The Rise Of eBay Middlemen
from the they're-everywhere... dept
A little over a year ago, we first mentioned the company AuctionDrop and their plans to set up retail stores where you could drop off the stuff you wanted to sell on eBay and let them handle it (for a 20 to 40% commission). I didn't see the point of it then, and I'm still not sure I see the point of it now, but it appears that there are a ton of identical companies out there all trying to do the same thing. The Reuters article says there are over 30 such companies around right now, and it's unclear how any of them differentiate from one another other than price - which is always a dangerous situation to be in. These new middlemen claim that they are more "experienced" at eBay selling, so they can get a higher price, but many people scoff at that idea. Besides, can they really get a price that makes up the 40% commission?
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ebay auction middlemen
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What are the alternatives?
Worse yet setup a stupid looking Ebay auction with no or goofy pictures and poor or misspelled description.
This has potential, the exposure of Ebay and the ease of 'just drop it off'. It may just get an item of limited interest to someone who really wants it and is willing to pay a decent price. More power to 'em.
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But...
2) If you are a competent eBay auction creator, have a digital camera, clipart, etc. you can create an auction and sell something for more (usually) than someone who doesn't have the skills, camera, etc.
3) If you can convince the un-skilled person that your skills and equipment are worth the mark-up (but 40%?) then you have a business.
I've bought and sold a lot of items on eBay and have a decent feedback number, and often times people I know come to me and ask me to either sell an item for them or, help them create their auction to maximize their return.
I never charge people for doing this, but I see how people could and potentially make a living off of it.
Think of it as a delayed pawn shop, instead of instant cash gratification you have to wait up 10 days to get the money out of an item you no longer want/need.
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eBay middlemen
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with wealth....just aint worth defending
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