Marketplaces Fees Dropping Like It’s Hot - Is It Enough for eBay?

What recent changes has eBay made to seller fees?

eBay has been testing in Germany. Depop, Vinted piled on. Poshmark threw its fees through the shredder. Now eBay UK has dropped its seller fees across most categories except auto. eBay wants you to "think differently," meaning, why not sell this item from your house now?

Is lowering fees enough to attract sellers back to eBay?

The real question is not "why not sell this" but more "why on eBay"? And more to the point: why is it so damn hard to sell on eBay?

What challenges does eBay face in a crowded marketplace?

It's undeniable that reducing fees should add inventory, particularly lower-cost items. While Amazon is also busily reducing its own costs to serve, and adjusted their own apparel fees earlier in the year.

How is eBay using AI to boost listings?

Witness: It's much easier to list and sell on Facebook Marketplace or even Craigslist than eBay. In response, eBay has done something recently it has not done in a while. Actually innovating on its listing tools using AI. "Magic Bulk Listing" it calls it.

Can AI innovation reverse eBay's stagnation?

The winning marketplace could be the one to harness AI to capture more items, and later more buyers. That flywheel rears its head again. Time will tell if it's enough to reverse a decade+ of going sideways.


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Rick Watson

Rick Watson founded RMW Commerce Consulting after spending 20+ years as a technology entrepreneur and operator exclusively in the eCommerce industry with companies like ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, Merchantry, and Pitney Bowes.

Watson’s work today is centered on supporting investors and management teams incubating and growing direct-to-consumer businesses. Most recently, in partnership with WHP Global, Rick was a critical resource in architecting the WHP+ platform, a new turnkey direct to consumer digital e-commerce platform that powers AnneKlein.com and JosephAbboud.com.

Watson also hosts a weekly podcast, Watson Weekly, where he shares an unbiased, unfiltered expert take on the retail sector’s biggest players.

In the past year alone, Rick has spoken at many in-person and virtual events as well as podcasts on topics ranging from retail/ecom to supply chain/logistics and even digital grocery including CommerceNext IRL, ASCM Connect, and Retail Innovation Conference.

https://www.rmwcommerce.com/
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