eBay News: Online Auction House Model Over?
Sunday March 15, 2009
In continuing to sort through the PowerPoint presentation (warning: large download) from eBay's first Analyst Day in three years, one thing becomes clear: eBay's days as an "online auction house" above all else may be drawing to a close. The entirety of the presentation, and in particular slides 84-134, show eBay taking a new direction in which:
• Small sellers are at a disadvantage
• Sale terms, listing content are less open
• Overstock and open-box are priorities
• eBay is more search engine, less market
• PayPal growth is the primary focus
After failing to either focus clearly on competing with Amazon.com or on recapturing and revitalizing its original base of independent sellers, eBay is instead moving to capture what it calls the "secondary market," warehouse inventory that for whatever reason didn't or doesn't sell via primary retail channels. Reactions continue to emerge, including these at:
• AuctionBytes
• Barron's
• The Telegraph
• Small sellers are at a disadvantage
• Sale terms, listing content are less open
• Overstock and open-box are priorities
• eBay is more search engine, less market
• PayPal growth is the primary focus
After failing to either focus clearly on competing with Amazon.com or on recapturing and revitalizing its original base of independent sellers, eBay is instead moving to capture what it calls the "secondary market," warehouse inventory that for whatever reason didn't or doesn't sell via primary retail channels. Reactions continue to emerge, including these at:
• AuctionBytes
• Barron's
• The Telegraph
Comments
“Titanic” captain Donahoe and many of the analysts seem to be suggesting that PayPal’s manning of the pumps will keep eBay afloat. I certainly would not put my money on PayPay for the long term. I have no doubt that eventually the major credit card companies will get off their butts and introduce a similar card/terminal-less payments system that the participating banks can incorporate into their internet banking systems, and they will do it properly, and that, my friends, will likely be the end of PayPal as far as any continued expansion outside of the eBay market place is concerned …
Phil,
I agree 100%. We have an online store that accepts paypal or google checkout. I just looked and in the last 100 sales paypal was used twice. I thought that was pretty amazing. Obviously if there is another method offered – people jump on it.
Best of Luck!
I dumped ebay several years ago. Here is their mentality. They own your store and you are just a set of hands. How else can they delete an ebay store with tens of thousands of dollars worth of investment by someone like myself. They are worthless whores. Them and their Wallstreet mentality has pissed off too many people like myself. Enjoy Hell Ebay!
Ebay ‘execs’ are fat & happy with their oversized swimming pools why-on-earth should they care – even CEOs that are ‘fired’ are given huge ‘bonuses’ the entire corp. structure is self-centered and corrupt esp. at ebay.