Double Wammy for eBay sellers, eBay prices to rise by at least 10% plus postage going

lovinituk

ludovico wrote: »

There is no monopoly.

I would think between eBay and Amazon they hold a large part of the UK market share of service providers hosting third party sales. eBay are a business and are looking after their own interest. My objection to their fee increases is it is claimed to be spent in the future on improving the site, however considering they are running at record profits and making billions why is the site currently so full of bugs and problems and why is there little to no interaction with the sellers using their service?

The eBay employees have stated on the eBay boards the fee increase is to improve the site, do you have confidence that eBay will start using highly trained staff to implement highly advanced features and tracking retail tends so they can blow the consumers mind in the hope they'll blow their paycheck or do you think eBay will continue to bumble long with poorly designed changes that often don't work as they should, fail to engage the consumer and that there will be no discussion on the matter and no fix on problems for a very long time?

So far the jewel in eBay's crown is the Outlets and Daily/Weekly Deals. Both very good ideas and both certainly draw customers whilst make eBay money but with eBay's resources these ideas should be a sideline (whilst still getting the same attention if you see what I mean) rather than eBay's main focus.

I agree with what you are saying. Its still no monopoly though as some people keep insisting, it never was.

*edit* - ebay do engage with their consumers - I am always being asked to complete surveys based on selling experience and interaction with CS. What more can they really do?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

ebay do engage with their consumers

This is true but only on the topics with which they wish to engage on. Take duplicate listings, when they announced last year it would be "actively enforced from May 2011" eBay employees where on the boards answering questions. A year on and since May they haven't done much (they certainly haven't stopped one seller using 2 IDs to get round the rule which they stated they would do) and every question on the topic is now completely ignored on the boards.

CS can only forward feedback and I wouldn't waste my time writing a letter to basically get a copy/paste response which doesn't really addressing the issue. I feel they need to improve on the areas they completely ignore which they themselves have admitted are an issue but they can't seem to fix (which appears to be mainly due to lack of investment in quality staff and resources).

Brooker_Dave

lovinituk wrote: »

PMSL!!! So you can list something on Google as easily as on ebay and get the same number of people immeidately viewing it?!?! Of course not!!!!

Google is bigger than ebay, use the right online shop with good google optimisation and you're far more visible.

RFW

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

A market with only one dominent player.

Under what definition is that a monopoly?

Which "market" is Ebay the dominant player, internet sales (there are a number of sites with more or similar amount of customers? Auction websites, there are a number with possibly a higher turnover than Ebay, Sotheby's for example? A marketplace, Amazon and Ebay sales run neck and neck and arguably Amazon charge more? Or just Ebay? Ebay do indeed have a market share of Ebay.

It could be argued that they abuse the dominance of the demand for its use in their pricing, but it is too many things to even be considered as a monopoly.

One definition of monopoly is "characterized by an absence of competition", Ebay have lots of general competition and has had more over the years, Ebid, QXL, CQout, and many more, it's not Ebay's fault it's competition is rubbish.

londondealer

One day somebody else will come along and give ebay a run for there money. Until then I am stuck with them and there silly rules and regulations.

londonTiger

the postage prices annoy me the most. Ebay is killing itself, I couldn't care less. But RM is being a complete !!!. I remember severals years back they were making losses, and they became consignia or something, I think they also got a part private prtnership or something. Following year they got back into profits. How??? By hiking their prices.

And now they're repeating that same pattern, and their prices are starting to become virtually unrecognisable right now. I rememebr a first class stap used to cost 25p long ago, now I've lost track of the cost of a 1st class stamp because they increase every bloody time I visit the post office,.

londonTiger

londondealer wrote: »

One day somebody else will come along and give ebay a run for there money. Until then I am stuck with them and there silly rules and regulations.

if you're a power seller you should set up an ecommerce site, and siphon the customers from ebay onto your ecommerce site.

It works only with a distingusiable niche, not random tat. When a customer buyersm, send them their goods with a card/brochure attached for your website.

Your long term startegy should be to get your site ranked on Google, or if the PPC traffic is low enough buy traffic from google.

Ebay is pretty crap for buyers too, prices are too expensive because costs are passed onto buyers, I'm a computer enthusaists, and always buying computer parts. Ebay prices are always more expensive than the equivalent stuff on web stores.

custardy

londonTiger wrote: »

the postage prices annoy me the most. Ebay is killing itself, I couldn't care less. But RM is being a complete !!!. I remember severals years back they were making losses, and they became consignia or something, I think they also got a part private prtnership or something. Following year they got back into profits. How??? By hiking their prices.

And now they're repeating that same pattern, and their prices are starting to become virtually unrecognisable right now. I rememebr a first class stap used to cost 25p long ago, now I've lost track of the cost of a 1st class stamp because they increase every bloody time I visit the post office,.

you are talking about stuff that happened 10 years ago
still some of the cheapest in Europe
so whats your answer?
The profits RM make are tiny when you consider turnover

soolin

londondealer wrote: »

One day somebody else will come along and give ebay a run for there money. Until then I am stuck with them and there silly rules and regulations.

All the big players like Yahoo have been and gone. There was a good competitor once called Tazbar, ran extensive ads on TV throughout the Christmas period and I actually sold stuff on there, they folded about 2 years ago. Even Amazon used to run an auction format site, but that went a good few years ago as well when ebay got bigger here in the UK.

Ebid have been running for 10 years and yet they barely get any sales at all.

I am even reading books and publications now where you don't sell your item online you 'ebay it'.

lovinituk

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

Google is bigger than ebay, use the right online shop with good google optimisation and you're far more visible.

Dave - you really don't have a clue!! Lets be realistic now!! Good SEO is going to cost a lot more money/time/knowledge than listing something on ebay. Ebay is the easiest route to market for people that don't have the capital or knowledge to set up an ecommerce website. You can have products being sold within minutes on ebay - you can't do that with a new website.

*awaits next ridiculous response*