What's wrong with eBay?

[bk400]

So there are a lot of threads that decry eBay as a platform for sellers. But as a buyer of largely postwar vintage cards, I'm am not finding many disadvantages to eBay relative to the auction houses. I don't have a pay a buyer's premium. I don't have to wait as long for auctions to begin and end.

I look at mid-1950s HOF rookies in the 5-8 grade (so desirable and relatively rare, but not super rare), and the inventory for sale on eBay actually is very similar, if not even better, than what I see for sale in the auction houses. Maybe when you start getting over $10,000 in list price the inventory thins out, but below that, it seems pretty good.

Are there buyers of that class of postwar vintage who will not buy through eBay or do not check eBay listings? If basically all the buyers with the auction houses also check and use eBay, why wouldn't a seller prefer eBay when trying to sell that inventory?

EBay seller fees seem to be similar or lower than the auction houses, and buyers aren't subject to a premium, which means that they can bid higher, in theory.

Yes, there are well documented areas where eBay is buyer-friendly, but I would have thought that those disadvantages are outweighed by the fact that the buyer should be able to bid more.

[Zach Wheat]

In general I agree with you for most items. eBay has changed a lot since the early days and I think most of the complaints center around that issue. I still buy on eBay but probably not as often

[bnorth]

I believe eBay is by FAR the best place to buy and sell. The fees once you understand them are extremely reasonable for selling. For buying they have by far the greatest variety around. I actually like the BST area on here better for many reasons but there is a very limited group of buyers/sellers so not as much variety. I have always had AHs at or near the bottom for buying or selling. It is probably unfair because I base it off my experiences with them in general and not just AHs that deal in cards.

[JollyElm]

There are definitely two distinct world views on this site - buyers vs. sellers.

The eBay complaints you mention usually arise from sellers due to the fees and whatnot that get changed/readjusted and make it harder or less profitable/cost effective for them to move cardboard on the site.

'Regular' buyers like me (without a big bankroll to throw around) usually complain about the museum pricing and how less and less of the vintage cards we're looking for are available these days, since there seems to be less people selling those cards due to what I mentioned above.

That's my take.

[raulus]

Welcome to Net54! Complaining about everything is our favorite sport.

eBay certainly isn’t perfect. It’s pretty okay most of the time, as long as stuff doesn’t go wrong with a scammy counterparty trying to jerk you around.

The authenticity guarantee program still has a lot of bugs, so lately we’ve loved to complain about that piece. That and most people around here don’t want eBay getting in their way of getting deals done by declaring that the piece doesn’t pass muster in some fashion, and therefore cancel the deal.

[Kutcher55]

Huge ebay fan. The authentication program is puzzling to me though. I think they are doing it at too low a value. If the card is slabbed with one of the big 3, there's no need for authentication IMO. It's just a grand waste of cardboard resources.

Ebay should also do a much better job policing its sellers. But they have no motivation for doing so as it would only hurt their sales. Ultimately it's up to the buyer to recognize crap when he sees it. That said, there are so many sellers who are garbage human beings and should be banned.