Negatively Stacked Deck

I suppose we'd at least like to think that the cards in the Game of Life are not stacked against us.

Sometimes, though, it seems like there are an awful lot of hurdles to overcome!

Lately, the "hurdles" I have been battling have mostly been related to how I earn my living online, but selling various collectibles and art through online marketplaces.

There are times when I just want to shake my head because it feels like every "revision" to the terms and conditions basically amounts to a new version of the marketplace taking a little more, while I get to keep a little less.

Nothing quite like a marketplace being "proud" that their seller commissions haven't increased in several years while they — at the same time — have made so that your listings all but vanish in the internal search feature unless you pay extra to get "preferred placement."

So yes, the cost may not have gone up, but your sales are in the basement unless you're prepared to pay the upcharge to regain your lost visibility.

Lately, I have been playing "the game" with Amazon Handmade, who puts your payment account "on hold" whenever you change your credit card on file... which they require you to do, every six months or so. Which is basically their way of "legitimately" hang onto merchants' money for 10 extra days.

I have often been asked why I don't just sell through my own personal website, where I would have control over everything.

Good question!

The real answer to that is visibility. Meaning... there is no more deserted place online than page 7 of search results. And the big marketplace site hire entire departments to do nothing more than optimize search results across the web... at least for those who paid a little extra for visibility.

I have neither the time or the skill set to spend on being able to compete with a whole team of specialists. And they probably know that.

I'm not a newcomer to this circus... in fact, my eBay account was registered on May 26th, 1998! Back then, it was a lot easier to get from Point A to Point B... and the fees to do so were a lot lower!

And so, sometimes it feels a little like the deck is stacked against me; stacked against us, with "us" being a lot of self-employed people who are simply trying to scratch out even a minimal living.

Let's hope for an Alt. coin rally this fall, eh?

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great rest of your week!

How about you? Do you ever feel like the deck is somehow stacked against you? Or is hardship simply the norm? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

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Created at 2024.09.24 00:15 PDT
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