enough of my armchair phillosophy-Am I going to stop hell no,maybe just sell more expensive products that would stop me selling 5 to get the same money-Thanks again

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Higher average sale price will help!

[@darkmonk99]

@@TheAussieFlipper Well thank you for reply-sure I moan about shipping costs etc-but we have been through a pandemic,people in Aussie cannot afford the high rents and wars around our planet also the cost of feeding a family these days is massive,and we expect them to have spare cash to buy are dvd,s tshirts etc,not going to happen just right now-I have made money over last 25 years online,just diffrent now-things always change,one needs to take this time to get things better,also we have AI that creates smarter sellers-Take care guys never give up,just wait and learn

[@BenMcMillian-ib9jy]

I got MC011. I have 100% feedback. Now they want receipts for Every sale. Problem is I had a health crisis. I had zero contact with my phone/computer. Second issues (I think) is I sold a few Pokemon cards, put a postage stamp and sent them out. Any advice?

[@tdubs21]

people who eat all postage costs is just baffling, if you have the in demand items i always get the same sale price or more as someone offering free post. Also explaining in the description how you will post it helps (bubblewrap in a box for protection)

[@deankdx]

GREAT VIDEO! I put off watching this video as the title didn't seem relevant, but you covered basically everything that's important to STAY. i'd consider reuploading it exactly how it is with a title WHY YOU SHOULD BEGIN/CONTINUE Selling on eBay. Remember eBay isn't the only way to sell something, Market place and gumtree are still valid for some items and currently has no fees and often no postage (you can offer delivery locally if you don't want them coming to the house, or meet at a safe place like police station etc even) . I Think SALES of used items should be promoted more, and more than ever as a greener alternative to buying new, but not just that as often the older stuff is better quality and built to last. You are a great trainer Matt, and i think training in SALES OF USED ITEMS would be something many people would benefit from especially if it got on TV as a kids pocket money adder by selling your kids old toys to reduce junk new ones being imported.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Thanks for watching!

[@handoko2020]

You said you do $100k sales a year right? thus it means you have GST in your sales. Do you claim GST credit on your purchases of those second hand items? I heard you can do that. And also no GST on international sales, thus do not record GST on overseas sales.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

yes yes yes :)

[@dazzavn]

Hey mate have you done any vids about starting a youtube channel ? As in how would you do it if you were starting it again? What software to use which cameras/technology etc? I don’t see many reseller content creators based in Perth

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I haven’t mate no but happy to schedule a call to break it down how to do it? Links in bio!

[@TheJournalEffect]

@@TheAussieFlipperwe really would love a video on it

[@glennbramlet934]

It's the automatic shipping paying retail, taxation for out of state activity, selling or buying. Then Ebays high % cost for them. Craigslist!

[@dan19752008]

Great advice, we are 3 months into our journey, I've got a set schedule everyday, it works

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Keep it up!

[@semperfi-1918]

Overall I'm doing a good job on average in sales. Plus my average months is pretty consistent. Slow start this month but I know I will get the sales. Not quitting anytime soon. As more quit the easier it'll be for me to increase.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

You said it best

[@andrewrobinson773]

What with postage cost skyrocketing regularly and op shop prices going higher so next to no profit can be made and having to hold stock for years as people these days just don’t have the spare money to spent what with general cost of living no wonder people quit

[@No_Thrills]

Vinnies in Warrawong, NSW, is currently selling DVD sets at an average of $14.00. After scanning a few, it's clear they're priced just about double what I can find on eBay (including free postage). Now that's quite encouraging! Also the sticker price is on the top of the bar code!

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Wild

[@Gary707]

I live in Figtree, so close to warrawong. I've been noticing many op shops are starting to put the stickers over the barcodes now. They are cracking onto us eBay sellers.

[@No_Thrills]

@@Gary707 they don't need our "contribution"

[@davidnorton7464]

Years gone by, you only had to scan your barcode into the ebay app with your phone, all the ISBN, upc, Artist, title, Region Code item specifics were automatically populated. You then just had to put the condition, photos and list it. Now the listing process is so arduous with most sellers choosing to sell similar rather than start the listing from scratch. The item specifics should go back to how they were - self populated from a barcode scan. It's no wonder why more sellers are choosing to sell on Amazon and that site has lifted higher than ebay in online searches

[@TheAussieFlipper]

That would be lovely!

[@vincentrathbone26]

There's a huge problem with the "sell similar" option, a lot of people don't understand what they have, for example , someone might have a 1989 STEREO reissue of the Beatles Sgt. Peppers album and they use a listing for an original 1967 MONO pressing without changing the description or the condition and other the major issue is the AI generated item description which makes absolutely no sense 99% of the time.

[@davidnorton7464]

@@vincentrathbone26 some things we sell similar are hardcover instead of paperback, LP instead of CD, make a few changes and the listing goes live quicker if you know how to change the category, specifics etc

[@Taitwiggy36]

Hey Matt, i just had an annoying experience today. Had to do my first international shipment and it made me put all this odd info into the postage label section. Something about license and codes. Couldnt enter the info and couldnt cancel the purchase. Not sure whats gonna happen

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Best to check with Aus Post on the next one you do to 100% guarantee correct process. I don't have this issue myself with international (it's pretty seemless through My Post Business).. thanks for watching!

[@Taitwiggy36]

Anything you recommend to do before it ends?

[@emusaurus]

​@@Taitwiggy36if you're having issues, you might want to write the address by hand and take it into the post office. You fill out a customs form and they input it for you. Have they paid for the item?

[@vnvmode]

Walk into the post office with the parcel, scan your my post code if you have one which you should and fill in the lodgement for standard registered postage international.

[@sdvlt]

Love your content..I noticed another seller uincludes many names describing an item in the description box other than she writes in the title.for example the title would be marks & spencer ladies black dress long sleeve medium, then in the desription she would write a list for example flowy witchy elegant halloween ecc.Does this help for when people look for items? does it effect the algarithm?

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I’d be putting those words in the title not the description for better effect. Description isn’t nearly as important as the title for SEO thanks for watching

[@sdvlt]

@@TheAussieFlipper I think its because she uses so many that they dont all fit in the title.Maybe they do have a small effect.Thanks for your videos

[@patriciapadilla3590]

What is the percentage of your items that are promoted? Is it half? More than half?

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I promote every one of my listings

[@zovocs]

i think another thing that could help with aus post price rises for some people is going down the untracked route for games and dvds. its much cheaper and i personally have never had a sale get lost or a customer say they havent received it. even if it did happen thats 1 in however many that gets lost.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

So true!

[@emusaurus]

After reading some of matt's past comments, I get the impression his haters like to take advantage of his untracked post. It's fine if you don't have a following

[@spacelord1913]

I get about 1 in 200 claim no arrival for untracked envelopes.

[@zovocs]

@@spacelord1913 yeah its not bad at all compared to how much you save from it

[@Haagsebluf]

Hey Aussie, im from the Netherlands and just starting out. Learning a lot of the details from you! Thanks for that.. you got a nice store yourself overthere and hope to create something like that myself. It's funny how prices for stuff are so different in other places,.. I saw a video of you pricing dvds for around 40 and you bought for 1 dollar each. Those are 10 15 worth here,... it's very cool to investigate this stuff! Still a 10x ;P

[@bromy2368]

Can't you just charge the buyer post for your Oz post concern?

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Yep and I do but that still means postage takes a bigger % of your revenue

[@DocReasonable]

It also means people are less likely to buy when the postage is so insanely high.

[@bigted1953]

I normally sell the odd and unusual finds... But now so many are doing the same.. competition is making it tough to do.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I hear you! Promoted listings though work great

[@quickster6243]

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

[@paulchidgey2150]

Hi ya Mate, just wondering what your Ebay store name is, l would love to see how you list items and the way you present them, thanks for vids, Cheers Paul

[@TheAussieFlipper]

House of mamba

[@heythere501]

Just found your store, Feedback is pretty ordinary, 21 Neutral, 12 Negative and 19 revisions, Are revisions removal of negative feedback? How did you do that? Was it difficult to do?

[@earthsongdivine7384]

I have been selling from my store P/T with only 100 items. My average cog is 8-10$. Sometimes I don’t find anything and don’t list for a week or more. My sales must make me 50$ after cog and fee and postage. I also only sell items that are a small postage value, otherwise it’s pickup only and fb marketplace. Long time fan 👍

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Smart way of going about it I think. More bang for buck! Niceeee

[@Dootium]

What do you do in cities with such a massive amount of resellers that there is NO good stock? I can only find on average 20-30$ of total profit across 20 or so thrift stores any given day.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I’d argue there’s more profit in your area. Look into everything not just what you want / like to sell

[@emusaurus]

As long the op shops i frequent stay dirt cheap, I will keep on paddling.

[@thekillerinstinct-tributet9879]

When calculating sell though if 300 are sold and 200 are listed, the sell through is 60%. Sale/(sales+listings)

[@TheAussieFlipper]

fair call! - generally i just like to see more sold than listed. listings can be up for a lot longer than 90 days and chances are a lot more items have sold +90 days

[@thekillerinstinct-tributet9879]

@@TheAussieFlipper 100% agree, numbers dont lie. Data based approach will never do you wrong.

[@pamprier4710]

"Fumble your way through it" (when first learning to sell on ebay.) Yeh, that EXACTLY describes the way I felt! Lol.

[@MickFlips]

I'd love to be a full time reseller, but the constant increases in costs through postage and op shops definitely kills the motivation!!

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I hear you! Super difficult!

[@vickya8653]

@@MickFlips 100% agree

[@cashless18]

Competition from chinese amazon like platforms line temu might also be a reason sales are down

[@TheMerquis]

other side of the fence: why ebay buyers are quitting ebay - Chinese fakes, drop-shippers, scammers, egregious postage costs and...you're buying flipped junk.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Yep

[@spacelord1913]

places are cleaned out everywhere - too many ppl in the game and market is saturated in a race to the bottom - postage costs complete joke - nothing can change these facts

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Optimism will get you further

[@brandondeakins564]

Australia must be a gold mine of sourcing, find $60+ 80% sell through rate and only list items like that? I've been reselling for 5 years, im extremely lucky if I find a single item at those numbers once per month

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I think a large part of the message is to focus on sell through rate and say no more than you say yes. The buy it because it’s cheap philosophy will get you nowhere fast on eBay

[@brandondeakins564]

@@TheAussieFlipper for sure, but realistic numbers where I am is 30% STR at $20+

[@TheAussieFlipper]

@@brandondeakins564 that makes it tougher! I’d just try to cherry pick the best you have

[@MickFlippins]

Greta video! Though I don’t think the competition is necessarily growing. Reselling has always been pretty competitive. I think the amount of content is growing. So it may be spiking some new resellers but probably more hobbyists than anything. The KZbin reseller growth reminds of when the show “American Pickers” was a new fresh show. There was an uptick in people looking for antiques specially, signs, lol. People were saying, “it’s ruined reselling”. Same as they are saying about KZbin resellers now, lol. Time will sort out the hobbyists from the die hards just like it did then. Idk, just my two cents, lol.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I like your thoughts

[@shelleyocallaghan6260]

Buying the right items is absolutely the key. We have to buy what the buyers want, then they will buy it. Like you, we still buy crap 🤷‍♀ Gotta change our brains to only buy the right stuff. Post costs, fees, etc are high, but they are high for everyone and we pay for ebay to bring us customers, so I'm happy to pay those fees for the worldwide market. I think some adjustments are needed at the moment due to the cost of living problems, but if we can work around that we should be ok. Maybe selling more lower priced items for a lower profit, or just offering high ASP high sell thru items (if we can find them) We are choosing a mix of both, as that's what we can source easily.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Love your work

[@davidobrien7036]

I think all the information in this video is valid but depending on your lifestyle eBay should not be your sole or even primary source of income. It’s a hustle and it’s hard work for all the reasons mentioned. I think a lot of people quitting are those that got into this during COVID where you could sell basically anything for top dollar and there was free money floating around. People don’t buy this kind of stuff when there is a cost of living crisis and most are struggling to pay rent and keep food on the table.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I hear you! Side hustle life with a primary gig is the safest and most enjoyable way to eBay

[@Nateosaurus]

I wouldnt quit, i have over 4000 items to move hahaha. Australia Post is my biggest bug bearer. Lots of price hikes. And people messaging me a lot saying their item hasnt arrived (usually they do arrive, just not in the right time frame so people get worried and message me)

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Super frustrating at the moment!!

[@dandyfarm01]

mate, lose the background music......pleeeease, it's doing my head in

[@promisejrhodes]

I didn’t even notice it til I saw this comment. 😆

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I like it. I edited it for 2 hours you can listen to it for 11 mins hahaha

[@Lupi33z]

For the books category I think a STR of ~10% is decent and one would need to build their business model around that expectation... in reality that becomes ~25% STR when you do good quality listings and fair price. Not a category I would recommend however the point is there are different rules of thumb for different categories.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

No doubt about it!

[@meandensity]

Mis application of the income tax and forcing people to sign 1099 forms that don't apply to u.s. citizens. Is why I don't use ebay.

[@SprucedandGussied]

Clicked off an older video to be early to this one! I honestly do think Ebay is harder than ever, but I'm not giving up. Ebay is an important part of my business but it's not my entire business model. Gonna ride it out and hopefully things will improve.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I think that's such an important point and one I should have covered in this video - don't put all your eggs in 1 basket! Love your work!

[@SprucedandGussied]

@@TheAussieFlipper definitely! If I soley relied on eBay, I’d be in a lot of trouble but like you mentioned in another video, eBay has the highest traffic of all the resale sites, so you’re gonna get the most eyes on your products there. I need to start selling at vendor/ flea markets again. We have amazing ones in the SoCal area. Have you been to any of the fleas out here?! I just went to Long Beach antique market this Sunday. I love that one!

[@TheAussieFlipper]

@@SprucedandGussied just the bins in LA for me and Melrose Ave!

[@campiciano]

A lot of People don’t have spare money to buy things they don’t need anymore and it’s going to get worse before it gets better, just gotta weather the storm till better days come.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I hear you

[@PrevailArmy]

Me

[@btccoins5514]

Doing ebay business is for stupid, labor intensive people while Amazon business is for smart, efficient, less labor intensive people. I have been ebay seller for 8 years and that was biggest mistake to stick with ebay instead with Amazon. Ebay is dying breed and what ebay has done is accelerate it by 10 fold

[@Mike0000_]

Honestly I don’t think eBay is the root cause for the fall off most markets are struggling the car market isn’t moving anything as well these are just the after affects of the world pandemic

[@GWStore_43]

Australia Post is out of control. With inflation ebay prices will go up but still be better than most RRP.

[@PrincessCelestia19]

My listings aren't getting views it seems or views aren't showing.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

Focus on amending titles

[@thethriftbandit]

Only good for a part time hustle. To much effort involved for such little return. Keep it casual, lots of jobs out there that pay well. The resell game is a hobby.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I tend to agree here

[@PathsOfReason]

eBay is a failure. I have to quit after eBay robbed me .

[@Lupi33z]

I think a lot of people started ebay during the plandemic and many of those would be the ones quitting as other options have opened up again since the start of 2022.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

agreed!

[@btccoins5514]

Don't start or even expand your ebay business instead expand your Amazon business. Right now, expanding your ebay business is so stupid b/c ebay can't seem to fix their own website. If you have slow sales than normal and you tried everything and nothing works, it is not seller fault, it is ebay fault for having endless glitch problem. I have been doing ebay for 8 years as full time seller, and I know what I'm doing and to simply say sell high sell through item is so stupid. It is common sense that most seller want to sell high through item but it is not available all the time so where are you going to get it? If you want to sell high through item, you have to source more than ever but it is worth it when ebay hide your listing from buyer? The more work you put into ebay, the worst it gets. Don't be thickheaded b/c you will get screwed in the end. Doing same thing over to get different result, that is psycho thinking. You have to cross list or even do Amazon

[@theanswer9445]

We are heading into recession, it’s going to be very hard over next three years. I predict interest rates will rise over 10%. Equities and housing prices will and need to fall. Unemployment will rise and cost of living with inflation will mean a lot less sales. Sad but true, better off getting a stable government job now. I for one am not even bothering with eBay for now.

[@TheAussieFlipper]

I still believe

[@Flip_Goat]

Stop buying junk 🫡

[@TheAussieFlipper]

amen