Having been a Buyer and Seller on EBay since 1997, we have seen a steady slide downward in the quality, ethics and economic benefits of doing business on line. Early on Sellers on EBay were trustworthy professional or semi-professional Dealers who cherished their reputation and feedback score. These days, it seems a lot of the folks selling are going directly from the thrift store and yard sale to their computer and the end result is low quality merchandise, poor packing and a "who cares" attitude. EBay decided early on to remove themselves from any dispute and so left both the Seller and Buyer at an impasse. It is amazing how much the definition of "good - excellent" in describing an items condition varies from city to city, state to state. We have grown weary of seeing items arrive broken, chipped and covered with filth. Just try to threaten to leave the Seller a well deserved negative feedback and watch how fast you receive one back!. It always been true that "Buyer Beware" is the best policy, but it seems that the trust is mostly gone and the only winners are EBay who have their fees and the Seller who has your money. Even with insurance, the Post Office considers you guilty until proven innocent when you attempt to collect on the insurance. Being owners of an Antique Mall, we frequently hear Customers say "Oh, I can get that cheaper on-line" as they walk thru the store. But here lately we have begun to hear more of them say they have been burned by a Seller and would now rather pick up an item, look it over, ask for a discount and take it home with them minus the hassle and shipping costs. As with all mega Corporations, EBay has lost it focus of how they became successful and who made them so, and have taken the fun out of dealing on line. There is an old saying that "in the life cycle of every organization, there comes a point where its ability to succeed in spite of itself runs out". So true.

Dennis Caldwell
Chapman Antique Mall

I post mainly postcards on eBay and bid on/buy "mostly" postcards. I have purchased some larger ticket items, such as recliner, wheelchair....but only from reputible dealers with excellent feedbacks, etc! I, too, am concerned about the quality and quantity of some items, and also "laugh" at some of the high starting prices on some postcards! I am a "small time dealer", no store, and do the postcard auctions for "retirement" fun and for ministry (all proceeds go to an agency that provides emergency global relief to people following disasters (tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc!). I hope that any changes to eBay structure bring POSITIVE results, and will be watching closely, as well as reading reactions of other eBayers on this blog, etc! Thanks, Noah, for opening these doors to further communication!!!!

E bay did lower their front listing fees,but you did not mention that they went from 3.50% to 8.75%,on the back end,making it sound like they were giving us a break. Another of E Bays tricks.
John

Hello. I would like to post a comment for the other side. For the many small sellers that are indeed Honest Sellers. I have been selling on ebay for 9 years. I sell mostly antiques and collectibles. I have 900 feedback, all 100% Good. Now as I understand it, The accuracy and accountability that I have placed on myself as an honest seller will not matter. My reputation as a seller will now look as questionable as any seller who has been with ebay for 1 month. Buyers have always been able to gauge the honesty of the seller by their Feedback. There have always been sellers on ebay who were not "real" honest but you have always been able to see that. You had only to take the time to look. Buyers will no longer be able to do that. I have always left negative feedback for the Non Paying Bidder, this is meant to warn other sellers about this bidder. Now, there will be no warnings at all. I'm looking closely at the new changes, but I don't see any fairness to the seller here, other than the very, very large ones. This is a slap in the face to all the sellers who actually helped to build ebay in the first place. Jami Adkins

As someone else already mentioned, the front end fees are going down ever so slightly, and the backend fees are going up much more. I sell mostly postcards and vinyl LP records and my average sale is between $13 and $15 bucks. My fees (PayPal and eBay combined) run from 27% to 35% of my sales. I have over 4K in feedback 99.9% positive. I have been growing disenchanted with feebay for well over a year, especially after the last round of price fee adjustments. I consider myself a small seller. There are other lower-cost more small dealer sites out there and I am investigating them. There doesn't seem to be much money to be made selling small items on feebay (like charging .15 cents extra for an additional photo is not nickle and dime)considering the fees. I don't understand how anyone can sell a postcard for .99 cents and make any money at all. By the same token, I can see where everyone loves a bargain and would bid on an item for that price - forget it, these types of auctions will cease to exist. I always thought of eBay as a huge flea market but those days seem long gone. Heck, when I go to a postcard show, I love looking through the "bargain" boxes - with the new pricing structure, I can see where there won't be many bargan bins on eBay. I could swear that the eBay and Starbucks head honchos hang at the same country clubs, putting their heads together to figure out how much cash they can wring from the cows.

I was excited to see the mention of lower listing fees and no gallery fee only to become angry after seeing that they raised the final value fee etc. I have been selling on Ebay since 2002. I used to be able to find items to resell at thrift shops, auctions and estate sales. Now everyone who attends those events is an Ebay seller. The pickings are slim and at auctions the price goes too high to even bother bidding. I also make jewelry and fabric items to sell. It is hard to get a decent price for handmade things because so many sellers devalue their work. Also there is the issue of other people just copying what you make and selling it for a cheaper price. I wish another auction site could take off and surpass Ebay but Ebay is such a household name now. I think it will continue to be a force to reckon with but I think the integrity will go down if the shady sellers and buyers are given an opportunity to flourish. It seems like getting rid of feedback will accomplish that. I have seen the atmosphere decline in the past 5 years and I think it will get less and less exciting to sell on Ebay and harder to make money there but what else compares in traffic volume and exposure for your items?

To answer the question: With a leadership change, lower listing fees and a shift in selling focus, can eBay remain a relevant force in the marketplace? would be difficult to answer because only the passing of time will tell. It will most likely remain a relevant force but a better question might be What kind of force? As many have pointed out, the lower listing fees are offset by the higher final value fees and many sellers feel they are being put in a very vulnerable position when they cannot leave negative feedback for a buyer who deserves it. It may be that the lovely days of buyers and sellers helping each other are over to be replaced by a more Wally World mentality. The gun of negative feedback will be held to the seller's head until they flee screaming into the landscape of other web sites and the curtain will fall on the eBay we once knew. The new eBay will be more sophisticated and glossy and will cater to the big, big sellers who sell lots of new items and the buyers who want something for nothing. For awhile, all will be well, but slowly, surely, buyers will realize they can no longer buy a memory on eBay, they can only buy new and they can do that locally without the shipping. What then? As a very small, small seller with 100% feedback, I love eBay but I am worried about my future with eBay and I am worried about eBay's future with all the wonderful sellers who helped to make eBay a charming and unique place to shop. Maybe they don't want to be a place where you can buy a memory anymore, maybe they just want that old eBay to BE a memory. If so, they are going about it the right way.