@cyberontix wrote:
Eh, no one has any money. Consumers are broke, with continued greed-based inflation and a completely pointless interest rate hike. Peeps are using their Amex cards to buy groceries now. I'm amazed anyone's selling anything at all. There needs to be a price freeze and we need to get rid of the Federal Reserve.
I love how folks over simplify things. Economics are the area of PHD's and Masters and folks tend speak from their own pocket or that of jibe they hear on TV. We've one party wanting make people think the economy is terrible on literally a daily basis and THAT rings through consumers... YET some places doin' just fine, Walmart Online now one of you're largest competitors for DOLLARS is up a whopping 16% online alone in revenues. Folks need "get it" its NOT about PRODUCT COMPETITION at ANY third party venues its all about competition in sales for THE DOLLAR. Most businesses in sales consign goods under terms and that gives them an ENORMOUS competitive advantage over folks who buy then sell. Many big names are not in a growth pattern at all and they run sales like you would not believe, the deals. They could care less what the products are, they consign goods and compete for the dollar, not the product.
Consumers SEE and HEAR areas of the economy that have real problems IF they care to take the time to understand. Housing, Rental, Automobile prices, high ticket items have not come down to where they should given the rest of economy SHORT of those items considered commodities which DO impact many items, that's due to a war and that of a political party instilling economic uncertainty and FEAR intentionally not that the other side hasn't done that in the past either. But instead of voters and citizens DEMANDING BETTER they just choose sides based upon which is thought to be "Less Worse" and THAT is a formula for LOW RESULTS EVERYTIME. Do you see people picketing in the streets? Nope, that might take away from entertainment time and maybe even be dangerous.
Temu is BOOMING having made nearly as much revenue as eBay in it's first year. I hear from so many people the name is spreading like wildfire. Here people set the prices that THEY figure they want, 200% margins... Whatever, good luck in a global economy competing for THE MONEY not the product.
Everybody tends want blame eBay yet likely have not spoke with many other sellers on other venues. Third party sales by the homebrew op's are down and they are down because BIG entities are competing for the MONEY. I don't do lots of shopping but my lady does and CONSISTENLY is finding sellers at eBay are 40-70% higher priced than what she can find in "Bargain" at retailers online and off, not a big surprise... Many sellers take advantage of those same sales doing arbitrage and then wanting sell same stuff for more money. Consumers are not stupid when they consistently are seeing high prices and sellers who refuse to even barter they will ALWAYS go to best deal. I watch items here often and viola, 5%, 10% discounts on prices that are already above retail, they do same with TEMU, buy there try sell here. One could say it sort of poisons pricing here, one reason I've said before, eBay needs to think about providing consumers an OPTIONAL display format like Amazon, one listing, multiple sellers. That also helps out mobile device real-estate which is a HUGE problem for a site like eBay with millions of sellers all needing visibility to sell.
As I said before, Walmart is one of the biggest problems now for third party sellers as again, they compete for the dollar not the product BUT they demand low price from ALL their delisting, overstock warehouses and the DEALS can be UNREAL. Said this before, last year already, I bought a QLED TV for $280 to my door, 55" JVC all the bells and whistles, same TV online or at stores well in excess of $700. Refurb? Nope, brand new and come from a JVC liquidator of product that's delisting. $800 MSRP Charbroil Grill, $199 delivered to Walmart for us to pick up, same grill at Lowes? $599 on sale. Was missing the parts kit, Charbroil sent us a replacement Two days to get here. This holiday for anybody who cares read real financial news is going to see big business seller op's vying in HUGE fashion for the Dollar.
eBay can't do a darned thing about how the myriads of entities out there VYE to snatch the DOLLAR nor can ANY SELLER compete against consigned goods, especially the glut of them that currently exist just not possible. In a way its like the environment, more toxic be that pricing, TRUST etc a place is the less the more folks go elsewhere. I've suggested several times that eBay set up "Sales Days" monthly/weekly whereby sellers who WILL COMMIT items to deep discounts (That's 50% or better) and get traffic get back in here. No price fixing, any seller who price fix no longer can participate, end of story.
eBay trying to let sellers know, "Lower you're prices" only result in sellers screaming about the fee's and margins yet for the most part fee's and margins at eBay have been its seller joy. It's allowed sellers to make margins (or revenue) far in the way beyond that or traditional retail/eTail.
I don't pretend know all the answers BUT odds are third party buy/sell rather privateer op's are and will continue to be on the wane and we've governments around the world who WANT THAT.
