posted on September 20, 2000 06:13:50 PM
Look at the URL again. I was just struck by the irony of the article being posted to a subdirectory called "bs" ...
posted on September 20, 2000 06:33:32 PM
I think it is an underestimation.
Currently less that two percent of ALL retail sales occurs online.
Currently, eBay estimates that they have only two percent of the Collectibles Market -- that, Virginia, is only a very werry itsy bitsy teensie weensie liddle widdle amount.
posted on September 21, 2000 08:16:56 AM
Seeing the interview on TV and reading the reports, the one thing that jumped out for me was the comments about fixed priced selling.
Half.com was mentioned, the possibility of an additional platform came up and I'm aware of and am using the 1st Bid Wins approach on YAHOO plus many Dutch auctions are, in the end, fixed price selling.
While fixed price selling at retail isn't, in my mind, of much interest on an auction site the fixed price format has other possibilities. At half.com some sellers keep reducing their prices to be the lowest on any given title. In effect the buyers watch while the sellers drop the price until the item sells. I think it's called a Reverse Auction on some sites.
Sellers that offer new or preowned items at a Clearence Price also attract attention much like the sale table at a retail store.
posted on September 21, 2000 08:35:46 AM
Where can I find the complete document of what Ebay said at this conference? [I am particularly interested in the details as to what Ebay said about the size of the various markets it is in.]
grobe: i do not believe that any such document exists. this liddle widdle modest estimate of 3 Billion occured at a financial analysts' meeting.
HOWEVER, ... I advise you to thoroughly read the next SEC filing by eBay, as alotta of the things you're wondering about, might be able to be surmised from a close examination, thereof.
