Home U.S. Coin Forum

Looks like even ebay is hurting for business

ScarsdaleCoinScarsdaleCoin Posts: 5,434 ✭✭✭✭✭
Guess ebay is losing some business with the recent price increase and new auctions on line....I can't think of the last time that ebay called me... and sent a follow up email like this? Can you?


eBay is committed to helping sellers adopt best practices and eliminate barriers to growing their businesses on eBay. We've compiled a range of resources for sellers based on research and feedback from the eBay community--and we'd like to share this information with you. You're invited you to schedule a phone appointment with an eBay representative at a time and date convenient to you.
Jon Lerner - Scarsdale Coin - www.CoinHelp.com

Comments

  • GATGAT Posts: 3,146
    Little wonder with all the fraud and greed on eBay. I seldom surf the bay nowdays.
    USAF vet 1951-59
  • goose3goose3 Posts: 11,471 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Little wonder with all the fraud and greed on eBay. I seldom surf the bay nowdays. >>




    Exactly!

    I generally limit my surfing to sellers known to me.
  • pharmerpharmer Posts: 8,355
    I wonder if the Savannah scammer gets picked up by a limo as they take her to lunch.
    Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

    Apropos of the coin posse/aka caca: "The longer he spoke of his honor, the tighter I held to my purse."

    image
  • krankykranky Posts: 8,709 ✭✭✭
    They really need to understand how badly the scammers are hurting ebay in the big picture and take appropriate action. That would help them a lot more than trying to help sellers broadly as their email indicated.

    The difference is that good sellers don't need that kind of help, but are hurt by the bad sellers who make people avoid ebay altogether. There is so much publicity these days about internet scams of all kinds, including auctions, it keeps tons of people from using ebay. They need to find ways to demonstrate that they are serious about keeping sellers honest to overcome that.

    Heck, I bet there are many people who only lurk here who have scaled back their ebay purchases because of things they have read here. Multiply that by who knows how many message boards devoted to other collectible areas, and I bet it adds up.

    Too many sellers are good at meeting the letter of the ebay rules while still taking advantage of buyers. Shill bidders are better camoflaged, repros are still being sold without full disclosure, people are afraid to leave deserved negs because of the fear of retaliatory negs, etc. Ebay would benefit in the long run by nuking some of the rotten sellers even if it meant fewer auctions today. They'd make it up later as buyers returned.

    New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.

  • mirabelamirabela Posts: 5,196 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I just made my first sale on yahoo last night, and I've got a handful of others just started (I didn't post here to plug, but my user ID is banjospitnwhittle, as on ebay). On the one hand, you have to set a starting bid that's the least you'll accept, or you could really lose your shirt. There's just not that much traffic. On the other hand, you can do a listing with huge pictures and a start over $100 for $.75, and the final value fee is another something like 1%. I figured out my net on the average item I sell on ebay is around 88% of hammer lately, whereas I'm set to realize about 95.5% on yahoo. I'm very optimistic about it.
    mirabela
  • mozinmozin Posts: 8,755 ✭✭✭
    Kranky,

    I share your well written thoughts about Ebay.image
    I collect Capped Bust series by variety in PCGS AU/MS grades.
  • Dave99BDave99B Posts: 8,912 ✭✭✭✭✭
    eBay will be out of business within 6 months. Trust me!

    Dave
    Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.
  • LongacreLongacre Posts: 16,717 ✭✭✭
    Scarsdale-- maybe you can take some comments from people on these boards and discuss them during your phone conference.
    Always took candy from strangers
    Didn't wanna get me no trade
    Never want to be like papa
    Working for the boss every night and day
    --"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
  • Ebay deserves it--they finally got too greedy.
    I heard they were making a French version of Medal of Honor. I wonder how many hotkeys it'll have for "surrender."
  • I am working on my taxes. I just figured out how much I paid eBay last year for various fees. I don't think they are going out of business any time soon!!!!
  • Ebay isn't suffering for business. While us coin collectors may be wary of doing business on Ebay, I can assure you that most of the rest of the population are engaged in a buying frenzy. Don't believe me? Just read Ebay's last quarterly postings. There is also an article on Ebay in this issue of Forbes which made for some interesting reading. Ebay isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
    I'm not a vegetarian because I love animals. I'm a vegetarian because I hate plants.
  • Dave99BDave99B Posts: 8,912 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Looks like folks are moving to Amazon auctions in droves (yawn).

    Amazon auctions, as of 4 pm on 4/6:

    851 US Quarter auctions - 1 bid

    1,301 US Dollar auctions - 3 auctions actually have bids

    373 US Gold auctions - 0 bids


    What a vibrant marketplace! "Greedy" eBay must be shaking in their boots! image

    Dave
    Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.
  • BoomBoom Posts: 10,165
    Well said Kranky. I agree with you too Carl.image

    Hey Dave, how about a link, please?
  • Dave99BDave99B Posts: 8,912 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Boom -

    Go to this link: Amazon US Coins (Auctions)

    Select a category. Then sort by "Bid Count - High to Low". Click Go. Any auctions with bids will appear first.

    Give it a try. Ain't no body home over there.

    Dave
    Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.
  • tsacchtsacch Posts: 2,929 ✭✭✭
    Jon,

    Do you have some stats to prove they are on a downward trend? Decreased listings? Decreased profit???? I think they were great, but I dont really sell much anymore, i still buy but from reputable dealers only.

    tom
    Family, kids, coins, sports (playing not watching), jet skiing, wakeboarding, Big Air....no one ever got hurt in the air....its the sudden stop that hurts. I hate Hurricane Sandy. I hate FEMA and i hate the blasted insurance companies.
  • Can't help that coin sales have softened a bit. It is a pretty big part of Ebay sales.
  • LincolnCentManLincolnCentMan Posts: 5,347 ✭✭✭✭
    eBay is committed to helping sellers adopt best practices and eliminate barriers to growing their businesses on eBay.

    The biggest barrior for me growing my business on ebay is their fees. The good thing about ebay's fee scale is that it has really forced me into higher dollar coins. The low dollar coins just show no profit once the fees are taken out of the sell. ...the few that do show profit arent high enough to justify the trip to the post office.

    Now just about everyone wants to use paypal. There's another three percent cut. Now, I have to figure a 10% mark-up to basicly "break even." If I want to make any money, it's more like 20%... and it's difficult to do that on coins with a small spread. And now that I'm buying and selling coins at a higher dollar amount, it costs me five bucks per coin just to place the auction. Not a big deal, but five bucks is a substantual % over the $3.20 that it used to be. Trust me, it adds up quick.

    I havent figured it up, but I'd bet I sold over 20K worth of coins on ebay last year. I've probably sold less than 2K worth on there this year. Once you concider all the fees, I generally do better selling to dealers at coin shows than I do on ebay. I used to think that coin shops would be dead soon, and shows would follow suit. I no longer think that. I think Ebay shot themselves in the foot.

    David
  • Dave99BDave99B Posts: 8,912 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Do you have some stats to prove they are on a downward trend? Decreased listings? Decreased profit????

    Anyone notice no one is responding to this question? image

    Dave
    Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.
  • BearBear Posts: 18,953 ✭✭✭
    Thats a good thing. When a company gets arrogant, doesnt listen

    to its customers, gives lip service to good service and does not stay

    ahead of the curve, they deserve to get hammered.
    There once was a place called
    Camelotimage
  • tsacchtsacch Posts: 2,929 ✭✭✭
    Dave99B,

    I am waiting patiently for a reply..........any info regarding this post would be cool.

    tom
    Family, kids, coins, sports (playing not watching), jet skiing, wakeboarding, Big Air....no one ever got hurt in the air....its the sudden stop that hurts. I hate Hurricane Sandy. I hate FEMA and i hate the blasted insurance companies.

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Emoji
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file