AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

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

August 04, 2007

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

By: Ina Steiner

Sat Aug 4 2007 23:40:07

We conducted a survey last month that asked sellers questions about the challenges they face selling online, and their views on recently implemented features and policies on the eBay site. The results are now available, and we'd like to hear from you about what it all means.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y207/m08/abu0196/s02

There is a lot of good stuff here to digest. I personally thought I would hear a bigger percentage of respondents report that ASPs and STRs went down over the past 2 years. David and I will spend some time seeing if we can spot any correlation between categories or seller size.

The survey was David's idea and sprang from his article that wondered, "is eBay broken"? http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m07/i02/s00

So comment away, we are eager to hear your thoughts.

Comments (13) | Permalink

Readers Comments

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: Ann

Sun Aug 5 15:05:09 2007

I wish you had included one question that was missing.
1-What ebay and paypal policies cause sellers to lose money?
I would still like feedback on that from anyone reading this. Sometimes, I wonder why I bother to sell on ebay, since sellers are so vulnerable to financial loss, while ebay and buyers are well protected. Sellers, chime in on how much money you have lost and why.
Ann

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: Ranson

Sun Aug 5 17:21:02 2007

I sell intellectual property (software) and PayPal has always sided with the buyer with any dispute I have had. My products are downloaded, Paypal will not take download logs as proof of delivery. Without a piece of paper for proof of delivery, a buyer can purchase a 500.00 program, do a chargeback and there is nothing I can do!

I will not sell on Ebay!!!!

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: trevor ginn

Mon Aug 6 05:21:03 2007

People complain about fees, but the fees on eBay are actually pretty competitive comparied with other forms of online marketing e.g. Google Adwords

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: martha

Tue Aug 7 00:41:06 2007

Everything is more exspensive today and eBay has gone up and paypal takes a bite out my sales also. Shipping has gone nuts! Now on the plus side- I set up at Canton first monday for years. The overhead went up so high that I could not make ends meet. eBay is so much better and more reasonable. Just wish they would not change things so much. Takes me awhile to get used to the changes. I am thankful to be able to stay at home and make a living.

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: trevor ginn

Tue Aug 7 11:20:47 2007

How many seller were canvassed for the survey? Only then will we be able to understand how significant the figures are.

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: trevor ginn

Tue Aug 7 11:22:16 2007

how many sellers were questioned for the survey, only then will we be able to judge the significance of the numbers

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: David Steiner

Tue Aug 7 12:15:08 2007

There were 988 respondents to the survey.

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: Patricia

Tue Aug 7 13:15:44 2007

I totally agree with the survey. In fact, took it myself and my answers were in the majority. What is missing but still shows somewhat by the answers is that ebay raised fees and put in extra features simply to milk sellers. It manipulated stores - not to ''enhance the buyers' experience'' but to force sellers to list more in core. They wanted the higher price and high turnover! They needed core to show a raise in listings - so they would look good for wall street and their stockholders, but it backfired. It forgot it should be helping to attract buyers through advertising and through cleaning up fraud on its site. I can't remember the last time I even saw an ebay ad and their efforts to get rid of the worst sellers are a dismal failure. Anyone who frequents the listings can tell you the major fraudsters are all alive and kicking!

The one good thing coming out of ebay's greed and their desire to make money without putting in much effort, is that other sites are coming along. Its a slow process - I guess we'll never see that great big site that comes online and quickly becomes the competition ebay needs...yet the smaller sites are coming along and they are fueled by sellers who have had it with ebay. A year or two ago you would find very few sellers selling on other sites....now MOST sellers are also selling on other sites. All business lost to ebay! Time will tell but ebay's present mind is set on buying up other companies so that it can diversify in the future. Kind of like when the squeeze was put on the cigarette companies - they started buying other things...maybe the writing is on the wall! I hope not! Ebay was a great idea - it can be great again. I feel replacing the present leadership is a must before it can get back on the right path. I'm hoping to see this happen.

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: Patricia

Tue Aug 7 13:18:05 2007

Just wanted to add to my post above that I have been selling on eBay for 9 years and consistently have 40 to 50 items running each week. I'm not a newbie.

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: Lise

Wed Aug 8 22:33:17 2007

I can only echo the sentiments above. I was selling online in a small way ($2,000-$3,000 per month) a year ago but after the belief of honesty being always in the buyer's hands and no paypal protection here in Australia for the seller, plus experiences of being taken off for infringements because of issues with items not received (only twice!) even though clients had insurance. Buyers got their money back, I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth and realised that as there is very little real contact with eBay even being a powerseller, I wanted to have a stress free life and eBay was giving me more and more reasons to feel sick! The integrity issue was gone. I think the company has grown so much (like a virus) that its out of control, as it hasn't the staff to cope with the millions of people using the facility. Live Help? waste of time for important issues. I wonder how Pierre O would feel knowing that the people who create eBay (the sellers, no product, no sales, no buyers) are leaving in droves because we are the minority and buyers (inexperienced ones) cause the majority of issues and yet are continually protected.

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: Mark

Sat Aug 11 19:50:00 2007

eBay is a monopolist and behaves like it. I would say that is the biggest challenge in a nutshell for all the sellers. Other challenges for me as a European seller are the many bugs on the site that make listing items a troublesome and time consuming experience. eBay does not solve these bugs. I have decided to stop using Firefox for listing items because eBay does not and will not support this browser. Furthermore I spend much more on Paypal fees including the 2.5% hidden conversion fee than on eBay fees. Sellers like me are unsatisfied and have nowhere else to go. If I want to sell internationally outside eBay I am still stuck with Paypal.

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: Jennifer S

Mon Aug 20 19:13:18 2007

I just had a listing pulled by ebay. It was in no way in violation of eBay policy. When I called customer service, guess what? I got voicemail! Who here is surprised by this?? When I called another number for ebay, the extremely rude operator refused to put me through to customer service unless I had a rep's last name! Has anyone here EVER gotten the last name of a rep they've dealt with?? He continuously referred me to Live Chat. When I asked why eBay had a customer service number, he told me they were required to by law because they are a publicly traded company, but they didn't have to USE IT!! I am absolutely furious! AND NOW, I have to appeal the pulled listing to have THEIR mistake corrected! And eBay has the nerve to suspend sellers for poor customer service even though they have no grasp on the term themselves!

AuctionBytes Surveys Readers on Challenges of eBay Selling

by: pete gerry

Tue Aug 28 10:40:24 2007

hi all, as a long time ebay collector type user 'junket' i thought i'd come over and see what the sellers were talking about after posting some comments on the search changes and what a waste of time looking for unique collectibles on ebay has become. ebay has latched on to growth not through collectibles sellers but the new merchandise powerseller group. this group drives all of the revenue. you sellers ought to be complaining about fraudulent sellers and the toxic effect they have on buyers and how ebay does very little about it. stop complaining about one-sided paypal policies. i sell occasionally and see how the listing fees, completion fees and paypal fees add up too. the main thing is ebay is going to lose us buyers in droves after they finish messing with the search criteria and results. intelligent search will only benefit some sellers, return way way too many results and totally piss off us buyers who you need to find your goods. why bother paying listing fees for a mere 7 days when i can't find your lot ? most of you are going to go out of business due to these changes. HAVE YOU READ THE SEARCH POSTS ON THE EBAY SITE ? the response by diehard users is uniformly terrible. you sellers are missing the entire picture, we customers are furious and are looking for another collectibles venue, something to make life easier than spending HOURS searching for what we want. it's agreed flea marketing is dead and the ebay model of buying and selling collectibles is the only way to go but you have to look at the basic concept - if i can't search for what you have listed for your miserable 7 days YOU'VE WASTED YOUR LISTING FEES AND I'VE WASTED MY TIME NOT FINDING YOUR ITEM. if you sellers don't speak up and demand a workable ebay site that allows pricing research, identifiable buyers, reduced shill bidding, and ease of locating items then you're the ones who will lose the most. read the posts - ebay doesn't give a damn what buyer's are complaining about. when are you going to wake up and realize some of ebay's revenue builders like 'second chance' have been disasters ? then ebay takes away the ability to identify buyers because second chance offers are a major source of fraud ? so kill off second chance once and for all. it was only conceived so ebay could garner the sales fees they were losing when you sellers contacted us anyway. talk about unintended consequences. speak out before it's too late for you. pete in Nj.

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