Ever wonder how different ebay would be if Amazon never existed?

[iamalwaysright]

Just think of it.

[richard1rst]

Or Alibaba

Or even Ali Baba

Or China

Or Wal-Mart

Or Uncle Fred (Oops, wait a minute - I don’t have an Uncle Fred so I guess it’s a case of what if he DID exist)

Or George Washington

Or Bonanza

Or Hoss

It makes as much sense as trying to predict how a fist full of Pick-Up-Sticks are going to fall if you used your left hand instead of your right.

Mr. Heisenberg, please pick up your phone.

[dbfolks166mt]

     One of those what if questions that is impossible to answer. Like asking

1. What if eBay had applied a different business model?

2. What if Amazon had bought out eBay early?

3. What if eBay had bought out Amazon early?

4. What if the internet had never been developed?

5. What if we had a Star Trek transporter instead of USPS, UPS and FedEx?

     The only given in the market place is if there is money to be made players and competition will enter the market and if revenues decline or the market place becomes to over saturated players and competition will leave. 

[chris13]

I usually wonder how civilization might have developed if capitalism wasnt so successful, but then I go even further and wonder about what humans would be like if they didnt invent the concept of 'time' and 'self'. It's a very Zen Buddhist line of questioning that was being discussed even before the late 7th century. 

[coolections]

For used items is would be no different. For those selling new items it would be extremely different.

[ebooksdiva]

What if the internet never came into existence? 
Then you wouldn’t need to ponder on the what ifs. 

[iamalwaysright]

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@ebooksdiva wrote:

What if the internet never came into existence? 
Then you wouldn’t need to ponder on the what ifs. 

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You’d still ponder it but have nowhere to post them.

[12345jamesstamps]

Less cardboard boxes going into the garbage.

Less third party employees with no benefits.

But alas, some stuff on eBay come from Amazon...per the boxes that say they are from Amazon.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

I asked Bing's version of ChatGPT. Here's the answer I got:

If Amazon never existed, eBay would still be a marketplace for third-party sellers. Unlike Amazon, eBay does not have its own products. Products from individual sellers or businesses are listed through either the auction format or fixed-price format.

However, it’s hard to say how eBay would have evolved without Amazon’s competition. Amazon has been a major disruptor in the retail industry and has forced other companies to adapt and innovate. It’s possible that eBay would have continued with its original business model without much change.

[evry1nositswindy]

We would have fewer buyers that complain that their item isn't in their hands the day after they order it.  Amazon has ruined it for everyone!  They should take over the USPS and deliver everything.

[yuzuha]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote:

Less cardboard boxes going into the garbage.

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See, I actually love Amazon boxes because I reuse them all to ship eBay sales. They come in so many different shapes and sizes that you can find the perfect box to fit just about anything, no matter how unusual the shape/size. Plus there's the added bonus of being able to get just the right size box for something without having to order a pack of 25 or 50.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

I asked Bing's version of ChatGPT. Here's the answer I got:

If Amazon never existed, eBay would still be a marketplace for third-party sellers. Unlike Amazon, eBay does not have its own products. Products from individual sellers or businesses are listed through either the auction format or fixed-price format.

However, it’s hard to say how eBay would have evolved without Amazon’s competition. Amazon has been a major disruptor in the retail industry and has forced other companies to adapt and innovate. It’s possible that eBay would have continued with its original business model without much change.

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Actually a truism and over the Covid timeframe many a retailer has become much more aggressive with their online venues.

[transamcc]

NO. I have never bought an item directly from amazon.

[reallynicestamps]

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques 

Fun with bilingualism.

If you speak French, say ChatGPT .

"Chat, j'ai pete" .*

For those who don't , it sounds like, "Cat, I broke wind."

This is very amusing if you are eight.

I am old and entering my second childhood.

* This keyboard doesn't do accent marks.