eBay's Success May Prove To Be Its Downfall

from the tough-to-make-a-living dept

Here's the story of a woman who quit her job to sell stuff on eBay. It apparently worked well for a while, but now eBay's own success has made it hard to keep going. There are simply too many sellers, out there, so the competition is stronger. Also, since eBay has become so popular, the writer has more difficulty buying good stuff to sell on eBay at the various estate sales she goes to. While she used to have to compete with regular dealers, now she's fighting off plenty of other eBay sellers. While the story makes for an interesting read, I'd have to say that anyone who thought "eBay seller" was a secure permanent job title, was probably in for a shock sooner or later anyway.
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  1. identicon
    mhh5, 27 Oct 2000 @ 3:12pm

    weird expectations...

    Probably no repeat business, no brand loyalty, nearly infinite competition... what do people expect? How long can you survive with an online garage sale? I don't think eBay was ever intended for people to make a living from their auctions.

    But putting all that aside, professional eBay sellers seem to be faced with the same problems as all small businesses. The difference is that you really can't improve your customer service, or differentiate yourself, or even advertize better on eBay. Maybe that article's author needs to write a book.... Or maybe eBay needs to improve its service for sellers?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Gary, 13 May 2004 @ 9:51pm

    suspended from ebay

    Just thought I would let everyone know. I WAS A LONG TIME SELLER ON EBAY AND THEN GOT SUSPENDED BECAUSE A REALATIVE OF MINE GOT SUSPENDED WE HAVE THE SAME LAST NAME SO THEY SUSPENDED US BOTH. REAL GREAT HUH! THEY NEED SOME COMPETITION. I REALLY WISH SOMEONE COULD COME UP WITHA ANOTHER AUCTION SITE THAT WAS JUST AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN EBAY. THEY JUST TORE MY BUSINESS RIGHT OUT FROM UNDER ME FOR NO REASON. e-mail ME TO GET THE FULL DETAILS.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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