Another reason eBay is failing
Another reason eBay is failing
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Frimley111R

Original Poster:

19,120 posts

262 months

Saturday 22nd August
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I saw this on eBay, seller checks out and it all looks good BUT..... there's no way to bid or buy! Nothing to tell me there is some other method of buying, honestly, if a product listing doesn't have a big CTA to tell buyers how to get it I despair. I even went onto the sellers shop which then, after searching, tells me to click on it as there aren't any bids yet and this just gets me back to the same point. Buyer lost. How did eBay make such a car crash of what was a great platform? /rantover


CoolHands

23,311 posts

223 months

Saturday 22nd August
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Looks like the seller isn’t making it available until tomorrow? I guess it’s got a scheduled start time.

eltawater

3,498 posts

207 months

Saturday 22nd August
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They're a "live seller", you can see the little purple banner beneath their username. They'll be running a live auction event to sell it. It's just a recently new way to drum up "engagement" on the eBay platform.

Frimley111R

Original Poster:

19,120 posts

262 months

Saturday 22nd August
quotequote all
Yeah, eventually worked that out but FFS, why make it so hard? The more crap you do like this the more it complicates the process of buying and that's no good for anyone.

Ham_and_Jam

3,639 posts

125 months

Saturday 22nd August
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Frimley111R said:
Yeah, eventually worked that out but FFS, why make it so hard? The more crap you do like this the more it complicates the process of buying and that's no good for anyone.
Apparently (anecdotally), live auctions are doing very well for eBay and the sellers.

I suppose it’s an easy entry / DIY shopping channel.

I would of thought they would have still put a BIN button on the item anyway though.

bigpriest

2,515 posts

158 months

Saturday 22nd August
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Have they added any options to the search filters so you can de-select 'live auctions' when searching? I doubt it but it would be useful.

CoolHands

23,311 posts

223 months

Saturday 22nd August
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I don’t do any auctions, who can be fked with that these days?

I suppose it attracts the people that like gambling, think they might a bargain etc.

Simpo Two

92,592 posts

293 months

Saturday 22nd August
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Frimley111R said:
Yeah, eventually worked that out but FFS, why make it so hard? The more crap you do like this the more it complicates the process of buying and that's no good for anyone.
Because the interface is designed by geeks who don't know that normal people think differently. They also want to keep their jobs so once a system is working perfectly they have to keep twiddling and changing things until it works less well.

Ham_and_Jam said:
Apparently (anecdotally), live auctions are doing very well for eBay and the sellers.
What's the difference between a 'live auction' and a normal auction?

Ham_and_Jam

3,639 posts

125 months

Saturday 22nd August
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
What's the difference between a 'live auction' and a normal auction?
Maybe phrased wrong in my post, but eBay live is akin to a shopping channel where the host streams content live in a bid to make you buy stuff.

eltawater

3,498 posts

207 months

Saturday 22nd August
quotequote all
As the old saying goes, people buy from people.

For sellers who are invested in raising as much as they can from their items, it's presumably a lot easier to drive auction fever and get bidders to pay over the odds if they're called out personally live on air and encouraged not to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity....

Jamescrs

6,322 posts

93 months

Saturday 22nd August
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It comes down again to eBay trying to copy new up and coming apps, their latest is eBay trying to copy WhatNot which is as I understand a live auction platform, and appears to be coming up fast.

Ebay can’t keep up with all the new selling platforms but they are trying to.

Simpo Two

92,592 posts

293 months

Saturday 22nd August
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Ham_and_Jam said:
Maybe phrased wrong in my post, but eBay live is akin to a shopping channel where the host streams content live in a bid to make you buy stuff.
OK thanks. If you ever catch me watching a shopping channel please shoot me. 'Bangers and Cash' is as far as I go on daytime TV!

Doesitdrive

1,974 posts

9 months

Saturday 22nd August
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An African guy was selling mystery boxes at a boot fair last weekend, all undelivered parcels still with addresses on them.

I assume eBay and Amazon and the like. After waiting since the 6th of August for an Ebay purchase, not delivered as they say they cannot find the address, there are 3 houses close together on the lane, and seeing that, I am about to give up with eBay.

Simpo Two

92,592 posts

293 months

Saturday 22nd August
quotequote all
Doesitdrive said:
An African guy was selling mystery boxes at a boot fair last weekend, all undelivered parcels still with addresses on them.

I assume eBay and Amazon and the like. After waiting since the 6th of August for an Ebay purchase, not delivered as they say they cannot find the address, there are 3 houses close together on the lane, and seeing that, I am about to give up with eBay.
There is of course eBid: https://www.ebid.net/uk/ - but I don't know how much following it has, and it will still be subject to the capabilities of delivery drivers.

CoolHands

23,311 posts

223 months

Saturday 22nd August
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Ham_and_Jam said:
Simpo Two said:
What's the difference between a 'live auction' and a normal auction?
Maybe phrased wrong in my post, but eBay live is akin to a shopping channel where the host streams content live in a bid to make you buy stuff.
Oh my god, sounds horrendous and is what’s all over TikTok now with stupid live streams of creators flogging used Louis Vuitton handbags, all of which are fake obviously. Who the hell wants to see that on ebay

Doesitdrive

1,974 posts

9 months

Sunday 23rd August
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Simpo Two said:
Doesitdrive said:
An African guy was selling mystery boxes at a boot fair last weekend, all undelivered parcels still with addresses on them.

I assume eBay and Amazon and the like. After waiting since the 6th of August for an Ebay purchase, not delivered as they say they cannot find the address, there are 3 houses close together on the lane, and seeing that, I am about to give up with eBay.
There is of course eBid: https://www.ebid.net/uk/ - but I don't know how much following it has, and it will still be subject to the capabilities of delivery drivers.
I gave up selling on eBay a long time ago, other than classifieds,.

The delivery drivers just give buyers an excuse to try and scam, say they haven't got it, and more and more are doing it.

They add buyer protection to the price you list things at too, so the buyer is actually paying to protect themselves lol, looking at other threads to see if things have changed.

Frimley111R

Original Poster:

19,120 posts

262 months

Sunday 23rd August
quotequote all
bigpriest said:
Have they added any options to the search filters so you can de-select 'live auctions' when searching? I doubt it but it would be useful.
Just checked. No.

Like many, I don't buy much on there these days so not even explaining what a live auction is just puts me even further off. I'd understand a separate section for these as a new feature but just to lave me and others without a clue why we can't bid or buy now is the height of stupidity.

Jamescrs

6,322 posts

93 months

Sunday 23rd August
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Doesitdrive said:
An African guy was selling mystery boxes at a boot fair last weekend, all undelivered parcels still with addresses on them.

I assume eBay and Amazon and the like. After waiting since the 6th of August for an Ebay purchase, not delivered as they say they cannot find the address, there are 3 houses close together on the lane, and seeing that, I am about to give up with eBay.
I’d pretty much guarantee that those “undelivered parcels” are all fake postage labels stuck on to make them look legitimate.

The same thing is appearing at every car boot sale up and down the country along with even pop up shops in shopping centres doing the same. Thousands of people making videos of opening parcels on TikTok and without fail they always contain some tat that no one really buys with knowledge of what the items are.