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by AlisdairO
6195 days ago
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It baffles me that eBay is trying to kill its own core competency: connecting people with unusual stuff to sell with people who have unusual things that they want. Auction fees are ludicrously high, and the process is increasingly hostile (and expensive) to small time sellers. I understand that they want to expand their market into new goods, but given that they have vast competition in that area, why hurt the revenue stream that they had a virtual lock on? |
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Indeed. Isn't it ironic that eBay used to be a community of people (many of which were buying and selling at the same time) and just as social media started ascending, eBay moved in exactly the opposite direction - towards a warehouse model that pissed off the little people who were selling things to clear out their attics.
I am so annoyed at them that I have literally given stuff away rather than sell it on eBay. Right now as a retail site, they are a dead man walking, no matter what their uniques and cash-flow is. I can't see Ebay lasting another 3 years in its current model.
On the plus site, etsy.com seems to have done a great job picking at least one niche of the old eBay market (handmade goods).