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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:Please. ebay is no where near a monopoly. There are tons of other venues to sell. They just all suck compared to ebay because ebay got in on the ground floor and ran very well with it and have most of the world's eyes on it. This, precisely. ebay is ripe for being pushed off the top of the hill. It'll require someone with very deep pockets and a lot of patience, because they'll have to build the venue slowly as buyers accumulate. It'll take years, and it won't make money for most of those years. They'll also have to avoid the fatal mistake of going public. That forces the corporation's officers, by law, to act in the fiduciary interest of the shareholders, which is why ebay is squeezing you for more money every year. In America, "fiduciary interest" has come to mean "I gotta make more money every year for my shares than the last." The only way to do that with this particular business (by "particular," I mean "every publicly-held corporation on Earth") is to either expand/diversify (buy Paypal and work towards a vertical monopoly), or increase your margin enough to offset increased cost of business. On the other hand, if you're not being pushed to provide more profits every year, you can plow more of the net back into the business, and keep it more attractive for the people who are actually using that business. Heck, if you own it all, once you recoup your initial investment you can choose to run the company at break-even, something that ebay and Ford and Exxon Mobil could never get away with. The shareholders would throw the management out on their butts, not to mention they'd be liable to prosecution. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
759 Posts |
Yeh, I've been waiting for Farmville to start auctions. Seriously, Facebook has the reach. Anyway, ebay is so well entrenched that it would take some major blunder, some technological leap or some cash cow to throw them off balance. At some point, sellers might have to start charging some administrative fees, if they can. As a buyer primarily, I could stomach a small move in that direction. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
642 Posts |
I noticed all the Fee Change emails too. They keep pushing me to sign up for a store subscription, saying it will save me money. A couple years ago the same thing happened, I realized I was spending more with the store so I canceled.
Any ideas on whether I should do the store subscription again?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3592 Posts |
Let's face it,people start businesses to make money,not as a public service.And I like it that way, especially when we have the freedom to shop where we chose.As SuperDave pointed out,eBay is ripe for being pushed off the top.All we need is somebody with tons of money that wants to risk it.
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Rest in Peace
 United States
5375 Posts |
I understand what it is about a public company (there was probably a change of management in the last 5 years too), hence a bad long term strategy to keep wringing $$$ from sellers who have been loyal for years (though it probably does help quarterly profits, which is most of what shareholders care about). What really gets me the most is they are really sneaky about it...remember the last one? They start it with "You asked, we listened" as if people had a say...and as if they were getting a good deal then 'casually' mentioned the FVF increase. They roll up all the increases with small concessions and all but avoid mentioning them in an outright manner.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3592 Posts |
I agree that the way they tell us is an insult to what little intelligence I have. But I'm guessing the downturn in the economy is the reason for most of these changes..stockholders go where the best return is. But I do wish they would just be honest instead of trying to make every change sound positive for the seller, when in fact it is just costing me more.And as much as I hate paying more, I would fear government regulation even more.
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
I think they are also trying to drive people into buying ebay stores, since the over $550 final value fee increase won't cause many problems but will scare a lot of people. Indeed, your post epitomizes my feelings on the matter. I'm going to try eBid, it looks like they have around 13000 US coin auctions...not as much as ebay but substantial. Edited by coinguybrian
04/11/2011 9:16 pm
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Moderator
United States
16680 Posts |
Quote:
Ebay is ripe for being pushed off the top of the hill. The sooner the better. There has to be someone who can do it better, cheaper, and with tougher rules and guidelines for sellers. One shady sale...your gone. I agree it will have to be someone with deep pockets and tons of patience as was stated, it will take quite awhile for a venue to build. swcoin.ecrater.com
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
OP-
I don't see anything in announcements, do you have a link?
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
At one point, the largest coin and stamp companies were owned by General Mills. They told H E Harris, which has sold stamps for generations, that they weren't running their business right.
GM has a system. A traincar of corn comes in one end, in short order, a traincar of corn flakes goes out the other end.
HE had a system, too. Buy thousands of each of ten new stamps issued by Faroffistan. After ten years of this, they can put together packets of 100 different Faroffistan stamps. New stamps come in each year and are added to the rotation as early years run out. Packets are sold retail, or wholesaled to other dealers, like Mystic and Littleton.
GM saw this huge inventory and had a fit (a tight one, as I recall). Word came down to get rid of all this "dead" stock. HE complied and sent out pricelists to every stamp seller they could find, with discounts from 50-95% off. The other dealers stockpiled, and HE had a fantastic sales year.
The next year, the other shoe dropped. Sales were not only down, but far worse than the year before the Big Sale. GM was in a snit (a short-lived model, like the Edsel). HE better get sales up!
How? They sold their most popular stuff at huge discounts. Even if they hadn't, dealers around the world were stockpiled, and either didn't need, or couldn't afford any more.
Buy new inventory to sell? From whom? HE was the supplier to most other dealers. Buy from countries? All well and good, but they only make so many stamps a year, and you can't make a packet of 100 Faroffistan out of ten backstock issues and ten of this year.
Basically HE crashed and burned, I think even went bankrupt at one point. GM eventually sold them and went back to the business they understood.
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Valued Member
United States
56 Posts |
Interesting thought if all the members of CCF could pool money together and push ebay off the top of the hill - of course that is just a dream I guess but it could be interesting even though it could never happen - just not a realistic thought although it is an interesting one |
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
Funny enough, I googled this and they seem to be successful. Hardly anyone realizes it!
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Valued Member
United States
244 Posts |
Well, things aren't quite so bad. Even before the increase to the max FVF there was a way to significantly cut your fees if you're selling a lot of high-dollar items. Namely, convert to an ebay store. A store merchant pays only 7.5% up to $50, 4% up to $1000, and 2% above there. Yes, you get hit with insertion fees, but you also get bonus free pictures, which for coins does matter. I'm not certain, but I believe you can switch back and forth between the two, so if you're planning ahead, you can get the best of both worlds. |
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Posted 04/11/2011 11:29 am
