Is eBay Finished For Non-business Sellers?

StaffsSW

RFW wrote: »

I can see their reasoning behind it, in that the small sellers will cause more problems in that if you have 100 sellers selling 100 items, there are 100 potential problems and 100 different people to deal with, if you have one seller selling 100 items, there are the same possible amount of problems but only one person to deal with.

This has been noted a number of times on various boards - it's much easier, cheaper and therefore more profitable for eBay to manage less sellers but each with a higher volume of listings.

eBay is changing, but so is the marketplace it has been chasing for the last few years, and it has to change to keep up with it. If this has made it more difficult for more people then that is unfortunate - but if they think they can survive without 1000's of smaller sellers, then that is their choice and decision.

Given the shareholder/investor pressure on a business that size, they can not afford to keep trading on nostalgia. eBay is simply a business, and owes none of us anything.

Brooker_Dave

RFW wrote: »

I'd agree, there are some people who sell on Ebay as a sideline to their income and do it quite well.

Its true that Ebay have and still are moving away from having individuals selling small value items. I can see their reasoning behind it, in that the small sellers will cause more problems in that if you have 100 sellers selling 100 items, there are 100 potential problems and 100 different people to deal with, if you have one seller selling 100 items, there are the same possible amount of problems but only one person to deal with.

The Ebay business model has changed and continues to do so, I can understand why those left behind are annoyed and I don't think Ebay have done enough to let them know why they've done it and even pointed them in the direction of Gumtree to sell that way.

I can only speak for myself as regards selling (and I am a business, not quite a diamond powerseller) and year on year sales have increased and I very rarely have any problems. There is no other sales outlet that can offer me the customer base Ebay can and for me it is more than affordable and profitable.

I'd be inclined to vote no, but if the poll did ask "Is Ebay closed for a growing number of non business sellers" then I'd vote yes.

Ebay sellers = ebay buyers.

Scare/irritate the sellers away to Amazon, and who is left to do the buying?

Rats, sinking ship, innit.

Brooker_Dave

stevew8975 wrote: »

Given the shareholder/investor pressure on a business that size, they can not afford to keep trading on nostalgia. eBay is simply a business, and owes none of us anything.

All businesses *have* to listen to their customers, ebay chooses not to.

Ebay's customers are leaving/being kicked out in droves.

Ebay's shareholders have started to vote with their feet too....

RFW

stevew8975 wrote: »

Given the shareholder/investor pressure on a business that size, they can not afford to keep trading on nostalgia. eBay is simply a business, and owes none of us anything.

True. On the whole I think the squeezing of smaller sellers was a long term plan and introducing the bigger sellers to entice customers. Ebay has always been more buyers than sellers, they could have sugared the pill for those sellers they have pushed out to keep them as buyers but as I was once told by an auctioneer (way before the internet) "It doesn't matter what you do to customers, there will be another along to take their place" I don't think its changed that much and Ebay's registered and active users has (I believe) increased over the last couple of years. I've personally seen a lot of new buyers over the last couple of months and I still have regulars from 6 plus years ago who know they are dealing with me and not Ebay.

hannah2008

DickDastardly wrote: »

It seems to me that if eBay continues on the course they are on, in years to come it will be little more than an open market place for large scale shop-based sellers and ironically, the scammers and counterfeiters that litter the site. It is now and seems to be ever further away from the original concept of a neat way to buy and sell unwanted second hand goods, the online bootfair.

I cant agree with you more, I think they are going downhill - the scammers and counterfeiters are doubling every year as they know they can get away with it, within the last year, Ive had more problems selling/buying than I have done in aprox 8 years of using eBay. This is down to eBay changing rules imho. On this same forum... I just posted on a scam about someone sending me a parcel with nothing in it, yet it was recorded signed for.. so I have no leg to stand on, thanks to this "scam" I lost money, and the other person gained. eBay got their fee's, Paypal got theirs. end of story.


I do find myself using eBay alot less than I used to, I used to buy between 10-15 things per month however within the last month ive bought 2 things.

RFW

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

Ebay sellers = ebay buyers.

True, but not that many, most buyers aren't sellers and new buyers appear all the time no matter what.

Repo

scumBay's pretty much dead now for a large number of smaller businesses too. Look on some of the small business forums and many have gone ecommerce only and have ditched their scumBay operations totally.

Brooker_Dave

RFW wrote: »

True, but not that many, most buyers aren't sellers and new buyers appear all the time no matter what.

If there's nothing interesting selling, there will be no buyers.

Buyers flooded to ebay as you could buy anything easily.

Sellers flooded to ebay as you could sell anything cheaply and easliy.

Now ebay is just a place to buy the same old stuff as any other eccomerce website, only it's a more expensive place to buy.

Ebay's star attraction was it's vast product range, you should pass on to your employer (ebay) that by reducing choice, they've reduced buyers.

HTH.

vikingaero

stevew8975 wrote: »

but if they think they can survive without 1000's of smaller sellers, then that is their choice and decision.

Given the shareholder/investor pressure on a business that size, they can not afford to keep trading on nostalgia. eBay is simply a business, and owes none of us anything.

I agree that eBay may run their house in the manner they see fit.

eBay is a business that seems to want to forget those that made it once great - the small seller. Sure they don't owe anyone anything, and I don't owe them any of my future business. Works both ways.

purplegirluk1

I came across a restricted postage item whilst putting things on last night. I wanted to put £4.99 for a book and heavy acrylic juggling ball that will cost that much to to safely package and post but I was restricted to £4.00 which means I will lose money from the item price now. It seems unfair, surely if someone is happy to pay the postage then that up to them?