eBay

mirufx · ‎03-24-2013

Hi guys, I see Auction and classified ads web sites dropping like flies. eve those associated with big national newspapers brands.

I listed items on another auctions site, no body even asked a question, no body was watching, nothing! the other website offered 0 inserstion fees!

I guess for sellers it would be OK to list anywher, but where will the buyers come from! its all abut the buyer.

I think it comes down to : security & byers.

I also think that it could only be acheived by massive investment , although Amazon did a poor job with that.

People might be interested in looking into google Auctions, or Google classifieds, but how well did google do against paypal?

If it was your job to create an alternative ebay or an alternative Kijiji, what do you think matters, how would you go about it?

pierrelebel · ‎03-24-2013

"What would it take to make another ebay? "

First thing I would check is the calendar. Are we in 1995 or 2013 ?

If 1995, I would work on a great novelty: online auction site. If 2013, I would go where the profits are: ecommerce site.

Considering that the market capitalization of eBay is slightly more than US$69 Billion dollars, I guess it would require at least half as much or US$ 35 Billion dollars to get started.

If you have the funds contact me and we will get started immediately.:-)

inuk_the_polar_bear · ‎03-24-2013

You do realize that Kijiji is eBay, right? There were lots of Kijiji out there. Here in winnipeg it was called Buy&Sell. Kijiji wiped it out.

Pierre is correct. Start-up capital. To start from nothing, as eBay did with Kijiji, and wipe everyone else out. eBay is using Kijiji to lay a beat-down on CL in Canada, which, is part owned by eBay.

There are a lot of Mom & Pop sites out there. They are like fleas to eBay and Amazon. eBay is buying up sites around the world. eBay has it's own in-house bank, Paypal.

Is it possible that another site could start and grow? Possible, but not probable. Our world today is very immediate, here today and gone tomorrow. eBay is here to stay. Now, what will it look like in two years, then five years?

brett_the_tech · ‎03-24-2013

I know my word of mouth has opened up friends / family to using online websites aside from ebay..Some people are hesitant of using ebay for the first time so they deff will be hesitant using a "no name" website.

Sure no site will compare to to ebay but you have sites that are doing pretty good, ebay, qbids and beezid. Sure alot of people will prob say something bad about those sites but they are all "newer" sites.

Microsoft was considered the company that dominated operating systems.

Yet over the years more and more people are using Linux and now even Google OS.

So ANYTHINGS possible Id say.

inuk_the_polar_bear · ‎03-24-2013

I am switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox. Firefox is way less glitchy.

Still not gonna use Bing over Google. Results make no sense.

tobyshitzu · ‎03-24-2013

Having a few $million should give you a (slim) chance to get far enough to get some serious financing. Sites like glyde and shop.ca started with well under $10m. If thats still too ambitious think local, shipping cost is going to kill what the small seller do here anyway.

maxsold came from a local estate auctioneer http://business.financialpost.com/2012/12/31/online-auctions-meet-needs-of-downsizing-baby-boomers/ . Its a different, you don't just list your stuff, they do it all (for 30%!). It would seem to be a pain having to commit to buy and usually having only a few hour window on a certain day to pick it up yourself, but when there is something that would be identical to what would be on ebay they have enough traffic its usually bid well above what its going unsold for here. They are expanding though to move fast

i*m-still-here · ‎03-24-2013

There are a lot of Mom & Pop sites out there. They are like fleas to eBay and Amazon. eBay is buying up sites around the world. eBay has it's own in-house bank, Paypal.

Amazon bores me to death, but some of those other sites are doing very well today compared to a year ago.

With the new fee increases I think they'll see a nice boost in listings and sales.

It's rare today to see really top notch antiques etc. on ebay, and the fee increases could all but put an end to that.

One thing ebay always had going for it was the international exposure.

The other sites are limited in that sense.

Now, ebay seems to almost intentionally be making it difficult for buyers out of the US, and if the international buyers leave then that will make a difference as well.

Since other sites tend to be specialized and ebay is all over the board, they'll never hurt ebay very badly............ but for some buyers the pickin's could get very slim.

So I''m not sure about a new site getting a foot hold, but some of the existing specialty sites could take off like rockets in the very near future.

rosscd57 · ‎03-24-2013

I don't think eBay is really interested in the Art, Collectable's and Antiques market and given their recent exorbitant fee hike - that market was hit pretty hard. If they lose a lot of business there I wonder if they would consider a spin off of the Art, Collectable's and Antiques or perhaps someone else could pick it up. Those are also generally the bunch that are the die hard auction types. Plus I think that a lot of that market lends itself to auctions other than Buy It Now.

They could call it Eoldstuff.

__________________________________________________________

Old enough to know better. Young enough to do it again. Crazy enough to try

rose-dee · ‎03-24-2013

"It's rare today to see really top notch antiques etc. on ebay, and the fee increases could all but put an end to that."

No kidding. It seems eBay has been courting the large-volume, cheaply-priced item sellers over the past 3 years, and now the fee increases will add fuel to that fire.

"...but some of the existing specialty sites could take off like rockets in the very near future."

Perhaps if eBay chases away sellers of quality, unique merchandise, these alternate sites will gain a foothold. I've found in a couple of the categories I sell, that I can no longer hope to get decent prices for the quality items I easily sold 3 or 4 years ago. I've had to drop prices 25-30% in order to achieve any sales.

Dare I ask opinions about Etsy? I create custom-made garments, and the site would be appropriate for some of my categories.

I've been considering dividing my selling between Etsy and eBay, and in fact am hoping to try selling some items from my own website this year. Is there anyone out there who has tried dividing their wares between/amongst sites or their own website? I don't need or expect to make a huge profit, or even a full-time living, just some supplemental income each month.

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kashka · ‎03-24-2013

I do most of my online shopping at Betsy (and other sites) now..and after the past three months I think I will be listing there.I like shopping there..reminds me of the old ebay..lots of unique items,vintage and home made..Plus its alot easier to navigate and find things..and it's not changing every month in layout.If I need something cheap and chinese I come to ebay because basically thats what its all about now.Ebay is too frustrating when buying...I end up getting mad and going elsewhere usually.A couple weeks ago I did a search and the the thumbnails were so large I could only see three items per page...that along with the new search turns me off. The writing is on the wall..ebay doesn't want the small seller anymore..not worth my time to spend a day photographing and listing to get a couple views during the week and make all of $20 before fees...lol..After this relist if I get the same results..I am gone..I'll list somewhere else and if stuff sells..it sells..No sense beating a dead horse here.

rose-dee · ‎03-24-2013

I like shopping there..reminds me of the old ebay..lots of unique items,vintage and home made.

I'm interested to hear this, because I have wondered what buyers felt about Etsy.

I do already feel like I've been flogging a dying, if not dead horse. I've been getting the message over the past 3 or 4 years that eBay really doesn't want the smaller, "boutique" sellers anymore, those people with interesting, unique items that may not be $1.00 a piece + free shipping.

I haven't taken a good look at Etsy for a couple of years, but I might just do that...

catnip2002 · ‎03-24-2013

I think with all the years ebay has on it, it would be very hard to compete worldwide with them, but I have had amazing success with a smaller local group on facebook that caters to our local region. Great for items under 100.00 and no shipping or fees involved as we just either drop off or pick up right in our own town, but to reach out globally or for items that are not huge sellers locally Ebay is by far the best and worth the fees. JMO

rose-dee · ‎03-24-2013

... but to reach out globally or for items that are not huge sellers locally Ebay is by far the best and worth the fees.

There may not currently be many monolithic alternatives to eBay, but perhaps eBay's abandonment of its original core will mean that category-specific sites will fill the gap, as another poster has suggested.

My view is that it's becoming much more difficult for a smaller seller to reach out globally on eBay because of outrageous shipping costs and/or a lot of risk, both monetary and through eBay's DSR/FB system. Many seasoned sellers simply stopped selling to countries with dubious postal services or a history of corruption.

This leaves essentially the U.S., Canada, parts of Europe and a couple of other countries on the "safe" list. And shipping to Australia/NZ -- the cost takes your breath away! I had to laugh at Canada Post recently crowing about how shipping a 170gm DVD to Australia using Tracked Packet would only cost $39.22. What seller in their right mind would list a $20 DVD with that sort of shipping rate? Who in their right mind would buy it?

Frankly, if you sell anything over $50 in value these days and thicker than a slice of bread, it isn't worth it to ship overseas unless you're prepared to either subsidize the buyer's shipping or take the risk of loss or non-delivery and hope for the best. So far, I've chosen to subsidize to try to entice European customers, but that can't last. With eBay's fees added to the mix, it's getting to the point where selling to many parts of the world isn't viable for smaller sellers of quality goods.

The current Spring Seller update, with its fee hikes and enticement for store sellers to get on the subscription bandwagon, convinces me eBay wants to encourage big-volume sellers of cheap goods who will happily sign on because they can afford (or don't care about) the losses and risks. EBay has caught the big box, conglomerate sickness, and I think it's here to stay, which is why I no longer feel very comfortable.

Your local Facebook group is sounding like not too bad an idea at all, especially if one is near any sort of larger population base.

i*m-still-here · ‎03-25-2013

That's right on: Ebay is drawing in sellers of large-volume, cheaply priced merchandise.

It's also courting sellers who want to make a quick buck by selling off their attic junk.

Not that I don't LoVe those sellers………… they don't know their stuff and some of that junk is amazing. It's the main reason I keep buying here.

BUT……….. those sellers have to be kept in line with a strict rating system because a lot of them are just out for a quick buck and don't care much about customer satisfaction.

That same system comes down hard and is very unfair to the best sellers.............. Acceptable Collateral Damage I guess.

That's why a lot of the most respectable professionals left ebay a long time ago.

It wasn't the FVFs.

It was the rating system that drove them (us?) away.

This time it's the FVFs.

Those sellers didn't stop selling on line.

They just moved on.

To the best of my knowledge only two sites cater to certain items like shampoo, books, tapes…. etc., and so those sellers are tied into ebay.

It's also the only worthwhile auction site.

The other benefit to ebay which seems to be compromised right now is that it's really by far the best place for International sales……

(BUT……… that's already been made difficult by wonky new TPIP rules and CPO changes.)

Ebay is a great place to learn about selling on line and it's also a very good stepping stone.

For some items it's peerless.

However, it is not a dead end.

mirufx · ‎03-25-2013

Thanks guys, sees we share the same concerns.

looking at what you have written, I think it is possible to make another eBay or another Kijiji.

Another eBay would succeed if:

1. Manages security well

2. really good contract with a reputable internationl shipper, that offers competetive TRACKABLE shipping

3. Charges reasonabe fees

4. Drives in buyers by advertising (locally, internationally, online & offline)

5. The above will require 2 things:

a) a prophet! a former eBay mega top seller who knows people on this forum , buyers & sellers & knows what they think & how they react, better yet wants to know & wants to engage them in every setep. a beleiver & a community driving force. and able to unify all those scattered efforts.

b) Money, lots of angel investor, venture capital, pension fund MONEY.

What did I miss?

pierrelebel · ‎03-25-2013

"Sites like glyde and shop.ca started with well under $10m. "

And star.ca quickly needed more money. They approached Torstar (Toronto Star) last year who agreed to invest $6 million cash and another $12 million in "promotional support".

Since then, every quarter Torstar has reported a loss on their investment in shop.ca. Will shop.ca eventually succeed? I do not know but, frankly, I expect not.

One needs very very deep pockets to launch a site to compete with eBay with, let's be realistic, little chance of success. eBay will not go down without a fight.

What could succeed is a "niche" site. An ecommerce site devoted and limited to a specific type of products or services. Many such sites exist and are doing very well - both for sellers and buyers. However, when I really look at them (the successful ones) I quickly find they are not "cheap". One such successful site specializing in postage stamps for collectors (that is a "niche" market) typically charges fees of 20% to sellers. Well worth it if you ask me and sellers are not complaining.

If anyone plans to compete with eBay with a better site offering lower fees, all I can say is :do not waste your time and money. Either it is going to be better or cheaper, it cannot be both.

dipmicro · ‎03-25-2013

Many popular websites started without much capital, they offered something that made people's life easy or became fashionable to do (someone tell me what practical purpose is facebook good for ?). Any wannabe website is going to fail unless they spend obscene amount of money (AMZ, Bing), have celebrity promoters (Twitter) or innovate extensively (Google).

Everyone who starts with idea to copy Ebay and does not have 10-digit capital is going to fail. Ebay started spontaneously, Omidyar had no idea what monster he was creating. Don't make Ebay clone but something that will make Ebay look medieval and will make shopping and connecting with right sellers infinitely easier.

mirufx · ‎03-25-2013

Then what would make "shoping & connecting with right sellers infinitely easier"?

I mean what you came accross with eBay that mae you say : I wish it was ...... ?

I was thinking that a viable solution was for those smaller popular regional auction sites, and they are many and very popular, to connect together & become a cohesive entity.

Thought it would be a nightmare to manage given all the languages spoken & different regional laws, but then I thouhgt , how about languages eBay?

jamieed · ‎10-02-2013

Well, without having millions, some people are creating their own very niche classified sites, these can sometimes work quite well because you are focusing on a very specific market. For instance, scooters in the Seattle area, or Ultralight flying in Western Canada, that kind of thing, if you find the right niche a small-ish site can be quite successful, and lucrative. A classified ad site is pretty easy to build, a auction site, quite a bit harder.

I am just in the process of builing a site for a niche that is dear to my heart, and I am using this software -