Clues

Prior to entering a bid, serious eBayers read all the information about the item and carefully review the comments made about the seller. The author of the piece revealed the eBay item number (226790186) in a futile attempt to sell what is described as a pink Deco Vase. Prior to selling on eBay the seller must identify him/herself. Here we learn that the author earned a feedback rating of 8, an important fact not mentioned in the article. In fact, on closer examination, there were only three transactions executed in the last six months. (I am not making this up.) For the eBay community, this does not pass the “giggle test.” The author is as close to being an eBay addict as someone who gently sips an infrequent glass of wine yet rails against the evils of demon rum. My eBay feedback rating is 12 and I show no signs of addictive behavior. A feedback rating of 50 or higher (dominated by purchases executed within the last six months) might qualify as addictive behavior. Where are the NYT fact checkers? Wait, we are just getting warmed up.

The Vase Itself

Although not mentioned, apparently the author bought the vase without the benefit of a picture. Veteran eBayers rarely buy items (especially pottery) without seeing a gif/jpg image of the item. In my experience, successful sellers take extra measures to point out defects. Often they include separate pictures of minor imperfections if an item is anything less than perfect. This stems from the strong desire to ensure a positive experience for the buyer who provides seller feedback as the last step in the transaction. When the author posted a digital photo of the “pink Deco vase” poetic license was taken. Its color was “pink.” Washed out red would be more descriptive. Judge for yourself. Find the picture on the Bee Web site (http://www.thebee.com/bWeb/iinfo192.htm). When descriptions do not match photos, buyers stay away in droves.

The sophistication of both buyers and sellers using eBay has risen to a point where it is no longer an arena for rookies making impulse purchases. (Heavy-duty eBay commandos employ sniping software in order to achieve a slight edge in fiercely contested auctions.) Buyers instinctively know sellers with high feedback ratings (in the hundreds) provide a “comfort zone” when it comes to running down to the post office, purchasing a money order and sending what is essentially cash to a complete stranger. Frankly, any seller with less than a star (feedback rating over 10) rating is viewed with careful circumspection by veteran eBayers. Feedback remains the “currency” of eBay. It drives many transactions.

In The Mainstream

While the media often focuses reporting to the outrageous side of eBay (kidney/body parts, uncut cocaine, stealth fighters, Y2K domain name and other hoaxes), seasoned I-netters take it in stride. Satisfied traders have propelled the item count to crowding the four million mark. Ebayers currently download 1.5 billion pages viewed per month. As reported by Yahoo! Finance, on January 21, “Internet: eBay: Crushing the Competition” eBay beats its closest competitors (Amazon and Yahoo!) to a virtual standstill. The Yahoo! piece quotes Prudential analyst Mark Rowen, “Only 14 percent of Yahoo! auctions ever close with a sale, while a paltry 11 percent of Amazon’s ever see such completion. In contrast, 65 percent of eBay’s auctions close successfully.” He goes on to estimate, “an item listed on eBay will get an average of 3.03 bids. The average number of bids in a given Amazon.com auction is an embarrassing 0.59. And an item listed on Yahoo! has only a 30 percent chance of getting even one single bid before the auction expires. Ouch!” This article is a worthwhile read.

eBay Works

Like the Net overall, eBay (and its participants) have matured. The days of buying a geegaw “on a whim” and sticking it on eBay in expectation of a quick profit are over. The people with ionospheric feedback ratings have earned the “badge” with lots of hard works and sweat. When eBay addict-wannabes come along and neglect to mention “feedback” anywhere in the article, I lose it! The person-to-person interchange and interaction is not only the bedrock of eBay, but the essence and soul of the Internet. That kind of thing does not get reported by the NYT. Happy eBaying!

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.ebay.com

http://www.yahoo.com

(This is the 192nd of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the Internet. Next, Surfing on a Fixed Income is the subject on tap. Stay Tuned. Until next week, happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of Internet Info for Real People can be found: http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and suggestions: rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)