The price of "progress"?

[retromedia2]

There was once a simplistic auctioning platform - that favored no-one. It was called eBay! You listed  something......didn't matter WHAT it was.....all things were created equal back then.  "Then" being early 2000's thru maybe 2014/15. Views appeared literally within minutes of listing......sales eventuated (more often than not) within a week or so. Bids appeared very early in the listing cycle. The last few minutes of the auction would see four to five bidders desperately fighting it out....often more! - the seller was always the winner.  No-one had to "promote" anything!  There were "millions of buyers" by 2004 and all of them could see EVERY listing which is why stuff sold so easily. The other major plus - funds were deposited in your PayPal account immediately - no waiting 2-3 days to receive YOUR OWN MONEY, (which Ebay has created earnings for itself with, by leaving it in the money-market for a couple of days)  less eBay's massive chunk which they insist is 13% but ISN'T!

A small proportion of items were listed as "Buy it Now" but most sellers did not have (or want) that option. Auctions ruled! These today, are dead in the water - buyers look primarily to "Buy it Now" items. To be honest I cannot remember listing ANYTHING 15-20 years ago that recorded "no views" in the first few days....let alone after two to three weeks.

Experts advise now that sellers "prioritize customer services," "observe niche-appropriate price models," "optimize their listings,"  "Buy a professional top of the range Nikon camera with zillions of pixels, ultimate zoom etc....to ensure their images are of cinematic flawless merit," "guarantee delivery ....and if you really want to sell that Picasso....offer a return option and of course free shipping - doesn't matter that it's going to cost you $160 to get it there,"

WHY THE HELL should the seller be obliged to do all this? - simply to circumnavigate a situation that Ebay itself has created to increase its bottom line underpinned by the huge selling groups that dominate the scene these days.  

Truth is....the little people - you and I, simply don't matter any more to Ebay. If you have no views and no sales.....Corporate Ebay couldn't care less.  Hopefully you'll go away.  That's only going to matter to them when ENOUGH customers take that option.

Am I alone in this thinking?  Do I care?

[pikabo-icu]

I'm like a cat... I hate change..

I mean HATE it with the white hot passion of a thousand suns..

I haven't rearranged my furniture in 24 years.. 

I bought new furniture and put it in the same place as the last stuff..

SIGH

It is what it is..

Times change, places evolve..

Some changes are good, some not so good but we all have to adapt.

Good luck to each and every one of us.. 

[bonjourami]

That must be hard for you, as everything in life changes.

[pikabo-icu]

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@bonjourami wrote:

That must be hard for you, as everything in life changes.

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It is...

I deal with it but I really do have issues.. LOL

[conservitvs]

I’ve been here nearly from the beginning. The “good ‘ol days” were not always so good. eBay was then, and still is, a minefield. 

Just a few examples:

- People could leave negatives for anyone, for any reason, and did not have to be in a transaction with someone to do so.

- Buyers sent bad checks, fake money orders, and even counterfeit currency.

- Sellers often would not ship items leaving buyers with nothing. Smart sellers kept postal receipts because there was no USPS Delivery Confimation/tracking in those days.

[slippinjimmy]

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@retromedia2 wrote:

There was once a simplistic auctioning platform - that favored no-one. It was called eBay! You listed  something......didn't matter WHAT it was.....all things were created equal back then.  "Then" being early 2000's thru maybe 2014/15. Views appeared literally within minutes of listing......sales

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Bot views which meant nothing would show up within minutes, real views by actual living/breathing users took time and for some listings never happened.

Getting rid of bot views was a very positive thing.

[grand-and-glorious-purpose]

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@retromedia2 wrote:

you and I, simply don't matter any more to Ebay. 

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Not as long as you promote your listings.

No be quiet and pony up.

[reallynicestamps]

@slippinjimmy 

Losing bot Views was very useful.

The best move eBay made was developing BillPoint * which allowed oversight of payments.
I got waaaay too many US PS domestic money orders , uncashable here in Canada, from honest but dim buyers. I still have two in my wallet, because I am that stubborn, and I will probably visit the USA sometime before I die.

*and later buying Paypal, then moving on to Managed Payments.

[rckr43]

Somehow I never thought about 'bot views'. Until mentioned here

It's interesting because some items I've sold, and some similar but not listed, have gotten 40-100 views in 24 hours. When speaking with a customer service representative... he said they are unique views (I assume based on IP address) not repeats.

[gone.c-33]

eBay didn’t create all that you are describing, e-commerce becoming the juggernaut it now is did.

ebay was one of the only players in town in the days you described and people were still afraid of buying online. Now there are hundreds of sites where individuals can list their stuff for sale. 

PayPal was the first online payment provider to be widely available to anyone without a business and they were trying to get people to sign up so they gave $5 to new members and fronted them the cash while their buyers’ payments were processing.

Buyers saw that one thing they always wanted and assumed it was the only one left in existence which created bidding wars before people became “resellers” and the market became flooded with literally EVERYTHING. 

You don’t have to buy fancy camera equipment and pay for promoted listings, but if you want to compete against professionals and businesses in the now omnipresent e-commerce world who pay people to take pictures and write copy for ads, you’re gonna have to make a little effort.

[rckr43]

Who remembers when you could pump gas and then go inside to pay? Or.... drive away without paying. 🤣

Many people do not know the meaning of the word "trust" anymore, or they don't participate in the meaning, and there's good reasons for that.

[ed8108]

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@retromedia2 wrote:

There was once a simplistic auctioning platform - that favored no-one. It was called eBay! 

Truth is....the little people - you and I, simply don't matter any more to Ebay. If you have no views and no sales.....Corporate Ebay couldn't care less.   .......  go away                                                    That's only going to matter to them when ENOUGH customers take that option

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An interesting & well reasoned report

[slati_2013]

I also remember those days but what you keep forgetting is eBay had no competition. In fact many stores with actual locations fought sites like eBay demanding they be taxed just like them. Many big names you see selling on eBay refused to sell on eBay considering it a fad and not worthy of their time. 

One day, everything changed. Many stores with locations went online to sell their stuff. On eBay the very big mega retailers showed up. Many selling stuff for cheaper and new. Many using  Buy It Now. That got us to where we re today. 

eBay had to grow and adjust to all the changes and newcomers. Every new law, every complaint has resulted in changes. It is what it is. As Eddie Money once sung, "I can't go back I know now that things will never be the same" 

[meme6253]

I haven't heard the term snookered in ages!, Now that's a past impression!

[meme6253]

The song remains the same.

[meme6253]

You do move the furniture & dust periodically don't you?