Is Ebay Dying?

[BoomerSooner]

For me, the biggest change at Ebay is that there are more retail stores than auctions. By that I mean, do a search for something, you get 100 hits, narrow it down to auctions only and you get 100 hits. The whole magic of Ebay for me back in the 90's was that everything was available there and you had spectacular bidding wars or got incredible steals on items because they were AUCTIONS. And you got ripped off now & then, made a new friend now & then, outbid or got outbid by the same people over & over...
I miss the days when collectors just listed their extras on Ebay to make a few bucks to buy more cards- now it's all business oriented, IMO.

 

[metsman1986]

I wouldn't say it was dying, just growing older......................eBay is time consuming for a seller, that's what puts me off it.................Scanning, descriptions, listing; by the end of it, I always have a headache....................Then the fees like everyone has mentioned...............I also loathe it when sellers list known fake items, i.e. Bowman Heritage 1/1 Albert Pujols auto's encased with authentic stickers on the back.................eBay is still great for buying SP's at decent prices though.............Just picked up a 2009 Topps Update Duke Snider SP #UH47 for $3.50 with S/H...............Take the good with the bad..................

 

[Ukiah]

Mintman..."REVERIN!!!"..as Gabby Johnson once said (if you can get the reference)....

Boomer...you can get a "REVERIN" too

 

[mintman2]

Mintman..."REVERIN!!!"..as Gabby Johnson once said (if you can get the reference)....

Boomer...you can get a "REVERIN" too

No, I don't get the reference. Please enlighten me. All I could find in an internet search was Gabby Johnson from Blazing Saddles and he was basically the town fool. Since I KNOW nobody here would publicly use a veiled insult like that directed at people they don't know I'm now extremely curious as to the meaning.

 

[jaderock]

Many excellent and well thought out replies.

For me, ebay maybe past it's prime, but is still KING for my collection. Without them, I would not have 1% of my current collection.

 

[plopowitz]

Although I agree that the economy has an overall impact on Ebay, I don't believe it applies to "good" items. Those aren't any easier to come by cheaply.
Thanks,
Pete

 

[Ukiah]

no disrespect intended Mintman...but that was a Blazing Saddles reference...it was Gabby's way of agreeing whole heartily with the Reverin during a particular scene. Great scene and fun reference actually. But I've got a whacked sense of humor and am an old fart two.

 

[mintman2]

no disrespect intended Mintman...but that was a Blazing Saddles reference...it was Gabby's way of agreeing whole heartily with the Reverin during a particular scene. Great scene and fun reference actually. But I've got a whacked sense of humor and am an old fart two.

Yes, context is lost when one can only find two minute clips. It was such a wacky movie though, I just couldn't sit through it.

couldn't stand THAT scene either

 

[theplasticman]

I hate selling on Ebay anymore. Too time consuming and far too many knuckleheads to deal with and not much protection as a seller.

I like buying there but rarely find anything from my want lists. Wish it were more cost effective for sellers to list lower end stuff. I need quite a few $5 and less Erstad cards... Bucky Jacobsens etc.

 

[timfsu2k]

I'm not sure that ebay is dying, but the hobby portion of ebay has certainly changed as many others above me have shown. I think the thing we as card collectors need to remember is that sports cards make up a small percentage of ebay's business and as such probably cannot be a reliable indicator of ebay's strength in general.

 

[bombie1138]

Ebay is just a tool if you buy or sell,..use it enough and will wear out eventually,..I like trading cards,.. a whole lot funner without the money,..

Clint

 

[Canadian_Jim]

I figured I would jump into the conversation as well, ah where to begin?
Let's start with the E-Bay dying question, I think that the statement is a bit premature at this point in time. Is it changing? Yes it has no choice but to evolve and change, in order to keep up with competition form other sites. Sure giving out 5000 free listings may seem like a desperate move but in reality, they adjust the final value fees to a higher rate to begin with. Then add the fees that paypal (E-Bay owned company) gets as well, they do not seem to be hurting to much to me.
For me the biggest problem I have is as a seller you have zero rights on E-Bay, regardless of the situation the buyer always wins an outcome. As a seller you are not allowed to leave any negative feedback on a buyer, this needs to change. Also the DSR (detailed seller ratings) are a big joke, if 1 or 2 buyers leave you low scores it can affect you being able to sell. Also only form of payment is Paypal and we get hit with more fees, and zero protection as a seller. If a customer claims they never recieved the card you lose and no say on the outcome.
In the end if E-Bay is going to continue to be useful it will be only as a buying instrument and not for selling IMO.