Can eBay Be Used to Sell Locally? It Thinks So

by: unsuck

A few thoughts:

- Recall that for months Iannone et al. trumpeted eBay's local P/U QR code as one of his three ''magical'' practical-application examples of his ''tech-led reimagination'' (along with app dark mode and image background removal...*YAWN*)

- Both sellers and buyers complain regularly about the confusing customer experience using eBay's new QR code 'feature'. As a matter of fact, we saw two complaints only yesterday on Twitter.
- eBay is rightly terrified of FaceBook Marketplace

eBay has been running: ''Guess what? You make more money on eBay'' Facebook Marketplace attack ad banners in the UK (with what what we believe may be an obsolete cost-comparison, to boot).

🔗 https://bit.ly/3dgsGBQ

- eBay's survey included only ''1,099 B2C and C2C sellers across a spectrum of sizes and categories across the U.S.'' - hardly representative of eBay' s purported 180 million+ sellers (only about 0.00061% actually - probably about as many as use eBay's local pickup QR code!).

- Perhaps more importantly, eBay's survey used only pre-screened, pre-selected  respondents of their curated, invite-only, NDA-mandated ''eBay Expression'' members.  🔗 https://bit.ly/3uS834I

- Lastly, eBay truly 'needs' local P/U functionalily for its lofty (but unlikely) B2B aspirations, but that's a whole other post...

by: Geetar

Um, didnt they just sell their classified biz?

Backwards man backward man, I can walk back as fast as u can.

by: Chicago48

Um, didnt they just sell their classified biz?
^^
THIS!

by: seattlemagpies

I think this is a smart move, if they implement it smartly.  There are a lot of items we just don't bother with because of shipping issues that we'd happily start offering on ebay.  They need to create real regional marketplaces that people want to visit and offer relevant quality and quantity of items.  If they just have people do an advanced search for local pick up with x miles of zip code, don't bother.

I've used the QR codes and I actually like them.  It's a bit clunky, but takes away a big hole in their system where local pick up buyers could lodge a case after picking up.  QR codes are actually good seller protection.

by: Plain1

Years ago ebay went after craigslist and from what I heard at the time, tried to destroy them, but that never came to fruition.
As far as selling locally, ebay has been offering this for years. I have had local pickup during that time as well, I think it's a good idea. large bulky items I don't want to ship, so if I can sell locally I am fine with that. After all a sale is a sale.

by: flybuy

FB Marketplace is ok as long as you avoid the FB payment system and use Venmo or cash or whatever instead. They owe me $70 but when I try to send a message I get a spinning wheel. I am not not the only seller who refuses to used their nightmare payment processing.

No I don't see why Ebay should be involved in local sales. The main thing is to meet in a public safe space to conduct the transaction. Of course since everyone in my neighborhood has those ring cameras and spies and whines on the local forums all the time it would be hard for someone to rip you off without a bunch of neighbors having footage. Ebay is losing money because people are finding ways to find the seller off of Ebay and sending a message to get a better deal. There is a lot of selling on Instagram and generally if a seller has a lot of Ebay sales, chances are they have a website or a presence on IG. Plus people are using programs to cross post for them so there is no guarantee Ebay gets the sale and associated fees. It serves them right for forcing managed payments down our throats when many people are struggling and selling to pay bills as they look for new jobs. And making it more difficult to talk to a live person is a big negative too. I won't use them to sell local and will still use Craigslist too.

by: PoorMan

eBay had local ads at one time-it was called eBay Classifieds. It was free & useful. They sold it off. I no longer support/use Facebook for political reasons & our local Craigslist doesn't produce results [not even for free items]

by: HardWorkingSeller

I would only consider offering pick up as a matter of routine if it was the case that items collected in person do not qualify for the MBG on the grounds that you had the opportunity to check them out in person.

As I recall one twist of the QR code process was that SNADs for pick up items were made possible, rather negating the benefits of fixing the INR issue.  I haven't used pick up so I may be mistaken on this point.  Perhaps someone can clarify the actual position?

I would not want to be on the hook for having to pay to get a pick up item back to me if the buyer had a change of mind and filed a SNAD to handle their remorse.

by: The End

Not a good idea.

by: eastwestphoto

No Thank You, I sold locally in 1980's & 90,s, till 1998. No way am I going back to that expense! In a time of Covid and scam artists everywhere, really strange idea. Instead here's a better Idea. Why doesn't eBay FIX all the broken software lines that is costing them;  so much business?  How about, why cant you ad a tracking number to the eBay app? Or, why wont by cell phone let me bid on a item, from the email searches I receive every morning?  

by: Valaset

All of my listings have an option of local pickup.  I have commercial space and a staff of 3.  Not an issue.

Not sure how EBAY would make changes to emphasize local sales...

by: Geetar

Ha. This is a joke. They will eventually want you sellers to deliver, then deliver other sellers items in your area. Amazon fleet, meet the ebay fleet.

Guarantee this is the whole idea behind it. (real guarantee, not like guaranteed delivery). Just imagine what a joke of a mess, and mess of a joke that would be. We could get griff to sell it. Buy him an ev to drive around in with an ebay logo on it. Dont show the pic of the accident when he fell asleep behind the wheel tho.

by: Geetar

.......................anyone wanna get in their car and deliver my pack of socks I ordered?

by: spooky

Facebook and Craigslist charge NO FEES. For large items local pickup I will stick with those sites

by: Snapped

“ All of my listings have an option of local pickup. I have commercial space and a staff of 3. Not an issue.”

Yes, and back in the day before eBay destructively immolated everything, there were many more such eBay participants, some even singularly focused.

Folks could pocket their shipping costs, pay by whatever means suited them, funds were subject to no holds, and buyers even had opportunity to inspect before concluding the deal. Then, all the seller had to do was mark it paid. And then send eBay it’s cut for their ‘advertising service’. Gladly.

No claims, no frustrating clumsy website machinations to perform, and no myopic oversight by the eBay staff meant their cut stretched further, so they didn’t have to steal it to stay solvent.

While it’s always been true, and will likely ever always be true, person to person transaction safety issues require attention. But once addresses, using eBay as an AD facilitator in this fashion - IF the transaction can be left alone and the accounting and recording can be simple and unencumbered - works great.

Proven. What did eBay not get about that?

Regarding their retrospective enlightenment now, it seems reasonable to question how, even if Griff VanWinkle hisself awakened to how stupid it was to spitcan that “successful past”, eBay could manage to keep their incompetence in check, their hands in their pockets, and their thumbs off the scales.

Until they will, it’s a good idea, always was, just not on eBay anymore.

by: CanBrit

Yet again the brilliant Meatheads at eBay have  realized they've sold off everything that made them money, destroyed their sellers and now they think they can go back and rebuild something they sold. And we all know how great eBay is with technology. 👨‍🦯👨‍🦯👨‍🦯👨‍🦯👨‍🦯Should be a blinding success. Hahahahaha

by: I Must be Crazy

Didn't eBay have something for local, something 5?? There were ads constantly and then they just stopped. Never heard of it again.

This is a company that has modeled itself around the fear of person to person contact. Kind of a requirement when dealing face to face. They would need to change a lot of their perspective to be able to make it work at all.

Never mind the obvious fact that eBay is not very good at executing anything new.

They would do better to focus on improving/updating the platform, lifting the invisible limits, provide a service of value so sellers would be less inclined to sell off of eBay, workout the shipping challenges and costs so items can be sent anywhere without breaking the buyer and seller (that includes eliminating the cut that eBay takes on the shipping portion).

There are lots of opportunities that I don't mess with because of the cost of shipping and inherent risks AS WELL AS the obvious selling ceilings that eBay denies but actually do exist. There is no point in selling one of large item A, which uses up to my ''limit'' when I can sell 5 of items B and C, and make the same money for less hassle. This same analysis is one reason eBay has the lack of merchandise that has plagued the site for years.

by: Silver Ice King

Why would I want to make a local sale where i do all of the work and then give Ebay 12.3% of the sale so that their scammer buyers can then file a SNAD and get their money back without me getting my item back in the same condition and also being the same item that I gave to them.  All this uproar by Ebay is because they once again see a chance to dig deeper into their sellers pockets while doing nothing other than set them up for being ripped off when Ebay steps in and says the buyer didnt get what they were supposed to even though they saw it and inspected it before paying and taking it.

I could use Paypal for such a transaction if I so desired but also have Stripe so I can take their credit card, process the sale and all I end up paying is around 3% and I don't have anywhere near the worries about the buyer trying to get their money back while keeping my item, especially since i would have a signed receipt that they picked the item up and inspected it prior to taking it with them.  All Ebay is worried about is they once again see that they have screwed up and are going to lose another revenue stream which will impact their revenues as well as Ebays pathetic stock price.  Every other companies stock in ecommerce has gone through the roof and poor old Ebay still sits at a whopping $64.15 while etsy is sitting at $220.65 and this even with Ebay buying back billions of dollars worth of their stock in the last few years in an attempt to give a false feeling that Ebay stock is a hot comodity...ROFLMAO

by: CanBrit

@Silver Ice King

Isn't it the truth. Their money  is all locked up with their own money. Bunch of dooffusses

by: toolguy

I don't believe anything eBay says and I no longer trust them!

THEY LIE