10 Things You Didn't Know About eBay

eBay has changed a lot since the days when anything listed would sell (yes, there was such a time), and the media prowled the site for listings involving Brittney Spears’ gum, grilled cheese sandwiches with messages from above, and kids selling their foreheads as advertising space.

Here are some surprising things (I think, anyway) about eBay nowadays:

1. Fixed price listings (where the price is set and non-negotiable) are more prevalent than ever, and are overtaking auction-style listings. eBay is starting to resemble Amazon in some ways.
2. You can list items for sale FOR FREE along as you use an auction-style listing and the starting price is less than a dollar. However, the "final value fee" (what you pay eBay if the item sells) is higher than it used to be.
3. Smart sellers know they can list desirable items for .99 or so and they're still likely to sell the item at a reasonable price once the bidding is over. It's a scary premise, but it works. It's referred to as "Price it Low and Let it Go."
4. PowerSellers have all but been replaced by Top-rated sellers who must meet even higher standards to carry the designation. But buyers can sort search results by Top-rated sellers only, to reduce their risk of dealing with unprofessional sellers.
5. You need to carefully read listings that seem too good to be true. Not long ago, it wasn't unusual for some sellers to list items at ridiculous prices (say used cell phones for a dollar) and then charge very high prices for shipping (like $50). This allowed them to save money on the fees they paid eBay, as they're based on an item's final selling price. eBay is policing the site more closely now for this sort of thing but it still happens.
6. While you can readily start a business on eBay there's more competition than ever. Still, lots of people do it. The key, as always, is great customer service and fast shipping.
7. eBay offers Daily Deals now. There's even a separate website for these one-day only items. Shipping on these is free .
8. You can design your own diamond ring on eBay with its new Diamond Ring Designer.
9. When you search for something on eBay your results are presented according to an algorithm known as "Best Match." eBay has been less than forthcoming about what goes into this algorithm, but it has to do with the seller's feedback rating, proximity to where you live, etc. But most buyers expect to see the results sorted to when listings are ending (soonest first). While you can still sort results that way it's not the default--Best Match is.
10. eBay is one of the largest retailers of clothing/shoes/accessories on the web and even has a special "fashion portal."

eBay Strike Flames Out

This was supposed to be the week that eBay sellers showed just how upset they were with the company by going out on strike. That is, by not posting any listings. Guess what? It looks like it didn’t happen folks. Not in the numbers many anticipated, anyway. Our own survey of top sellers, including members of the all-powerful Professional eBay Sellers Alliance, found that very few PowerSellers, at least, are participating in the strike.

This is not to say the strike sizzled out completely. The media has been all over the story (what story there really is, anyway). There were definitely people who chose not to list this week. But the vast majority of successful PowerSellers walked right through the strike the way a tough boxer walks through a jab.

Here are some reasons why:

*Sorry, but these guys are too busy selling. They don’t have time to plan for a strike, and frankly they don’t want to give up the income. Some of the PowerSellers we spoke with were not even certain of the details of the strike, like when it was!

*Many top sellers think the strike really won’t accomplish anything anyway. eBay is going to do what it’s going to do, regardless of what a tiny percentage of its sellers do. Haven’t any of these folks ever worked for a corporation? It’s all about the stock price guys. That’s what management is ultimately paying attention to.

*A few sellers actually think the changes eBay recently announced are GOOD for their businesses, and are not about to strike. One seller we spoke with noted that this will force some sellers to raise their Customer Service standards, to ensure their overall ratings are high. That’s a bad thing? Certainly not if you’re a buyer.

*Some sellers have left, or are leaving eBay’s site anyway, and are busy moving their wares through other pipelines, such as Amazon’s.

So despite the media circus, the strike has struck out folks. Let’s move on.