posted on November 25, 2002 01:53:20 PM new
The part about there being a glut of buyers raising prices kinda threw me. I wonder what category this is happening in ?
posted on November 25, 2002 01:57:14 PM newOur advice to eBay: Develop and distribute to sellers pattern recognition software that identifies likely buyer and seller scam artists--and triggers immediate alerts to FBI consumer fraud investigators.
Oh boy doesnt that sound like fun? Wonder what "patterns" they have in mind?
posted on November 25, 2002 02:26:02 PM new
Here's some counterpoint to the Forrester Research study. From the NY Times - I believe you need to register (free) to read it:
posted on November 25, 2002 03:48:57 PM new
I don't think Walmart is going to take away market share in categories like automobiles, vintage collectibles, used clothing, refurbished computers, and restaurant equipment, most categories smaller sellers dominate.
Not to mention Walmart hasn't had a large selection of anything on its site.
posted on November 25, 2002 04:18:13 PM newI could tell you which categories are not seeing more bidders and higher prices: All of mine
Ditto, here. Fine and costume jewelry. Don't you guys buy your gals jewelry anymore? Only when I put my prices down pretty much to the wholesale price I paid for them do they go at any rate of speed. A girl's gotta make a living. . .
posted on November 25, 2002 08:29:53 PM new
Looks like eBay is going to end up being a wholesale priced market. If you don't make your own merchandise, you'll be competing against your wholesaler before long.
posted on November 25, 2002 10:14:58 PM new
The used goods markets won't be affected. Used clothes, toys, CDs, etc.
It was only a matter of time before the wholesalers figured out how to get rid of the middleman and go right to ebay by themselves. They will try to squeeze every cent out of their merchandise.
posted on November 25, 2002 11:08:25 PM new
I think the sources for buying used and collectible stuff may dry up also.
These antique and collecible dealers have to buy it somewhere, so whoever they are buying from sooner or later will discover eBay too.
One of the news shows showed pawn brokers not just selling on eBay but looking up values on eBay to determine how much to pay/loan on items brought in.
posted on November 25, 2002 11:32:17 PM new
I don't know about that. That article says there are more buyers than sellers which means these people have discovered ebay and aren't selling on it.
Most people are too lazy, they seek the path of least resistance, that means selling their items to a dealer or donating it to charity.
posted on November 25, 2002 11:41:53 PM new
I especially liked the part about the consumers looking for bargains going to Amazon and only the shoppers looking for hard to find nick-nacks shopping on Ebay. I sell those hard to find nick-nacks
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on November 25, 2002 11:52:56 PM new
It's not even true that buyers only go to ebay to look for bargins. In Christmas's past on ebay, I've seen every new Game Boy, PSII, MP3 and PDA sell at retail price or above.
posted on November 25, 2002 11:53:17 PM new
Too many buyers vs. sellers? Which eBay is that? Too bad many of these analysts aren't hands-on users.
I'm looking at buying a DVD player. There's a VCR/DVD combo for $99 on sale where I work. So I decided to do a little research on eBay.
I found that most of the components on sale at eBay (that I saw) are returns/open box. Sellers are companies, not individuals. Terms are buyer-unfriendly: In many cases, there was no guarantee other than the manufacturer's. In nearly every case where the seller did offer a guarantee, the buyer was obliged to pay shipping both ways (easily $30). Shipping was fairly high. One seller expected payment within 7 days, another within 4 days, which would require a credit card payment (Paypal, etc.). Most items offering a low minimum bid had a reserve, usually not met. And these eBay sellers/liquidators generally did not have very positive feedback from their customers.
In short, there were significant risks, and many hoops for a buyer to jump through. I found only one transaction I might have bid on - a used piece from a "regular" seller who guaranteed non-DOA.
Had I some time to spend researching products and sellers, and more time to spend finding the right auction, and if I was lucky, I might save $20 bucks buying an item online at eBay... for a factory return, vs. a new retail item.
All things considered, including time, ease, customer support, peace of mind, etc., I believe my money would be better spent buying at a local electronics superstore.
I simply don't believe that liquidators (wannabe retailers) or big-name retailers will succeed on eBay. It's the wrong market. As I think we've all discovered, listing overpriced crap on eBay is no guarantee that it will sell.
posted on November 26, 2002 12:05:44 AM new
I have been doing a little shopping for gifts and can't find anything less then what's in the stores, the new items have bids are all above retail.
I always buy a lot for the holidays and this year searching is harder, prices higher and mostly return items, that I would be better off at the store so I can exchange if it did not work.
Mostly electronic gadets, shaper image, new toys, computer stuff..
Jewels ya I want them but hard to search through all the listings!!!
wonder what the newbie's think of ebay now I loved it in 98-2000
posted on November 26, 2002 12:10:02 AM new"It was only a matter of time before the wholesalers figured out how to get rid of the middleman and go right to ebay by themselves."
I was buying wholesale software to sell on eBay a couple of years back. I was selling the game "Final DOOM" and making a decent profit. Paid about $8, sold for 12-$15.
At one point, my sales seemed to drop drastically. I did a search and sure enough, there was my wholesaler undercutting me on eBay!
I wrote her a nasty letter and she said she didn't know I was eBaying, though I had told her so several times. By flooding the market, the price dropped and I doubt she was making anywhere near what she expected. Also, she had to ship out 30 packages vs. one big box that I was buying from her.
I lost contact with my wholesaler but I think eventually she regretted her decision. Maybe her wholesales were doing poorly and she had no choice.
posted on November 26, 2002 12:17:57 AM new
Judging by current bidding on DVD/VCRs it seems like a huge demand on ebay. Most had 10 bids and over $100.
A refurbished item can actually be better than a retail new in box item. Reason is, a refurbished item is tested by a factory trained technician, while a retail new item is not tested at all, and there are a few duds.
posted on November 26, 2002 08:17:48 AM new
Ha ha, that reminds me of a DVD-player auction I saw yesterday:
"Powers up fine, but the tray doesn't eject. Looks great otherwise, though." (Had a bid of $50, don't ask me why.)
BTW, did anybody see the "eBay Way" TV commercial during Erin Brokovich on NBC? The one where everybody's dancing around and the guy's showing off a moose head he bought online? I got a chuckle out of that. 'Knew it was an eBay ad right away.
The jingle was pretty well written. It didn't rhyme properly (first line should have ended in beer) until the very last line. Funny.
