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Lack of Variety on Ebay


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Browsing ebay I have notice that quality, variety and volume of items for sale in the Retro Videogames and Vintage computer sections is down. What do you guys think is the cause? Scarcity, collectors holding on and not selling or just ebay losing its customer base? It's a little disappointing as I want to buy but there is little out there!

 

Less and less stuff coming up in good nick and alot of it put there from jap/us sellers...

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Ebay has changed the setup of the videogames section now.

 

On the main page it has different categories eg systems, games, accessories. Within those you have sub categories of Sega, Nintendo, XBox. Retro videogames and Vintage still has its own category. These categories show all related items broken into sub-categories eg Sega games, Nintendo systems etc.

 

If you want to search on just Saturn stuff, you need to click on the link on the "Show all categories" at the bottom of the video games page. From here you can potentially look in 3 areas - Sega saturn games, accessories, or systems. The same goes for anything else.

 

Why have Ebay done this?? I reckon it is to make it more important to list in multiple categories to guarantee exposure to listings, to get more $$ out of sellers. Previously, common consoles had their own category with Games, Systems & Accessories subcategories. To look at all of the stuff for a certain console, all you had to do was click on the main category, and you would see all games, accessories & systems listings for a particular console. Now, you have to physically click and look separately in 3 areas to look at all of the listings for a particular console. This is a lot more time consuming than before. Now, if a seller wants to ensure all potential bidders will see a listing for a console and a bunch of games, it would be more advantageous to list in the systems & games sub categories, as it is not as easy to browse everything for the same console.

 

Phew that was a bitch to try and explain. Hope it makes sense.

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so whats it going to take, shall some of us put our heads together and start one?

 

domain name

host site

html experience

some setup costs

advertising

 

lets go!

 

Insurance

Irate customers

Bad reviews on websites

Whinging users

 

Trust me, it's not worth the effort.

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There are a number of other options, Oztion.com.au, tradingpost.com.au etc etc, the problem is the lack of sellers. ebay reached that critical point when the web was young, enough sellers to attract enough buyers to attract enough sellers.

 

The new small ones have so few visitors that any seller selling stuff on there will get a much lower price than they could on ebay as there is much less bidding competition. There are stories of people buying something dirt cheap on tradingpost and selling it for 3 times the price on ebay.

 

Another new trading site would have the same problem, you could list a good arcade PCB and only have 1 person ever search for it, it would sell for a $1 or not sell at all. Put the same thing on ebay and you would have hundreds of people viewing it.

 

Chicken and egg really.

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and thats what separates the entrepreneur's from people that won't make an effort.

 

success is not handed out.

 

lets just keep moaning.:rolleyes

I tell you what Mr. Entrepreneur, you have a go at doing it, and let me know how you go.

 

I've been there and done that on similar projects. It was a huge chunk out of my life for no reward (in fact, I'd call it a deficit, given the time and money I lost to it). And I was told the whole way by big-talking folks that it was all OK becasue I was "thinking like an entrepreneur", because apparently thinking big, taking huge risks, and not considering fallback plans in case it all goes wrong is "the right way" to do it.

 

And for the record, I don't know a single entrepreneur that hasn't gone totally bust at least a half dozen times before striking it rich. My three kids and mortgage won't suffer me putting effort into a dying project again. That's a young single man's game.

 

So again: have a go and try to prove me wrong. I'll be here to tell you "I told you so" at the end, when you've lost all your capital and 3 years of your life.

 

[edit] That all came out a bit harsh. As you can tell, I'm still pretty sore at losing time and money to projects in the past thanks to people who were self-confessed "entrepreneurs". My anger is directed entirely at them, and not you.

Edited by elvis
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well i got sucked in by an entrepreneur, thats ten years gone and a burden on my family to recover, anyway, noticed that most of the rich do not risk their own money.

 

see Bush pleading today, "its ok to bailout the rich, too bad you lost your home, and by the way welcome new taxes and higher prices"

 

be careful with your hard earned income

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Something that may not be obvious to some of you - its School Holidays right now and I know from personal experience, eBay items always go for less during these times (in my categories, anyway). So I stop listing during these times.

 

I dare say a few big operators do the same - prices are WAY down for the 3-4 weeks the holidays are on. Same at Xmas, and Easter.

 

jon

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Something that may not be obvious to some of you - its School Holidays right now and I know from personal experience, eBay items always go for less during these times (in my categories, anyway). So I stop listing during these times.

 

I dare say a few big operators do the same - prices are WAY down for the 3-4 weeks the holidays are on. Same at Xmas, and Easter.

 

jon

 

I would have thought they would be up in school holidays:unsure

More people around to bid:unsure

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I would have thought they would be up in school holidays:unsure

More people around to bid:unsure

 

Yes, a reasonable assumption, but quite the opposite is true I find. People are away from their PC's and laptops and, I dare say, entertaining the kids or on a beach front or ski field somewhere. In my categories (PS1, Ps2, Dreamcast games and systems) business slows RIGHT down. Items that I carry that would normally easily fetch upwards of $60, will go for $25 or less.

 

I'm sure Wayne would concur - I once bought a brand new foosball table from him on eBay during Easter for $30! There just aren't as many bidders around during holiday periods, IMHO.

 

jon

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yeah, check out oztion.com.au

 

really crappy name, but i bought something off from there to see what its like and they are fine. since you are a buyer you could find a bargain since as others have said, there arent as many people looking.

 

about being an entrepreneur. dunno why people keep saying 'oh, dont do this or that. it didnt work for me'. SO!?!?! if everyone listened to the pessimists, who would ever be successful? 'so, you want to start a business bill gates? dont bother, i tried and it didnt work'...

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