In the last year eBay have been attracting many high street brands to the site, and with the daily deal are actively promoting some of them, which has led to some sellers accusing the site of abandoning the smaller independent seller.
It’s often been asked is it a good thing, and a comment by Craig on TameBay today answered that well – “Maybe not directly, but if ebay becomes known for great deals again, higher traffic ensues [buyers are] more likely to buy again.“.
That’s it in a nutshell – eBay needs to be the venue of choice for buyers, and anything that gets them coming to the site and to keep coming back and buying again will ultimately benefit all sellers.
In the past many brands have been reluctant to embrace eBay, or when they’ve started to use eBay have used it to liquidate out of season or returned stock. Buyers however are demanding the latest fashions and if retailers don’t supply their products on eBay someone else will. The market is simply too big for retailers and brand owners to ignore.
eBay Germany have an interesting approach, they have eBay Markenshops – a marketplace for manufacturers of high quality branded goods sold directly on eBay with deep discounts. The micro-site offers everything from toys, computers, clothing and electrical goods to photography equipment and even washing machines, all brand new direct from the suppliers.
The benefit of buyers being able to source 100% legitimate goods direct from brand owner on eBay could potentially not only increase buying frequency but also removes any counterfeit issues. Many eBay sellers have specialised in supplying clearance stock from manufacturers, and it’s possible in the future that this market will shrink as retailers start supplying goods direct on eBay.
As retailers and brand owners presence increases on eBay, sellers will need to evaluate their product lines and without a doubt the overall product mix available to buyers will change. I firmly believe there is a place for the independent eBay sellers, but more than ever before they need to bring unique inventory to the site.
With high street retailers supplying branded in-season goods the value of sourcing the same products and trying to compete will become more challenging. Whilst it may be an uncomfortable realisation, simply sourcing end of line or returned stock from retailers may not be as profitable in the past. At some point in the future it’s likely that a marketplace for retailers and manufacturers of branded goods will appear on the UK and other eBay sites.
It’s always been true that finding a niche set of product lines is a contributing factor to success on eBay and that for many sellers will be even more true in the future.
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