The State of eBay

[hammertime]

Part of the issue with the search is all of the "item specifics" they've added over the years which gives sellers multiple opportunities to shoehorn in extra keywords, etc. That's compounded by the fact that many sellers list their items by copying existing listings.

[LEHR]

I first joined eBay in 1997. Up until 5'ish years ago I was still checking eBay 5-6 times a day and was still buying and selling all the time. Now, with the search engine being jacked up, the museum prices, high (IMO) seller fee's, and the fact that eBay not only allows but forces me to accept ridiculous returns, I've completely stopped selling on their platform and my purchases have gone from an average of 1 a day to 2-4 a month. Like others have said, you can still find quality items at fair prices at times, but I've found this to only be through the auction format. I never really use the Buy It Now feature anymore.
With REA now doing the Encore auctions I'd rather consign to them, ship one box, and have ZERO headache.

[jingram058]

From what I can tell, based on the things I look for and buy, and talking to my friends who also are into these old things, eBay is taking something that worked and ruining it. For a multitude of reasons. No one I know buys or sells there much anymore. I am the last of the holdouts, but even I admit it's become difficult. Nothing lasts forever.

I will add that the cards I have bought lately have come from sellers who do have an eBay presence but also have their own web sites (such as Kit Young Cards) and from sellers on this forum.

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by jingram058

From what I can tell, based on the things I look for and buy, and talking to my friends who also are into these old things, eBay is taking something that worked and ruining it. For a multitude of reasons. No one I know buys or sells there much anymore. I am the last of the holdouts, but even I admit it's become difficult. Nothing lasts forever.

I will add that the cards I have bought lately have come from sellers who do have an eBay presence but also have their own web sites (such as Kit Young Cards) and from sellers on this forum.

I feel like there’s a Yogiism somewhere in there. Something along the lines of: “no one goes there any more…it’s too crowded.”

[ricktmd]

Seems almost uniamous. Being a seller on ebay sucks and their return policies terrible. Why they even have 14 day returns when they offer a bypass. 30 day return ( plus 15 working days to ship back) . Just push the button that says "doesn't match website description, or bought by mistake." Allowing bidders to withdrawal bids on auctions is outrageous. All this an ebay customer service claim is they trust their buyers to be honest. Seriously?

As a buyer the difficulty to search has taken the fun out of looking at ebay. There still are hidden gems amongst the countless overpriced items