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Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss
This is a valid point, sort of. I remember when there used to be many Ruth, Wagner, Cobb and rarer-back t206 HOF cards on eBay, as well as T213-6, the occasional M131, T208s, and rare E backs. Now if you search for Ruth, it’s almost all 1933 Goudey. If you search for Cobb, it’s almost all t206. There are a few non-commodity examples, but they are completely overpriced. Maybe it is because the rarer stuff has gotten more expensive, but I feel like EBay is a mover of commodity cards, where it used to have more diversity and depth. Search for T3 and there are few viable examples aside from a bunch of crap from Deans. Same with 1914 CJ (I fully acknowledge the Probstein auction but this is an exception).
From what I hear, ebay has become very unfriendly to sellers. I bet this has deterred the collector and casual seller from using ebay to sell and steered them more to AHs, where you don’t have to deal with all the headaches and potential fraud in ebay. And, since PWCC was booted, there are almost no larger sellers of prewar; Probstein sometime and Tony A (although just buy direct from website), and I ignore Deans as a viable option.
Yes, I collect some advanced stuff, and that is certainly part of it. But I just don’t think eBay is the same venue as it was 3-4 years ago, let alone 10 years ago, which is also part of it
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There also seems to be more big auctions running all the time now as well. REA, for example, just had their October Encore auction end this past Sunday. Didn't they used to just run a very few big sports auctions a year, and that was it, instead of what seems like every month now? And before, someone looking/needing to sell right away, may have turned to Ebay for a quicker sale and payday. Now they don't necessarily have to wait as long with all the increased AH activity and auctions. And you're right about the possible aversion to Ebay for all the work and potential hassle it can entail. And that aversion has most likely become even more amplified starting this year with the lowered tax reporting threshold for sales on Ebay, and similar type sales platforms using payment services like Paypal and Venmo. Most auction houses don't seem to use payment services like Paypal, so those consignor sales through those auction houses don't likely get reported to the IRS. And unlike on Ebay, not all AHs necessarily have to charge all their buyers sales tax, at least not yet. Plus, like you said, people looking to spend a good chunk of money don't have to worry about all the thieves and scammers on Ebay if they stick primarily to reputable AHs instead. In the end, not really surprising at all that most of the big ticket stuff has moved from Ebay.
And all this is possibly another reason Ebay launched their Authentication Guarantee program, to quell some of that scammer/thief fear, in both buyers and sellers, and try to reverse the trend you brought up of big sales leaving their platform.
Oh, and since so many people do go on sites like Facebook, it is is probably easier and more convenient for them than having to log in and even bother with Ebay.