What is the Future of ebay? (Facebook launches new 'marketplace' for buying, selling)

[byrone]

Being squeezed by Amazon and Facebook, does Ebay really have a long term future? A majority of my collectibles deals are now completed on Facebook, ebay has been losing my business both as a buyer and as a seller


CNBC story

Facebook launches new 'marketplace' for buying, selling

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/03/faceb...g-selling.html

[Mdmtx]

I haven't bought much on eBay for the past year or so either. I would guess nearly 70% of my purchases have been through Facebook. eBay just seems old and tired and over priced.

[Leon]

I can't stand FB and will never go there to buy or sell. I hate it.

Ebay should change some of their policies if they want to continue to thrive. I don't like selling there anymore.

[Cozumeleno]

Maybe it's just me but I think it will be a long time before eBay fades away. They've seen other threats in the past (i.e. when Yahoo Auctions tried to make a run with free listings, etc.) and have outlived all of them.

It's not perfect but with the availability of so many pre-war cards, I easily buy probably 95% of my stuff there. And while I use other sites such as Amazon for non-card purchases, I almost always check eBay first if it's something I'm buying online with the exception of certain things like TVs, etc.

[RichardSimon]

Maybe I am a little behind the times but how do you buy and sell on FB?

[MikeGarcia]

:

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

Maybe I am a little behind the times but how do you buy and sell on FB?

..if it's as easy to set up a counterfeit FaceBook Page Account as it is to set up a Craig's List "old baseball cards for sale" ad , then I see a lot of future threads on this forum..

..

[byrone]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

Maybe I am a little behind the times but how do you buy and sell on FB?

Richard, the best way to conduct business through Facebook is using "Public Groups", where people can list items for sale or want lists. Payment is usually via Paypal. The groups self-regulate, so there often is no official "feedback" system, but troublemakers are quickly turfed should the need arise. For example, I collect game worn NHL jerseys, and check out Game Worn Hockey Jersey Collectors on Facebook regularly for news and discussion, along with buying and selling. There is no charge or commission for this

[byrone]

Originally Posted by Leon

I can't stand FB and will never go there to buy or sell. I hate it.

Ebay should change some of their policies if they want to continue to thrive. I don't like selling there anymore.

I used to have the same opinion

[rjackson44]

I agree with leon ..facebook and craiglist are horrors

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Leon

I can't stand FB and will never go there to buy or sell. I hate it.

Ebay should change some of their policies if they want to continue to thrive. I don't like selling there anymore.

You could cut the words"to buy or sell" and I would still agree with you.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Leon

I don't like selling there anymore.

They've made it really tough on sellers. I sell probably less than a half dozen items a year on eBay. I always try the B/S/T here first, with eBay as a last resort.

As far as buying, eBay is the best IMO. As a buyer, I'm afforded more protection than anywhere else.

[Mdmtx]

I only learned how to use Facebook because I got invited to a group to buy and sell cards. There are literally 1,000's of groups for buying and selling. I have conducted numerous purchases there probably nearing 10k. Only been screwed once for 14 bucks, but got my money back from PayPal. The groups I belong to and use all have a vouch system to join. It is fun.

Mark

[bravos4evr]

FB groups based on selling and auctioning cards are pretty fun (tho in my experience too focused on new,shiny cards, ymmv) and no fees and direct authority by mods is a good thing. BUT, I have to say, when looking fo specific items, ebay is hard to beat. (for example I wanted to replace my ruined program from the 1st game at Turner Field, popped on ebay and found a nice one at a good price in ten minutes).

Ebay has value for the buyer of specific items on the fly, but if I were selling on a lower volume scale, I think i'd be looking at other options.

[tab]

I have never sold anything on eBay. I have been a buyer since 1999 and don't see it going anywhere. I buy on eBay often( not just cards). I can usually find really good deals there that ARE NOT sports cards. As far as buying cards it has gotten really old! Same over priced cards be listed over and over again at a really high BUY IT NOW! The MAKE AN OFFER is a joke most of the time. No matter what I offer there is always a counter. After I make my offer I won't go any higher (unless it's something I feel I have to have, which doesn't happen much anymore). Keep in mind I DONT make low ball offers but try to save a few bucks is all. My last offer was countered by $1.00 come on.

They need to put a limit on how many times and item can be relisted or something! Even better I wish I could delete each item from my search( for good) and never have to see it again! Yeah I know I can narrow my searchesand add words that I don't want like reprint or SGC etc, but they just abbreviate or put it in the description instead.

As a seller I'm sure you all have a ton to complain about as well! I'm a great buyer and always make payment as soon as auction ends. Never had any problems that I can think of with any seller either.

With all that being said most of my cards still come from eBay but have slowed down a lot! Getting bored with the same stuff. I tried a few smaller auction houses but get tired of seeing mostly SGC graded t206. I like PSA better( not starting a debate) and would like to keep most of them in the same holder.

I haven't made many purchases on the bst lately since nothing has really caught my eye. It may be time for a break soon.

[KMayUSA6060]

EBay won't go anywhere, at least for a long while.

To me the question is what is the ceiling (or floor) for PayPal? They control the non-eBay sales market essentially, especially since they've started offering purchase protection. Could another company rival PayPal or could PayPal break off and become it's own marketplace?

[yanksfan09]

I hate facebook and will never join it. I probably buy 75 percent on ebay and the remainder BST here and auction houses.

I truly hope FB never catches on for collectibles. I don't want to sign up!

[PolarBear]

Originally Posted by Leon

I can't stand FB and will never go there to buy or sell. I hate it.

Ebay should change some of their policies if they want to continue to thrive. I don't like selling there anymore.

Exactly where I'm at. I've never had a facebook account and never will.

And, I rarely sell anything on ebay anymore.

[Mdmtx]

I had the same disdain for Facebook. I only had it for keeping an eye on my 2 oldest daughters. It sat dormant, unused for several years. What you all may not know, when you join closed groups and have a private profile, you don't get bombed by all the junk. My Facebook is a long list of stuff about cards. Stuff for sale. Stuff wanted. Cards for auction. Links to stories about cards. And a few things from a dozen old high school friends I have rekindled friendships with and the occasional post from my daughters. I sense I lot of resistance to Facebook, but my account is just another 1,000 card posts or so per day that I can choose to read or skip over.

Mark

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by Leon

I can't stand FB and will never go there to buy or sell. I hate it.

Ebay should change some of their policies if they want to continue to thrive. I don't like selling there anymore.

A HUGE +1 on that one!

Best wishes,

Larry

[thecatspajamas]

There seems to be a lot more support for buying on Facebook than for selling. Not having tried it, out sounds a lot like setting up or shopping at a digital swap meet. Tons of individual groups, and the stuff offered varies from group to group, but no way to do a general search across all groups to find which one the item you are looking for is hiding in. I could see it being appealing for a buyer who is accustomed to spending their weekends scoring yard sales and flea markets for that overlooked or poorly-advertised treasure. And maybe finding a ready buyer for one or two pieces among like-minded collectors with very similar interests might work okay too (kind of like trading cards with your school buddies). As a higher-volume seller with inventory crossing several categories of collectibles though, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to list, much less find buyers for, the thousands of items currently in my eBay store. Frankly, it sounds like a seller's nightmare that I'll gladly pay a few percentage points on my sales to forego.

Do I wish eBay was cheaper? Sure. Less restrictive? Maybe. More like the "good old days?" Of course. But I appreciate it for what it is: a selling platform with a large number of efficiencies and tools available to help sellers offer their wares, and help buyers sift through it to find what they're looking for. While it may be possible to buy and sell on Facebook, that is not the function it was designed around, and I do not see it in any way replacing eBay in general or for me personally for that function.

[dabigyankeeman]

With over 3000 buys (and maybe 50 or so sells) on Ebay, I like Ebay. Big selection, I trust a high pct of the buyers and sellers, and I feel Ebay will back me up if I have any problems. I really dont always trust people I see in Facebook groups. I think its "in" right now to knock Ebay, but I see Ebay around for a long time.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by dabigyankeeman

With over 3000 buys (and maybe 50 or so sells) on Ebay, I like Ebay. Big selection, I trust a high pct of the buyers and sellers, and I feel Ebay will back me up if I have any problems. I really dont always trust people I see in Facebook groups. I think its "in" right now to knock Ebay, but I see Ebay around for a long time.

Me too on this. Hopefully ebay will continue to evolve and get back to it's old self, in our categories ie.. promoting auctions over fixed pricing.