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For all those who hate ebay...

For all those who hate ebay so passionately remember this...in a time where the United States economy is not at its best (I'm not going to be melodramatic and call this economic downturn a full blown recession) this corporation is providing thousands of jobs and helping keep cash flowing...any thoughts?
-Rome is Burning

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Comments

  • otwcardsotwcards Posts: 5,291 ✭✭✭
    I'm just sick and tired of all of the nay-sayers who claim eBay is screwing them over or running them out of buisness (and there are quite a few on these boards).

    eBay (just like PSA) owes you NOTHING! If you've been there from the begining or just stared recently, eBay is a business that is in business to stay in business. To do this, they adapt and adjust and evolve. As a business person, you must do the same thing. If you don't or can't, then you put your business at risk.

    To blame or get angry because eBay, PSA or any other business is changing is sour grapes.

    Remember the early days of PSA? Most of you probably don't. There was an mystique about the business. There was a mystique about the few dealers that sold PSA cards. There was a mystique about how they managed to grade them. It's not a secret any more. The mystique is gone...

    Remember the early days of eBay? I'm sure many of you do. Fees were minimal, PayPal didn't exist and you could leave feedback for people whenever you wanted and you didn't even have to have a transaction with them. There was a mystique about it, too. Many were intimidated by the thought of using the Internet to auction off "stuff." It's changed. The mystique is gone. Even the great-grandmother down the street is taking a picture of her lawn jockey with her cellphone, uploading it to her laptop and posting it for auction on eBay.

    Remember card shows every where and every weekend with great selection? Remember FREE autographs? Remember gas under $1.00, $2.00, $3.00? Remember baseball cards being issued in series throughout the spring and summer? Remember listening to baseball on a transistor radio? Paying $2.50 to sit in the bleachers? Remember weekend one price double-headers? Remember life before cable television? Remember music before MTV?

    Times change . . .

    Things change . . .

    Deal with it!


  • << <i>I'm just sick and tired of all of the nay-sayers who claim eBay is screwing them over or running them out of buisness (and there are quite a few on these boards).

    eBay (just like PSA) owes you NOTHING! If you've been there from the begining or just stared recently, eBay is a business that is in business to stay in business. To do this, they adapt and adjust and evolve. As a business person, you must do the same thing. If you don't or can't, then you put your business at risk.

    To blame or get angry because eBay, PSA or any other business is changing is sour grapes.

    Remember the early days of PSA? Most of you probably don't. There was an mystique about the business. There was a mystique about the few dealers that sold PSA cards. There was a mystique about how they managed to grade them. It's not a secret any more. The mystique is gone...

    Remember the early days of eBay? I'm sure many of you do. Fees were minimal, PayPal didn't exist and you could leave feedback for people whenever you wanted and you didn't even have to have a transaction with them. There was a mystique about it, too. Many were intimidated by the thought of using the Internet to auction off "stuff." It's changed. The mystique is gone. Even the great-grandmother down the street is taking a picture of her lawn jockey with her cellphone, uploading it to her laptop and posting it for auction on eBay.

    Remember card shows every where and every weekend with great selection? Remember FREE autographs? Remember gas under $1.00, $2.00, $3.00? Remember baseball cards being issued in series throughout the spring and summer? Remember listening to baseball on a transistor radio? Paying $2.50 to sit in the bleachers? Remember weekend one price double-headers? Remember life before cable television? Remember music before MTV?

    Times change . . .

    Things change . . .

    Deal with it! >>



    AMEN..
  • 2dueces2dueces Posts: 6,565 ✭✭✭✭✭
    With all it's faults, e-bay is the best thing that happened for card collectors in the history of the hobby. It's not perfect, but it sure beats the days before the internet.
    W.C.Fields
    "I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.


  • << <i>With all it's faults, e-bay is the best thing that happened for card collectors in the history of the hobby. It's not perfect, but it sure beats the days before the internet. >>



    Card collectors... coin collectors... currency collectors... art collectors... record collectors...
  • Ladder7Ladder7 Posts: 1,221
    Not to mention rare foods such as this... With provenance!

    auction
  • 2dueces2dueces Posts: 6,565 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ok, I have to ask. How did you find that auction? Classic.
    W.C.Fields
    "I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
  • Ladder7Ladder7 Posts: 1,221


    << <i>Ok, I have to ask. How did you find that auction? Classic. >>



    Stumbled across it while searching for this;
    auction
  • I wonder if PSA would authenticate for the right price?
  • Future carrots!

    "Bag purchased around 7/5/08."
  • 2dueces2dueces Posts: 6,565 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Ok, I have to ask. How did you find that auction? Classic. >>



    Stumbled across it while searching for this;
    auction >>




    LMAO!
    W.C.Fields
    "I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
  • otwcardsotwcards Posts: 5,291 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Future carrots!

    "Bag purchased around 7/5/08." >>



    Probably the non-American dating notation meaning: 7th of May, 2008. I have issues with this all of the time in my collecting of Bruce Springsteen recordings. Many "foreigners" use the day/month/year process and it gets very confusing trying to figure out if 7/8/78 means July 8, 1978 or August 7, 1978...
  • BuccaneerBuccaneer Posts: 1,794 ✭✭


    << <i>With all it's faults, e-bay is the best thing that happened for card collectors in the history of the hobby. It's not perfect, but it sure beats the days before the internet. >>



    I agree, esp. living in a city of 500,00 with only one sports cards store that has nothing good.
  • Well said Scott. I'm in a small town and finding any card was impossible. it has it's faults but i'll take em.
    Collector of 71 Kelloggs Football and Unitas cards.
  • jrinckjrinck Posts: 1,321 ✭✭
    E-Bay will eventually become the online auction ghetto, with "mini-bays" cropping up that specialize in specific areas. It may be E-Bay themselves that branch out into these mini-bays.
  • ndleondleo Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't think any of the ebay critics (me included) "hate ebay". We don't agree with the latest round of changes. The fee increase doesn't bother me, but the feedback changes do.

    There were to original thrills with ebay, finding something unique and getting great deals. The current changes at ebay are designed to eliminate smaller sellers and increase sales prices by encourage fixed prices. Eventually that will reduce the diversity of the sellers on ebay.

    Mike
  • MooseDogMooseDog Posts: 1,948 ✭✭✭
    I don't hate eBay, don't necessarily love it either, but I'd be worse off without it.

    The new CEO seems to be interested in outside opinions. Ol' Meg Whitman was pretty much stuck in a narrow mindset up "never free, always a fee". I for one am very happy she is gone.
  • earlycalguyearlycalguy Posts: 1,247 ✭✭
    I had someone email me and asked me if I'd put my item on Amazon as they had a gift certificate for Amazon and would purchase the item from Amazon. I looked at the listing info and unless I read it wrong Amazon wanted over 15% in selling fees. the item was about $300 so it would have cost me $45 in selling fees. ebay and paypal fees are both bargains.
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "..The new CEO seems to be interested in outside opinions. .."

    //////////////////////////////////////////////

    New CEO Donahoe: "There will be some noise from sellers, but we are absolutely certain about our plans for the future."

    EBAY is nothing more that a gangster-run RICO enterprise.
    French courts said so last week; Australian regulators will
    say so next week.

    Governments around the world are onto the corporate criminals.

    Meg is now helping to run McCain's presidential campaign........into the ground.
    (Sadly, I will have to vote for somebody who has such a filthy associate.)

    I have a major presence on EBAY and will remain there until they turn out
    the lights. That will happen ALOT sooner than most folks think.

    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • bman90278bman90278 Posts: 3,453 ✭✭✭
    For all those who hate ebay, they should try and run a business in CA or any other tough state and see how much they would hate their states. They would have a heart attack after seeing what you have to pay into workers comp amd from there it just gets harder. Yes it seems like ebay is making mistakes, but you can still make some $$.
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "...but you can still make some $$. ."

    ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    One can still make ALOT of money there.

    By comparison, the other sites are ALL non-starters.
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • NickMNickM Posts: 4,895 ✭✭✭
    storm - Steve Westly was a top exec. at eBay too, and he's now Obama's CA chairman. The infiltration is thoroughly bipartisan.

    Nick
    image
    Reap the whirlwind.

    Need to buy something for the wife or girlfriend? Check out Vintage Designer Clothing.
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭


    << <i>storm - Steve Westly was a top exec. at eBay too, and he's now Obama's CA chairman. The infiltration is thoroughly bipartisan.

    Nick >>



    /////////////////////////////////////////////

    Westly is a political hack and has had no role at EBAY for 8-years.

    BUT, he did help Pierre make EBAY profitable for sellers. He knew
    how to market the product, and he would have made a better
    CEO than either Meg or Donahoe.

    There are scummy folks in both campaigns. Meg's presence will
    cost McCain ALOT of votes; Steve is not likely to harm Obama.
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • I also have to agree that eBay has been HUGE to the card collecting industry. The local stores near me in the last 10 years have been worthless, except for overpriced top loaders and penny-sleeves.

    I just found an free auction tool used to help promote my eBay listings. When a potential bidder clicks on the tool to view another of my auctions, I earn money for the click. It helps to off-set eBay's fees and was very easy to add to my listings. And Ebay has had no problem with me using it.
    I don't list very often and never more than a couple of items, but money made from that site covered all my listing fees for the month.

  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "...And Ebay has had no problem with me using it..."

    /////////////////////////////////////

    I lost 9 listings in one store last week; using that tool.

    I still have alot of other listings - in other cats - using the tool.

    I think a competitor reported me in designer-fashion. EBAY
    said they will cancel any listings with the gizmo in them.

    I have a call into my friend for clarification. The site says
    the widget is "EBAY API approved/integrated."

    I have yet to figure out what the complaint is. The email
    just said, "unauthorized link to an off-EBAY site." It is
    alot less of a link than auctiva and MANY others.

    The removed listings had been up about a week. There
    is a couple dollars in the widget account.

    Edited To Add: All posts discussing the "tool," have been
    removed from the EBAY boards. I am clueless as to what
    the problem is.

    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • I thought they negotiated with Ebay to be able to use it on the site and Ebay was contributing a bit towards the payment structure. Between the cash back sites that collect money from Ebay to credit buyers when they win auctions and this widget, it's no wonder why the fees went up!
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "I thought they negotiated with Ebay to be able to use it on the site ..."

    ///////////////////////////////

    I "thought" so, too. (One of the listings they croaked cost me almost $30!!!)

    There will be more info next week.
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • inevitably the fee changes and the current feedback abortion will create new sites or spawn some that specialize in specific hobbies/interests.
  • ndleondleo Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I had someone email me and asked me if I'd put my item on Amazon as they had a gift certificate for Amazon and would purchase the item from Amazon. I looked at the listing info and unless I read it wrong Amazon wanted over 15% in selling fees. the item was about $300 so it would have cost me $45 in selling fees. ebay and paypal fees are both bargains. >>



    Amazon sale prices tend to be higher to make up the difference. For cards that isn't really true yet since Amazon hasn't really picked them up yet, but for other items Amazon does bring in better prices.

    It is ebay's goal to be a mostly fixed price site. I don't know how they are going to succeed with Amazon already there.
    Mike
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