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How eBay Is Continuing to Evolve as a Marketplace

April 10, 2017 No Comments

Featured article by Calvin Paige, Independent Technology Author

Everyone who is online is aware of eBay, even if they have never actually bought or sold anything on the site. When it emerged, its unique angle of being an auction site where anyone could sell anything, and things like rare memorabilia could be bid on from sellers anywhere in the world, made it an exciting prospect. It ultimately made us change the way we thought about the things that were available for us to buy, as well as about how to make money from our unwanted goods.

Of course, eBay has changed a lot over time, and where it was once seen as a new way to buy and sell, the concept of online auctions is now one we all readily accept as an option when it comes to e-commerce. Here, we look at some of the major changes from eBay’s original offerings that allowed it to become what it is today, as well as how it is continuing to evolve.

How eBay went From a Private Seller’s Marketplace to a Commercial Hub

Originally, eBay was marketed as being for private sellers who wanted to sell things they had second-hand for the best possible price. If you wanted to make some quick cash, eBay was there for you to sell your unwanted items to the highest bidder, which often meant you could make more money, more quickly, than by trying to sell these items through adverts, local sales, or at second-hand shops. Equally, eBay was promoted as a place where you could buy unusual things, particularly things that appeal to collectors. Whether you wanted an obscure vinyl record or some signed sports memorabilia, you’d have a much better chance of finding it by buying it from a seller on eBay and competing to win it in an auction than you would by scouring local stores.

Of course, eBay still very much caters to these markets. However, as it grew, it began to be seen as a viable place for businesses to actually sell products. It attracted far more traffic than many small retail businesses could get to their own sites, and also came with benefits of things like eBay’s payment system.

A Place to Buy and Sell Anything

These days, eBay is no longer about buying second-hand or unique items from individuals. You can buy from big brands. You can also find designer fashion and electronics brand new at outlet prices from boutique shops around the world who have also decided to expand their market by setting up an eBay store. You can even buy cars or real estate on eBay.

How eBay is Evolving

Other brands that previously occupied a different niche to eBay, such as Amazon and Etsy, have started to have more and more overlap with eBay’s extended offerings. Because of this, eBay now has competition for both buyers and sellers that it never had when it began – as well as, of course, from rival auction sites and people running more locally focused buying and selling groups on social media.

To keep attracting sellers, eBay works to make it possible for people to sell as easily as possible and to advertise their products as they want to. For example, a lot of people who sell on eBay regularly or are concerned with winning the most interest now use a third party auction website template in order to make their listings more attractive and win more bids.

It is interesting to see how the way we view eBay has changed over the years, and also how even this giant has issues with competition it has to keep evolving to fend off.

 

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