eBay

cyclebitz · ‎05-23-2023

Step 1. Build a marketplace where individual sellers can sell a wide variety of items for set seller fees.
Step2. Always pitch sellers in a lowest pricing race to the bottom and flood the space with overseas sellers driving prices even lower. Throw in incentives for seller paid shipping and returns.
Step3. When every product has hundreds or even thousands competing listings / sellers, increase your bottom line by having sellers promote their listings for extra $.

Step4. When everyone is promoted, nobody is promoted but no worries .. now offer Advanced promotions for even higher fees. You can also increase revenue via steep anchor and enterprise monthly subscriptions etc.

huntfishdie45 · ‎05-23-2023

At some point they won't be able to get blood out of a stone and will go the way of K Mart.

luckythewinner · ‎05-23-2023

@cyclebitz wrote:
Step 1. Build a marketplace where individual sellers can sell a wide variety of items for set seller fees.
Step2. Always pitch sellers in a lowest pricing race to the bottom and flood the space with overseas sellers driving prices even lower. Throw in incentives for seller paid shipping and returns.
Step3. When every product has hundreds or even thousands competing listings / sellers, increase your bottom line by having sellers promote their listings for extra $.
Step4. When everyone is promoted, nobody is promoted but no worries .. now offer Advanced promotions for even higher fees. You can also increase revenue via steep anchor and enterprise monthly subscriptions etc.

Alternatively, sellers work harder to find unique-ish items that have little competition so steps 2, 3 & 4 never happen.

cyclebitz · ‎05-23-2023

@luckythewinner wrote:
Alternatively, sellers to work harder to find unique-ish items that have little competition so steps 2, 3 & 4 never happen.

A bit naïve ..

huntfishdie45 · ‎05-23-2023

They are called niche sellers, and when that happens eBay quickly refers your listings and success to their preferred sellers and then those sellers source your items, steal your pics and descriptions and low ball your prices. They also pay for PL's so how does that work out for the innovative seller?

luckythewinner · ‎05-23-2023

@cyclebitz wrote:
@luckythewinner wrote:
Alternatively, sellers to work harder to find unique-ish items that have little competition so steps 2, 3 & 4 never happen.
A bit naïve ..

And yet that is what I do.

P.S. it's also a bit naive to blame the platform for the fact that there are "thousands of competing listings" or that it is "flooded with sellers" offering low prices. That's what you get when you choose to sell commodities.

If retail was easy, everyone would be rich.

cyclebitz · ‎05-23-2023

@luckythewinner wrote:
@cyclebitz wrote:
@luckythewinner wrote:
Alternatively, sellers to work harder to find unique-ish items that have little competition so steps 2, 3 & 4 never happen.
A bit naïve ..
And yet that is what I do.

P.S. it's also a bit naive to blame the platform for the fact that there are "thousands of competing listings" or that it is "flooded with sellers" offering low prices. That's what you get when you choose to sell commodities.

If retail was easy, everyone would be rich.

Unless one manufactures their own unique product, or sells exclusive one off collectors items, it is impossible to keep other sellers away from your product. It's only a matter of time, often a few weeks.

It's not as much blaming as it is stating fact.
eBay really does not care one bit about whether a seller survives or not. If one goes down, another one will step in, they make money either way. Just one example, on every listing they will show offers from other sellers.

ckimodog · ‎05-23-2023

@cyclebitz

Thanks for your post...will this be on the final?

hartungcards · ‎05-23-2023

You may want to look into having a yard sale, where it's much easier to control variables like competition.

isaiah53-57 · ‎05-23-2023

@cyclebitz wrote:
Step 1. Build a marketplace where individual sellers can sell a wide variety of items for set seller fees.
Step2. Always pitch sellers in a lowest pricing race to the bottom and flood the space with overseas sellers driving prices even lower. Throw in incentives for seller paid shipping and returns.
Step3. When every product has hundreds or even thousands competing listings / sellers, increase your bottom line by having sellers promote their listings for extra $.
Step4. When everyone is promoted, nobody is promoted but no worries .. now offer Advanced promotions for even higher fees. You can also increase revenue via steep anchor and enterprise monthly subscriptions etc.

I like your use of the word "Evolution" - In my opinion, it is very appropriate as the managers of the site have been reacting to, acclimating to, & adapting to market conditions over the last 20 years rather than cultivating and creating a fair and unique market place for all users - Over the years, this non-strategy has painted them into a corner where the decisions they make are short term at the expense of long term vision and typically tread on the usability and affordability of the site, as opposed to making the site more palatable. The only thing most of the replies below get right, is that the company doesn't give a rats tail about you or your needs as a user/consumer as long as they continue to show short term profitability - That profitability seems to be regardless, and in spite of all other company health metrics - I'm sure its going to continue to get harder for them, so buckle up if you are a loyal user.

jameshen1 · ‎05-23-2023

Perhaps you should start your own site without any of the problems of this one. It would be a utopia for sellers, apparently. And people like Isaiah53-57 would flock to your site. Win-win. Let us know the name and url, please.

isaiah53-57 · ‎05-23-2023

@jameshen1 wrote:
Perhaps you should start your own site without any of the problems of this one. It would be a utopia for sellers, apparently. And people like Isaiah53-57 would flock to your site. Win-win. Let us know the name and url, please.

@jameshen1

You dont think this site isnt happening? Mark my words, it will - The "evolution" of online sales dictates it - It likely wont be a "utopia" as you sarcastically say, but it will rise above most others because it won't follow the missteps of sites past.

boomersbiz46 · ‎05-23-2023

I agree. I'm a Top Producer, 25 years with ebay, 7.8 sales with 4200 FB. I sell unique items. hard to find antiques and get very few views. My guess is that my items get excluded as I refuse to PROMOTEI. (I am currently, running a test with this ) I agree some of my items are not in super demand. Luckily I do this for FUN and to downsize my 45 year accumulation. But if I set up in a flea market my items fly out the door. So someone is "sourcing' my stuff.

My wisdom tells me if everyone "Stops Promoting" , ebay would get rid of it! We are already paying ebay 25 to 30% on a sale....why do they need more money. (stupid comment)........

hartungcards · ‎05-23-2023

My wisdom tells me if everyone "Stops Promoting" , eBay would raise everyone's FVFs. And if you're paying 25%-30% on a sale without using promoted listings, you're doing something very wrong.

luckythewinner · ‎05-23-2023

Unless one manufactures their own unique product, or sells exclusive one off collectors items, it is impossible to keep other sellers away from your product.

In the old days, manufacturers manufactured, distributors distributed, and retailers retailed. These days an manufacturer does all three and the role of the distributor and the retailer are dying. But that was brought on by e-commerce, not by the eBay marketplace as the OP seems to hint.

eBay really does not care one bit about whether a seller survives or not. If one goes down, another one will step in, they make money either way.

Exactly. Which is why it is crucial for sellers to adapt to the new reality and avoid retailing commodities. Big outfits like Amazon and WalMart will always win that game in the end. Because eBay is not going eliminate your competition or get involved in price-fixing.

If a seller refuses to evolve and insists on trying to re-sell phone cases and toothbrushes, they are going to get crushed. And the reason they get crushed will not be because eBay allows competition, or because eBay allows sellers to drive prices down, or because eBay has promoted listings, or because eBay charges store fees. It will be because the seller made a bad inventory decision.

I have been saying for a decade now that 98% of a seller's effort should be focused on sourcing good inventory.