Justin, what you described is EXACTLY what I experience all the time. So much so, that whenever I do make a big sale, I always tell my husband, ‘Ok, it’s going to be quiet for awhile’. I’m so glad you mentioned this - I thought it was only happening to me!

FWIW, in 2016-2019 when I had 300-500 active listings, it was always as you describe in the beginning of your video. I'd briskly sell many items then have no sales for maybe 5 to 10 days, then brisk sales, then no sales, and so on. Most buyers were repeat buyers and they'd "complain" they could only find my listings in their purchase history OR at the bottom of search. Then after some days my listings would be back near the top of search. Eventually I realized eBay was modulating the position of my listings in search, probably after I sold some amount over a period of time. Sales throttling. I also had a few uncommon and unique items disappear from search results even though the listings were active. I could enter the exact listing title, not just specific keywords in the listing title, and my listings weren't found in search. But after a few days they were the first listing. And that would repeat. Every time I complained to eBay they suggested promoted listings would be the solution. And then I understood the underlying reason.

One time I sold a $600 item, I’m a $1k per month seller so pretty small. The next few days were MASSIVE. I kept getting more and more sales. That’s kind of the opposite of what you said, but I’m sure it’s different for everyone.

On eBay if you buy items you need the seller will almost always leave feedback. eBay does not separate the feedback so you can grow your feedback by supporting other seller by buying items you need from eBay instead of Amazon or other online sites.

Most definitely something is going on with their algorithm where after big sales days things fall off.

I think you said it perfectly about sell through rate. The more you drop the price on an item the faster it will sale.

The sale spike followed by crickets....spot on.

I find with feedback I get it when I do a great job packing (using the right size box(or using a box at all lol) using bubble, filling void with news paper and taping well. People spend good money on this stuff. They want it to arrive in the best way it can. Also if you have 2-3 day shipping ship the items you can early. If I have items due out Wednesday that sold but I’m shipping the stuff from the weekend I ship it all out Monday and the early stuff usually gets me a “wow got here super early and packed great! Will shop again” type feedback. Hope that helps

Absolutely agree, a PO Box address is safer for ship from and return to address protection.

Your information is so helpful in so many ways. I'm a new seller of 3 months and I can already see I purchased things to sell that I should have just passed on. However, when one of the items sells I'm so thankful for the lesson.

I was sitting here wondering why it seems like every time I have a really good day, it's followed by crickets for at least a couple days. I actually thought I was being paranoid, but seeing this video I feel a lot better. At the very least, my paranoia is shared. 😁

Just started watching you a couple of weeks ago. SUPER job, brah! Re: "if you have a day a really big day that goes well above what you normally sell" I've been selling 23 years on eBay and I've seen that happen with me dozens of times ever since 2016 when eBay started changing the servers to AI. In October 2016 my sales dropped by 50% LITERALLY overnight, and yes I know what that word means. Never came back. Doesn't matter what I sell, how many items I list. At within $100 of my 'hidden dollar limit' I see almost no more sales that month. There's a dollar limit eBay just won't let me break. Once I get close to it, BAM! zero to very little sales for days. Doesn't matter what month, season or date of the month it is. Every time I mentioned it to anyone in 'eBay world' they told me it was a 'conspiracy' all in my head. But I know it's a fact, at least for me. So I"m SO glad to hear another seller saying they've seen that pattern. Thanks.

As a eBay seller and occasional buyer, eBay does a more than adequate job reminding buyers to leave feedback for you. Doing more would not accomplish much except, as Justin said, risk annoying them. However, I also wait until my free return window closes 2wks after delivery, and (when applicable and positive) leave feedback for the buyer. I have the same copy saved in eBay that auto populates. “Thanks for your business! I hope you enjoy the item.” That usually inspires about 20-30% of my buyers to go in and do the same for me. I’ve been able to amass a high amount of positive feedback compared to my total # of sales with little effort.

We can no longer figure Ebay. Listing daily, we might have two sales a week. Listing daily, another time could bring in five sales a day. Just have no clue any longer. Yes, we do VERY good and thorough descriptions and take plenty of photos. If something is sold as is, we put this in the title and the description. Unfortunately, though you have this written out, Ebay for some reason allows some buyers a refund, when they say something not working when the listing says NOT TESTED or FOR PARTs only! Yeap, traffic is still very very slow. But we still list daily. We never ask the Buyer's for feedback. Drove us crazy in the beginning but we just do our best customer service (list properly, good photos, packing well, shipping immediately and when delivered we are happy). Hopefully the buyer is happy as well.

U read a comment, then break it down. That’s beyond great bc, the question may be confusing due to ‘resellers verbiage’ that some are not yet familiar with, etc. Thank you!

Your experience on feedback is strange to me. I didnt realize that was common for people to have low feedback rates. Im sitting at 1000 total sales with almost exactly a 50% feedback left rate with 465 positive feedback at 100%. I dont reach out to buyers ever about feedback. I do sell almost exclusively collectibles, comics, etc. So maybe that makes the difference. But I guess I am either doing something right that I was unaware of lol or I should be grateful for a great customer base. Youre the only ebay youtuber I watch. Great content. Love just having your videos playing in the background while I list. Keeps me motivated.

I just sild my first item.... I'm freaking out! It was the most expensive item listed...a true Gem ! Hope all goes well after this!

I READ every description before I bid or purchase.

Same thing about the high sale slow for 3 days after. Happens all the time

I have definite proof that no one reads much of anything ob ebay period. I sometimes sell empty cases for video games but I had to start putting NO GAME as the first 2 words because no one would read the entire title and would either want to cancel later that day or want to return it after I shipped it out. It took me a few months to figure this out and now I don't get too many cancellations. Also, I have the big ebay day and maybe two in a row and then for at least 4 or 5 days my sales are lower than normal. I think that I have a certain cap for my sales per week/month because it seems I don't really have any breakout months anymore. I used to average around $250 a day but now most days I struggle to get $150.

1) Buyer 80% of the time do not read the title or ad. Justin is right. They ask questions where the info is in the title and caption. 2) In Canada, it's easy to to change your address to be your local post office's and it's free. It's only for packages.

For some reason I've been obsessed about pineapple ham pizza lately, its sooo good

You using the *Pineapple Pizza Blanket* as an example listing was too good! 😂💀

I love your content, but I do take umbrage on the topic of 'you can't create buyers'. In my experience, repeat customers and followers of my store are more likely to buy my items than anyone else. I have overly buyer friendly policies because I believe repeat customers are the key to a solid, sustainable, reselling business. I know I'm nitpicking, but I figure you will likely agree with me. Thank you again. You've taught me a lot, and I really appreciate your logical approach.

probably cause your best items are sold and then you're left with less desirable stuff. i've never experienced this or blame it to that. a lot of things are more seasonal and beyond your control and sometimes it's just a new seller who came into your space and you're not the lowest anymore.

Feedback tip…I always print a packing slip and on my packing slip I write thank you! And below that I write “feedback appreciated” and I draw a little happy face… And I noticed an increase in feedback so just a tip…🙂

I can't stand that they hide the description on mobile. This causes more returns because buyers don't see it or read it.

I'd love it if you made a video showing how you part out certain things. I've picked up a Nuwave and a few food processors, and I'm not completely sure how to dismantle/split up some of the parts to list and maximize my profit.

I have noticed the big day, little day theory, but just write it off as the randomness of online selling. I would be interested in seeing if you come up with any data-based theories based on your software. Would be very interesting and informative I think.

I have repeatedly experienced two or three zero sales days following the sale of a $300-$400 item. Most of my sales are under $45 except for the repeat $300-$400 items which I list and sell about once a month. This is completely predictable with my account which has been open since 1999.

I going to posit that more RETURNERS AND ORDER CANCELERS don't read descriptions. Everyone else probably gives them a look-see

Thank you, I've been saying that for a long time. If I have a good week of sales it then goes dry for like a week. It's like they limit what I sell then cut me off from views. I also noticed if you divide the U.S into thirds, one week all my sales are in one area, then the next group of sales are in a different third and so on. Never like 1 sale in NY and 1 in CA. It's like I'm only visible in the eastern region, then out west or in between. What are the odds.

Most states list the home address of the managing owner PLUS the name and address of the registered agent. However, if you use the street address of your post office and add "Unit #1234" for your box number, you may get away with it 😉 Where there could be trouble is when you open your bank account with that address, and then ebay verifies you with your driver's license. If your DL has your home address and your account uses the business address, you have to make sure ebay seperates the two. One is public facing and one can be private.

That's wild about item descriptions. I make very detailed descriptions, for my video games. Individual lines for disc, case, case art, booklet description. I mention that there's no fakes, I mention how I ship and at the end of the ad I have a little "Hey! Check out my store" section. I know when I buy something, I read everything! Maybe that's just because I'm a seller...so I read. Plus I always think that if I didn't mention that a booklet was ripped, for example, Even though it's visible in the pics if I didn't mention it, that'd be all a buyer needed to get their money back.

It drives me crazy when people don’t have a description. Mostly when it’s something important like the size, how many, what it’s made of for certain things. Esp if they don’t have many or good pics. Love your channel! ❤

I agree with your assessments....I experience the same....it's like on and off button....or the doghouse ....consistently inconsistent

I've often been tempted to put a large discount code in the description to see if people read. I do however have many readers comment on how happy they are to learn the back story on an item (we sell vintage, and curate every item that we can find from the supplier where it is from).

To get more positive feedback, I print and tape a short note on each item when I ship it cheerfully saying I'll leave positive feedback after the buyer does - let's do this together! About 35-40% of my sales get positive feedback (almost all sales are books). I agree that contacting them after the sale to request feedback seems too aggressive and annoying.

Buyers dont read anything! I have been having so many returns because of it. I have been told that we should put more details in the listing, but why if they dont even look at the title!

I've experienced both, slower and higher average sales after a big sales day. I think it's totally random. We all sell primarily random items which lend themselves to random sales. I suspect the thrill of a big sales day makes us a little more optimistic about our sales and start projecting a bit. I just view those big days as the exception, not the following days. They are probably closer to the norm than most will admit. It all evens out in the end. The stochastic process helps explain how I view this topic.

I’m sure my products get advertised via geographical location. I have had multiple customers from specific areas on the same day. Recently two customers from the same small Scottish island on the same day. 🤔

that's crazy. I actually noticed this phenomena that big sales days are followed by a few very slow days or even a week. I'm not as high volume as you so maybe that's why my lull is longer. So weird.

Thanks for addressing my question!

Ebay doesn't assign sales to sellers based upon how much they've sold. I've been selling for 25 years on Ebay and can say with confidence that this is definitely not a thing. Sales are determined by the market, but the market is a fickle beast. What you are describing is random statistical variance. It would be weird to have the exact same sales day after day that never varied at all, wouldn't it?

Thanks for another great video Justin. I’ve learnt a lot in the last month since I came across your channel. Is there a list of operators that can be used when searching eBay listings to find average selling prices? I know that you can search for alternatives if you place them within brackets and separate them with commas. e.g. Tablet (Amazon, Samsung, Google) will return matches only where the title includes the word Tablet and also Amazon, Samsung or Google. The ‘-‘ symbol means exclude the term that follows e.g. HP Printer -ink -cable will results with HP Printer in the title but only where they don’t include the words ink or cable. HP Printer -(ink, cable) does the same. There must be more functions that I don’t know of. Although far from perfect this at least helps refine results somewhat.

I am currently on a 1-2 sales a week loop on EBay. So frustrating.

Pirate Ship handles insurance claims paperwork for you so shipping an insured expensive item through them makes it easier to file claim as opposed to USPS.

Another thing of you don’t mind. How do you price items by the lot? Do you price the whole lot or just one item? Thanks for you videos and honesty your great!

Justin superb videos! Simple, clear and to the point. I’ve had lost/stolen envelopes using USPS. I drop the envelopes at the post office inside mailbox. I have a 8-10 ratio of success. I’m wondering if sports cards are noticeable and tempting to snatch? Do you always get your items scanned at the post office? Quick note- I’m not a fan but in the legal docs on your eBay contract it states pineapple people get preferred listing status.

You are in a great position with actual data and the skills to explore sales patterns. Please do so, until then it's just the usual ebay seller magical thinking, self-selecting anecdotal evidence, and the human brain trying to assign patterns where they don't exist. "X comes in threes" we all know... but of course our brain decides when and what counts. My gut instinct goes the other way. With the exception of pure commodity new items and real seller performance issues it makes no sense to think ebay is "allotting" sales to sellers based some magic formula. It just isn't in their best interest. Their best interest is making a sale. I am not willing to believe that ebay is saying in effect "sorry buyer, you want this particular used shirt in this particular size, but that seller has had enough sales for this week so we're not going to show it to you".

I love your subtle sense of humor 😂

Thank you so much for answering my question!! I really appreciate the feedback, thank you for the information. I had a $1000 sales week this week, I’m going to add your advice and hope to make even more! Thank you man!!

I highly recommend getting a PO Box. I know someone that as we speak is getting daily threats that ebay has done nothing about.

Hey Justin, Interesting subject on the algorithms of ebay. I've been recently upgraded from Above Standard to Top Rated (within the last 10 days) and my sales tanked last week. Seems somehow related, and I'm not sure how to correct it. I also struggle with the decision to open an ebay store as opposed to my current business model. Biggest issue I'm having is I reach the max number of listings I can make due to the monthly renewal of existing inventory of items. I have some big decisions to make that affect bottom line with additional expenses for my side hustle. Thanks for the great information and insights. I appreciate your business approach and I walk away with really great topics to consider. (such as the description aspect of the listing-I think you are correct, most buyers don't care/read them anyway)

June I sort of stopped new listings. My sales were virtually the same. I am listing again, so we will see.

I been doing ebay for about 2 months now and buyers do read the description. I always make my descriptions as detailed as possible so that way I can decrease the amount of returns as I can. only things I dont add details to are brand new items

On the mobile app, you can click the title right under the pictures and the description will open up. You don't have to scroll down to find the link. Hope this helps! :)

I had always suspected that - like having a quota to meet. Which really sucks because the days that I sell a lot to meet the quota it gives me a false sense of optimism that sales will be the same the next day. I have only been doing this for 2 years

You are so right about the good day of sales with the following 2/3 being much lower theory. Happens to me all the time. I have actually been tracking it and with you now also talking about it; I have proof 😢😅

Ham and pineapple pizza is the best. Yum! I find it hilarious that people complained though. Never apologize. Your taste buds are your bidness.

I find that many don’t read the description. I have sold items and then have had people complain about something that was clearly explained in the description.

I also have experiences the big day slower sales situation. I noticed that ebay seems to only let me sell up to a certain gross dollar amount per day and after that it is like sales disappear. Kind of sucks because if things maintained the same velocity, i should be selling more per day. I use a volume model in my store. Been selling for 3 years.

As far as feedback: I’ve considered adding a thank you, which I already add on a mini card or sticker, but with something along the lines of: “Thank you for your purchase! Please message me directly should you have any questions or issues. Positive feedback is most appreciated!” I’ve purchased items on eBay from sellers who have added a 3x5 card or piece of paper with this typed out nicely to their packages and think it’s a good idea.👍

Hey, I often hear that listing every day is very important. But is the daily part actually important? Wouldn't we expect more sales listing 35 things on Sunday rather than listing 5 per day Sunday to Saturday. I'd personally rather list as much as I can on the weekend than creating a bunch of drafts I list throughout the week. What are your thoughts?

Yes I had a “big” day yesterday 4 sales and today it’s crickets.

? Have you found, either through data in Flipwise or anecdotal, success in sending out specific dollar amount offers versus percent off offers? Meaning, do you see anything that shows an offer of $25 or $24.95 is more likely to be accepted than a random offer of $24.48, for example?

Hi Justin - love your videos - learn something new on every video. My question: How do you determine how much of your profits you use for new inventory? Do you have a percentage you use from your last months sales? Thank you.

Would love a deeper dive into the llc stuff. I wanna go legit! Also Flipwise has been an amazing tool, I’d be a mess without it 😂

Ebay used to have a toggle off/on for displaying your address on shipping labels, but it went away. I called support and found out that it was removed and that there is now no way to do that. I went at that time and got a PO box. A relatively small cost for peace of mind.

Regarding the anecdote of seeing your sales drop after a big day, if you do the detailed research, you will not see a strong correlation at all. There is no financial incentive for eBay to use an algorithm that punishes sellers for having a good day. Our brains are constantly looking for patterns, and according to psychologists, we are all prone to the dreaded "apophenia bias" - seeing patterns in events that do not actually exist. Another apophenia bias we enjoy joking about is the "whenever I touch a piece of old inventory, it sells soon thereafter". While it is fun to occasionally wander into apophenia land, if we want to improve our sales, we should minimize our time there.

You know why after a big day of sales there is crickets after? It’s called “reversion to the mean”. Or to the “average”.

Normally if I have a big day I find I then have a terrible week following that. But then again my entire store feels like it’s been terrible for about 6 months now. And I only really (there’s some exceptions of course) focus on STR.

I’m going to get a PO Box today

I laughed when you showed the pineapple pizza blanket at the beginning!

Unfortunately, "ebay doesn't consider the item description a priority." What seems pretty clear is the ebay is prioritizing OTHER PEOPLE'S LISTINGS! Here, a potential buyer has clicked on your listing and instead of having the opportunity to close the sale, ebay, the selling platform, is actively trying to distract them from your listing to SEE OTHER PEOPLE's LISTINGS! In fact, this is stupid, because then the buyer is FURTHER away from commiting to the buy, and generating fees for ebay. Makes no sense at all to me. But I don't waste time in the description area anymore either.

Having one of those days right now. Then the thrift gods brought me to this video to calm me down I guess 😅

Yes, ive noticed this too. I feel like ebay will give me a good week on, and then I will have a slow week

Pineapple pizza blanket 😂 you’re truly the best man! Made my day 👍🏼 also HAPPY FREAKIN BDAY TO YOUR BROTHER🎉

"Listen up, haters! I see you, all huddled together in your little anti-pineapple pizza club, clutching your pepperoni and sausage pizzas like they're holy relics. Let me tell you something: pineapple on pizza is delicious, and you're just afraid to admit it. You're stuck in your old-fashioned ways, clinging to the same boring toppings, afraid to try something new. Pineapple adds a touch of sweetness, a burst of acidity, a little bit of tangy goodness that balances out the savory flavors of the cheese and the sauce. It's a perfect harmony of flavors! You say it's not a pizza topping? Well, neither is anchovies, and nobody's complaining about those. It's all about personal preference. If you don't like it, that's fine, but don't tell me I'm wrong for enjoying it. It's like saying someone shouldn't like chocolate cake because it's too sweet. It's ridiculous! Pineapple pizza is a culinary masterpiece. It's a bold, adventurous choice that challenges the status quo. It's a symbol of individuality and open-mindedness. It's a delicious, refreshing, and exciting pizza experience. So next time you see someone enjoying a pineapple pizza, don't judge them. Instead, try it yourself. You might just be surprised at how much you love it. And if you don't, well, that's fine. But at least you'll have tried something new. And that's what life is all about, isn't it?"

Yes I have experienced the same thing many times in the past

Hey Justin - Continued thanks for the entertaining and helpful content. My wife and I have found we use the phrase "WWJD" (What would Justin do?) frequently as we look at sourcing and reselling circumstances! 😀 Our June is looking great in terms of total net income - driven primarily by an incredible vintage Apple Macintosh desktop system we found.) Some curiosity questions...What's your best sale ever in terms of net return? How about favorite or most memorable sale (regardless of profit?)

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but: Add Jalapeño to a Hawaiian pie and you are in business!

Definitely agree on the feedback

Agree on the FEEDBACK - I know myself thet eBay promotes it enough for you to the point of almost harassment 🙂

The Hawaiian Pizza was actually created by a Canadian. It is "In fact" a Canadian Pizza. Anywho...why would people get offended by other people not liking a particular food????

Hello Justin, I’m new on reselling and I bet you hear that a lot, I have a question, how do you check modems if they will work and the hours it has?

Hello, just want to say I love your channel. Thank you.

Hi Justin! I am a new subscriber to your channel and have also joined Flipwise, and both are GREAT! I am new to the Ebay Store group and I have a couple questions about monthly limits. I have a basic beginner membership subscription for my store which claims up to 250 listings insertion fee free, however my "current monthly limits" are a max of $500 listed/sold or 35 items listed/sold. Will I be able to list $500 more and or 35 items more next month or will I be stuck with only being allowed a max of $500 or 35 items in my store until the monthly limits become raised? From your experience what does it take and or how long until my monthly limits increase? Thanks much!

I have multiple examples of buyers not reading the description such as A buyer routinely buys items and sends a message or leaves negative or neutral feedback and complains about the list of flaws that was clearly listed in the description. Very frustrating 😕 !! I onetime reminded the buyer " That the imperfections were clearly listed in the description. She responded clearly I didn't read the Description !! 😂😮

I've been selling on ebay since 1997 with my name and home address. I've had a few crazy buyers but nothing where I felt threatened. I have their name and address as well. I too will sell a large ticket item and then crickets days afterwards. Descriptions and pictures are never enough as some buyers don't look at all pics and or read. I had to explain to a buyer what heel and toe taps were even though they were pictured. She loved the mules/shoes and said they were in great condition but she was going to throw them away( never asked to return them) because of the miniscule taps felt like leggos while walking.The toe one was the size of a tic tac. I then explained they are easily removable. She thought she had to pay someone to have them removed. I said to get a knife or other sharp flat object to lift them off. She still couldn't understand the reason for them. I told her to google it since my explanation of protecting the bottom of the shoe didn't register with her. I'm amazed some people can get through their day since selling on ebay all these years.

Doesn't make sense though. Why would ebay hold back anyone from sales because the more we list and sell, the more they make. If they do this, I'm curious as to why.

High sale day followed by several slow days is normal. Question is why is that? Why would ebay limit sales? It hurts them and the sellers. Doesn't make sense to me!

Seems that if eBay kept sellers updated regarding their algorithm, both parties would reap the benefits. Sellers are motivated to learn and are used to adapting to platform requirements to achieve sales.

Justin thanks for this.

Hey Justin. Love the weekly videos, game changer for me at 6 months into the eBay game. I am located in Nova Scotia Canada. I have recently switched all of my listings to international. When using calculated shipping am I only concerned with shipping to eBay location in US or do I ship non US International? Any thoughts? Thanks. Rob

Getting a PO Box would add to my cost which I already make almost nothing. Haha. Do you have a video about creating an LLC?

Yeah I dunno, have we run outta vegetables and multi meats yet? I mean there's no logical reason to pay more to have fruit on otherwise perfectly edible pizza and ruin it.

Hi Justin. Thanks for the great advice. I sold 4 dinner plates and 1 arrived broken. Buyer has been very kind and is asking for a replacement, which I fortunately have. I am new at this. What is your suggestion regarding sending another plate and asking for help from eBay? They were sent via Ground Advantage. Will USPS cover my loss? Thanks a bunch.

Happy birthday Justin's brother 😅

Your description is your protection against the buyer