Is Ebay worth it? 1 1

[Nova75]

Good or bad Ebay gives us the ability to sell, buy and see what is hot or not.But, is it worth it? As a seller is there too many bidders that win a bid and don’t pay or during the live auction make bids and cancel without any consequence? As a buyer is there just too many overly priced books? Maybe Ebay should realize that it needs to look at our industry and make certain criteria in order to make selling or buying comics safer and because your buying or selling a paper product design it with help from Marvel,DC and other companies. I think its time we have a format designed only for comics. We make Ebay a lot of money. Comics are published every month and from several different companies giving Ebay everyday $$$$. Why not give us a safer experience, it’s worth it to everyone. 

[Lightning55]

I sell on eBay, don't have any particular issues the way it is.  There are buyer protections in place, seller protections in place, things usually go as they should.  You will always have a random problem on either end, but there are avenues to get that corrected. 

The only thing that would help me would be lower fees, and that's not likely.  EBay isn't what it used to be, as there are many competing markets, but that's just an evolution.  You can use Amazon, and pay even more.  Everyone is looking for an eBay alternative, but for now, it's the best option for some.

There are comic auction sites out there to use, too.  As far as eBay setting up something specifically comic-friendly, they would have to do that for every collectible or manufactured item.  Probably not on the horizon.

[adampasz]

>>> But, is it worth it?

It's probably still the best way to reach the largest audience of buyers.

>>> As a seller is there too many bidders that win a bid and don’t pay or during the live auction make bids and cancel without any consequence?

You have to deal with some bad actors, but you need to deal this on any platform. I think you need to factor this in as a cost of doing business.  I don't feel particularly more or less safe on eBay.  That said, most of the stuff I've sold is small potatoes. I might have a different perspective if I were buying and selling 4-figure books.

>>> As a buyer is there just too many overly priced books?

Do the research, and compare prices, as you would do anywhere. I actually think eBay prices overall reflect the market pretty well.  And sources like GPA and Gocollect rely on eBay data heavily.

Why not give us a safer experience, it’s worth it to everyone. 

There are many good alternatives, including these boards. Try them and use the ones you like. The benefit of eBay is the size of the audience, which ensures you can eventually sell just about anything, if the prices is right. It's hard to achieve the same critical mass on other platforms.

Edited June 8, 2020 by adampasz

[Darkwing7869]

I tend to only sell slabbed books as attempting to sell raw books with always upset someone who disagrees with the grade you estimate. That being said, I sell maybe 20-30 books a year but they tend to be high value (high 3 figures/low 4 figures) and have yet to have any issues with either eBay themselves or sellers. The fees suck unless but unless you are willing to do business through Paypal's F&F with potential strangers and therefore comes with inherent risks, you're always going to pay something. 

That being said, if you are willing to put in the effort and establish yourself and build a reputation among the comic book community, platforms like these forums, facebook marketplace, or instagram allows you to bypass eBay fees. 

[Ryan.]

In my 20+ years selling on eBay I have had far more problems with low dollar purchases than higher dollar purchases. People who tend to buy items in the $1-$30 range are often finicky and will work hard to negotiate down every last penny, literally. Buyers in the three figures and up range tend to be more decisive and don't bother to look for excuses to save a few bucks. This isn't true all the time, of course, but this has been my general experience. 

Incidentally, this has also been my experience on the boards as well. 

Edited June 9, 2020 by Ryan.