eBay sellers plead with Google to launch on-line auction site

An online group of eBay merchants called "Google we need an auction site." Has been growing rapidly over the past few days. Their newly formed Google group can be found online at: http://groups.google.com/group/auctionplease

The description of the group reads "We are eBay store owners who have been "dismissed" by eBay through extreme rate hikes. We are searching everywhere for a new "home" and Google is the ONLY name on the Internet which we feel would be totally trustworthy and would actually get auction traffic and get it quickly."

This is a new twist on the usual merchant reaction to an eBay price increase. Following past price increases, eBay sellers would try to rally support for alternate auction venues such as Yahoo! auctions, only to discover that there was little traffic and fewer sales. Each of these calls to rebellion although well intentioned were not financially viable for sellers. After many price increases, eBay still remains the most popular on-line auction site.

In this latest incarnation of rebellious eBayers, sellers are not looking for an existing online auction system to adopt, they are asking Google to build them one.

The recent price increases for sellers at eBay stores and inventory saturation pushing down prices in many merchandise categories has a growing number of die-hard eBay merchants looking for alternate on-line venues to sell their wares. In recent years eBay has tried to quell this exodus by offering their own "alternate" sales venues such as eBay stores, eBay express and Half.com. eBay management openly encouraged sellers to adopt these new venues.

The "success" of eBay stores for sellers has drawn sales and merchandise away from eBay's core auction business. eBay's reaction has been to increase store fees to drive both merchants and customers back to their core auction business. In effect, eBay is simultaneously encouraging sellers to open an eBay store while at the same time discouraging them from listing merchandise by increasing their listing fees. These mixed signals have left many sellers confused and desperate for a place to sell their merchandise outside of eBay.

It's clear to many disgruntled eBay sellers that Google with it's trusted brand name and high Internet traffic is the only company online capable of offering a viable alternative to eBay. In the eyes of many on-line merchants, eBay is no longer the e-commerce company that can do no wrong. While eBay flounders and attempts to understand how to compete against itself, perhaps there is indeed an opportunity for Google to adopt their moniker of "Do no wrong." to online auctions.

Phil Davies
Bignews.biz
phil@bignews.biz
516-578-1386

"Google we need an auction site"
A new Google group dedicated to getting Google to open an online auction site.

This release was published on openPR.