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As an eBay member for A LONG time…I have been an active purchaser of everything from my Disney Mickey Mouse collectibles to high end digital camera and audio equipment, and I have sold everything from Jigsaw puzzles to pottery.

As eBay has “grown up” and help fuel online purchasing, I have started using it less and less… The “bargains” that used to be found on the site are much more difficult to find, and the site has become much more commercial with business sellers using the venue as a place to dump excess inventory, or to closeout old stock. I think the days where the site was predominately individual sellers dealing with their eclectic collections of “stuff” are gone. I’m not saying they are entirely gone, but they are certainly the minority.

I’m sure for many of you eBay’s changes are a good thing. I know I’ve talked with a number of people that feel much more comfortable dealing with businesses than individuals. Even in my own purchasing on eBay I can honestly say that I usually have fewer problems with business sellers than I do with individuals. But buyers need to be aware… eBay sellers need to make sure they don’t lose money… after all it is a business. eBay fees are not cheap, credit card processing costs $$ (yes Paypal too), there’s the cost of the product itself and then the overhead(computers, Internet, labor, etc)…

I’ve found that for me as a buyer when I get postage added to a purchase I could probably buy the item local for the same price. I do lose the convenience of having it show up at my front door… but then I need to do something to get me away from these computers sometime.

eBay will be around forever… I just think it is going to become the largest “mall” in the world… rather than the largest “garage sale” or “swap meet” in the world. So where does someone go now when they want to find that rare collectible Beanie Baby or a 1930s Mickey Mouse Fisher Price Pull toy?

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