We started eBay earlier this year. Took eight months to go from a few orders a day to about 30. Now, with more sellers jumping into PLA (pay-per-click ads), I’m watching it drop to maybe 10 orders a day. It’s not just a dip — it’s a cliff.
The problem: our category doesn’t work well with PLA. We’re shipping from a mix of 3PL and FBA inventory, and our logistics costs are already 30% higher than Amazon FBA. To compete on price, we already have to undercut our own Amazon listings. Adding PLA would just burn money.
It feels like eBay is forcing PLA onto everyone. They’ve taken over positions 1–4, 14–16, 29–32, 39–42 on search results. Every week, it spreads further.
Then there’s the flood of low-price competitors. Some are selling at prices that don’t even cover our shipping cost. How are they doing that? Are they losing money intentionally?
On top of that, whenever Amazon runs a big sale, eBay orders just disappear. After Prime Day, our eBay orders dropped 75% and never fully recovered.
I’m the one who built this eBay channel from scratch — from a few low-margin orders to a profitable 30/day. Now it’s slipping away. I’ve invested so much time, and I’m not ready to give up. But I don’t know what to do next.
Should we switch to PLA and risk competing against ourselves?
Should we create new listings just for PLA, knowing they’ll cannibalize our organic ones?
Or is eBay just not worth the effort anymore?
If you’ve been through this, what actually worked? I’d appreciate any real advice.
Answers (5)
If you’re already on Amazon and Temu, focus there. eBay can be a supplement, but don’t let it become a distraction.
Some sellers use PLA only for new products to test demand, then rely on organic or PLS (pay-per-sale) for established items. The platform is pushing PLA, but you don’t have to follow every recommendation. Run your own numbers.
If you’re not already focused on your store’s “seller level” and defect rate, that’s where you should start. Also, eBay still works for sellers who keep adding new listings regularly. You don’t need entirely new products — tweak the title and main image, and list it again. eBay isn’t as strict on duplicate listings as Amazon.
If you’re competing against that, you’ll never win on price. Don’t try. Differentiate on service, accuracy, or find a niche they’re not in.
You’ve done great work taking eBay from 1 to 30 orders a day. But that same effort on Amazon could have gotten you to 100 orders. If you’re serious about scaling, consider shifting focus.
That said, there is a niche on eBay: buying distressed inventory from Amazon sellers (dead accounts, liquidations) and reselling. But that requires strong warehouse and inventory management.