Originally Posted by
noglider
It's true that there's little or no competition that is like ebay. That's what makes their high fees worth it. If they're not singular, they are close to it. Their service is worth what they get or what you pay for it.
Ummmm... You know, you just defined a monopoly. Don't you? That's what antitrust laws are for.
Originally Posted by
noglider
But there are alternatives. You can sell by newspaper, word of mouth, craigslist, other classified ads, OR you could choose not to sell it at all. That is a choice, and it completely avoids the fees.
You can also give your stuff away. That's how I get a lot of my bikes. People with no time, such as when they're moving house or just cleaning up, just want the bikes out of the way. And because people send so much good will this way, I give a lot of them away.
Not in the same category as ebay. I could use a typewriter instead of a Microsoft bundle. I could send a letter instead of using the phone. Ma Bell and Microsoft lost. That said, antitrust in recent years has seemingly fallen off law enforcement's radar. There are lots of theories about that but then we would need to go to P&R.