By the way: Etsy continues to do innovative things in this space - check it out if you have time.
Aaron Sebesta
· 3 years ago
Pete, I'm ususally right there with you on most posts, but I have to say i disagree with this one. Ebay Express is more than a filter for Ebay, its the beginings of an online marketplace where companies can sell goods. Currently it may seem to be just a filter, but the idea is a much larger one, that e-commerce can move from individual websites to markets like Ebay's. For smaller businesses it takes all the overhead out of selling online. I think it is a great extension of Ebay Stores, which gives small business owners the opportunity to sell when they may not otherwise have a website, or the means to sell online. As a consumer, why go to a bunch of different websites to compare products when you can go to one marketplace, shop, compare and buy.
I think Ebay is going to be in a great place in the next few years as more sales move to these marketplaces. Not to mention the obvious possibilities of social product rankings, etc. plus the assurance you are dealing with a trustworthy company. (Since they have to have positive feedback)
One main difference i see between Ebay Express and Etsy is that Ebay Express has a shopping cart, instead of limiting users to one product at a time. That may not seem like a big deal, but where else can you purchase multiple items from multiple online vendors in one transaction. That, along with the other features make marketplaces the next step in e-commerce.
Let me know what you think...
Ari Mir
· 3 years ago
pete,
speak for yourself...i like the angsty teens ;) jk
let's be honest...this is simply "buy it now" without the merchant pre-requisites...clever branding? yes...innovative? no
Ben
· 3 years ago
Hi Pete,
Great post, you saved me the time for digging into what Ebay Express actually is!
I thought the Myspace Express was a great crack.. You had me in fits of angsty teen giggles!
Ben
Erik Kalviainen
· 3 years ago
I think eBay Express has a pretty nice interface and is easy to use.
However, I've bought and sold quite a few things on eBay, and I'm not sure if further abstracting the buyer-seller relationship is the best direction to take. eBay is all about trust, and a slick interface doesn't magically make the posters trustworthy.
On the other hand, browsing by colour on Etsy is amazing!
Robert Oschler
· 3 years ago
How does it compare to the Yahoo! and Amazon store programs?
David G
· 3 years ago
I'm with Aaron; express is disruptive.
eBay has learnt that there are a ton of big businesses looking for new channels to customers and that those companies will gladly stock your (virtual) shelves at no cost and no risk to you - just like the garage sellers will. Think about it; for manufacturers and distributors, express is Walmart without the price pressure.
Robert; Amazon will definitely need to take note. AMZN is already considered less seller-friendly than eBay - now that eBay is no longer a flea-market, some disgruntled sellers will leave Amazon. The 3 determining factors for sellers will be: 1) listing costs 2) buyer demand 3) tools eBay beats Amazon hands-down on tools and has the skills to make express a popular shopping destination - I haven't checked which marketplace is cheaper to list on. Also, with eBay, sellers are garuanteed they won't have to compete against the marketplace like they do on Amazon - that's huge - especially at a time when AMZN is growing a reputation for treating partners like dirt. If Express develops an enterprise-class offering rapidly, Amazon will loose all hope of growing its most lucrative "merchant" business (target.com etc.), sales of which have already stalled.
In a world where manufacturers are increasingy going "direct", eBay express will be a welcome new channel to ecommerce dollars. The potential for express to migrate "good" sellers from eBay is far less interesting than their potential to attract the world's best brands to this new marketplace.
Robert Oschler
· 3 years ago
David,
Thanks, that's good info. I do know there's been a lot of conflict between the new and used book sellers at Amazon over the merged display of listings.
Is eBay Express a good vehicle for the small mom & pop sellers too, or is it the domain of the more established sellers and large companies?
Robert
David G
· 3 years ago
"Is eBay Express a good vehicle for the small mom & pop sellers too"
Good Question ...
My gut says no, but if there's no cost to list on both ebay and express then why not?.
Express is a marketplace for "new" product - which is not typically the provence of mom & pop's (on eBay) - but eBay has proven that if you build it they will come, so it may actually create an entirely new opportunity for mom & pop's to get into liquidations & imports - the question is where do mom & pop's get "new" product at competitive costs?
Besides amazon, the e-tailer that probably has the most to fear from express is overstock.com
Robert Oschler
· 3 years ago
David,
Thanks. Overstock, Half, and uBid are three companies that I've always known about and yet still know almost nothing about. Better said, their "unique selling position" is what I need to understand some day.
David G
· 3 years ago
Robert; RE: USP. e-retailers all try to lead their product segment competitors in the 3 dimensions of "selection, price and convenience" - the "u" in their usp is usually a heavier weighting on one or two of those dimensions - but those are the 3 core KPI's - the e-tailer who optimizes all 3 wins the lions share. dg
All Comments
I think Ebay is going to be in a great place in the next few years as more sales move to these marketplaces. Not to mention the obvious possibilities of social product rankings, etc. plus the assurance you are dealing with a trustworthy company. (Since they have to have positive feedback)
One main difference i see between Ebay Express and Etsy is that Ebay Express has a shopping cart, instead of limiting users to one product at a time. That may not seem like a big deal, but where else can you purchase multiple items from multiple online vendors in one transaction. That, along with the other features make marketplaces the next step in e-commerce.
Let me know what you think...
speak for yourself...i like the angsty teens ;) jk
let's be honest...this is simply "buy it now" without the merchant pre-requisites...clever branding? yes...innovative? no
Great post, you saved me the time for digging into what Ebay Express actually is!
I thought the Myspace Express was a great crack.. You had me in fits of angsty teen giggles!
Ben
However, I've bought and sold quite a few things on eBay, and I'm not sure if further abstracting the buyer-seller relationship is the best direction to take. eBay is all about trust, and a slick interface doesn't magically make the posters trustworthy.
On the other hand, browsing by colour on Etsy is amazing!
eBay has learnt that there are a ton of big businesses looking for new channels to customers and that those companies will gladly stock your (virtual) shelves at no cost and no risk to you - just like the garage sellers will. Think about it; for manufacturers and distributors, express is Walmart without the price pressure.
Robert; Amazon will definitely need to take note. AMZN is already considered less seller-friendly than eBay - now that eBay is no longer a flea-market, some disgruntled sellers will leave Amazon. The 3 determining factors for sellers will be:
1) listing costs
2) buyer demand
3) tools
eBay beats Amazon hands-down on tools and has the skills to make express a popular shopping destination - I haven't checked which marketplace is cheaper to list on. Also, with eBay, sellers are garuanteed they won't have to compete against the marketplace like they do on Amazon - that's huge - especially at a time when AMZN is growing a reputation for treating partners like dirt. If Express develops an enterprise-class offering rapidly, Amazon will loose all hope of growing its most lucrative "merchant" business (target.com etc.), sales of which have already stalled.
In a world where manufacturers are increasingy going "direct", eBay express will be a welcome new channel to ecommerce dollars. The potential for express to migrate "good" sellers from eBay is far less interesting than their potential to attract the world's best brands to this new marketplace.
Thanks, that's good info. I do know there's been a lot of conflict between the new and used book sellers at Amazon over the merged display of listings.
Is eBay Express a good vehicle for the small mom & pop sellers too, or is it the domain of the more established sellers and large companies?
Robert
Good Question ...
My gut says no, but if there's no cost to list on both ebay and express then why not?.
Express is a marketplace for "new" product - which is not typically the provence of mom & pop's (on eBay) - but eBay has proven that if you build it they will come, so it may actually create an entirely new opportunity for mom & pop's to get into liquidations & imports - the question is where do mom & pop's get "new" product at competitive costs?
Besides amazon, the e-tailer that probably has the most to fear from express is overstock.com
Thanks. Overstock, Half, and uBid are three companies that I've always known about and yet still know almost nothing about. Better said, their "unique selling position" is what I need to understand some day.
RE: USP.
e-retailers all try to lead their product segment competitors in the 3 dimensions of "selection, price and convenience" - the "u" in their usp is usually a heavier weighting on one or two of those dimensions - but those are the 3 core KPI's - the e-tailer who optimizes all 3 wins the lions share.
dg
Good point and well stated. Thanks.