Toto, it’s not the old eBay anymore
With the recalculation of feedback on eBay.com this week and the announcement of several new policy changes, you can get a glimpse into the future of eBay.
There has been a lot of talk on blogs and discussion boards about how different eBay is these days, that they are moving away from ‘old eBay’, the original vision Pierre had when he started the site.
eBay now feels different, acts different, functions differently, and interacts with its community very differently than it did “back in the day.” A lot of people miss the old eBay. It was a different place.
And it’s gone. It’s been gone for a while. And she’s not coming back.
The change is not happening now. The change has occurred. It’s cemented. Is complete.
The new policies we are seeing are not changes to the ‘old eBay’. They switch to the new eBay. Not from the eBay of 2001, but from the eBay of 2008.
What happens on eBay is similar to what happens when an old friend changes. Maybe your friend talks you into a new career, gets married, has kids, loses weight, decides to move to the country…
Whatever it is, if they’ve changed and you haven’t, there’s a disconnect. What they had in common may no longer exist. You feel left behind. Sometimes even betrayed.
It is at that moment that you must decide if there is something in that person or in the friendship that keeps you there now. Are there qualities of your friend that you still value? Does that improve your life? Can you forge a new relationship with your friend as they are today?
If the answer is no, it’s time to break the relationship.
If the answer is yes, you need to see and interact with your friend as they are today.
The same is true for the new eBay. eBay has changed. Is different. The way it generates profits is different from the model of 5 years ago. The ‘people’ he hangs out with are different from 5 years ago.
Can you see eBay for what it is today and continue your relationship with it?
That’s the question every eBay seller needs to ask.
There is still money to be made on eBay. You need to look at eBay and see how it can work for YOU. How can it serve YOUR business?
eBay is a tool you should use to grow your e-retail business. It shouldn’t BE your e-retail business.
The new eBay is here to stay. And the sooner you can see eBay for what it REALLY offers here in May 2008 and what it doesn’t offer, the faster you can get eBay back to work for your business.
And the faster you’ll start looking to other markets to fill the gaps in your business that eBay used to fill.
eBay is a vehicle to use to achieve your business goals, your dreams, your income. It is not destiny.