eBay

dugoldstuff · ‎07-22-2018

Very interesting article. I bolded /redded the best parts:

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4188922-ebay-stagnation-mode

eBay: In Stagnation Mode

Jul. 21, 2018 3:18 PM ET

eBay's second-quarter earnings report fell heavily short of analyst expectations, with revenue growth dimming to 9% y/y (from 12% y/y last quarter). The company's below-consensus guidance caused the stock to take its biggest hit. GMV growth in the U.S. also showed its weakest growth rate since a year ago, while the volume of sold items stayed flat. Margins also showed a worrying contraction.

Despite all the signals that keep pointing to its demise, eBay (EBAY), the one-time e-commerce wunderkind, continues to plod forward as if it was still a giant of the internet. Like last quarter's earnings release, eBay's Q2 post showed a company that is continually unable to meet analysts' targets as the company fails to accelerate the process of bringing new buyers to its platform.

Rightly so, eBay has been one of the worst-performing of the large-cap internet stocks all year, despite general enthusiasm for the e-commerce space. Companies like Etsy (ETSY) and Stitch Fix (SFIX) that were earlier pegged as losers, for example, have shot up meaningfully in the first half of 2018, as has perpetual giant Amazon.com (AMZN). eBay, however, seems incapable of reversing its slow decline. Year to date, the stock is down nearly 10%.

Yet, I believe the shares have further to fall. Activity on eBay seems to simply be running cold. Call it the hangover effects of eBay's fee hikes in the past several years - as sellers walked out on eBay in protestation of higher seller fees and took their variety of wares with them, buyers also saw less and less reason to buy on eBay. One of the things shoppers like most about Amazon is that it's the "everything store," where you can type in even the most obscure of items and find at least one seller that carries it. On eBay, with both the selection and volume of items getting thinner, it's getting harder and harder to bring buyers to the platform and, more importantly, reverse the steep deceleration in GMV growth.

everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures · ‎07-23-2018

@hioctane62 wrote:
@everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures wrote:
@hioctane62 wrote:
@everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures wrote:
@castlemagicmemories wrote:
@jason_incognito wrote:
eBay will not seperate used from New.

eBay originally rolled out new as it's own area and it bombed. They finally integrated it into all the rest to make it work.
Yes, I remember that. Ebay Express. It failed.

I think that was when they put store listings into search.

I just think they should offer both, new and used; the greater variety, the larger the buyer base, and that expands as needs occur, building a loyalty and boosting sales, IMO. More variety, greater selection, greater chances of sales.
That is what all those search filters are for...so buyers can narrow down searches. It is in part what they all are doing.
Part of all this is the sites are trying to be similar in some ways to make it easier on buyers...so they do not have to figure how to use and find how to do things for every site they use.
Because we all know that buyers are easily confused, and need to be reassured, have their hand held, wipe their nose, and maybe a nice, warm bottle? I especially like the ones who are confused about what the seller sent them, and send back something completely unrelated, with no value, used, or nothing at all.
There is no reason to trash buyers in general in any of this...as that is not what any of it is about...and not something most agree with either.

That was sarcasm as an extension of your comments about making sites similar so it's easier for buyers.

Sorry I didn't explain that up front.

So it was unnecessary then too?? And had nothing to do with what was being dicussed. OK thanks for clarifying.

zamo-zuan · ‎07-23-2018

@everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures wrote:
Do you have any idea how many millions of sellers are on ebay...those complaining are a very small fraction.

Why would a small seller who just sells a couple things every few months take the time to complain? It's just a side job for them.

Are you aware that on average the top 20 sellers alone are responsible for ~40% of eBay's sales per category?The top 20 makes nearly half of eBay's profits in FVF's.

The problem is that the TOP SELLERS are the ones leaving.

I've said it over and over. If top sellers who make eBay a primary channel are not able to survive, who will be able to?

Will you be satisfied when the only sellers left are smaller casual sellers who do it as a side job, and not as a primary channel? This means less selection, less competition, less income for eBay, and worse prices.

Is that good for the buyers OR the sellers?

I'm sure everything I just said will be ignored, as trying to have a conversation with you has been a cycle where you go from diminishing the issue, to saying this always happening, to saying policies allow them, to saying just leave if it doesn't work. None of this is constructive.

If you actually responded to anything I said, or responded to any of these questions I've asked, you would have to admit there's a major problem that affects eBay, it's sellers, and it's buyers.

The data in Terapeak alone makes this evident. We can either accept reality, or choose to ignore it and deflect the reasoning.

But the most constructive thing in this case, is to pass the feedback to eBay. No excuses. No deflection. Just the facts.

hioctane62 · ‎07-23-2018

I started to post a reply, then thought better of it and deleted it. I'll just say this, instead.

I think I'd better take a self imposed break from posting here on the boards, before I end up being given one forcefully. This is not a healthy place to spend too much time. Time that is in short enough supply as it is.

everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures · ‎07-23-2018

Most do not complain because we agree to the terms, have read them and understand them and know ebay is a choice and a tool we use...just like any other platform. They are not our business. We have our own businesses and it is our job to make them work and make money. Not doing that to stop and try to "fix" another business that is running as they see fit, do not feel is broken and that other have no problem with is not and which is their right and is not taking care of your own business, making decisions for your own business and what you need to do for that.
If your (general your not personal) business is not sucessful and making sales etd then how can you advise someone else's buisness to be successful. You can't. And there is no sellers here with experince running an eccommerce site at all in any way.
If a tool no longer works then you get one that does.

sharingtheland · ‎07-23-2018

Do you have any idea how many millions of sellers are on ebay...those complaining are a very small fraction.

What is the actual number of this very small fraction?

Sherry

=^.^= =^.^=
( ) ( )
" " =^.^= " "

futuretomorrow · ‎07-23-2018

@everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures

"That is what all those search filters are for" - so you think increasing a user's cognitive load is actually a good thing? I want to see how you're going to debate Hick's Law. This should get interesting quick...

"It is in part what they all are doing." - No. It's not a part of what they are all doing. Better experiences have less cognitive load and work within a users mental model when they think "ease of use" and a seamless shopping experience. To suggest all (define all please) marketplaces do this is simply not correct. As asked, please define, with a list, this "all" or group (peer-peer analysis) you're referring to.

"So it does make sense and helps to eliminate some buyer frustration and easier for them to work" - You won't find a UX designer, Junior, Senior or Lead in the world that would agree with this statement. This is why Nike and some brands have adopted "true fit" and other technologies to lessen the cognitive load of a user having to fiddle with settings, preferences and filters so they can focus on their "job stories" a.k.a "jobs to be done" and get through the process quicker.

The truth has few friends but many enemies.
No one is perfect, though a mirror and the right clothes may make some think otherwise.

everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures · ‎07-23-2018

@futuretomorrow wrote:
@everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures

"That is what all those search filters are for" - so you think increasing a user's cognitive load is actually a good thing? I want to see how you're going to debate Hick's Law. This should get interesting quick...

"It is in part what they all are doing." - No. It's not a part of what they are all doing. Better experiences have less cognitive load and work within a users mental model when they think "ease of use" and a seamless shopping experience. To suggest all (define all please) marketplaces do this is simply not correct. As asked, please define, with a list, this "all" or group (peer-peer analysis) you're referring to.

"So it does make sense and helps to eliminate some buyer frustration and easier for them to work" - You won't find a UX designer, Junior, Senior or Lead in the world that would agree with this statement. This is why Nike and some brands have adopted "true fit" and other technologies to lessen the cognitive load of a user having to fiddle with settings, preferences and filters so they can focus on their "job stories" a.k.a "jobs to be done" and get through the process quicker.

And again apples and oranges..which you know already... technical speak, titles etc whatever do not change that.
And yes it is what they all are doing. The fact they are doing it is the proof too...as well as it has been discussed previously on prety much all sites at some point with those site confirning it.
They all want buyers to function with ease and not have to look for how to use each site so differently...it makes for easier sales and less frustrated buyers

retrose1 · ‎07-23-2018

@castlemagicmemories wrote:
@jason_incognito wrote:
eBay will not seperate used from New.

eBay originally rolled out new as it's own area and it bombed. They finally integrated it into all the rest to make it work.
Yes, I remember that. Ebay Express. It failed.

I think that was when they put store listings into search.

I just think they should offer both, new and used; the greater variety, the larger the buyer base, and that expands as needs occur, building a loyalty and boosting sales, IMO. More variety, greater selection, greater chances of sales.

ebay put stores to core a couple of times, the last time was about 5 years after Express was shut down.

Express failed miserably in less than a year because ebay quite literally did almost nothing to promote it AND what little promotion it had was so confusing, most sellers stayed away from it. Because ebay had also just opened up Half. a year earlier and was promoting the heck out of that.

I was happily selling on ebay, doing very well, and using the featured listings program when Express appeared. I went over and checked it out and saw nothing different from ebay, same categories, same listing procedure, same basic price structure and nothing that told me that the site was for new listings - and Half. pretty much had that covered.

I saw a few banners and sidebar blurbs off and on a few months and then someone posted on the boards that Express was being shut down. I got no offers to list there and there was nothing that promoted Express as an area for just new stuff.

While I believe that variety is the spark that powers ebay, I also believe that to segregate new from used will level the playing field for many sellers. That buyers often do not differentiate between new and used, thinking that the items they are seeing that are using catalog are all new, even though eby allows the inclusion of catalog on used items. This results in buyer dissatisfaction in getting used instead of new and seller dissastifaction because they are getting a snad for sending the buyer exactly what they bought.

A seperate ebay for new - called ebay Mall for instance, would keep all the Asian stuff in one place (because they would never list their merchandise as used), keep condition confusion down to a minimum, and would give buyers looking for a specific vintage item would be shown more of what they are looking for and not that much of what they don't want. Result, happy buyers and happy sellers.

But I do not think ebay will do it, because as I have said before, if ebay kept new in a seperate area, like ebay Motors, it would fail miserably because it will offer nothing that any other selling site can offer - and ebay has been banking on new being the future of ebay for the past 15 years.

But hey, maybe if we keep telling ebay that seperating is a bad idea, maybe they will consider and implement it.

(*Bleep*)

zamo-zuan · ‎07-23-2018

@everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures wrote:
Most do not complain because we agree to the terms, have read them and understand them and know ebay is a choice and a tool we use...just like any other platform. They are not our business. We have our own businesses and it is our job to make them work and make money. Not doing that to stop and try to "fix" another business that is running as they see fit, do not feel is broken and that other have no problem with is not and which is their right and is not taking care of your own business, making decisions for your own business and what you need to do for that.
If your (general your not personal) business is not sucessful and making sales etd then how can you advise someone else's buisness to be successful. You can't. And there is no sellers here with experince running an eccommerce site at all in any way.
If a tool no longer works then you get one that does.

Frustrated buyers? This year we have had more of those than ever. Of buyers trying to find our items and they can't!

For your information, I do have experience with running, furthermore developing and marketing eCommerce websites. We neglected focusing on our website because, as mentioned already, eBay directly met with us and worked to gain our trust. It was not until 2018 that this trust was broken.

If they don't feel it is broken, why are resorting to actions like limiting total sales in order to bring up ASP numbers, or having "bugs" that affect their system only to give false information on their quarterly reports?

The fact that they would go to those lengths shows they know there's a problem.

The fact that they are making such huge changes this year, on such short periods of time, shows that they believe there is a problem that needs to be addressed urgently. Software development is NOT a field that is typically rushed.

Furthermore, it's ridiculous that you are telling people on a sellers forum that they should not be discussing marketplace matters that affect the seller. Telling us we should worry about our own business instead?? That's exactly what we are doing.

This is the place we are supposed to let eBay know "if they are a tool that is not working". Why are you trying to supress this and diminish the sellers feedback, on the seller forum?

everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures · ‎07-23-2018

@retrose1 wrote:
@castlemagicmemories wrote:
@jason_incognito wrote:
eBay will not seperate used from New.

eBay originally rolled out new as it's own area and it bombed. They finally integrated it into all the rest to make it work.
Yes, I remember that. Ebay Express. It failed.

I think that was when they put store listings into search.

I just think they should offer both, new and used; the greater variety, the larger the buyer base, and that expands as needs occur, building a loyalty and boosting sales, IMO. More variety, greater selection, greater chances of sales.
ebay put stores to core a couple of times, the last time was about 5 years after Express was shut down.

Express failed miserably in less than a year because ebay quite literally did almost nothing to promote it AND what little promotion it had was so confusing, most sellers stayed away from it. Because ebay had also just opened up Half. a year earlier and was promoting the heck out of that.

I was happily selling on ebay, doing very well, and using the featured listings program when Express appeared. I went over and checked it out and saw nothing different from ebay, same categories, same listing procedure, same basic price structure and nothing that told me that the site was for new listings - and Half. pretty much had that covered.

I saw a few banners and sidebar blurbs off and on a few months and then someone posted on the boards that Express was being shut down. I got no offers to list there and there was nothing that promoted Express as an area for just new stuff.

While I believe that variety is the spark that powers ebay, I also believe that to segregate new from used will level the playing field for many sellers. That buyers often do not differentiate between new and used, thinking that the items they are seeing that are using catalog are all new, even though eby allows the inclusion of catalog on used items. This results in buyer dissatisfaction in getting used instead of new and seller dissastifaction because they are getting a snad for sending the buyer exactly what they bought.

A seperate ebay for new - called ebay Mall for instance, would keep all the Asian stuff in one place (because they would never list their merchandise as used), keep condition confusion down to a minimum, and would give buyers looking for a specific vintage item would be shown more of what they are looking for and not that much of what they don't want. Result, happy buyers and happy sellers.

But I do not think ebay will do it, because as I have said before, if ebay kept new in a seperate area, like ebay Motors, it would fail miserably because it will offer nothing that any other selling site can offer - and ebay has been banking on new being the future of ebay for the past 15 years.

But hey, maybe if we keep telling ebay that seperating is a bad idea, maybe they will consider and implement it.

They are not trying to keep all the asian stuff in one place...that is something a small group of sellers want...and that too is not going to happen. Such personal issues with sellers from other countries will never be accepted and most have evolved past that as well.
You have competition...world wide competition...on a global site. TIme to deal with that and accept it as most sites are also now global. Times have changed...some sellers need to adapt.

bubbleman2010 · ‎07-23-2018

Rose their 99 cent fidget spinner sydrome should help folks understand the direction headed.... Huge number of sales but the 99 cent ASP tanked their profits...

bubbleman2010 · ‎07-23-2018

Playing hide and seek using items that they pick up 10 cents FVFs and hiding the $4.50 FVF merchandise can only make sense on ebay....

everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures · ‎07-23-2018

@bubbleman2010 wrote:
Rose their 99 cent fidget spinner sydrome should help folks understand the direction headed.... Huge number of sales but the 99 cent ASP tanked their profits...

Actually that is not true..and they are still making a profit.
And the direction they are headed was already stated by Wenig some time ago...so there is also no speculation needed there either...and not a surprise or news.

And there search results have also been explained as well as what they will or will not do or may do and that will not be changing either and not anything new.
Been that way for a couple years now...and the AI technology part is on all sites and ebay was not the first to use it by far.
The issue is some are having a hard time accepting it and are stuck. But that isn't an ebay issue and there have always been that get stuck at certain points.

bubbleman2010 · ‎07-23-2018

Just posting the facts according to their earnings statement and comments made by management as to why the results were the way they were. Myself I could care less I don't own a nut or bolt in the operation and having been here during the big crash of 2000 I saw first hand how a massive shift of merchandise can happen almost overnight...

everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures · ‎07-23-2018

@everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures wrote:
@bubbleman2010 wrote:
Rose their 99 cent fidget spinner sydrome should help folks understand the direction headed.... Huge number of sales but the 99 cent ASP tanked their profits...
Actually that is not true..and they are still making a profit.
And the direction they are headed was already stated by Wenig some time ago...so there is also no speculation needed there either...and not a surprise or news.

And there search results have also been explained as well as what they will or will not do or may do and that will not be changing either and not anything new.
Been that way for a couple years now...and the AI technology part is on all sites and ebay was not the first to use it by far.
The issue is some are having a hard time accepting it and are stuck. But that isn't an ebay issue and there have always been that get stuck at certain points.

There have always been some that get stuck while other move forward...again nothing new and somethng that will always be.
And there are some that like to blame, complain and pass it around and get others to share in it and there are still a few more that do that over everything they can, the issue doesn't even matter, and have done it for years and years now but that isn't helping anyone move their businesses forward either...in fact it is just the opposite. And the collateral damage is really the newbies that haven't seen it happen for all these years and fall for it and suffer for it.