Another trashing ebay thread

mcheath · January 31, 2009 4:26AM

Well its not really. I just wanted to post an observation I just made. I was looking at the "Post your 1824 quarters" thread and liked the looked of Billet7's vg08. I thought I might like a lower graded bust quarter with good eye appeal for the grade so I stumbled over to ebay. There was not one pcgs, ngc, anacs, or icg holdered Bust quarter for true auction of any grade or year. I realize that it was/ is super bowl week and a series that is rare/ not heavily traded, but still has ebay become that much of a fixed price venue. Your thoughts?

DUIGUY · January 31, 2009 4:28AM

Yepper.

291fifth · January 31, 2009 4:29AM

The lack of "true auctions" is killing interest in eBay.

coinnut · January 31, 2009 4:53AM

<< The lack of "true auctions" is killing interest in eBay. >>

garsmith · January 31, 2009 4:57AM

<< 

<< The lack of "true auctions" is killing interest in eBay. >>

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bestday · January 31, 2009 5:03AM

<< 

<< 

<< The lack of "true auctions" is killing interest in eBay. >>

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What is left to bash is diminishing..The sun is setting on ebAY

LindeDad · January 31, 2009 5:18AM

Everbody is just so HAPPY with the new an improved eBay arn't they!!!!!!

I just went threw and deleted all my saved searches since with the new format you can't tell what they are.
One of them with a readable title just gave me 256 items found, when what I was looking for only had 54 of witch only a hand full were auction.

RedTiger · January 31, 2009 5:31AM

<< 

<< 

<< The lack of "true auctions" is killing interest in eBay. >>

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It seems to be a vicious cycle at Ebay: true auctions have more and more subpar results, fewer people use them. That in turn, means fewer browsers on Ebay, which in turn means more subpar results, and round and round it goes.

While Amazon is not a widely used venue for coins, the latest above expectation results from AMZN have to be an eye-opener for Ebay management, which had to explain their poor financial numbers. I see two companies, one seems to be trying harder to please their customers and vendors, one that seems to be alienating them. It is too bad that AMZN's fee structure isn't likely to fly with coin dealers and collectors because for many vendors of other products that is where they are migrating to.

I also wonder how much worse the Ebay gross sales numbers for Q3 2008 would have been if it wasn't for the cashback promotion and rebates. For coins, I would guess 10% or more of the gross was from people using the promotions and/or selling coins they bought with the discount.

CertifiedGoldCoins · January 31, 2009 6:29AM

I've been on eBay for more than ten years. There was a lot of bidding during the week a coin was listed because there was NO watch list. You had to bid, to track coins of interest to you. I had listings that had dozens of bids, and made decent money.

Several years ago, some eBay crackpot came up with the idea of a watch list, and bingo, you suddenly didn't have to bid to track coins. The list grew from a limit of 10, then 20, and I think it's now a hundred. Imagine that! So why bid, except at the end, to get something as cheaply as possible. I recall one listing that had 50 watchers, and no bids.

Sellers like myself who know better don't bother, any more. Those who don't know better risk losing big time with a 99-cent start. Good luck to them.

BaronVonBaugh · January 31, 2009 6:30AM

<< The lack of "true auctions" is killing interest in eBay. >>

That and all their improvments will soon have them driving everybody away.

seanq · January 31, 2009 10:05AM

<< I've been on eBay for more than ten years. There was a lot of bidding during the week a coin was listed because there was NO watch list. You had to bid, to track coins of interest to you. I had listings that had dozens of bids, and made decent money. >>

I dunno, I still simply bookmark coins I'm interested in tracking. Then I can search my bookmarks for the current day's date (in the format "jan-31") and that will give me all items ending that day. If eBay ever changes their URL structure to eliminate the ending date I'm double-plus screwed, though.

<< Sellers like myself who know better don't bother, any more. Those who don't know better risk losing big time with a 99-cent start. Good luck to them. >>

Earlier this week, I saw an AG but problem free seated dime close for $.01 plus $2 shipping. How many hits like that can someone take before they just drive to the local B&M and take whatever they can get.

Sean Reynolds

MrOrganic · January 31, 2009 9:14PM

...with all these negative views on EBAY

seems like a great time to short the stock!

frnklnlvr · January 31, 2009 10:14PM

<< 
Several years ago, some eBay crackpot came up with the idea of a watch list, and bingo, you suddenly didn't have to bid to track coins. The list grew from a limit of 10, then 20, and I think it's now a hundred. Imagine that! So why bid, except at the end, to get something as cheaply as possible. I recall one listing that had 50 watchers, and no bids.

>>

It's now been extended to 200 items.

golfer72 · January 31, 2009 11:24PM

I only use Ebay for Buy it Now anyway. More as a link to certain dealers to check their inventory. Who has the pateince to folow an auction for days if not weeks at a time. Teletrade I use because the pictures are accurate and the Auctions are short.

Res · February 1, 2009 12:23AM

<< I've been on eBay for more than ten years. There was a lot of bidding during the week a coin was listed because there was NO watch list. You had to bid, to track coins of interest to you. I had listings that had dozens of bids, and made decent money.

Several years ago, some eBay crackpot came up with the idea of a watch list, and bingo, you suddenly didn't have to bid to track coins. The list grew from a limit of 10, then 20, and I think it's now a hundred. Imagine that! So why bid, except at the end, to get something as cheaply as possible. I recall one listing that had 50 watchers, and no bids.

Sellers like myself who know better don't bother, any more. Those who don't know better risk losing big time with a 99-cent start. Good luck to them. >>

I never use the watch list anyway. I just set up a bookmark folder for the auctions I'm interested in.

intence · February 1, 2009 12:25AM

totally agree

VamGuy · February 1, 2009 1:45AM

<< While Amazon is not a widely used venue for coins, the latest above expectation results from AMZN have to be an eye-opener for Ebay management, which had to explain their poor financial numbers. >>

Oh boy, that's good comedy right there! Ebay management sees only what they want to see. They attribute their poor financial numbers to the economy. Period. Every decision and every change ebay makes directly benefits the the buyers and the sellers.

They make no mistakes. Just ask them, they'll be glad to tell you.

Another trashing ebay thread

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