Because they were the first, and the first to do it really well. It's extremely difficult for companies to compete against that if they can't offer anything new

Because they were the first, and the first to do it really well. It's extremely difficult for companies to compete against that if they can't offer anything new. Marketing tells you that you need to be the first at something for brand recognition. Once a term has been ingrained into society how do you compete with that? You could ask my mom, who never uses computer, if she knows anywhere to auction off an item 'on the computer' and she'd likely say eBay. You can't simply go head-to-head. You can't simply add more features. You have to accept being #2. Most people probably can't think of a way to spin another auction site, well enough, so they don't bother.