Iggyman,
I have said for nearly two years now that the people who manage eBay are trying to turn it from an auction company into one big store. Everything under one roof with a fixed price. An Amazon flea market, if you will. That way it is easier for them to manage and has a more predictive cash flow.
My point then and my point now is that if they want to do THAT then they should SPLIT THE COMPANY INTO TWO PIECES!!! One for strictly fixed prices with one fee structure and another for just auctions with a seperate fee structure.
I sell on eBay and the majority of things I list are lower priced and in an auction format. I rarely use the Buy It Now feature and do not have a store. I do NOT want to limit myself to a set dollar amount when possibly two (or more) people might be interested in an item and bid it up.
For example, a couple of years ago, I bought a McCoy Pottery piggy bank for $4 dollars at a thrift store. It was marked and also dated 1957. I started it out at $9.99. It soon had a bid. It then soon had a $20 dollar bid. Shortly after that, someone E mailed me and asked if I would sell it to them for $40 dollars or put a Buy It Now price on it that I felt comfortable with. I said no.
Partly because I didn't know what a reasonable price might be and partly because with that much interest I thought this thing might be rare.
I was right.
The bank sold for $700 dollars to a collector in New York City. This was because the bank was a rare color which hard core collectors had a hard time finding especially in such good condition. Because I didn't know this (and didn't really want to take the time to find out) if I had listed it at a fixed price or taken the $40 dollar offer, I would have missed out on a HUGE profit (and eBay would have missed out on larger fees).
Because of examples like this and also because I DON'T want to price something so high that it doesn't sell (and be accused of having a museum like some people on this board accuse certain dealers of) I don't like the idea of using Buy It Now prices or having a fixed price store.
That is why I truly think that breaking eBay into two different companies would be a more profitable idea for the sellers, management and shareholders.
David
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