eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

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AuctionBytes Blog
News and insight focusing on
ecommerce and the online auction industry
by Ina Steiner, Editor of AuctionBytes.com

July 02, 2007

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

By: David Steiner

Mon July 2 2007 15:37:49

A check of Nielsen/NetRatings shows that eBay users are spending less time on the site than in previous years. In 2006, eBay trumpeted in a Seller Central Report on how buyers use eBay that visitors spend more time on eBay than on other sites, and that time spent on the site is increasing year-over-year. It used data from December 2003 to March 2005 to prove its point. A look at more recent data, however, shows the time spent has gone down.

I was looking at the Nielsen/NetRatings report along with other data to see if anecdotal reports had any merit - you can see my musings in today's AuctionBytes Newsflash article here.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m07/i02/s00

There's tons of data, I'm interested in hearing what readers have to say, please leave a comment below.

Comments (227) | Leave Comment | Permalink

Readers Comments

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Gottaride

Tue Jul 3 07:59:38 2007

It all comes down to one simple question - do buyers have faith in the site and the goods for sale there? Increasingly they are saying HELL NO! As more, safer, alternatives have become available they are voting with their feet and buying on other sites. Those that do remain usually purchase only if the price is low enough - if the potential savings can overcome their reticence. Adding more auctions, BINs, Wikis, guides, dancing girls, you name it - NOTHING will make a real difference until buyers once again feel that they can spend their money safely and get what they paid for with a minimum of hassle. Until this happens, they will go elsewhere and the numbers will continue to decline.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: steve49

Tue Jul 3 08:58:45 2007

There's an article on Bloomberg.com today titled ''EBay's Whitman Says Changes Needed to Placate Auction Sellers''

Placate...what an interesting choice of words. The definition...To appease; to pacify, especially by making concessions.

eBay management continues to view sellers as ''the enemy''. Instead of ''helping'' the seller experience they attempt to ''placate'' us until they decide what the next kick in the pants will be.

What an attitude!

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Alli

Tue Jul 3 09:07:49 2007

Sellers have proved to their own satisfaction that the rotating server issues and the glitchy Search have made their items unviewable to some of the people some of the time, at the very least. What you see and when you see it vary based on where you are and when you Search. It's like shopping in a mall during a power outage. Yes, you can make a sale here and there, where the shopper can get a glimpse of the merchandise, but increasingly its sellers calling to each other down a long empty hallway...

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Elaine

Tue Jul 3 09:55:07 2007

If they are going to focus so much on the buyer experience, then they need to do something to change this "global garage sale" image that ebay has always had.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: A.A.

Tue Jul 3 10:05:37 2007

Ebay auctions IS the 800lb gorilla for casual sellers looking to unload whatever they might come across in their attic, and as an entry level site for sellers testing the waters to see if it's something they might want to pursue as a full-time endeavor without the expense, commitment, and risk otherwise associated with alternate venues.

However, once they decide that they want online selling to be a permanent, full-time business, the auction model becomes cumbersome, unpredictable, and more reminiscent of Las Vegas than a serious venue for ongoing commerce.

''Stores In Search'' became -albeit for a short time- that opportunity to exhibit your wares in a more stable, less carnival-like environment AND IT WORKED!

While Ebay claimed that SIS led to confusion in searches, there always was, and is, a need-it-now/want-it-now buyer who didn’t have the time or inclination to play the drawn-out, wait-and-see auction game, AND didn't mind buying for the posted price, just like they would if they were buying from any other major e-commerce site.

True, while the revenue stream to Ebay was lower from “stores” listings, the final value fee remained a nice, substantial source of income. And, while the pretext for ending SIS was that Ebay’s core business (auctions) was the overarching principle upon which Ebay was founded, it is equally true that change, adaptation, and constant tweaking is the sine qua non of all successful businesses. But all is for naught if done for its own sake, without seeing, or worse, ignoring the obvious, and failing to act on it.

Bring Stores In Search back!!

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Steve49

Tue Jul 3 10:52:20 2007

Candy...

The "Three Doors" concept...what a GREAT idea!

I'm sure that wouldn't appeal to the techies at ebay, way to simple, but it sure would be great for the buyers.

Maybe once they get done with wiki's, windorphin's, playground's, and such they could give that a whirl.

Don't hold your breath though...

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Anthony

Tue Jul 3 11:15:50 2007

I especially agree with Ina's point regarding seller indifference, and it's one I've been making since the last round of fee increases. I noticed that there was much less anger and much more indifference. Seller's had come to the realization that this is just the way it's going to be, and many concluded they had no other choice than to expand into other channels.

I think eBay mistakenly interpreted the lack of anger as a good thing. Instead, it's a sign that many of their sellers have become apathetic and increasingly detached from eBay. It's a real shame that eBay squandered all that loyalty and passion that once existed! I'm not sure it can ever be recovered.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Dan

Tue Jul 3 11:35:27 2007

I really think that the practice of hiding bidder IDs after the $200 point was a HUGE mistake! I saw my sales start to drop significantly after they implemented this around the end of last year. eBay can SAY that they are taking measures to fight shill bidding but hiding bidder IDs creates the opposite impression for the user. This might not have initially affected sellers who sell items that go for under $200 but I believe it has a lot to do with a growing general sense of unease buying on eBay. That hurts all the sellers regardless of what their price marks are.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Jay Smith

Tue Jul 3 11:46:58 2007

Some have suggested that improvements in the interface are part of the reason that people spend less time on the site.

While this may be true for buyers who are looking for one extremely specific item, I do not think the statement is likely to be true for buyers in the collectibles categories. We can look for hours until the content is exhausted. In my area, stamps, I look until I run out of time or get annoyed with eBay. There are so many items that could be of interest or are not well described (i.e. in the wrong category, etc.) or are incorrectly or inadequately described (to the buyers benefit) that one has to look and look and look.

However, despite all those possibilities, I look less than I used to because it is just so annoying with all the ads and bigger/bloated pages.

By the way, eBay's advertising on Google has become a joke. A couple days ago, I was looking for the obituary of a client and friend -- the first Google item was ''buy John.... obituary on eBay''. How tasteless and wasteful. This type of spamming Google results also contributes to a lack of credibility of any eBay result on Google.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Stefano Neis

Tue Jul 3 11:52:37 2007

I am a power seller on ebay with a 42,000+(97,000 gross) +FB ranking and have sold over 170,000 items on that site.

I too am fed up with the anti seller attitude at ebay and am taking my wares (& customer list) off of ebay.

I bought into the ebay "dream" and converted my traveling antique show business into a viable online venture.

As my sales grew, so did my buying on ebay. At it's height I was selling $30,000 per month and buying $10,000 per month on ebay.

I was sold on their store concept and packed a store with 50,000 better items.

I monitored ebay live two years ago and read how they wanted stores to work and grow.

Then the hammer came down, hard; without notice and without recourse. Less than two weeks after stating how important stores were to ebay at ebay live, ebay announced an online increase to store fees designed to get back to their core business.

I received an email that the increase would amount to 6%. I could live with that I thought, especially if they supported store in search.

I was amazed to find that their 6% increase in fees actually amounted to a 500% increase in base fees/mos and that was combined with a reduced presence in ebay search. FVF also doubled.

I was going to have to pay more for less. My power seller account manager was at a loss to explain the 6% increase actually being 500%. He even apologized for the fee hike, simply stating that the company wanted to get back to their core.

That fee increase combined with FVF increases and listing fee increases targeting small ticket item sellers, you know, the ones that made ebay a success caused my sales to drop rapidly.

Realizing from previous ebay actions that this is only the beginning of the end of the "ebay experience" I started moving my items to a site with more favorable fees; Delcampe.com.

Imagine my surprise when my items listed to sales ratio was better there than ebays on that site! I had to list 10 items on delcampe for every sale compared to 19 on ebay to get a sale.

My fees on Delcampe were based on SALES only and amounted to $100/month for a 20,000 item store. That same size store on ebay cost a min of $1,000/mos. FVF were less than 1/2 of ebay as well. No relisting fees. No insertion fees.

More sales, less fees, a "no brainer". I have moved off of ebay slowly and with purpose. My Delcampe store is now larger than my ebay store (28,000 Vs 21,000 items now). Profits are up.

I now use ebay as they used me. All my ebay customers get a Delcampe ad shipped along with their item. All my old customers (I have over 73,211 email addresses are being told about non ebay options as well.

I now average less than $300.00 per in my buying on ebay per moth(much less than my 10,000/month before).

My goal is to be totally off of ebay in another 10 mos.

I perceive from the comments above that my action is similar to others. The loss in revenue to ebay is colossal!

The loss in good reliable sellers leaving ebay is even more severe.

Can they reverse the trend? Maybe. But not without a change in attitude, a change in structure online and in the corporate headquarters, and not without financial concessions to their reliable seller base.

I hope that they will do it. Until they do, I have Delcampe and dream of a GOOGLE entering the online auction venue.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: shay

Tue Jul 3 12:32:27 2007

You forgot express. Ebay express has also taken page views away from ebay dot com and I'm sure this contributes largely to the problem of visitors not staying as long. EE was introduced around the SIS and I believe clearly has contributed to this issue.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: chiquita55

Tue Jul 3 12:53:58 2007

I used to sell alot on ebay for the past 10 years, but have listed very little in the past year. One reason I don't bother anymore is it just isn't fun anymore and not very profitable. Way too many scamming buyers on ebay. I refuse to take Paypal because PP has really no seller protection altho they advertise that they do. They refund buyers right and left and sellers are left holding the bag. Yet if you do not take PP many buyers will not purchase from you which leads to poor sales. You add up the fact that sellers are ripped off right and left to the fact that ebay has raised their fees and the post office has raised their prices, it is very difficult to make a buck on ebay anymore. Just not worth all the hassles.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Joey

Tue Jul 3 13:02:02 2007

I no longer look through rose colored glasses upon Ebay. Everytime I think Ebay lately it is followed by "yea but..."

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: ccharned

Tue Jul 3 13:02:57 2007

Bloomberg has an interesting article today which, once gain, points out the disconnect between what eBay and Meg want and what we, their customers, the SELLERS, want. in the Bloomberg article, Meg says that we'll see more changes on eBay in the next 12 months than we have in the last three or four years.

Read my lips: We're sick of tweaks and ''change for the sake of change.'' The new ''my eBay'' page is an example. It's an unnecessary change, full of pictures of items for sale, for fun I guess. We don't want ''fun,'' we want a glitch-free (or even less glitchy) site that works and we want our merchandise seen!

Also, the Bloomberg article says: ''Sellers have complained that EBay [sic] allowed the site to become cluttered with too many listings, resulting in fewer sales and driving shoppers to other retailers...''

No, no, no! We are NOT complaining about too many listings, we are complaining that our store listings can't be FOND in eBay's broken search. jeez. This is the kind of doublespeak we put up with at eBay. We've also expanded to Delcampe.com and our own website, and our eBay presence is minimal. Why? Because our items can't be seen in search, since stores are ''disadvtanged.''

No, no, no! We are not complaining about clutter! Will they ever get it right? Is it ever possible for eBay to view our discontent for what it is and address the issues that sellers need addressed?

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Mario Vodopivec

Tue Jul 3 13:33:24 2007

> by: duane
> Mario..ebay listings were up on the international scale but U.S. listings were down 2.8%

True Duane, but +/- 5% is not even visible on Alexa charts. All I'm saying is that Alexa can't be used for trending. It's only useful purpose is site-to-site traffic comparisons at the same point in time.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: rudymobiz

Tue Jul 3 13:59:43 2007

I think buyers are spending less time because the variety or spice is gone. Ebay has made selling online a ''miserable experience'' for the sellers so they are not putting up as much variety as they had before the search was changed. Even now, the search is skewed. Last summer, I was making $1,000.00 per month and this summer I have only made one hundred or so dollars. I have to pay the fees for listing and the fees when I sell something so I am essentially losing money. I opened a mall shop and it is making more money than my Ebay site. If Ebay continues this downward spiral, a lot of people will be hurt.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: LK

Tue Jul 3 14:13:50 2007

I was a Powerseller who stopped selling this year (I was a seller since the beginning of ebay). I became fed-up after the store debacle. I think that's when sellers really started to hate ebay and view them as the enemy instead of as a partner. They built ebay on the backs of small sellers and have nickled and dimed them out of business. It is infuriating. As a buyer, it used to be fun. Now I'm worried about scams, I don't want to have to spend 5 minutes to leave a simple feedback as the new changes make you, and my account was broken into two times in the past year. I think when sellers stop selling they also stop buying as I have because we don't want to give ebay any business anymore so they lose on both ends. Ebay jumped the shark and is in decline. I don't think they can bring it back because they alienated too many sellers.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Kirk

Tue Jul 3 15:15:33 2007

EBAY is on auto pilot and the controls are set for the center of the sun. With over 25,000 feedback and years of sales on ebay I hate for such a good thing to go so bad. I too have been involved in a two week suspension that elimiated my ebay store with over 3000 listings in it.
On the upside I will be certain that my ebay fees NEVER approach the levels they reached. Along with that after less then 2 months my AMAZON sales have passed my previous monthly ebay sales records. I don't have any but if I did I would sell all of my ebay stock. Kirk

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Al cole

Tue Jul 3 15:16:16 2007

So, where are all of you ex-eBayers selling? What sites are giving you the best results? I was going to go to Yahoo, but that disappeared.

eBay Users Spending Less Time on Site

by: Gerald

Tue Jul 3 15:32:24 2007

Intereting article and I'd have to agree with the majority of it from where we sit. After selling at Silver Powerseller level for 4 years we took ebay completely out of our business plan 6 months ago. While that was not our original intention we found that we were selling 2.5 times the amount over ebay (with a superior profit margin and less time investment) when we expanded to some other selling venues.

We maintained an ebay store for several years with over 80% of our sales originating from the store. The infamous SIS debacle caused our store sales to plummet. Actually we did not find SIS to be successful for us but things only got worse when ebay reversed it. That appears to be when they ''broke'' search/finding.

The biggest factor for us to leave ebay came last summer. The price increase was only a small part of it. The lack of exposure for stores and the growing disinterest (ie: shoddy customer service) by ebay in working with it's sellers really made our decision.

As you stated the wikis, blogs and other such nonsense are too much busy work for most sellers. In addition, having to constantly tweak your ebay store in order to be seen (turn on Express, turn off Express, turn on/off vacation settings, do a squido lens, make a MySpace page, etc.) is beyond rediculous. If we are going to have spend that amout of time marketing our ebay store we'd be better served doing it for our web site intead.

We're not at all bitter about ebay's decisons. We are grateful for the opportunities they offered but as any good business person knows, you have to change with the market. Ebay is no longer a viable venue for our business. Sadly, we hear the same thing from a lot of other ebay sellers.

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