Nowadays it just seems so stale and so corporate. Overran with professional sellers and large companies selling their excess stock, for me it is as if the magic is gone somehow. Sure, if you’re looking for a commodity product such as a DVD or some envelopes it is fine, in fact it is probably better than visiting your local store.
There seems to be so many automated tools out there that it has almost sterilised the whole experience, I guess it is a bit like all sites in a way. They start of random, cluttered and have a touch of the wild west about them, as they become popular they start to clean things up a little bit, for me this is a shame as it loses some of the charm that attracted you to the site in the first place.
Bidding on eBay just annoys me nowadays, so many people are using sniping tools. What’s that all about, I don’t know about you but I want to take part in a proper auction, not a my sniper bot is better than your bot arms race. It’s inevitable I guess though, as eBay becomes more and more popular cottage industries are created, there’s the template designers, software makers, automation tools providers, all working hard to ensure our eBay experience is as lovely as possible.
Another thing that annoys me is feedback. How much time is wasted in forums, in emails and generally messing about with feedback. Buyers want feedback left for paying quickly, sellers only giving feedback if it is first left by the buyer, it’s one big stand off. Everyone nervous to make the first move just in case they’re unable to retaliate should they get the dreaded red. I particularly hate being reminded that I should leave feedback, no other selling environment in the world would send an email to a customer asking them to leave feedback, conversely no other buyer would do the same. Try it next time you’re in Wal-Mart, ask them to visit your site and rate you as a buyer!
OK, I know this is a bit of a rant, but I am sure I am not the only one that feels like this. Maybe I am getting old and looking at things through rose tinted glasses. Of course, eBay will claim they have changed for the better, they’re more organised, more customer friendly and more secure etc. Perhaps I should believe them? But I know that will never happen.
