There's some logic to the Google theory and I don't doubt it's having some effect. However, I wonder how many people actually use the 'Shopping' tab on Google vs just entering a product name or description into the standard Google search function. I know the algorithm is now individually tailored (meaning mine is undoubtedly heavily weighted) but these days it seems I can't search for any product on any system, whether logged in with Google or not, without having to scroll through tons of outdated links to eBay listings that are no longer available...



Though I'm sure it makes a dent. I'd think at this point the vast majority, at least in the US, know about eBay and eBay certainly sends enough spam to remind them that it exists. Historically most of my traffic that I'm not personally placing has come directly from eBay searches, so for me it wouldn't make sense that I would be seeing the same significant drop unless those users were originating from Google prior to using search.



I see far more correlation with changes to the eBay systems... GSP = immediate drop in international sales, Cart & Immediate Payment requirement took a good chunk of single and, even more so, multiple item sales. the auto Combined Shipping Discount program pretty much put a nail in the coffin of combined sales. Simultaneously, there have been far more buyer messages about the same issues. The timing of the drops relative to the systems being implemented, the difference that some small 'workarounds' have made to sales as soon as they are made, etc. seem to pretty strongly confirm that they're what's causing most of my issues.



I greatly suspect that this is what eBay knows but can't acknowledge/admit. For all their positive aspects, eBay has a long history of refusing to acknowledge their mistakes when it comes to system changes - typically only actually fixing anything when overall traffic & sales plummet or sellers begin to flee en masse. Whatever the cause, here's hoping that the drop we're all seeing now has been significant enough to compel them to action before it gets any worse.