@b86fiero wrote:
What will it take to generate buyer excitement and bring them back to the site?
Speaking strictly for myself, the addition of sales tax and the increase in postal rates (neither of which are eBay's doing) have come pretty close to pricing me out of the eBay market.
On top of that, some of the items I look for are offered at laughable prices: certain discontinued items listed at $50--used--that I can get on Amazon for under $20 brand new, for example. Lately, I've checked for specific books, DVDs, jigsaw puzzles, and a small kitchen appliance at least, and all were priced way above Amazon. That's not encouraging for a buyer.
As a final straw, probably eight of my last ten transactions have been disappointing in one aspect or another--with the seller misrepresenting an item or packaging it poorly or whatever. Problems with my last two sellers pretty turned me off eBay. I know eBay is made up of good sellers, too, but I've had a pretty bad run of luck lately, even after doing all the appropriate "due diligence." A buyer can only give eBay sellers so many chances before deciding to go elsewhere.
So, as a buyer, I'm not sure what would rekindle my interest in eBay. An 80% "disappointment" rate is just too high for me to continue to buy here consistently. I might check it now and then for some obscure item, but I won't be checking it routinely anymore. The %-off discount offers used to spark my interest, but they've stopped doing those. The other ideas you mentioned are great, but, for me, they're not enough to put up with mediocre purchases or transactions.
