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I was a consultant at eBay for a few years, and one thing I learned was that it's big, hairy, complex problem to run a marketplace. Every policy change is fraug
by chaz 13y ago
I was a consultant at eBay for a few years, and one thing I learned was that it's big, hairy, complex problem to run a marketplace. Every policy change is fraught with vitriol because there are always two sides -- the buyers and the sellers. One group will always think you're screwing them over while the other side thinks you made their day. It's worse because the sellers are a small, extremely vocal group and the buyers are the quiet millions that simply react through purchasing decisions (or lack thereof). Buyers tend not to run anti-eBay blogs, forums, etc.
On top of that, there's fraud. Both eBay and PayPal have inserted themselves as an intermediary in the long history of humans trying to screw each other over, where one or both parties is going to walk away very unhappy, and the company gets the blame. It's a tiny fraction of the activity, but the outcome is that everyone pays the price through draconian policies, high fees, bad customer service, locked accounts, etc.
- Retric 13y agoHonest question, why does EBay not offer a simple we open the package weigh it and take some pictures and then email them, to the buyer option? Even adding a week and charging 20$ + shipping would be worth it for a fair number of purchases and add quite a bit to there bottom line.
- chaz 13y agoI have no idea. If I had to guess, I'd say the problems are that it's not cost effective and it could cause eBay to hold the bag in the case of fraud. I'm not sure that it would be as little as $20 to process shipments, and photographs aren't necessarily going to show problems such as defective products or counterfeit goods. It requires a more lengthy examination by an expert. I think there's a small market opportunity here though. Gazelle and some other companies are doing this for some electronics. Instead of essentially acting as an escrow, they are buying a tested, QA'd product outright from the seller, and then selling it for a more hefty markup on eBay and other outlets. Small, high value goods with high margins such as electronics, luxury clothing, and jewelry may be a good business here if it marketing can be scaled cost effectively.
- blisterpeanuts 13y agoeBay avoids a lot of headaches by not touching the merchandise, for example sales tax (in the US). Unlike amazon, which is caving to sales tax demands in one state after another. Ever since Amazon started charging sales tax in my state, people I know have been showrooming products on Amazon, then buying them on eBay, buydig, etc. As long as eBay isn't forced to deal with taxes, they have an inherent advantage. The morality and legality of avoiding paying sales taxes is quite another discussion, and an interesting one.