They were lucky to arrive early on the scene and corner the market... but if they keep touching everything with the midas finger of feces, somebody else is going to come along with real competition soon enough.
It already is in place, doing just fine and constitutes serious competition to Ebay. And that entity, in my opinion, is Craigslist. Think about it.
Most of the people, in this forum, use and get satisfaction from Craigslist today. Craigslist is not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is certainly better than the being subjected to the incredibly offensive rules that Ebay keeps adding to the mix.
Offensive rules that have impacted me negatively? Buyers can't get negative feedback, but sellers are all but held hostage by it. Ebay can hold my money, anytime they wish. And now that corporate giant wants to be able to withdraw money from my personal accounts!
Not a chance. But who cares, anyway?
In the past year, my efforts to sell on Ebay have gone, pretty much, unrewarded. And why is that?
In my opinion, it is a direct result of Craigslist and the presence it presents in
each market place. No more shipping. No more kissing the middle man's butt, just before he/she takes their exorbitant cut. Just call the CL Lister, get there quickly with cash in hand, and make the deal. No shipping costs! No arrived in the mail nasty surprises! No, gee, it doesn't fit issues! No fear that tomorrow, the money you put in your pocket today, will be in some corporate giant's pocket without your permission.
Yes, folks, the alternative to Ebay has arrived, in my opinion. Sadly, Craigslist is a non-entity for bicycles where I live so I am forced to deal globally. And having a six or seven hundred page website does help, with selling this or that, now and again.