New Poll. Would you recommend eBay as a Selling Platform for your friends or co-workers?

[punkparrots]

Let's just say a friend or co-worker who is new to Internet Commerce approach you with some valuable swag and ask if eBay is currently a honorable site to sell online as a new seller?    

Would you say Yes or No?    

[johnrj1226]

Yes but do your home work first, start by reading & understanding the User Agreement.  Other advice, don't dive into the deep end of the pool first without your water wings there is lots to  comprehend, ask questions on these boards before assuming anything and remember that  there is always another side of  the story when some members  share there stories of doom & gloom, not many  members  post positive stuff - just like the evening news.

Yes you  can  make money on eBay  but you  have to know all your  costs of sales, get  smart on shipping options and  go fishing where all the other fishermen  ain't - in simpler words  don't sell the same stuff  that every one  in the world is selling- like base ball cards or  Vera Bradley products or 7 For All Mankind jeans or etc. etc.

[gotoguys2000]

No, not at this time. If you would have asked me a couple years I would have probably said "yes without a doubt" but the changes Ebay has made over the last couple years really hurts smaller/mid-size sellers. The recently policy change to GTC is a killer.  Business is down and there a lot more added work. Not as much fun as it used to be unfortunately. 

[mlkav]

Before the GTC was activated I would have recommended eBay with some reservations. Now that GTC is active I would tell my friends and co-workers (unless I really didn't like them) to find another venue and STAY AWAY FROM EBAY.  eBay has made it very clear in the last couple of years that they would really like to do away with the small seller. Well, this particular choice may well do just that. Congratulations, eBay, you've outdone yourself. 

[orangehound]

Depending on what one wants to sell, the answer is absolutely ... it is a great selling platform.   But two things:

1. eBay is a complicated platform that has rules that don't always follow common sense or logic, and rules that are stated but are never enforced.  So, anyone who wishes to start selling on eBay needs an experienced seller who is a mentor or coach to help them avoid the pitfalls ... alternatively, they can learn by (a) trial and error, or (b) reading, reading, reading.
2. eBay is not a place to get rich with little effort (as suggested by YouTube influencers).  You can make money on this platform, but one needs to employ (a) business wisdom, and (b) a lot of hard work to make a living on here ... for most sellers, these are both needed to make more than about $15 an hour, and many sellers make below minimum wage.

[davewearsredsox]

No- Not at this time. I agree with a prior poster that two years ago I would have recommended it. But no - not at this time.

[nmemoryof]

Yes. Be honest. Be careful. Follow the rules. But absolutely YES!

[nmemoryof]

Your profile says you've only been a member since Feb. 2017. So someone asking you a couple of years ago would have been asking a newbie.

I think people who have not been here that long do not understand how much real improvement has been made over the years. As I've said before, there have been changes I do not like. But this idea that everything used to be so much better is fiction.

[johnrj1226]

@nmemoryof 

Agree with your post 100%.  We started selling in 2010 and there  have  been some significant improvements since then & yes  some missteps too but my selling costs to sell on eBay has not really increased and knock on wood sales activity  (dollars & qty.) has picked up  - not  going to a shout out from  the top of a mountain yet  because one robin  never makes a springtime but  some improvement is always better than a stick in the eye.  BTW  recent saless  have been  fixed listings w/GTC.  Dang.

[rdj831]

Your keyword for me in that question is- Valuable. Nope, nothing valuable.

Too much of a risk to have eBay refund money to a scammer.

There are other sites for selling valuable items without getting ripped off. Sorry, eBay, but it is what it is until your actions dictate otherwise.

[springs_2013]

No. 

[lindyslucky]

No. In fact, we have been asked by some potential sellers. 

Anything high dollar would be a risk for a scam.

Anything low dollar is not worth the time to list.

(items $50- $100 is probably the sweet spot, but we have never found a steady supply of items that could sell at that price.)  

5 years ago, sourcing was easy and fun! Not now. Whatever is said about the economy there are a lot of people trying to resell. Competition for decent things to sell is fierce.

  Many markets for resale have dried up, or gotten more difficult. Clothing is one, dishes and glassware is another. Jewelry has become harder. There is so much fake out there, buyers don't trust decent sellers. (I once gave a marked sterling silver ring to a friend as a gift. Turned her finger green. Embarassing. And the seller has tens of thousands in good feedback) 

The trust between buyers and sellers is no longer there. Once it felt like a human connection. No longer. 

The learning curve is long. Reading on the community, some sellers must study the user agreement like a law text. And debate every nuance and wording. Unless a seller is making major money, it's not worth the effort now to navigate the pitfalls. Ebay is a hard taskmaster.  In essence, you have a partner, if not a boss.

A mentor is a great idea. However, we run across few who freely admit to resale. Unless they have a physical shop. Everyone is viewed as competition. Never have found anyone to share ideas with. And have talked to others who have no idea there is a community page. Or regular updates.

A new seller will almost certainly make money losing mistakes. 

Shipping has gotten onerous. Adding ebays % makes it worse.

We now sell many items where the shipping is more than the item itself. We see many other sellers are doing the same. The shipping costs have made many desireable small items unsellable.

Ebay has groomed buyers to expect too much. Fast, free, special requests, impossible offers. 

And, one must be self motivated! Hard when lots of work turns up little $$.

And lonely. Yes, you don't have to get dressed and go outs and deal with people, but sometimes that's not a good thing.

So, Sadly ( I loved ebay at one time) No.

[gotoguys2000]

Far from a Newbee my friend.  Not sure who's profile you're referring to (been on Ebay since 2004)  but before giving life advice to someone always good to get your facts straight.  Yes, I've been around long enough to see the good and bad and give an educated option.  Most of the changes during the past two years haven't been kind to sellers in my humble option. 

[nmemoryof]

You make some legitimate points in the middle of overstating everything.  IMO.  I have never tried other sites, but I can promise you that the underlying issues are the same everywhere.  People lie and cheat when they think they can get away with it -- not everyone, but enough to cause problems no matter what the platform.   That's just life.  Consumer fraud in both directions -- buyer and seller -- has a long, long history...as long as people have been trading.  Online trading brings unique problems, but it is not unique to eBay.

[lindyslucky]

Overstated? Where? Would really like your kind feedback on what.

Don't know, just us. My opinion.

Yes, I know that there are dishonest people everywhere.

We had a B&M M store.

Its a lot harder for someone to scam you when you are looking them in the face.

And a store owner can ask a customer with unreasonable demands to leave.

Someone with a gun can rob you, but you can call the police.

We realize it's the nature of online sales.

it may just be our perception, but ebay did used to feel more trustworthy, friendly.

Havent tried any other sites, might, but don't want to. 

Still a no.