Traffic is so bad

[MintTechUK]

Even on the forum, for common posts, it is usually the same few people who reply.

[FrogBearCreations]

I wish I had a way to get seen better - I ditched my facebook account due to all the garbage stuff that I was dealing with - some really nasty stuff so that is out

[theElench]

Sadly that seems to be a common theme on all the boards I post on.

Obay.uk allegedly has millions of buyers and sellers, their boards used to be busy with replies posted minute by minute. Now hours can sometimes go by without a post. Occasionally I look at the 'Members on-line' figure. 2-300 is about normal, 'busy' now seems to be 6-900.

Only The Management know how many members ebid has, but going by the total number of listings I'd guess (very roughly) somewhere between 10 and 100K (?). If there are a similar percentage of regulars here as there, that's not many.

I regularly look-in on the Glass Message Board. It's quieter than ever. Beyond the 'Quick Question' I.D request pages, there is much less activity and the number of regulars is dwindling.

Our 'devices' are training us well, conversation and discussion are disappearing. Brief Question & Answer exchanges are all that's required by many these days. When I visit my local, I'm sometimes shocked and amazed to see a group of customers come in, sit at a table with each other, hardly speak to the people they're with and sit there so engrossed in their 'pokey boxes', taking no interest in the people or surroundings they're with. Sometimes leaving without uttering a word.

Have either of you made use of the PYA board yet ? It's free, it gets views. I use it every week and although I don't know quite how, different items get significantly different numbers of views.

Have you read the "Google Shopping" thread on the "Website Suggestions" Board ? More importantly have you tried any of the suggestions? I sell mostly Art Deco Glass (25 items so far this year)

Please search on GS for it. Since shortly after starting the thread I've been seeing "Ebid - theElench" on their Sites Searched side-bar. Do you see it when you search? If so, tick the box, GS then shows me about 10% of my listings on ebid, presumably because they are the ones GS is showing buyers currently. Do you see several of my ebid ads. on the first few pages of results? I do every time I look at GS.

If only a few sellers would take the time to confirm (or refute) what I'm seeing (and it's like getting blood from a stone to get anyone to do so) that could be an easy way to get many more sellers and ebid seen all over GS. Again it's free advertising, yet seemingly hardly anyone can be bothered to use it, or even investigate its possibilities.

Ebid is a site where you get what you pay for. Use it right and it can be rewarding. I have about 300 listings in total. I've sold 148 = 448 (call it 450). I paid 10p each to list most of them = £45
148 sales at an average of (say) £10 = £1480
FVF @ 5% = £74
1480 - 74 = £1406 just for half an hours work once a week listing something new and (I think) for a few clicks on GS a couple of times a week!

But more importantly for me, without all the obay nonsense or having to pay double the fees to endure it.

[FrogBearCreations]

PYA ? I get paypal stuff when I look

[Policequilts]

PYA : Plug Your Auctions

There is a section in the forums to Plug Your Auctions or what you are selling on eBid.

[FrogBearCreations]

Thanks!

[FrogBearCreations]

I have done some searching on google shopping and found quite a few of my items - so the slow traffic is probably due to the kick off of summer and people doing other things of the outdoor type and not online shopping - this time of year is always slow for internet buying and depending on what you are selling is a huge factor

[theElench]

Yes, that's true we've had an unseasonably cold northern wind for weeks so Spring felt quite Wintery. Now people are getting out more my sales have stopped.

You say you can find quite a few of your items on GS, now is the time to perhaps think "Why those listings?" and not some of the others. One thing I saw with my glass items was that no matter what site the ads. came from GS seemed to like the ones with "Art Deco" in the first four words. It seemed to help get my items seen when I changed my titles to "Art Deco (manufacturers name) Pink Glass Vase". It's all about guessing which words someone searching will use and in which order and re-arranging them until GS puts them in front of the buyers.

@Pastime.

I noticed the same sort of thing with some of your "Art Deco Jewelry" when I searched for that on GS. Your black and white necklace was item 1 on P.1 of the results, but that was the only ad. of yours on the first few pages. "Estategoldrare" had 4 ads. and "Buyaupt925" had 1 ad. All the ebid ads. had "Art Deco" and often "Vintage" in the first four words. Looking at your ads. on ebid some pieces of Art Deco jewelry might not be coming up on GS because "Art Deco" is in the middle or end of the title. Switching the words around might help.

[BordersBargains]

The sites traffic numbers have plummeted as per April, so something happened or other sites took the traffic which is the more likely reason

[pastime]

@Pastime.

I noticed the same sort of thing with some of your "Art Deco Jewelry" when I searched for that on GS. Your black and white necklace was item 1 on P.1 of the results, but that was the only ad. of yours on the first few pages. "Estategoldrare" had 4 ads. and "Buyaupt925" had 1 ad. All the ebid ads. had "Art Deco" and often "Vintage" in the first four words. Looking at your ads. on ebid some pieces of Art Deco jewelry might not be coming up on GS because "Art Deco" is in the middle or end of the title. Switching the words around might help.

Hi Elench,
Good point and thanks for mentioning it - Etsy titles are much longer and everything under the sun gets thrown in because of the endless number of Tags to fill in so that it matches and shows up in searches. Have just transferred all of them without considering the difference here - will look into it.
Many thanks,
Marie.