@uncseniorsportsfan
Having had a brick and mortar store before selling on eBay, I was far more in control of my B&M business than I have ever been on eBay,
To some extent, eBay is like having a shop in a large mall.
Not the competition, but the rules the mall has for the shop owner.
Hours of operation, charges for cleaning, signage, fees for parking lot, fees for garbage collection, fees for insurance (beyond your own shoptheft and shrinkage insurance).
And fees for mall publicity and advertising.
We considered going into the glitzy new downtown mall at one point in our business planning, from a shop on a downtown shopping street.
They promised us space on the "high end fashion and jewelry" level.
The killer was being open seven days a week, 9 to 9.
A family run business just can't do that. Only a business that is staffed.
Instead we chose a pedestrian mall where our landlord's main interest was that the rent got paid in time. Set our own hours, did our own advertising (national not local like the glitzy mall).
EBay is a mall. They have their own rules and want a "look" to the site, which they believe will be most beneficial and profitable for their shareholders.
And eBay is the 10th most profitable website in the world.
So they might be right.
Doesn't mean it fits your particular needs or mine.
