As I sit and ponder, I recall a day in times past, a simpler time, a time when any average sap could look around his house (or her house, saps aren't limited to the masculine gender), locate something he (or she) can find no real reason to keep, and sell it on Ebay for
at least 12 times its actual value. It was great. You could sell socks, guitars, car parts, and cooking supplies all in one place, and get a decent price. Conversely, anything you were looking to purchase, if you wanted a deal, all you had to do is hit Ebay and run a quick search.
Did you see the new Star Wars movies? They went back and made prequels - episodes 1, 2 and 3 telling the story of how Anikin became a Jedi, and then how he became the evil Darth Vader we all had bad dreams about (okay, maybe not all, but I was a pretty wimpy kid). I'll save my complaints about Episodes 1, 2, and 3, and specifically about Jar Jar Binks (he doesn't belong in a Star Wars movie!!!) for another post. One thing that strikes me is that in the first 3 "episodes", there is civilization in the galaxy. Everything seems bright and developed and civilized. Fast forward to episode 4 when Luke Skywalker is a teenager. The entire galaxy seems dark, depressed, undeveloped and uncivilized. An amazing regression from the first 3 episodes. I assume this change is due to many years (19, I think) of oppressive control by the evil Emperor.
Back to Ebay (you thought I forgot, didn't you?). The early days of Ebay were, in my (geeky and hopped up on cold medicine) mind, similar to episodes 1-3 - bright, civilized, and useful. Now it seems like a dark cloud has come over Ebay. What is the dark cloud? I haven't quite been able to put my finger on it.
Whenever I'm looking to buy something on Ebay, all I find are stores and professional Ebay-ers selling new items that I could buy from WalMart for less money. I have to work hard to find those great values where individuals are selling something they don't need anymore and figure a global marketplace makes more sense than a local yard sale.
If I'm looking to sell something, it seems like nobody's looking. I've listed some quality electronics and received very little interest, few hits, and bids averaging nowhere close to what the items are worth. Has the general public given up on Ebay? Are the only people left on Ebay the people who have decided to make a living out of it? Is it time for a new website to allow average Joe to hock his wares?
No comments:
Post a Comment
I'd love to hear your comments, as long as they're nice. If they're mean, I wouldn't love to hear them.