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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;-jeffB, post: 1790799, member: 27832&quot;]And why do you suppose everyone isn&#039;t abandoning eBay in favor of those sites?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>And why do you suppose that is?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I believe you just said that there already <i>are</i> &quot;place&quot; where people can do exactly that. Why do you suppose people aren&#039;t using them?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Mostly, everybody buys and sells on eBay because that&#039;s where everybody else sells and buys. If eBay can get away with collecting 10-15% fees, it must mean that sellers feel they&#039;re unlikely to get 10-15% higher bids in a cheaper venue, or that buyers feel they&#039;re unlikely to get 10-15% lower prices in a cheaper venue, or some combination of the two.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>What do people get for their 10-15%?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Buyers get:</p><p>- a wide selection of sellers competing on price</p><p>- the ability to view seller feedback, and to leave feedback that&#039;s visible to everyone</p><p>- Buyer Protection, a <i>huge</i> incentive to trust sellers</p><p>- corporate oversight, including the (reasonably) prompt removal of (most) bad sellers</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Sellers get:</p><p>- a huge population of buyers bidding against one another</p><p>- <strike>the ability to view buyer feedback, and to leave feedback that&#039;s visible to everyone</strike> -- well, not so much any more</p><p>- Seller Protection, a significant incentive to trust buyers (not nearly as powerful as Buyer Protection, but significant all the same)</p><p>- corporate oversight, including the eventual removal of at least some bad buyers</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I wish eBay would lower fees. If they did, I might buy more, and I might sell more. But I get enough benefits in exchange for those fees to keep me buying at my current level.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I wish eBay would restore some balance between Seller Protection and Buyer Protection. If they did, I&#039;d start selling more there again -- but I&#039;d probably be buying somewhat less.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I presume that eBay weighs the benefits and costs of these policies on an ongoing basis. I don&#039;t presume to know more about eBay&#039;s business than they do.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If you think the benefits of a no-fee venue outweigh the benefits of eBay, <i>vote with your feet already</i>. Better yet, come up with a viable business plan for a venue that competes on benefits with lower fees.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As for me, I buy from eBay at my current levels, I sell on eBay very little or none at all, and I hold some eBay stock to share in their profits. If they change their policies, I&#039;ll respond by shifting that three-way balance. And, yes, I&#039;ll gripe about them occasionally, too. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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