ebay alternative site - would you use it?
Discussion
Sellers would move anywhere in a heartbeat if there is demand there for their products. Getting the buying public to move where is a whole different story.
Sellers see there is a high consumer demand on Amazon and every seller sets up. If Ebid could drive consumer traffic there then sellers would go there. But it's a tricky one, why would consumers go there If no sellers are there.
Sellers see there is a high consumer demand on Amazon and every seller sets up. If Ebid could drive consumer traffic there then sellers would go there. But it's a tricky one, why would consumers go there If no sellers are there.
I think the answer would be yes but there is a mountain to climb before the masses would use.
As mentioned above, the benefits for sellers are obvious but I think buyers are mainly motivated by price and how trusted/secure/well known the service is. I think it's very difficult to try and compete directly with ebay so a slight twist on what ebay offer is probably needed to tempt people in.
As mentioned above, the benefits for sellers are obvious but I think buyers are mainly motivated by price and how trusted/secure/well known the service is. I think it's very difficult to try and compete directly with ebay so a slight twist on what ebay offer is probably needed to tempt people in.
mcflurry said:
If Ebay and Amazon sell 99% of what I want to buy, why would I look elsewhere?
Well this is the key thing isn't it. Customers look at 4 things: price, customer service, delivery and choice. eBay cover in essence a price competitive market. Generally things are cheaper than on Amazon. People go to Amazon for the better customer service provided.
Both offer excellent selection and Amazon via prime essentially wipes the market for delivery.
Both offer excellent choice of items.
There has to be a unique selling point for people to go somewhere else... It's possible but branding comes into it and marketing.
eBay had first mover advantage and made the most of it with no real competition.
A new site now would be competing with eBay, and the costs of competing would need to be recouped. The two places to recoup from are buyers and sellers, so it is unlikely that a cost advantage would be available for long.
Incidentally, the first time I used eBay, I was sufficiently amazed to investigate and the company, analyse the financials, and actually bought shares in it the same day.
A new site now would be competing with eBay, and the costs of competing would need to be recouped. The two places to recoup from are buyers and sellers, so it is unlikely that a cost advantage would be available for long.
Incidentally, the first time I used eBay, I was sufficiently amazed to investigate and the company, analyse the financials, and actually bought shares in it the same day.
IATM said:
mcflurry said:
If Ebay and Amazon sell 99% of what I want to buy, why would I look elsewhere?
Well this is the key thing isn't it. Customers look at 4 things: price, customer service, delivery and choice. eBay cover in essence a price competitive market. Generally things are cheaper than on Amazon. People go to Amazon for the better customer service provided.
I don't order enough stuff to justify £79 a year, and so have no allegience (sp) to either for such items.
A lot of what eBay used to be good for - person-to-person sales of pre-owned items - has been taken on by the plethora of Facebook local "for sale" pages. They are full of sofas for £20, bicycles, lawnmowers etc.
Ebay is now really just a shopfront for low-scale importers of products.
Ebay is now really just a shopfront for low-scale importers of products.
boyse7en said:
A lot of what eBay used to be good for - person-to-person sales of pre-owned items - has been taken on by the plethora of Facebook local "for sale" pages. They are full of sofas for £20, bicycles, lawnmowers etc.
Ebay is now really just a shopfront for low-scale importers of products.
It depends what products you're talking about - the person to person sales around certain categories is still very strong (I spend a lot of time in the Antiques/Architectural Antiques and Business, Office and Industrial/Metalworking for example).Ebay is now really just a shopfront for low-scale importers of products.
Most of the compliants about eBay surfacing on this site appear to be around electronic items which are a magnet for scams and your low-scale importers.
There are aspects of eBay which as a both a seller and a buyer I'm not overly happy with but it's a huge marketplace with enormous "brand awareness" - something that's very hard to compete with.
If there's an opportunity for an alternative then perhaps that would be niche/vertical markets; don't try and be all to all people but specialise in a given area and offer some kind of value add (auction moderation, no sniping etc).
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