Comments on: How high street brands are changing eBay

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:39:38 +0000

It looks like ‘Markenshops’ has just appeared on eBay UK, as ‘Outlet’

By: Gerry007

Gerry007 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:55:48 +0000

The real problem is going to be high street -v- online,

If you trade online ie; vis ebay, then the High street is secondry & we are taking sales from there.

By bringing the High street sellers onto ebay. are we (they) not cutting their own throat.

By: Andrea Kennard

Andrea Kennard — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:37:27 +0000

I think the daily deal is a great idea. And I don’t mind that it is big companies, cos yes, they do bring in the customers.

A thriving town has both chains, individual boutiques and also market stalls.

It can happen on ebay too, I think. BUT the one thing that ebay is doing that is anti thriving town is that they are also allowing buyers to bleed away from the town with sponsored links.

Which is really very stupid of them.

By: Lino

Lino — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:42:41 +0000

Will be interesting to see what happens when eBay introduce the Top Seller programme. As far as I can see, most of these High Street Brands will fall well short with their DSR scores.

By: ebuyerfb

ebuyerfb — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:53:40 +0000

I’m not going to argue with your premise and I can understand why it may be true.

However, I am curious about what the effect is on all sellers when one of these well known brands has an abysmal sell through rate orders of magnitude (literally) lower than the typical Diamond Powerseller and who can’t even maintain a feedback percentage higher than 60%? As a seller, should I be worried?

By: board_surfer

board_surfer — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:42:25 +0000

I think folk get a little too hung up on image.

Look at argos the other day, 7000 phones sold in one day, you really think anyone ,let alone ebay, is going to turn that sort of thing away?

By: Glenn

Glenn — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:24:52 +0000

This is the route eBay directed me along. I was happy (lazy) to just list on eBay. It’s only as a result of eBays policy changes that I now list elsewhere. I don’t like the big high street shops on eBay, I think it damages its image, but I recognise that business is business. My point is that eBay have forced me to consider alternatives and I will be seeking to take customers with me. This is my message. If eBay are going to encourage big high street shops be prepared for a reaction.
They are in charge – they make the decisions, but they need to realise they can’t have it all ways. If they make more profit from big high street shops than small independent sellers – good luck to them.

They need to be aware however that sellers are getting tuned in to different selling platforms and that eBay is not the only platform.

By: board_surfer

board_surfer — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:10:19 +0000

“I can now compete with the big high street retailers directly”

And yet if those high street retailers sell on ebay everyone is up in arms.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:50:36 +0000

I’ve been reading about various ebay changes over the years and moaning along with others about ‘Free Postage’ – ‘Small sellers being ignored’ – ‘Best Match’ and lots of other changes.

I don’t like the way High Street retails are being given what appears to be preferential treatment and I really don’t like the way that ebay has changed since I started trading.

Former big players like Steve Antony Williams clearly hates ebay with a passion. Steve’s business at its height was considerable. Its loss or indeed the loss of many other small independent sellers is not going to make much difference to ebay.

EBay can survive the loss of sellers, heaven knows there are millions of us. What they can not survive is the loss of buyers. Just take a look at ebid – a reasonably well structured selling platform with no buyers.

I have read comments by Steve here on Tamebay and other blogs and he is not alone. There is a real feeling of ‘Dissatisfaction’ about the way ebay treats small independent sellers. This is what eBay really should be concerned about.

It is pointless getting the big high street retailers on board if buyers start leaving in droves. I know that recent changes have forced my hand and as a result I now operate my own web shop. Lots of small sellers like me are now actively looking to attract former ebay customers to their own shops. OK I know that ebay will not even notice the loss of a few customers, but this seems to be a growing trend.

I can now compete with the big high street retailers directly. I can offer a shopping cart with multiple purchase discounts on free post products and generally run my shop as I want. eBay have chosen to ignore repeated requests for a cart and a discount system.
By forcing small sellers to look for other channels ebay risks loosing these sellers and this in turn will have a knock on effect to customers.

My gut feeling is that in the fullness of time ebay are going to regret many of the decisions being made at the moment.

By: Jimbo

Jimbo — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:22:39 +0000

I still think there is a lot of mileage on eBay for smaller sellers (who sell descent products and offer descent service) and I do think that things like “deal of the day” and “Nectar points” will bring good traffic to the site.

The eBay brand is nothing like lidl in my eyes but it is also never going to be the online equivalent of the High St with all the latest product ranges from the top/popular brands.