Amazon attracts eBay merchants with faster sales growth

[pierrelebel]

From the Toronto Star today (based on USA data):

http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/04/06/amazon-attracts-ebay-merchants-with-faster-sales-growth.h...

eBay’s once-loyal merchants are moving more of their business to Amazon.com, saying they get more for their money by selling merchandise via the Web retailer.

Amazon’s pool of merchants in U.S. doubled to about 2 million in 2014, while the number of sellers on eBay has remained flat at 25 million in the past two years. Businesses that at first set up online storefronts on eBay say they’re surprised how quickly sales surge on Amazon once products appear on both sites.

[rose-dee]

Which does beg the question: do you think eBay cares?  

If so, they need a reality check -- fix eBay so it works reliably and smoothly, and both sellers and buyers might stay.  

[tobyshitzu]

Most of us who post here wouldn't like the changes ebay would make to become more amzn like.  

[pocomocomputing]

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@rose-dee wrote:

Which does beg the question: do you think eBay cares?  

If so, they need a reality check -- fix eBay so it works reliably and smoothly, and both sellers and buyers might stay.  

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More than fixing the site. eBay needs to stop changing the site look and feel constantly. While sellers have to adapt to changes, buyers just get upset and leave. I know change is a reality in this world but the pace (daily something changes like the login page now) at which eBay changes the look and feel of the site is too much. Consistency is needed.

Whenever I happen to get into a conversation about buying online and eBay is mentioned, the amount of disrespect and anger towards ebay is amazing. All say they would use eBay as a last resort to buy something and Amazon or other website is their first choice. Biggest complaint is shipping costs are crazy for things bought on eBay while Amazon is so much cheaper. This has to be the GSP and these casual buyers I have talked have no idea what GSP is. All they see is a large "shipping" cost and leave to Amazon or wherever.

[booksandbobs-us]

I think the Star is a little slow on this story. I and many sellers I know have been on Amazon.com for a long time.

[patken123]

"While sellers have to adapt to changes, buyers just get upset and leave."

The main reason I have stayed is to be a thorn in ebay's side for bringing   GSP. lol.

[cumos55]

We have to be very careful when comparing Amazon to  eBay.

It is a comparison of a mouse to an elephant....

It is very easy to double in size... that is Amazon.

while eBay has about reached the maximum size it should ever be.

also using percentages is questionable... especially when you are comparing 2 million to 25 million

for Amazon it is easy to add on 25 % ...  but for eBay   25 % is almost impossible...

Yet   25 % of 2 million is  0.5 million... and 0.5 million is easy for eBay   

eBay can lose and gain 0.5 million easily... but for Amazon 0.5 million is  a big loss and not easily gained back...

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Statistics  expressed as percentages can be manipulated to prove something that may not be a reality

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an example

start with 100 and add 25 % 

Start with 125 and subtract 20 %  and you have 100

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So we have a problem  where 25 is ...

25 % in one situation  , going up to 125...

while  25 is ...

20 % in a second situation....going down from 125

Yet 25 is 25 in real value!!!

[canadian.tree]

I don't agree with this.. Ebay will always have more sellers so they will have more buyers.

amazon charges 40$ to be a seller and what seems to me as a much bigger fee.. I've been selling a bunch of things on amazon just to test it out with the 30 day trial the same games on eBay (duplicates) for the same price and I've had many more sales on eBay.

I sell 1 game for 19$ + 3.50 shipping I'm not sure if they count this towards the fee but my fee preview fee is 4.20$ - on eBay/paypal my fee is 1.69+.05 listing fee = 2.73$ (with 20% off)

another example of there strange fee's is I am selling a game for 4.25 + 3.50$ shipping  My fee is 2$ on ebay/paypal my fee is .62+.05 = 1.18 (with 20% off)

Don't think the 1$ is a difference... Say I sell 100 things In a month that's an extra 100$ I would be losing out on...

Maby amazon just isn't for games? I find that hard to believe that I'm paying 40$ a month + higher fees to sell on a much smaller demographic.

Yes there is unlimited listing so if one were to list 800+ things I can see it worth it but the fee's are still higher and there is no seller fee discount for being a good seller. amazon also doesn't seem to want people trying to make a business selling on there website and they compete with there sellers also very little seller protection. 

In my opinion eBay is quite saturated as it has been around for ever and like said has 25million sellers.

In a few years Amazon will be just a saturated and everyone will be back at eBay because the prices will be same the only different is people on eBay will save money on there fees.

If I'm wrong about something I would love to know because maybe it will help me out .