Originally Posted by
noglider
I think ... people feel that ebay has no competition. But that just isn't true. No one is as big, and no one has as big an audience, but that's exactly why they command the highest fees. You can pay less, and you get less. I think they offer a better deal than the local newspaper did before we sold stuff on the intarwebs.
Ebay has little/no competition for what I sell there. I typically sell thrift store and garage sale finds on ebay, none of it bicycle related.
Auctions I have closing tonight with bids:
Child's Tony Lama Boots
Adult Justin Boots
Bolivian Alpaca Sweater
Vintage Cookbook
Irish Merino Wool Sweater
Ski Sweater
Niche Magazines
Before ebay, there was no one stop outlet for such items, where you could get close to market value. I will gladly continue to pay ebay their fees to sell this kind of stuff. Of course, I wish their fees were lower, and their service was more seller friendly.
I typically sell complete bikes locally. I have a backlog of components and higher end framesets that will likely eventually go to ebay when I get around to it....