Thursday, March 29, 2007
eBay rising, take two
posted by Ron Leff 
I had to chime in on this topic, too. These insertion fees confirm what I've long suspected: eBay is losing its common touch.
In eBay's early days, founder Pierre Omidyar wanted to let the masses sell through his innovative service, so he kept prices low and gave everyone the chance to make money.
But with company growth comes new strategies. And it appears eBay is now calculating it doesn't need everyone's business after all. Otherwise, why put higher-end listings at risk by charging so much to post them?
It just doesn't make sense. Jacking up prices will drive out high-end products, and retain only the low-cost ones. And then our lauded eBay will become a garage-sale FleaBay -- with sellers paying the price.
In eBay's early days, founder Pierre Omidyar wanted to let the masses sell through his innovative service, so he kept prices low and gave everyone the chance to make money.
But with company growth comes new strategies. And it appears eBay is now calculating it doesn't need everyone's business after all. Otherwise, why put higher-end listings at risk by charging so much to post them?
It just doesn't make sense. Jacking up prices will drive out high-end products, and retain only the low-cost ones. And then our lauded eBay will become a garage-sale FleaBay -- with sellers paying the price.
Labels: eBay, Pierre Omidyar
