eBay Refocuses on Core Auction Business

The only reason people are using stores is because of the cost.
I've sold on ebay for years and even I no longer do auctions.

They are OK for amateurs but for a business that needs a profit they are no longer viable in many areas.

Store Inventory listings on average take 14 times longer to sell

There are other reasons for this:
Store items do not feature as readily in search, auctions are given priority as the default.

Things tend to be 'properly' priced in stores, i.e. not a plasma starting at 0.99p

Professional sellers load them up and because it's much cheaper and are prepared to try less saleable items.

This is all about money, ebay are greedy and feel the shops are costing them.
I always felt they made the shops so viable so as to encourage a different type of market place and secure their future.
I believe the auction format is dying for most items, the only people who are interested are the bottom feeders and bargain hunters.
Increasingly people are not bothered about waiting for 7 day auctions for everyday type items. They will for rare collectables but not an ipod or suchlike.

PS, these comments are my general overview, obviously there are exceptions

the only people who are interested are the bottom feeders and bargain hunters.

Isn't this everyone on ebay? Thats kind of what made it successful. The only reason people will buy from a store on ebay is if its cheaper, harder to find outside, and gets a positive feedback point for the transaction [in my limited experience of customer dealies as a seller on ebay] - its certainly not for 'ease of use', even for everyday items.

I for one welcome our new store-inventory-destroying overlords. Too many of the categories & searchs are full of chaff which clearly never sells, and is just relisted ad infinitum. I'm looking at you, "real leather mobile phone pouch + accessories" ...

Of course people are after a cheap deal on ebay, but there's cheap and cheap. Many get out-bid at a $1 on big ticket items.

You mention ease of use, in reality it can be a lot easier.
Firstly the site is known to all and you know things will be there.
To buy an ipod just click buy now, then pay instantly - job done.

Now go to a search engine and try and buy one - type in buy an ipod and see how long it takes to find something that is actually for sale with decent information etc and for example is available to you if you don't happpen to live in the USA

Reading one liner item descriptions that are attached to a full page of seller's terms and conditions is a real turn off. Any seller who needs that much protection is a red flag for me.

Then factor in the $10 shipping and *handling* on a $5 item weighing 6 oz, and you get the idea.

My way around this is to limit my search to my area and arrange for pickup.

Except for that one dealer in the same city who carries a lot of servers that I like. $20,000 for a server and he won't allow COD in person or a personal inspection. Gotta buy blind. No freakin' way!

Oh, let's not forget the items that have been through three sellers each tacking on some margin.

I thought Ebay's sole purpose was to clog up the Google's search results with expired auctions and buying adwords campaigns for "dead ransit monkey meat? Buy it on ebay".

They sell stuff too? Who knew...the things you learn.

for buyers and sellers, ebay is not the only place to visit!

ebayauctionmasters.com

has a list of alternatives as well as interview links for vintage and recent Meg Whitman interviews. Auction fee comparisons and eBay telephone #'s.

link drops generally work better if:

• you have been a community member for a while
• you have added value to the community before trying to exploit profits from it
• you try to add some of the value of the content to the page you are dropping a link on
• you even link to the most appropriate page rather than trying to build up the authority of your site homepage by linking to the wrong page