ebay promoting auction format to buyers---anyone seeing this?

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2024/5/1716161065.html

I haven't received any such message from ebay, but I imagine it has been sent to people who are primarily buyers and only a select number of them.

But it is interesting to see ebay pushing the nostalgia element (something I have been telling ebay to do for every holiday season since Covid...)

I agree that auctions aren't for everything, and it is risky to start auctions low (especially if you don't have a strong following). But it's nice to see ebay has maybe, just maybe, begun to realize that the old style ebay might still have some life in it, especially if ebay makes an effort to market it.

I guess we'll be seeing how serious ebay is about this...In ebay speak: "stay tuned"

[12345jamesstamps]

I do auctions  and win auctions every month...never seen it..."select number"...alas, I am not one...do I feel liberated?

[tealt]

I read about this elsewhere in an article that included quotes from the email.  "Relive the excitement of auctions" was what was being pitched to buyers.

Following the article someone made what I thought was a very cogent comment--auctions were exciting and useful to sellers back in the day because then  "level playing field" was the hallmark of eBay.  There were..

No strange search algorithms.

No favored large or foreign sellers.

No promoted listings!

No  items from other sellers showing on your listing page!

No AI anything

My stuff is mostly collectible & antique across several high level categories. No way would I use auctions again except for an item for which I can find no comps.

[adamcartwright]

That's pretty cool. Let's see how it plays out.

I see ebay is urging buyers to message sellers asking if clothing is true to size, because a 4 in one brand may fit more like a 6 or 8 in another.

I've always felt that the armpit measurement should be a required field for that reason.

[chapeau-noir]

I find "true to size" such an odd concept because it doesn't mean anything, "size" being such a subjective concept (as you pointed out). But, seems typical for eBay not to get that. 

[ittybitnot]

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques 

I found it interesting in the comments section in your linked article regarding eBay needing to have 'two marketplaces'.  I guess those people are too young to remember the old eBay Express, where there were actually two sites.  One was for traditional auctions, the other was BIN for new  items.  Unfortunately, the first category in the "NEW" site was ANTIQUES.  LOL.... like who wants a NEW antique?  A reproduction? Counterfeit copy?  People with that sort of product simply listed at 'auction' where the buyers were. 

Also back then we had PayPal, and the "confirmed address" issue.  If  a seller shipped to a buyer with no 'confirmed address', they forfeited their seller protection.   Touted as some sort of 'elite opportunity' to list on eBay express, sellers were required to ship to unconfirmed addresses, which produced a lack of volunteers.  With other problems as well,  the project was short lived. 

Made me feel OLD....well I am OLD....LOL. 
Itty
eBay dinosaur

[tsme35]

I only run auctions when I have hard to find items, actually ran 2 sets of auctions this past 3 weeks and did surprising well, 3 items went well above what I would hope for, couple others did ok and few eek.  Problem the last couple years is some sellers don't understand what to auction, I see auctions for common fishing lures but there's hundreds listed as buy it now's. Most won't sell for more then a buck or 2 and kills buy it now listings.

[chapeau-noir]

I remember eBay Express - it was a good concept for the time, but poorly executed, and once they had it rolled out (sort of), they simply abandoned it - as if the C-suite had found some other shiny object to wander off to.

[ittybitnot]

and once they had it rolled out (sort of),

@chapeau-noir 

If I recall correctly, due to lack of volunteers, some sort of mandatory participation at one point for ALL fixed price listings was required.  It may have been the time when it was decided that ALL addresses on eBay would be considered "confirmed addresses" as they are today.  While I agree that is is stupid to list a bottle of aspirin in an auction format,  if you wanted it to actually sell it you had a better chance at auction than on the NEW and NOW site that was not as popular as originally believed.  LOL...

[mam98031]

It is likely born from their recent purchase of an Auction site.

https://frontofficesports.com/goldin-auctions-acquisition-by-ebay-sparks-showdown-with-fanatics/#:~

[lux.ra_14]

The last time I felt the "thrill" of an auction was a year ago when Tina Turner died. Had a book signed by her that had a huge number of watchers, multiple bidders from the outset, and an ending price much higher than I would have set a BIN at.

Haven't run an auction since because, needless to say, most items aren't auction-worthy. In retrospect, I would have made the TT book a three-day auction since sentimental and emotional desire lasts only so long after a famous person dies. Seven days was pushing it, especially with the site immediately being flooded with her autograph. That same book today would probably sell for a tenth of where my auction ended. That's the peril of auctions now. Has to be the right item at the right time with the right risk calculation.