Why You’d Be Stupid to Stick with eBay
Who’s got a bone to pick with eBay?
Whatever the exact number, it’s too many. Sellers have been the most vocal, but don’t let’s forget it was the buyers’ discontent that caused eBay’s panic-driven actions in the first place. Let’s face it – why would a buyer choose a potentially ‘cheap’ experience (in every sense of the word) on eBay over a guaranteed slick and professional experience on Amazon?
It’s been 12 years since eBay first came into existence - a long time by ecommerce standards, and perhaps it’s time eBay died a natural death? One can’t get away from the fact that user expectations have changed radically in that time, as online services have become cheaper and more sophisticated. Sadly, eBay just doesn’t seem to have been able to keep up with the times.
eBay’s Litany of Errors - How many screw-ups can one company make and survive??
Most critically, eBay has ignored the trend for community input in site growth, instead, making a string of swift and brutal executive decisions.
- First we had delayed action against fraud…the reason why eBay is having all these problems in the first place.
- Then we had fee increases – at a time when 99% of the world’s most popular websites are free, this severely bucks the trend.
- Then we had feedback changes – and eBay took a giant step towards destroying the dream of eBay as a place where anyone could run a business and make money.
- Then we had radical changes to search…
- We’ve had changes & restrictions on shipping cost
- VeRO’s shoot first, ask questions later approach
- And now eBay is testing ‘Paypal-only’ in Australia and Shipping & Handling price limits in certain categories in Germany…
- Plus they have a terrible attitude to support, with many emails going unanswered or receiving only standard responses.
So What Would You Do if You Were eBay?
Clearly eBay is panicking. They see Amazon as their #1 competitor – yet, as Josh Catone from ReadWriteWeb has pointed out, instead of trying to keep their unique selling point, they seem to be cackhandedly hell-bent on turning into a clone.
What would you do if you were eBay? Is there still time for eBay to pull through? At present eBay still has two things going for them…
- Traffic - 83.9 million users world-wide
- Brand recognition – People still think of eBay first when thinking of buying & selling online
But the reasons to go elsewhere are compelling…
- Greater freedom
- Simpler design – many buyers find eBay over-complicated
- Cheaper – smaller or no fees
Where do you think eBay will be in 2 years time?
