eBay is great!
EBay has been the fastest growing company in the history of U.S. business. Though it will not turn 10 until Labor Day weekend in September, eBay will take in more than $4 billion in revenue this year. It has 9,000 employees and 135 million customers.
EBay — the dominant global cybermarketplace — conducts more transactions every day than either the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq. This year, about 1.8 billion items are expected to be listed on eBay and, by year-end, more than $40 billion worth of cars, clothing, computer and anything else you can think of, along with many you will not, will be traded. More than $80,000 dollars of goods and services get traded every minute.
EBay is different from virtually any other company because its business depends on the hard work of hundreds of thousands of people who sell on its Web site but are not employed by eBay. Almost half a million people earn all or most of their income from selling on the Web site. If they worked for eBay it would be the second largest employer in the country- after Wal-Mart.
EBay goes to great lengths to stay attuned to this “community” of users. Ten times a year, it brings a group of eBay buyers and sellers to corporate headquarters in San Jose in a program called “Voices,” to find out what they do and do not like about eBay. These consultations last two days and nights, and afterward eBay officials continue to keep in touch with Voices members.
Ebay’s Network Operating Center keeps track of every transaction, every visit to the eBay auction site. That means that, at any minute of the day, eBay knows exactly where its money is coming from, how many people are on the site, their listings per second, the number of bids and so on. This monitoring allows eBay to troubleshoot problems. In the aggregate, the traffic information provides a fascinating study of American activity, allowing eBay to track social events. For example, when the American Idol show is on, traffic dips, lasting for about two to three hours as it cycles through from the East to the West Coast.
Although eBay says that fraud occurs in less than one hundredth of one percent of all its transactions, victims continue to be frustrated by eBay’s stance — that buyers and sellers should try to resolve their differences on their own. Complainers about fraudulent transactions generally get only an automated response to that effect from eBay, though the company does monitor the site from bases in San Jose and Salt Lake City for fraudulent items — bouncing blatantly fake art, for example.
EBay’s recent fee increases for sellers continue to diminish its business. According to powersellersunite.com, some 7,000 eBay stores have shut down because of the increases.
EBay’s Rules, Trust and Safety committee meet to review whether questionable items should be allowed on the site. Among those the team has rejected: Breast milk (for safety considerations), personal sexual services, and families for rent.
EBay, which entered the European market six years ago and the Asian market four years ago, is counting on major growth from overseas. The company operates in 27 countries, and this year roughly half of its revenues will originate outside the U.S. Germany is eBay’s largest market outside the U.S.’ meanwhile, its user base in China grows by some 20,000 people every day and is already above 20 million. International eBay users look for many of the same things as Americans, and it is true, too, that the London Tube buys spare parts on eBay.
EBay has spawned a raft of businesses for others – including school districts that make money offering classes in eBay, the drop-off stores for people who want their stuff sold for them on eBay, and many businesses that help people sell wares on eBay like pink packing peanuts and software designed to help buyers win auctions at the lowest possible price.
Well, having read that post, my world is suddenly a better place.
The bleak grey vista of everyday life has been transformed into a rich canvas of unexplored potentialities.
Thank you Toke. 
But before you enthral us with “ten more things we didn’t know”, give us fair warning beforehand; I’m not sure if this old heart can stand many more voyages of rapture into gnostic paradise! 
Ali
eBay… isn’t that French for “Ripoff friends and neighbors?” or summat?
TG
<!–QuoteBegin>
| Quote |
| EBay’s Rules, Trust and Safety committee meet to review whether questionable items should be allowed on the site. Among those the team has rejected: Breast milk (for safety considerations), personal sexual services, and families for rent. |
Hang on, didn’t a british uni student sell her virginity on ebay?
And how come they let all the nutrigrain ET/toast Mary thingys through? Shame they don’t come down on the blatently rediculous ones.
Since MT has chosen not to comment, we’re left only to speculate as to the point of the cut-n-paste. However, I must add that I’ve had pretty good experiences selling my old crap and buying somebody else’s old crap via eBay. It’s fun to dig around in your closet and look fro junk to sell; you’d be surprised at what people will buy.
Well, at least he’s trying to make it look like it’s his own work. I popped into the thread to see if it was some sort of letterman top 10.
I was going to do a list of my top 10 baby jokes, but decided against it in the interests of good taste.
Oh c’mon Willy, go for it!
The only thing I know about Ebay is that the last time I used it my credit card number was stolen. Oh, and we found out who did it, and the police did nothing.
| Quote (TomS @ July 25 2005,09:12) |
| The only thing I know about Ebay is that the last time I used it my credit card number was stolen. Oh, and we found out who did it, and the police did nothing. |
sorry tom, i'll give it back
...very sorry to hear about that... i've been lucky, or maybe smart because i only use paypal... but my transactions are few... i was stiffed once by a guy who won an auction, didn't pay, then proceeded to ask "where is my item?!"...
even that wasn't that bad, just a KVM that i ended up giving to a coworker, anyway...
but i hear from clark howard that identity/credit card fraud/theft on ebay is growing worse by the transaction...
thanks,
isaac
Yes - it was a cut/paste but I thought it had good information in it or I wanted have shared it. I use eBay all the time - I’ve bought & sold numerous guitars, amps, etc. Most of my studio was equipped with eBay purchases.
eBay announced it’s quarterly profits last week, hence the article. All I can say is that I wished I’d bought eBay stock a while back!
Tom - how did your credit card get stolen on ebay? Did you give it out over the phone, because that’s the only way I could imagine it getting stolen.
To the rest of you, no likee - no clickee!
| Quote (Mr Soul @ July 25 2005,11:30) |
| To the rest of you, no likee - no clickee! |
Wow.
Just plain fvcking wow.
Can you attempt to not be a jackass for just one day? Do you have buried somewhere in the vacuous depths of your little OCD heart?
Sheesh.
Altough, I do give some kudos for starting a thread that isn't about politics or religion - thank you.
Dude… I was not being as @ss… just making a feeble attempt at humor. However, I try to support the local music shops when I can rather than buying eBay or online. My DAW PC, soundcards etc were bought online because nobody carries what I needed around this area. All my geetars but one have come from local shops as well as effects, picks, cords, cables etc…
Keep your money local. It helps.
TG
<!–QuoteBegin>
| Quote |
| Tom - how did your credit card get stolen on ebay? Did you give it out over the phone, because that’s the only way I could imagine it getting stolen. |
We never figured that part out. You can ask isaac, however, since he has admitted it, finally.
I use money orders now.
<!–QuoteBegin>
| Quote |
| However, I try to support the local music shops when I can rather than buying eBay or online. |
that’s very noble tg, truely… but then again, “keeping it local” might mean the closest guitar center for that matter… even so, they’re still stocked with chinese imports…
as for mr spades credit card, i used it to make a very generous donation to the “death to baby rabbits fund”…
…isaac
<!–QuoteBegin>
| Quote |
| However, I try to support the local music shops when I can rather than buying eBay or online. |
While I agree in principle with this, like Isaac said it’s Guitar Center which I hate & will not buy from unless I have to. The stool in my studio was ordered from GC (it took 2 months to get it).
But you see, the world is shrinking because of the net. EBay has made global = local.
The local music stores are even more expensive than GC. I only buy strings from them & have service work done.
I understand fellas. I DO occasionaly use The Fiend, AMS and/or Sweetwater. Whenever I can though, the local guys get the cash. I use to NOT use them because of pricing but now, more often than not, they will match MusiciansFriend or whoever. That way I get the lower price and the money stays here. BTW, I can dig it about GC. You guys know they are part of the parent company which owns MusiciansFiend right? What kills me about their stores is the service or should I say LACK of service…
TG
Guys, guys, you have a moral obligation to buy the product at the lowest possible cost. Don’t you understand how a market economy works? By continuing to shop at the higher cost locals you keep the price up for all of us. Shop at G. Satan and the Fiend for EVERYTHING.
Right isaac? BTW, I deeply appreciate the donation. Darned baby rabbits.
my statement about guitar center should not reflect any negative outlook on them… for the consumer who knows exactly what he wants, GC is a great option… i’ve certainly never had a bad experience there… i’m just wondering what guitars and equipment are NOT manufactured in china now…
thanks,
isaac
| Quote (TomS @ July 25 2005,14:42) |
| Guys, guys, you have a moral obligation to buy the product at the lowest possible cost. Don't you understand how a market economy works? By continuing to shop at the higher cost locals you keep the price up for all of us. Shop at G. Satan and the Fiend for EVERYTHING. Right isaac? BTW, I deeply appreciate the donation. Darned baby rabbits. |
part of free markets means free decisions... you'll be happy to hear, tom, that my girlfriend and i are incredibly careful about observing the "made in xxx" tags... i've actually been the target of ridicule for asking "do you have this, but made in the USA?"... most recently was at a hardware store, searching for a new deadbolt... 99% were from china... i ended up finding one from mexico, which isn't as bad, i guess... but i did find a saw made in the good ol' USA!...
isaac