Gamestop and ebay sellers Some Q and A
Disclaimer: I have not watched this yet. I have no connection with Gamestop or Justin Resells.
Justin Resells, generally regarded as one of the more low key, sensible YouTubers , interviews the Gamestop CEO with questions from an ebay seller viewpoint, rather than a shareholder viewpoint. You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ij2nQymtA
I will be watching it later, don't have time at the moment.
43 comments
chapeau-noir
·5 months agoI'd like to see energy directed away from acquisition and to actually fixing the tech problems on this site, but TBH, I'm not sure eBay's problems are fixable without taking the entire site down for a period of time and overhauling it completely - the tech debt is too deep.
powell-collectibles
·5 months agoif they’re truly our great synergy is between GameStop and eBay, it would be better for eBay to just buy GameStop. Raising the capital wouldn’t be difficult. They could just offer stock. Even if they took out a loan, the interest would not be crippling. Even slight synergies would pay for any interest and then some.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP5 months ago@powell-collectibles
I think ebay buying Gamestop anytime soon is even less likely than Gamestop buying ebay.
bbcardzman
·5 months agoThis will never happen
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP5 months ago@bbcardzman I tend to agree with you.
Over 90% of ebay's shareholders are institutional investors, who are much less likely to be moved by the proffered deal---$125 in CASH might move them, but $125 with a lot of uncertainty attached, well, I think they find that much less appealing, even though the $125 is a substantial bid. Cohen has promised that if the Board rejects the offer, he will take the fight directly to the shareholders, but it is late in the game for that, as a quick proxy fight would be difficult at this point (ebay's Annual meeting is in June, and the deadline to nominate new board members has passed.)
However, in this, the year of our Lord 2026, I have learned that things I would never have expected...have been happening with stunning frequency. I don't own stock in either company, so I'll just sit back and watch.
mr_lincoln
·5 months ago@bbcardzman
That's what I am thinking too BUT, it might bring some other entity to the table.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP5 months ago@mr_lincoln I also agree with this. I believe ebay's Board has till Wed or Thursday to make a decision on the offer, so this could be an interesting week....
mr_lincoln
·5 months ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques
Queue the Final Jeopardy tune ... or drum roll whichever members prefer ...
chapeau-noir
·5 months agoKazoos.
grann-4629
·5 months agoMuted kazoos 😎
mr_lincoln
·5 months ago@chapeau-noir
Absolutely! One of the few musical instruments I can play with any kind of proficiency LOL!
chapeau-noir
·5 months agoWe could try vuvuzelas, too - I think this idea may have some legs.
onefootflipper
·5 months agoI frankly don't want to pay more in seller fees so ebay can provide amazing customer service to incompetent sellers. If anything I want the knowledge / skill bar to selling on ebay raised higher. Ebay already has twice as many sellers as it needs, what it could use is more buyers.
chrispass918
·5 months agoWhat’s up with all the bots lmao, this guy would run eBay into the ground just like GameStop.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP5 months agoOne thing to keep in mind: If the Board is unhappy with current management, they can always change it, without selling the company. Since they haven't done so, it seems likely that the Board is less focused on the changes Cohen says he would initiate, and more focused on the terms of the deal....and I have seen no new updates on those terms, as far as Gamestop's funding goes. Much of the problem, as I understand it, is that if ebay is sold, it will be saddled with a lot of debt, and it takes a very real leap of faith to believe Cohen---or anyone else----will be able to slash that debt quickly, even if he trims the work force heavily, etc.
So, Cohen's "here's what I'll do..." still has to deal with the Board's "show me the money"
broto_64
·5 months agoMeh, don't care much for CEO's and what they say. Most of them are so badly disconnected from reality it's not even remotely funny, in fact I consider it a miracle when they actually hit the nail on the head, but even when they say something right it's another long stretch for that to become actual reality too.
Further I will also say that it feels to me as if this is a politician attempting to appeal to their viewer base right before elections. You know, say all the right things, on that note it doesn't cover what is really important either but more like secondary issues (and yes fixing those would certainly help as well). Meanwhile, the CEO (as is usual with this disconnect) doesn't seem to fully comprehend just how we arrived where we are now anyway... So changes, yes changes, that would be great but we're here for reasons that go back 20-30 years where a slow and constant evolution has taken place. The things that are wrong with ebay today are based in roots that are not as easy to fix as most casual observers might think.
cardsforauction
·5 months agoHopefully, this is not another Sears. You see what happened there.
chapeau-noir
·5 months agoThis right here ^^ - it goes along with the idea that somehow eBay can 'reset' to where it was in its early glory days or that another site will 'step in' and replace eBay - two enduring myths. It doesn't work that way. Both eBay and the etailing space have evolved over these 20-30 years and there's no 'reset.' Cohen doesn't impress me even slightly - that one interview he looked stoned and couldn't even answer easy questions.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP5 months agoWell, I watched it and came away more impressed with Justin than with Cohen. LOL Yes, Cohen said a lot of things that would naturally appeal to sellers---just like a politician hoping to get some support---but I couldn't help but feel that, unlike Elliot Management, which had clearly done its homework and was very detail oriented, Cohen gives the impression that he doesn't really feel the need to do much in the way of due diligence. He replied to Justin's questions, but he didn't always provide real answers. I certainly agree with his basic point: ebay could be a much better platform than it is, and it could be more profitable for the average seller. But whether Cohen is the guy who is best suited to make that sort of transformation happen? Well, this interview didn't convince me either way.
If I'm not mistaken, we should know by Wednesday or Thursday what the ebay Board's formal response is, so I'm fine with waiting for that and then seeing what happens next.
And, as I said above, it would be nice if the situation lit a fire under present management, and got them to focus on some of the real improvements sellers have been requesting for years....
kibble-net
·5 months agoHaven't watched the interview yet but I am a regular watcher of Justin's channel, he's one of the best if not THE best.
I'm a bit skeptical, though - if GameStop is worth as much as their CEO claims, how on earth would he have time to do this interview? Something feels off.
Has anyone here ever traded in or purchased a used video game at GameStop? Is that the kind of experience you want here on ebay? (No need to answer, it's a rhetorical question.)
chapeau-noir
·5 months agoMy own personal opinion is that CEOs don't do much, really - it's the employees who do all the work. Mr "Leather jacket and T shirt" looks like a typical bro.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP5 months agoebay announced that they received the non-binding offer on May 4th. My understanding---someone please correct me if I'm wrong---- is that ebay's Board has 10 business days to notify the SEC that they accept, reject, or are maintaining a neutral position on the offer. If that's true, then we can expect a Board response by the 14th. So we should have a good idea of where things stand by next Thursday. And in the meantime, GameStop's CEO will likely have a fine time talking about this....
marnotom!
·5 months agoFor all the "right" things that Cohan is talking about, the fact remains that GameStop is woefully underfinanced to take on the purchase of a much larger company and it has little background in online marketplace sales. The only thing I've heard about how Cohan is going to make up the financing shortfall is that he plans on attracting investors from the Middle East, which I'm sure would go over really well given the current political climate.
I'm reminded of how, a couple of years after I left, a mid-sized regional retail chain I worked for went into bankruptcy protection and was purchased by a much smaller manufacturer with no background in retail except for being a vendor. The president/owner of the manufacturer said a lot of the right things and made a better offer on the debt to creditors than the private equity firm that the chain had lined up. This made the vendors a bit happier. However, it soon became apparent that the new owner was over their head. After several store closures, the chain went bankrupt a second time as did the manufacturer. This time, the chain was not revived. Meanwhile, the original owners of the chain are doing quite well living off the real estate the stores sat on as they owned that as well but it wasn't part of the purchase agreement.
wri-8727
·5 months agoEverything is political. I'm sure Pierre Omidyar's grandfather has nothing to do with it. 🫤
https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-jewish-angles-to-the-gamestop-stock-saga-explained/
segestius
·5 months agoWe all need to keep in mind... The only way to provide "amazing customer service" is to increase seller fees. To me, it is a sacrifice that I am willing to make... but it would not be a positive thing to all sellers.
christworks
·5 months agoI disagree that rasing fees or adding some type of buyer fee is the only way.
As I see it, eBay's biggest problem is that they went all-in on buyers. It makes sense and I don't have a problem with it. The probem is that eBay left their sellers out to dry and to use a UI that doesn't work for sellers. Policies are all over the place. They are often not easy to find, they sometimes contradict one another, and can be cumbersome weeding through them just to find what you are looking for. All of the policies need to be rolled into one page and simplified. It needs to address both buyers and sellers.
I mentioned this in another thread. When someone signs-up to sell, they need to go through a brief course that explains what their role is as a seller. A video or two would be good as well. Then each potential seller must pass that course before they are allowed to sell their first item. This process will do a couple of things: It will weed out those who do not want to put in the effort, and it will help those who do want to do the right thing but find selling on eBay cumbersome.
eBay also needs to crack down faster and harder on sellers who have no interest in doing the right thing. There are too many sellers jerking buyers around and they need to be gone much faster than they are. The same goes for buyers who jerk sellers around and abuse the return process. I'm a firm believer that a buyer's return rate should be displayed on their account, and sellers should have a setting that they can adjust to determine whether they want to block buyers who have a certain return percentage. The buyer doesn't have to go to a sellers BBL, but blocked from buying from a seller until the buyer reduces their return rate percentage. We can talk about a buyer having 3 returns a quarter or every 6 months before they are blocked. There just needs to be something in place so that sellers have more control over who they deal with.
Buyers also need to understand the Money Back Guarantee. We all know eBay has it, but eBay does not do a good job at promiently telling buyers about it. Yes, it is on every listing, but you must scroll down and look for it on the far right side of the page within more block text. Currently the link to the MBG lines up with the line of similar items eBay is promoting on listing. Buyer's eyes won't ever see MBG link, because they are either going to scroll on down to the description or click on one of the other items being advertised. Even when you check out, the MBG link is a small text link found under the larger blue pay button. I think there are ways to make sure all buyers know about the MBG.
eBay needs to have an app and a better search function that is geared toward sellers.
There needs to be dedicated help for eBay sellers that isn't on a social media platform.
Reps need to be empowered to take more actions on behalf of those needing help, especially for sellers. You can still have guardrails in place, but a rep should be able to remove a negative feedback on the spot if it violates policy.
grann-4629
·5 months agoPolicies are all over the place. They are often not easy to find, they sometimes contradict one another, and can be cumbersome weeding through them just to find what you are looking for. All of the policies need to be rolled into one page and simplified. It needs to address both buyers and sellers.
The way eBay is set up now with so many policies as you mention, it would be very difficult to cram everything into a simple one-pager. They need to eliminate some of their policies.
When someone signs-up to sell, they need to go through a brief course that explains what their role is as a seller. ... Then each potential seller must pass that course before they are allowed to sell their first item.
That's something that could be managed very well by AI ... there would be few claims of stupid AI if a candidate failed the test. It would also have to be easy enough for the average person to do, and in multiple languages. Maybe a bit like WHMIS tests done by safety people.
Buyers also need to understand the Money Back Guarantee. ... Yes, it is on every listing, but you must scroll down and look for it on the far right side of the page within more block text.
The best solution to this and other issues with the listing page is to remove all the advertising. Those who browse using a cell phone even have to take an extra step just to see the description. However, we will never see the reduction of advertising anywhere, so this won't happen.
There needs to be dedicated help for eBay sellers that isn't on a social media platform.
A 24 hour human interface would be ideal.
Reps need to be empowered to take more actions on behalf of those calling in.
Those calling in would be better able to explain the problem to a human, especially a problem that doesn't appear on a list. Currently if your problem is not on the list, you get into an endless loop with their AI.
JMHO tho
segestius
·5 months ago@christworks -
Have to agree with almost every point that you made. They will all improve the eBay process for sellers. However none of those things will substantially reduce costs for eBay. May make things a little more efficient, but no "major" cost savings.
Your suggestions:
"eBay needs to have an app and a better search function that is geared toward sellers."
"There needs to be dedicated help for eBay sellers that isn't on a social media platform. "
Both of these things will substantially increase eBay costs... software development and adding a trained and knowledgeable staff that have the power to help sellers. With the millions of transactions on eBay, they would need an extremely large staff. They likely would do a better job than the bots... but the additional costs would be huge.
The bottom line is that it is very difficult for large bureaucratic organizations to cut costs... but it is relatively easy for them to increase their costs.
mcdougle4248
·5 months agoGreat interview! Ryan appeared more relaxed and natural while speaking with Justin than in the interview I saw on CNBC.
christworks
·5 months agoVery good interview. Congrats to Justin for getting that!
marnotom!
·5 months agoApparently, Cohan didn’t interview so well on CNBC:
https://www.businessinsider.com/gamestop-ceo-ryan-cohen-cnbc-interview-bizarre-moments-2026-5
12345jamesstamps
·5 months agoGamestop I believe does not have the funds to buy eBay.
I think Gamestop if I recalled had a value of like 11 million dollars...I can't remember.
airget-51
·5 months agoI find what's interesting about that sentiment though is that the Warner Brother's Paramount deal was solidified even though it's literally the same situation in terms of the company with "less" value purchasing the company with "more" value and debt.
grann-4629
·5 months agoI think there was a little more to that Warner deal that the public wasn't told about.
mr_lincoln
·5 months ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques
Thanks for posting and I might watch it too at some point. As of right now it is just an offer on the table and like most major buyouts, mergers, takeovers, etc. it takes time and the end result, if it happens, could look very different from it's look today.
I've been in industry for a long time and watched many mergers, buyouts, etc to where some company web site home pages read like a NASCAR driver's jacket, completely covered with many different company logos ... you get the idea.
I did read one statement (when looking into this earlier this week) that when the announcement first became public that GameStops' stock went down and eBay's went up ...
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP5 months ago@mr_lincoln I haven't watched it yet either. And I'm not making any bets on how this will all turn out. But the optimist in me hopes that ---if nothing else---this will light a fire under ebay mangement---maybe they'll realize that they really do need to do better. And soon. Did you see the May monthly update announcement? Not bad changes, but not exactly game changing for most sellers either.
mr_lincoln
·5 months ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques
LOL, historically the big changes usually come near the end of the year right before holiday season shopping!
I've seen so many buyouts, mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, etc. that I am surprised it hasn't happened already. Years ago, I had predicted like 5 years ... well, I missed that prediction but knew then that eventually it will most likely happen.
If this one does actually go through I can see the San Jose, CA location being stripped down to a satellite office and the bulk of the business moving to Grapevine, TX ...
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP5 months ago@mr_lincoln Another thing I have thought about---IF another company has been considering making a bid for ebay---a company with a better financial profile, like WalMart, for example, this might push them to make a competing offer. I would guess the "Wall Street wisdom" is that the ebay Board will reject the offer, and at that point, he might make his offer directly to the shareholders....and at that point, IF someone is really interested in ebay, they might make their own bid (especially if they think there's a chance the shareholders would actually sell). Most of ebay's stock is owned by institutional investors, so I'm not so sure they would be as receptive as some individual shareholders might be....
grann-4629
·5 months agoWhat made it interesting to me was the way the CEO talked about things that are really important to all of us, number one being the lack of human customer service. Others things that bug him are limits on selling, shipping ... basically the same stuff we want changed.
I no nothing about high finance ... he didn't talk much about the buy out issue.
grann-4629
·5 months agoThe Gamestop CEO is brilliant! Everything he says in this interview makes sense, and the issues he wants to change at eBay have all been discussed here many, many times. If this guy pulls it off, the number of complaints on this forum will do down, for sure.
He also seems like a nice guy.
I look forward to other comments on this, especially from eBay long-term members.