@fern*wood wrote:
I believe the economy has improved, but too many retailers decided they prefer bigger profits than to adjust their prices accordingly. When the supply lines were jammed, they raised their prices to survive, but now do not wish to go back to pre-covid levels since they got buyers used to paying the higher prices.
Exactly opposite of what the retailers associations are saying, they anticipate as does Walmart who's had banner online profits this year that Christmas will be slower, many reasons. That said, retailers are expected to get ultra price aggressive to attract the consumer dollars. I don't know how many have to say this...
Pre-Covid and during eBay sort of sat in a bubble as did other third party points of sale. Covid caught heaps of retailers with their pants down that had treated the web as sideline revenues. That's changed and BECAUSE it's changed NOW that BUBBLE no longer exists. NOW eBay like any other retail operation needs compete for the dollar. Amazon is a retailer, they've always competed for the dollar in hard goods. Walmart retail stores compete for the DOLLAR, where large super Walmarts move in other businesses even many unrelated to Walmarts products suffer. They suffer because the consumer has finite money and Walmart attracts the consumer leaving them less to spend at other nearby retailers.
Want a paradigm? The web has now become one big "Sales street" and everyplace selling hard goods on that street including all of us at eBay are competing for that dollar. You're in competition against Walmart who now is #2 in eCommerce as their ship to store model is magnificent and Walmart has embraced the delisted, liquidation and overstock channels... There are some UNREAL bargains found via price search engines. Macys, Kohls, on and on and on are now on the exact same street as we all are competing for the dollar and that dollar is just as finite as it is in a community where a Super Walmart moves in.
Folks want blame everything from Government to inflation, China on and on and YES all of that stuff certainly impactors just as they are for small or moderate or large retail businesses. But online its changed just as the type of buyer demographics over time have changed. Fifteen years ago DVD movies were the in thing and its now dying to streaming. Twenty five years ago you'd be hard pressed to find people who collect video games or that of Vinyl Records, now there are literal hordes of collectors. Twenty five years ago one get $40 dollars for a good legacy Turntable Cartridge (needle) now they are $300-$600 due to collectors of Vinyl Records. I've a turntable here that when it was new back in the 1980's was $200 and the cartridge (needle) was $150. Now that turntable in PARTS ALONE sells for $700+ and the Cartridge is $400.
Beanie Babies and Precious moments used to be the in things, no longer. Consumer demographics change. Stuff I have (PC Games) used to be very very mainstream and not anymore some 15-20 years later. Back in the day I'd four to five of those big postal sacks every single day of the week going to the Post Office having $400+ dollar shipping bills daily at $4 per via Priority Mail. Average sale was about $10-$15 dollars now, a good bit of that stuff is actually collectible. For example, I'd master case of a title that cost me $2.50 each back in the day delisted, they are now $400 each but its a very specific collector who buys that type of stuff. I've a few master cases of a game that cost me .75 a unit and are now $30 cheapest and I've sold a handful over the past two years.
Things change.
On the Internet now you're competing not just against sellers here at eBay, you're also competing for the consumer dollar against EVERY OTHER INTERNET hard goods retailer and most of them have distinct advantage. Macys, Kohls, Walmart, Amazon RETAIL on and on dont buy merchandise to sell, they consign merchandise under terms with price protection. Thats a HUGE advantage as they dont need to SIT on ANYTHING, they return it for credit towards other merchandise. Atop all of this there are still warehouses chock full of good created during the Pandemic. It's not like the manufacturing world of hard goods stopped producing, it didn't... Supply chain issues were due to freighting in most popular hard goods not that of product not existing.
My lady three times now has shopped at Macy's online and compared the prices across here and Amazon for the EXACT same items she purchased. Every single time eBay is the highest cost and I'm not talking some small amount, $400-$600. Its the "I'm setting my price on what I want versus what consumers will pay" and that does not WORK in competition for the DOLLAR. Never has.
