The State of eBay

[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

[JollyElm]

"He who controls the spice 'search function,' controls the universe."

[Leon]

Wow, reading the comments is a little eye opening. While I have bought on there, I haven't sold on there in years. I didn't realize it had gotten that bad.
.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Leon

Wow, reading the comments is a little eye opening. While I have bought on there, I haven't sold on there in years. I didn't realize it had gotten that bad.
.

Maybe it has for prewar baseball or even baseball in general, but for other card categories it remains the go-to place. You simply cannot beat the audience.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Maybe it has for prewar baseball or even baseball in general, but for other card categories it remains the go-to place. You simply cannot beat the audience.

Memorabilia has simply dried (been collected) up some over the years, I think, totally apart from the other issues noted. But there's really no alternative on that side, either, so good stuff still pops up from time to time, and bargains still to be had.

[edtiques]

I bought a lot of pins on ebay for $39.00 and they're worth probably $300. Well, the seller canceled the sale and refunded my money. He told me he "misplaced" the pins. That didn't sit well with me. I looked at his feedback and saw there was someone who left neutral feedback because he canceled that guys auction too within the last month. I looked at the item he canceled and it was a zippo lighter worth probably $120 or so but sold for $45 in an auction. I looked at his other sales and he was getting top dollar for everything. He knows the values, he's an antique dealer. He wanted to get full value for his items. He knew those two items went too cheaply, so he canceled the sales. That's a violation of ebay's selling policies. It's also just a very weaselly thing to do.
I reported him. People who do that shouldn't be selling on Ebay.

This is the message I sent him:

I don't believe for a second that you "misplaced" those pins. You feel like you didn't get enough for them so you cancelled the sale. Maybe you should start them at a price that's more acceptable to you to begin with, that way you don't have to cancel sales. Not that hard to figure out. Personally, my reputation is worth more than a few dollars so I would honor the sale even though I know I could get more for the item. But, that's me and apparently not you. I'm guessing you also "misplaced" that Vietnam lighter that you cancelled the sale on earlier this month too. You've earned the negative feedback I'm about to leave. This is my first time leaving negative feedback after thousands of transactions. Learn to do better.

[Northviewcats]

Originally Posted by edtiques

I bought a lot of pins on ebay for $39.00 and they're worth probably $300. Well, the seller canceled the sale and refunded my money. He told me he "misplaced" the pins. That didn't sit well with me. I looked at his feedback and saw there was someone who left neutral feedback because he canceled that guys auction too within the last month. I looked at the item he canceled and it was a zippo lighter worth probably $120 or so but sold for $45 in an auction. I looked at his other sales and he was getting top dollar for everything. He knows the values, he's an antique dealer. He wanted to get full value for his items. He knew those two items went too cheaply, so he canceled the sales. That's a violation of ebay's selling policies. It's also just a very weaselly thing to do.
I reported him. People who do that shouldn't be selling on Ebay.

This is the message I sent him:

I don't believe for a second that you "misplaced" those pins. You feel like you didn't get enough for them so you cancelled the sale. Maybe you should start them at a price that's more acceptable to you to begin with, that way you don't have to cancel sales. Not that hard to figure out. Personally, my reputation is worth more than a few dollars so I would honor the sale even though I know I could get more for the item. But, that's me and apparently not you. I'm guessing you also "misplaced" that Vietnam lighter that you cancelled the sale on earlier this month too. You've earned the negative feedback I'm about to leave. This is my first time leaving negative feedback after thousands of transactions. Learn to do better.

Ouch. This story really hurts. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous dealers on eBay, however, I don't really think that this is the norm.

I buy and mostly sell on eBay, and I love the platform. I make about 100 sales each week on eBay and 70% of the sales are from repeat customers. I can see where it is difficult to find great buys on eBay. The search engine is not easy to set up to look for deals, and the prices are mostly at full retail. So, if you are looking for bargains on prewar cards, eBay is probably not for you. But there are a lot of collectors, that don't have the access to card shows. Or they don't want to buy large lots of cards and then try to sell the cards that they don't want. They are willing to pay more to get exactly what the card they want. These are the customers that eBay is catering to. We would have a lot less people enjoying the hobby if eBay was not available.

As a seller, it does take some effort to create listings and deal with the occasional problem buyer, but for the most part if you treat the customer the way that you would like to be treated, you don't have many problems. Overall, eBay's fees are reasonable for what you get. They do allow you to display thousands of items in your store for a small monthly fee. You are only charged the final value fee if the item sells. The fee structure does make it difficult to discount off the listed price when you take in the actual cost of selling the item. I don't sell at shows, but I'm sure that the vendors at shows have to deal with the costs of travel and setting up a booth. In any case, people always complain about the high cost of cards at shows, too.

In my opinion, although eBay is not perfect, I'm happy that eBay is here, and doing well.

Best regards,

Joe

[bcbgcbrcb]

I list a lot of $50-$500 cards on eBay. My take on things currently is if you are priced at and keep up to date with recent comps, you stand a good chance of moving a good percentage of your stuff within a few months of listing it. If you price at 2021 levels, you sell next to nothing. But, that is no different than the current state of card shows either. No one knows better than me what it is like to grudgingly list your cards for sale taking significant losses but if you are in that position, that’s what you have to do. Otherwise, don’t blame eBay/buyers for your lack of sales, it’s your own fault.

[ooo-ribay]

Funny that (the other) Rob just started this thread today. Before I just saw it, I had discussed my ebay frustrations earlier today with two other collector friends…

As a seller, ebay’s fees are ridiculous. They could cut their fees by 75% and still be rolling in the dough. I don’t sell enough to deal with the tax reporting but the fees are enough of a detriment.

As a buyer, my biggest beef is the proliferation of 24/7 trolls either jumping on every underpriced BIN within seconds or “getting to” sellers with offers that end auctions. I understand that some of the trolls buy and then sell as a way of making a living but others seem to be borderline hoarders. As a collector without the time to constantly be on ebay, it frustrates the hell out of me. I would love to see no BIN’s (at least on anything “pre-owned”) and an all auction format that would give us all a chance at the good stuff that comes up with ever decreasing frequency. Do the high end auction houses have BIN’s? I don’t think so. I just long for the days when collecting was a leisurely pastime and not a cutthroat business

[Exhibitman]

As I recited (in excruciating detail in my article on eBay seller punishment fees), I spent a year in the surcharge doghouse and basically sold next to nothing on eBay. That ended on the 1st and I started selling immediately. My sales absolutely exploded after I started listing again. There is nowhere else I am aware of where I could have turned out a mix of items like this and had them sell quickly and for top dollar:

--1977 Topps Star Wars sets, display boxes, stickers
--Sports cards
--1st edition hardcover of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
--1959 NBA program
--1950s-1960s Oldsmobile postcards
--Mutoscope pin-up cards
--Academy Awards tickets
--WWII photos
--Rock and roll memorabilia

Yes, the fees end up as high as AH fees when it comes to lower end items, and it is annoying as hell to pay a final value fee on sales taxes and shipping costs, but if you have good items and price them well, it is a hell of a marketplace. I sell a lot of esoteric items and cards that would be lotted into 'shoeboxes' in most auctions to generate the minimum per lot that AHs like. Some were even turned down by AHs. There is also the friction of it; some eBay buyers are dweebs and others are obviously need major mental health care, but dealing with the occasional non-paying bidder or jerk is worth it.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

it is annoying as hell to pay a final value fee on sales taxes

I have never understood how it is within their legal right to profit from this.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by ooo-ribay

Funny that (the other) Rob just started this thread today. Before I just saw it, I had discussed my ebay frustrations earlier today with two other collector friends…

As a seller, ebay’s fees are ridiculous. They could cut their fees by 75% and still be rolling in the dough. I don’t sell enough to deal with the tax reporting but the fees are enough of a detriment.

As a buyer, my biggest beef is the proliferation of 24/7 trolls either jumping on every underpriced BIN within seconds or “getting to” sellers with offers that end auctions. I understand that some of the trolls buy and then sell as a way of making a living but others seem to be borderline hoarders. As a collector without the time to constantly be on ebay, it frustrates the hell out of me. I would love to see no BIN’s (at least on anything “pre-owned”) and an all auction format that would give us all a chance at the good stuff that comes up with ever decreasing frequency. Do the high end auction houses have BIN’s? I don’t think so. I just long for the days when collecting was a leisurely pastime and not a cutthroat business

I'm a big believer in don't sweat the stuff you can't control and that would certainly include other buyers' behavior.

Also the auction industry in general is starting to use BIN's in conjunction with the auction method. It's not everywhere yet, I haven't seen it in the sports collectibles category, but it's gaining traction overall. (I am not a fan)

[toledo_mudhen]

Originally Posted by perezfan

... eBay has taken ALL of the fun (and profit) out of selling. Perhaps it's still okay for cards (which have appreciated more and cost little to ship), but that's the reason most sellers have left the platform.

Ditto!

[gunboat82]

eBay sucks for all the reasons stated, but it also seems to be the only place left where I can still close deals without bending over backward. I suspect it's a combination of much lower traffic on other sites and Facebook algorithms burying some posts.

Here are the shipped prices for all my eBay sales going back to last month, with what the same items were listed for on Facebook and other forums:

1500 (highest offer 1000) --> eBay 1803
3650 (highest offer 3400) --> eBay 4475
4300 (highest offer 3500) --> eBay 5083
2200 (tirekickers, no takers) --> eBay 2508
340 (no offers) --> eBay 434
415 (tirekickers, no takers) --> eBay 499
750 (no offers) --> eBay 1076

Outside eBay, most of the offers I receive come from high-volume resellers, and the negotiations generally involve them pointing out why my card looks worse than another card that sold for the same price two years ago.

And the prices speak for themselves. Collectively, eBay buyers spent $15,878 on my items, which they could have had for $13,105 if they simply knew to where to look. But they don't know where to look (or don't want to bother), so they pay a 21% fee.

[Brick442]

I have sold a lot on eBay in the past, not so much in recent years due to many factors (most mentioned above). However, when I sell items recently I get tons of messages from buyers: where's my item? did you ship? despite always being delivered within the window eBay specifies, sometimes by several days.

Not one buyer of mine has ever received an item late, yet I get several of these messages a week. Even after a telling a buyer "you will receive your item on time" I get more messages about the shipment.

Now I understand why one of the largest sellers of autographed cards on eBay blocks buyers from bidding after messaging one of these questions. Drives me nuts! Rant over lol.

[STL1944]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

eBay has gotten worse in silly ways.

Others have mentioned a number of them:
- Items sit for years. No cost for listing means no incentive to lower prices or remove things that you have up and are not in a rush to sell
- Ruined search - I have no idea what is actually going on when you search particular words, but it certainly is not pulling up items with those words. They removed the askerisk option years ago which was a massive help and it has gotten worse and worse
- They started allowing people to send offers to others who viewed the item, even if the item is not watched. Another example of pushing items in front of people that they likely don't want.

All that said, it is still a platform that occasionally turns up gems. A large percentage of my collection comes from eBay over the years. In the last few months (which has been a very good stretch by eBay standards for the last few years, I've won around 10 auctions, each of which was a reasonably difficult item to find. (I do have a number of collecting focuses, so there are more options out there for me.)

This may be well known (apologies if it is), but regarding eBay search, I have -had some- success using " " in my search.

For example I just searched: 1953 Bowman Psa 8 (using auction listings). The results were from 1953 Bowman cards, but none of the first five listings were PSA 5

If I search: 1953 Bowman "PSA 5", both the listings are PSA 5.

Of course, this doesn't always work and sometimes I literally have to search: "1953" "Bowman" "PSA 5" to get what I want to see.

[Hankphenom]

For me the biggest difference between eBay now and a few years ago is that for about 20 years I could make a living dealing in vintage memorabilia with eBay a primary source of inventory. Even though I was a bottom-feeder on most items, I won enough at a good enough price to keep my show inventory stocked with some basic things that I knew would move, in addition to the occasional big hit on something that fell through the cracks for some reason or because it was in my wheelhouse of knowledge of a niche area or two. That all stopped being the case somewhere around ten years ago, but by then it was time for me to retire anyway, so it was OK. No way I could do that today. For a number of reasons that have been discussed here, there are just a lot fewer vintage, and in particular rare, items available to pick up on eBay these days. I still have a number of categories I scan just about every day, and still manage to pick up some very cool stuff from time to time, but it's more a matter of serendipity than anything else, and that suits me fine at this stage.

[Schlesinj]

I generally do not sell much, but listen to random Podcasts about the hobby. I am sure I am not speaking to the right crowd, but does anyone see Fanaticscollect taking over more vintage? I know they grabbed a major player in Burbank exclusive off eBay, so will frustrated eBay sellers move if the platform is better/cheaper etc.

I believe they have some rules in place to try and not make it a museum.

https://www.cllct.com/sports-collect...exclusive-deal

[90feetaway]

And on authentication...I get the shipping to authenticator thing but should consider raising the threshold for graded at least for sellers with 100+ historical sales ?
Seeing my card shipping to California only to come back to the end customer in a nearby state after 2 weeks seems inefficient to me.

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by STL1944

This may be well known (apologies if it is), but regarding eBay search, I have -had some- success using " " in my search.

For example I just searched: 1953 Bowman Psa 8 (using auction listings). The results were from 1953 Bowman cards, but none of the first five listings were PSA 5

If I search: 1953 Bowman "PSA 5", both the listings are PSA 5.

Of course, this doesn't always work and sometimes I literally have to search: "1953" "Bowman" "PSA 5" to get what I want to see.

I'm familiar with it and use it frequently, but it does not solve all issues unfortunately.

I cannot fathom why years ago, eBay removed the wild card (*) search. This allowed you to search auto* for example and get autograph, autographed, autographs, auto etc. Now they have just tried to make the search pick up more things, and it picks up completely irrelevant items.

It's still the place to look because the sheer number of sellers means that there can be gems that turn up any time. And selling elsewhere remains challenging (though I still have some success on Facebook). But the moves they have made are baffling.

[Rich Falvo]

I notice lately that eBay searches often return items from different years than specified in the search terms. Search for 2014, get 2020. I took a few examples and thoroughly searched the listing to see if my search term was hidden somewhere, but no.

[obcbeatle]

I joined eBay around 1998, for buying primarily. I don't sell too much, mostly just to help fund my colleting habit. Every year or so I do check to see if there are any good alternatives for selling collectibles. I haven't seen any yet. Back around 2010 when I had to quit my job due to a health problem, I developed my own e-commerce website and sold mostly sports cards. I continued to sell some cards on eBay just to compare. After about 2 years I discontinued my e-commerce website because I realized I just couldn't compete with the sheer volume of "eyes" eBay gets on it's auctions/stores. Even with decent SEO and some marketing of my website. E-commerce security also became way too time consuming, in my efforts to try to protect the customer database associated with my e-commerce website. So I returned to just selling on eBay. I've used Craigslist for some bigger items, but that became too stressful worrying about being robbed, or something worse. I haven't tried Facebook marketplace yet, but that seems a lot like Craigslist. So since about 1998, I have not seen any real good alternatives to eBay. eBay has dominated the e-commerce collectibles market for over 25 years, which I find surprising since e-commerce has been so dominate during this technology revolution. And particularly since the pandemic. I understand that Amazon & eBay, etc. got in early, which really, really helped. But I feel like there must be/have been some really creative minds and start-ups during this period who can/could have broken this monopoly. Perhaps the plethora of auction houses picked up a lot of the collectibles buyer/seller market. I've never purchased via an online auction house as most seem to cater to the affluent, add their buyer premiums and I believe it is too costly for the average Joe, IMO. Perhaps the AI revolution will change some of this. But I'm not optimistic. So, am I missing a real good alternative to buying/selling collectibles on eBay? Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place?

[CardPadre]

Originally Posted by obcbeatle

I haven't tried Facebook marketplace yet, but that seems a lot like Craigslist. So, am I missing a real good alternative to buying/selling collectibles on eBay? Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place?

Yeah the actual Facebook Marketplace is not great at all, but there are some good Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook groups that are well established with a lot of members. Can find ones specific to a sport or just “vintage” in general as far as cards go.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Highly recommend this facebook group for any cracker jack collectors

https://www.facebook.com/groups/crac...rdsmarketplace

[Musashi]

Originally Posted by obcbeatle

I've never purchased via an online auction house as most seem to cater to the affluent, add their buyer premiums and I believe it is too costly for the average Joe, IMO.

Try looking at the smaller and mid sized auction houses. Sterling, Brockelman, and The Collector Connection will all generally have a large selection of affordable lots to go along with the big, expensive cards.

[Vintagedeputy]

I’m a reseller in my spare time. After being on eBay many years ago, I took a long break from buying and selling there…and I mean years. I would occasionally buy some thing there if it was something my kids were looking for but for the most part, eBay was forgotten in my house. Until recently, I started back at eBay and have been disappointed with how poor my sales have been. I have a wide variety of things that I pick up and my prices are very fair, I feel. I even leave the make an offer feature open on just about anything because most of the stuff I buy at such low prices and even if someone offers under what I’m asking, I’m still making a profit. That’s my only complaint so far is the lack of sales.