ABC News has a report speculating on the changes at Ebay. Basically the take by a former ebay consultant is that the firm is moving at break neck speed to “Buy It Now” listings and giving such cheap listing fees to major sellers that it is becoming a sales platform designed to do in Amazon.com - at least in major sales categories like DVD’s etc. - that it’s no longer going to be an auction company.
Maybe so. Some people just want to “buy it now” at a price they consider fair rather than hoping for a “bargain” only to get “sniped” at the last minute by somebody with a piece of software.
But is Ebay really moving away from online auctions or just giving it’s sellers more flexibility? This author things so because, essentially, ebay has made sellers and consumers more savvy to the actual value of what they’re selling.
Take a gallon of gasoline. What’s it cost these days? Everyone knows it’s “about $3.55″ where I live today. People are aware enough on a daily basis that a station trying to sell at $5 per gallon would get nowhere. A station selling at $3.25 might get lots of business because that would be a rare short term deviation from the standard.
Ebay, the writer says, has essentially educated a vast market place so that buyers are no longer willing to risk selling cheap at auction. They know their acceptable price range and shoppers will pay it if they find it reasonably price.
So, in a sense, Ebay has to move this way, though auctions will be likely available for anyone who wants to give them a try. And as I alluded to above.. there’s auction fatigue. People don’t want to get “sniped” at the last minute. They want to buy and move on.
This author also notes something else. Ebay’s biggest cash cow is PayPal. Ebay will only allow payment by paypal - no cash or checks any more. I personally like this because it tends to protect the seller and the buyer. But it’s also a big deal for Ebay too. “Mo money” as they say.
Hey, I think making it easier to sell is great. Then people only pay the back end fee when they actually make money! I don’t care if Ebay is making money by PayPal. All I care is whether I get my product or get paid for what I sell.
And as an affiliate, my commissions are based on the back end sales fee, not the listing price anyway.
More power to Ebay! Just try to keep your sellers and affiliates as happy as you try to keep the customers!
In my opinion, it’s STILL a great time to Get Started On Ebay!
Related Links: If you are an aspiring affiliate marketer hoping to take advantage of Ebay’s potential for affiliate dollars (50% commission on auction fees when products sell through your link) you want to know about these two tools:
If you’re completely new to online marketing, you want to get a hosting account and then invest in Build A Niche Store. It takes you step by step through the process of building an Ebay affiliate store.
If you are a bit more experienced and have experience with WordPress blogs you want to check out PHPBay. This script functions like a plugin for WordPress that lets you easily post relevant ebay auction listings on any blog post or page. Both are excellent ways to get started tapping into the Ebay affiliate marketplace. If you have experience with WordPress already, I’d definitely point you towards PHPBay!
Jim Swank on August 24th, 2008 at 11:15 am
These are good times to make money on eBay and many other internet auctions. Today there is a new free software program that makes it much more profitible to work in the auction sites. You can get it here: http://www.MultiAffiliateIncomes.com
Chuck on August 24th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Jim your website seems to be having problems But I’d say to my readers if you think you can do everything with free scripts, good luck!
Sirena on October 9th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I use phpBay on my site, and I really like it. I am a relative techn0-ignoramus and I found it easy to use. In fact, I started out with BANS, didn’t like it, and returned it for a refund - then I started a Wordpress blog with phpBay and found it not only produced a better site but it was easier, too!
I’ve just swapped all my eBay listings to “Buy It Now” and will be interested to see whether it has a positive or negative effect on income. As an affiliate, it has always worried me that my site looks as though I have stuff for sale - then when the person clicks on the link, they find themselves in a whole other site AND in an auction. So I’m thinking that a “Buy It Now” listing is fairer on the user and may attract a more positive response (i.e. sales). We’ll see!