Resetting the Balance of the eBay Marketplace

[joe_collector]

Personally I would pay more for eBay if the mom and pop sellers would get pushed out of there. I have been a proponent of taxing ebay sales so that only professional sellers or professional collectors would use it.

 

That is the craziest thing I've ever heard concerning EBay.

 

Why in the world would buyers go to EBay, if it's populated only by businesses and professional sellers? EBay made its name by being the "World's Largest Flea Market", and I see the recent push towards more of a "retail envrionment" to be one of their largest pitfalls for the future.

 

Most people go online to EBay in order to get "deals" and "pick the gold from other people's garbage", not to get 25% off retail from some POS refurb DVD player that arrives DOA. I get so sick of all the big retailers on EBay, with thousands upon thousands of POS listings, that I hardly shop on there anymore and I'm nostalgic for the old days when everyone sold their junk on EBay.

 

Cutting the Average Joe sellers out of EBay is the long-term problem, not a solution.

[joe_collector]

There is something to be said for honing in on the most profitable segment of your business and letting the rest just atrophy.

 

But in the case of EBay, buyer traffic drives the site and causes the sellers to list. If EBay transforms into a "retail only" market, a ton of buyers will leave, and sellers will continue to see lower prices.

 

In my opinion, this "honing in on the most profitable segment" is what is WRONG with EBay, as it ignores the core business principle, and drives potential buyers away from the site.

[Aces]

Personally I would pay more for eBay if the mom and pop sellers would get pushed out of there. I have been a proponent of taxing ebay sales so that only professional sellers or professional collectors would use it.

 

That is the craziest thing I've ever heard concerning EBay.

 

Why in the world would buyers go to EBay, if it's populated only by businesses and professional sellers? EBay made its name by being the "World's Largest Flea Market", and I see the recent push towards more of a "retail envrionment" to be one of their largest pitfalls for the future.

 

Most people go online to EBay in order to get "deals" and "pick the gold from other people's garbage", not to get 25% off retail from some POS refurb DVD player that arrives DOA. I get so sick of all the big retailers on EBay, with thousands upon thousands of POS listings, that I hardly shop on there anymore and I'm nostalgic for the old days when everyone sold their junk on EBay.

 

Cutting the Average Joe sellers out of EBay is the long-term problem, not a solution.

 

Your greatest post ever!

 

I think Russ was kidding right about getting rid of Mom & Pop eBayers right?

[Psiknight]

 

I think Russ was kidding right about getting rid of Mom & Pop eBayers right?

 

I didn't read it as a joke...I just reread it and it still seems 100% serious. And, if that's the case, it's one of the most ridiculous comments I've ever heard concerning ebay.

[CKB]

Response fron eBay when I told them I was closing my store and taking my 600-soon-to-be-1000 listings with me:

 

Dear ckb42,

 

Thank you for emailing eBay to provide your feedback on the

recently-announced fee changes.

 

From time to time, it's necessary for us to adjust fees in order to

manage the overall health of the eBay marketplace. In the case of this

increase, which affects Store Inventory listings only, the changes are

part of a broader initiative to reset the overall balance of the

marketplace.

 

We're doing more to distinguish the roles of Core listing formats and

our Store Inventory format to ensure that buyers' expectations continue

to be met and that conversion rates for sellers stay strong. We're

confident the actions we're taking are the right thing to do for the

overall eBay Community, but understand that some sellers will have

challenges with the changes we're making.

 

To help you minimize the impact on your business, please visit the

seller resources page at:

 

www.ebay.com/sellerresources

 

Also, please consult the Frequently Asked Questions we've prepared at:

 

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/announcement200607/overview/faq.html.

 

Again, thank you for your feedback.

 

Sincerely,

Brian W. G.

 

eBay Customer Support

[joe_collector]

To help you minimize the impact on your business, please visit the

seller resources page at:

 

www.ebay.com/sellerresources

 

Strange, I went there but I didn't see any "Free Money" link.

[scottish]

Glad I closed my store a few weeks back. It did okay for me at the time, but nothing spectacular. Definitely not worth it now.

[the blob]

When the mom & pop comic sellers don't have a viable outlet to sell their comics, maybe they start buying a heck of a lot less of them? I'm definitely going to reconsider my buying as well as selling model. And I'll probably need a lot fewer bags and boards.

[joe_collector]

I'm definitely going to reconsider my buying as well as selling model.

 

That's my thought as well. Although I don't sell many comics, it's still in the back of my mind when I buy a Bronze run to get 2-3 comics I need. Those dupes are targeted for EBay, even if it will take me a year to list them.

 

But with seller costs spiralling, that has to take a toll on overall buying habits as well, and EBay is starting to look like the snake that's swallowing itself.

[richnerd]

When the mom & pop comic sellers don't have a viable outlet to sell their comics, maybe they start buying a heck of a lot less of them? I'm definitely going to reconsider my buying as well as selling model. And I'll probably need a lot fewer bags and boards .

 

[the blob]

A strike right at the heart of the low dollar collectible market and anything that needs time to find a buyer. All sorts of items will be impacted.

 

But doesn't ebay realize it makes nice money when someone goes to my store and buys 30 cheap comics and spends $100?

[The Troll King]

Personally I would pay more for eBay if the mom and pop sellers would get pushed out of there. I have been a proponent of taxing ebay sales so that only professional sellers or professional collectors would use it.

 

That is the craziest thing I've ever heard concerning EBay.

 

Why in the world would buyers go to EBay, if it's populated only by businesses and professional sellers? EBay made its name by being the "World's Largest Flea Market", and I see the recent push towards more of a "retail envrionment" to be one of their largest pitfalls for the future.

 

Most people go online to EBay in order to get "deals" and "pick the gold from other people's garbage", not to get 25% off retail from some POS refurb DVD player that arrives DOA. I get so sick of all the big retailers on EBay, with thousands upon thousands of POS listings, that I hardly shop on there anymore and I'm nostalgic for the old days when everyone sold their junk on EBay.

 

Cutting the Average Joe sellers out of EBay is the long-term problem, not a solution.

 

Your greatest post ever!

 

I think Russ was kidding right about getting rid of Mom & Pop eBayers right?

 

I second that! Good post JC!

(from one of the ones that has yet to be chewed out by you )

[ianhaleca-migration]

Has anyone checked out OnlineAuction.com ?

[Psiknight]

Has anyone checked out OnlineAuction.com ?

 

Uh, $8/month for a site that will draw few, if any, comic collectors?

 

Just like any other ebay-lite site, the comics listed are all modern junk.

[Point Five]

When I read this message in "My Ebay" last night, I couldn't believe it. The title "Resetting the Balance of the eBay Marketplace" seems like a cynical joke. Wasn't it just a year or so ago that they raised store fees and drove sellers ballistic? I remember reading about lots of sellers who had to close their ebay stores and were threatening boycotts, etc. I don't have an ebay store, but I sympathize with you guys who do...I would be fuming right now.

[the blob]

well, they raised the fees on stores, but then it could be offset by listing more items. the fee raising killed the casual sotre owner who only had a few items in there. so, ebay encouraged people to get more bang for the buck out of the $15.95 store listing by listing several hundred items. and now, having put the time and effort into those listings, ebay is pulling the rug out from under the store owner by telling them that it will now cost 60 cents to list a $3 item for a year. And if you sell it, that's another 30 cents. Not to mention paypal, which takes what, another 50 cents (including the piece they take form the S/H).

 

So ebay is taking roughly half the value of that $3 item. If you paid a buck for it, you've now done a lot of work to clear 60 cents. No thanks. I wouldn't be surprised if someone who relies on the old store pricing structure to feed his family goes nutso and blows up management.

 

Not to mention, auctions are like 500% more work than store items.

[jonjesper]

Are they having a .20 cent listing day today and tomorrow now? I received it, but can't see the graphics on my work computer...

these seem to be more and more common place now don't they?

[richnerd]

Yes 20th and 21st 20 cent listing days.

[Inhuman Fiend]

Personally I would pay more for eBay if the mom and pop sellers would get pushed out of there. I have been a proponent of taxing ebay sales so that only professional sellers or professional collectors would use it.

 

That is the craziest thing I've ever heard concerning EBay.

 

Why in the world would buyers go to EBay, if it's populated only by businesses and professional sellers? EBay made its name by being the "World's Largest Flea Market", and I see the recent push towards more of a "retail envrionment" to be one of their largest pitfalls for the future.

 

Most people go online to EBay in order to get "deals" and "pick the gold from other people's garbage", not to get 25% off retail from some POS refurb DVD player that arrives DOA. I get so sick of all the big retailers on EBay, with thousands upon thousands of POS listings, that I hardly shop on there anymore and I'm nostalgic for the old days when everyone sold their junk on EBay.

 

Cutting the Average Joe sellers out of EBay is the long-term problem, not a solution.

 

JC, I have agreed with very few of your posts in the past, but you are RIGHT ON THE MONEY with this one!

[joeypost]

Personally I would pay more for eBay if the mom and pop sellers would get pushed out of there. I have been a proponent of taxing ebay sales so that only professional sellers or professional collectors would use it.

 

That is the craziest thing I've ever heard concerning EBay.

 

Why in the world would buyers go to EBay, if it's populated only by businesses and professional sellers? EBay made its name by being the "World's Largest Flea Market", and I see the recent push towards more of a "retail envrionment" to be one of their largest pitfalls for the future.

 

Most people go online to EBay in order to get "deals" and "pick the gold from other people's garbage", not to get 25% off retail from some POS refurb DVD player that arrives DOA. I get so sick of all the big retailers on EBay, with thousands upon thousands of POS listings, that I hardly shop on there anymore and I'm nostalgic for the old days when everyone sold their junk on EBay.

 

Cutting the Average Joe sellers out of EBay is the long-term problem, not a solution.

 

JC, I have agreed with very few of your posts in the past, but you are RIGHT ON THE MONEY with this one!

 

I always imagined that the reverse would be true. If they lowered fee's they would dramatically increase the number of listings for items <$1, generating more revenue. This would take into consideration the additional IT expenditures. The old fee's prevented me from opening an ebay store so this turn of events have soured me even more.