posted on March 14, 2001 04:03:40 PM new
How are your sales today? I'm kind of like, "Where did everybody go?" No bids or money in today...unlike a few days ago, when I was selling everything and payments were coming quickly! Do you think people are laying back because of the constant stock fall?
posted on March 14, 2001 04:36:08 PM new
The stock market dont effect auction sales.
most average peoples only connection to the stock market is through there long term saveings like 401k retirement plans.
The money they invest is a small percentage of the pay check before taxes weather stocki rises or falls there amount of dection for these investments are the same.
In any case if the stock market did effect our sales on Ebay the logic would work like this When stocks rise sales would drop because when stocks rise it means people are putting more dollars in to there stocks less in to other purchases, When stocks fall people have more money to spend because when stocks fall it means people are selling off there stocks and getting back there Dollars and profits if there was any.
Sales over all are down febuary is one of the worst for sales and the beging of march One reason is tax time second is because february is the short month in the year haveing only haveing only 28 days in which to pay bills you are usually bill on in 30 day billing cycle .
Think of it this way in January people had 1 week longer to save to pay the heating bills and eleltric bills credit cards and things then they did in febuary now they will spend the frist week in march catching up februarys bills .
How ever march in the end of the month should be great sales as march has a fifth friday or a fifth week as some say and most people who get paid biweekly will have 3 pay days this month in steady of 2 and weekly paid employees have five checks instead of 4.
Your business trend isnt really so hard to figure out if you just look inside your own finances ups and downs you can gage how other house holds look no matter what there income bracket.
posted on March 14, 2001 11:33:20 PM new
"When stocks rise sales would drop because when stocks rise it means people are putting more dollars in to there stocks less in to other purchases, When stocks fall people have more money to spend because when stocks fall it means people are selling off there stocks and getting back there Dollars and profits if there was any."
Not saying you're totally wrong because there are probably some people who fit that decription, but many more people take their profits from stocks when they are up and spend. When the stocks have declined they no longer have profits to spend. Others sell in a decline for a loss and put the money in a CD or savings.
I have noticed the effect of the stock market on my sales since early last year. Nothing scientific to determine the full effects, but I noticed when stocks are up so does my sales; when stocks go down, ditto my sales. Maybe I should start listing auctions when my stocks are rising and take a break when stocks decline. Oh, I wish I could!
posted on March 15, 2001 04:47:18 AM new
There is another outcome to lower stocks. When stock in a company is not doing well, there is the danger of company layoffs. When there is the danger of company layoffs, people stop spending, in case they get hit. I know that has happened in my company, we laid off thousands of people in the last couple of weeks. I wasn't laid off, but I sure am changing my spending habits in case I get hit in the next go-round.
