posted on June 16, 2004 07:17:48 AM new
New features like Price Comparison, Pre-Filled Item Specifics, the impending demise of Half.com, and collapsing the categories for books seem to make life on eBay harder, not easier, for us little guys.
Ebay revenues continue to go up, but small sellers continue to see sales decline.
I may not be the sharpest tack in the box, but it's easy to see that Meg doesn't love me any more.
posted on June 16, 2004 11:48:02 AM new
I find it interesting that eBay is taking steps to encourage the development of alternative category specific venues. If you sell certain items, the door is open and a taxi is waiting at the curb.
Don't take it personally, it is just a business decision. They can make more money positioning their resources elsewhere.
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posted on June 16, 2004 12:57:43 PM new
I think I have found the "users" who keep wanting all the changes
Anyone taken a look at Sams club auctions? It looked pretty spiffy so someone from another group sent them an email asking if there was any chance they would open it up to other sellers.
Their response:
Thank you for your interest. We will be using this site for our own items only. It is ran and maintained by Ebay.
So, the "users" who want all the changes are the corporations, not us users, not our buyers, but THIER buyers. And, Ebay is branching out and running individual auction sites for the big boys now
http://auctions.samsclub.com/?n=0
Edited to add:
And you can purchase their regular items from the same site...kind of like our stores except everything is available through their main screen.
[ edited by lindajean on Jun 16, 2004 01:01 PM ]
posted on June 16, 2004 01:15:14 PM new
Lindajean: That is really bad news for us, isn't it?! So Ebay is essentially in competition with us now? I wonder how much commission they make, then?
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posted on June 16, 2004 01:18:24 PM new
I think everything Ebay has done this year is bad news for us. And, having completely separate auction sites for the larger companies seems even worse. Now, they are not even giving our products a fighting chance as they don't even show up in the search.
When Sears, IBM etc started using Ebay at least it was on this site.
I'm not sure where Ebay is heading, but I'm not sure we are in the 5 year plan (we being you, me and the other small sellers).
I wish there was a viable alternative. I am even going to give Yahoo another try while I still have Ebay customers to try and point over in that direction.
I have tried before with little success, but they have very limited listings now and anything is worth a try.
posted on June 16, 2004 01:54:38 PM new
Maybe the upside is that the big co's will siphon off and perhaps ebay will return to it's roots.
I could be dreaming, of course....
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posted on June 16, 2004 03:05:21 PM new
I guess I am not gloom and doom about this - Ebay has evolved over the years, but so has ecommerce. In 1997, it was only small sellers buying online. I kind of see large companies going online, and more people buying online as a good thing for us all actually. There are a lot of people today who will not buy anything online today that 5 years from now can not imagine not doing business like that. Ebay is going to go out and explore new business models, you can't sit still. I have an online business that started in 1995, where the business plan has to be continually in flux. If I did not modify it several times over the years, I would be out of business. Seems that everytime something succeeds, competition or some other factor cuts in to lower business. I then expand and focus on other areas.
From my own perspective, half.com going away has turned out to be a good thing for me, not a negative. It has forced me to go different directions, using ebay stores, amazon, and developing my own site. I like what I see so far, by doing less business on half this past few months my monthly gross has actually increased.
Anyway, doing business online requires a LOT more flexibility, and ability to change course quickly if necessary. Competition and other forces will either make you change the way you do things, or find something different to do...Just my 8 1/2 cents...
Friends don't let Friends say stupid things like Friends don't let friends vote Republican!
I think you're right. Things really have changed. I don't know too many major companies (and many small ones) that aren't online.
This whole situation could get interesting, though. The first time eBay pizzes off a monster corp. or the first time a monster corp. pizzes off eBay could cause some pretty entertaining fireworks. I know how many times they have angered me. This is probably a thing you'll want to watch.
posted on June 16, 2004 03:20:52 PM new
Another thing to remember that although eBay is the 8000 pound gorilla, that doesn't mean that a few years ago they will be. In the early 1980's, there were two comparisons - IBM for computers, and AT&T for phone service. They were unbelievably dominant, and today they are just a part of the overall scene.
Friends don't let Friends say stupid things like Friends don't let friends vote Republican!
