eBay's New Changes Are Working

[The Tavern Wench]

Posted on Scot Wingo's eBay Strategies Blog March 13, 2008
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Q1 data is telling us that the eBay changes are....

Working!  Since mid 2004, eBay datapoints have been painfully and irreversibly slowing.  Listings growth, GMV growth and active buyer growth.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that eBay has started rolling out the changes they announced back in January throughout Q1.

On Feb 20, gallery was set free and the new fees came into effect.

March 3rd, eBay rolled BestMatch as the default search. 

The results have been very profound, measurable and positive.  The much covered 'boycott' didn't cause any decrease in listings or buyer activity that we could see (I'm sure I'll get flamed for saying that, but there it is folks.).

First on Feb 20, conversion rates started a nice climb - especially for those sellers in the media categories that previously couldn't justify gallery.  By our calculations many media sellers saw conversions increase 2-5%.

Then the media+fixed priced sellers started listing a little bit more.  That saw some increased sales, and then sellers increased listings some more and that cycle is still continuing.

Then on March 3rd when eBay rolled BestMatch we saw an even larger and more across-the-board conversion bump.  We've got some sellers seeing a 10-20% increase in conversions.  I haven't seen anything this dramatically positive on eBay in a LOOOOOONGGGG time.



Click Here to Read the Entire Article:  Q1 data is telling us that the eBay changes are....

[Dixie_Collections]

That's OK I am sure the May 1st strike will do them in.   

[Platzki]

Yeah!!  I'm gonna put my entire inventory of 134 items on vacation!!!!! 

That'll show 'em whose boss!!!!! 

I can see the Chapter 11 bankruptcy on the horizon line....

{{{clutching my heart and looking at heaven in Red Foxx's Sanford & Son style}}} Louise... I'm comin' baby... I'm comin'!!


 

[QUILT]

Yeah!!  I'm gonna put my entire inventory of 134 items on vacation!!!!! 

That'll show 'em whose boss!!!!! 

I can see the Chapter 11 bankruptcy on the horizon line....

{{{clutching my heart and looking at heaven in Red Foxx's Sanford & Son style}}} Louise... I'm comin' baby... I'm comin'!!


 

[The Bar Keep]

Now if we can only get eBay to put limitations on any account that closed a store or delisted during the boycott in Feb. eBay would have pulled off the best changes since Lord knows when. Keeping the rift raft out is a good thing and may also be a contributing factor in Q1 numbers. Take a hard look at the alternatives today folks. Don't see much offered for over $10 now do you? Most of the alternative sites are in fact identical in terms of product, same sellers repeating their inventory over and over again. Same dropship suppliers and product listed on any number of sites.

What eBay did this time around was unheard of before, lower fees for many, improve the buyer experience and rid the site of the junk. One can only hope that eBay balences it once more before the end of the year with another fee decrease that will send the knee jerkers packing only to improve the businesses of countless others including myself.