TheInq: Why Ebay will die.

Post #266,449 by Another Scott 8/31/06 1:17:50 PM Reply	TheInq: Why Ebay will die. [link\|http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34077\|Hear, Hear!]. Cheers, Scott.
Post #266,460 by bepatient 8/31/06 2:31:25 PM Reply	Doubtful Too much invested and literally nothing to switch to. Give a reasonable alternative and eBay might be in trouble...but they are pretty much a monopoly in the space. Even with the increase, by the way, the prices for listings are actually reasonable, considering the alternative of building and hosting your own storefront, building the gateway and api for payment...etc. I think ebay is finally realizing how cheap they really were. Too much of today's music is fashionable crap dressed as artistry._{Adrian Belew}
Post #266,463 by drewk 8/31/06 2:41:37 PM 8/31/06 2:52:06 PM Reply	Comparison is wrong For people who already have a storefront, or were considering it, eBay is cheap. For people who only do this because the current (old) pricing makes it feasible, the comparison is to not selling at all. I think part of what makes eBay work is the network effect. People assume that if it can be bought, there's a seller on eBay; if it can be sold, there's a buyer. As a buyer, I don't care if the person on the other end has a storefront, or if they work out of their mother's basement. Lots of people doing it full time are basically specialized aggregators: they collect stuff that is too low volume or low value to make a store worthwhile and list it. Their value is in their expertise at finding things that the current owner doesn't know the value of, or doesn't want to invest the marketing in, and bringing it to a receptive market. If eBay raises prices to a point that they're "competitive" with a physical storefront -- as opposed to being a bargain -- they may make more from the larger operations but the low end will disappear or move to a new bargain service. === [edit] Oh, and two words: Google Auctions. === Purveyor of Doc Hope's [link\|http://DocHope.com\|fresh-baked dog biscuits and pet treats]. [link\|http://DocHope.com\|http://DocHope.com] Edited by drewk Aug. 31, 2006, 02:52:06 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #266,466 by bepatient 8/31/06 2:46:17 PM Reply	Sorry, not clear on storefront I don't mean bricks and mortar. I mean a web storefront. And even then, ebay is cheap. Too much of today's music is fashionable crap dressed as artistry._{Adrian Belew}
Post #266,468 by drewk 8/31/06 2:54:19 PM Reply	Isn't Amazon better for that? I remember reading somewhere ... (Hmm, who was it saying this ... ?) that Amazon isn't really a retailer so much as they are a supplier of online retailing software and services. If you want a storefront, Amazon makes it easy. If you then want to list in an auction (or dutch auction) then you go to eBay and point it to your Amazon store. === Purveyor of Doc Hope's [link\|http://DocHope.com\|fresh-baked dog biscuits and pet treats]. [link\|http://DocHope.com\|http://DocHope.com]
Post #266,474 by Another Scott 8/31/06 3:10:53 PM Reply	#217931
Post #266,489 by bepatient 8/31/06 4:58:00 PM Reply	For some. Dependent on what you are dealing If its new stuff and you have content rich catalog content...the zon is the best place to go. If you are a home office hack collecting old laptops, breaking them apart and selling used gear...ebay is your place. At least, thats how it would appear to me. Each have their strengths. I am surprised by the growing number of "stores" at ebay that do NOT auction. That, to me, is simply leveraging the eBay brand but not using it to its design. Too much of today's music is fashionable crap dressed as artistry._{Adrian Belew}
Post #266,510 by boxley 8/31/06 7:00:44 PM Reply	craigslist as opposed to not selling at all co-worker got married and they are combining houses. Leftover from craigslist to go in garage sale. garagr sale was cancelled. thanx, bill Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 50 years. meep
Post #266,525 by static 8/31/06 10:56:16 PM Reply	He tackles a number of topics. Firstly, Ebay's design and absence of any AJAX-enablement. I'm tempted to respond "Yes? So?". What is there works and is fairly fast. It doesn't need to change just to change. OTOH, they almost own the space: that means the competition isn't close enough for them to feel the pressure to change. Come some upstart who figures out how to do online auctions in a new and more effective way, and only then will Ebay feel threatened and do some serious upgrading. The item of fees for selling is highly controversial. It even made newspaper news here in Sydney. They say they want to encourage casual auctions rather than organised 'stores'. I think that's not a bad idea, but it creates a problem they can't solve: if they want to drive the stores completely away without simply kicking them out, then they have to have somewhere to go to. And they currently don't. PayPal? Well, Ebay/PayPal integration is interesting. I recently used PayPal for some spending and noticed it had better integration with Australian banks, now, than it had a few years ago. But I didn't use that: I got paid for something via PayPal precisely because I could use PayPal to purchase things on Ebay. :-/ That said, it's obvious that if Ebay could say 'all payments must be made with PayPal' they would. But they can't because it would get them into too much bother. In the meantme, bring on Google Auctions! :-) Wade. "Insert crowbar. Apply force."

Welcome to IWETHEY!