Ina Steiner EcommerceBytes Blog
News and insight focusing on ecommerce.
by Ina Steiner, Editor of EcommerceBytes.com
Mon Feb 19 2018 20:46:57

eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

By: Ina Steiner

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eBay will move to a new "product based" shopping experience on a large scale this year to replace the current listings based experience - and it will become the only way to shop on eBay, according to the company's CEO Devin Wenig.

Speaking at a Wall Street conference last week, he talked about initiatives such as structured data and product pages (they are "evolutionary" and ongoing) along with his priorities for the year, which include customer features built on structured data:

- eBay's Guaranteed Delivery program will expand quite dramatically this year, not just in the US, but around the world.

- eBay will implement a significant simplification of C2C (consumer to consumer) selling.

- eBay will expand the Authentication program for high end goods into new categories this year.

But Wenig described the biggest change coming to the site as a move from a listings based marketplace to a product based marketplace.

He described the challenge for shoppers looking on eBay for a particular smartphone - there may be 10,000 iPhones, and now it's the shopper's job to find the right one, he said. eBay is looking to change that through its catalog (structured data) approach.

"In a catalog world, all of that is coming together and being compressed, and we're showing you the best (iPhone) for each of the unique aspects that represents eBay. Rather than just have a Buy Box -  because that's not really eBay - you might have four."

Wenig said in that example, eBay might show four iPhones rather than 10,000: the best price for a new iPhone, the best price for a used iPhone, the best price for a refurbished iPhone, and "the best analog for the iPhone, which is an Android phone at a different price." 

"It's that breadth - what we internally call "spectrum of value" - that is so unique to our marketplace, better than anywhere else."

He talked about collapsing the complexity. "Nobody wants to go through 10,000 iPhones. Show me the four best options."
 
"I think this is the year you'll really gonna feel us on that efficient frontier of choice versus simplicity. That's to me when it really starts to get unlocked. You're going to see us move wholesale categories into that in 2018, and that will be the only way you shop on eBay. So it's really exciting this year." (In this context, Wenig was speaking about moving a large number of categories, not categories in which wholesalers sell.)

It's a big gamble for the company, given Wenig's revelation that the new experience would become the only way to shop on eBay. And he failed to address what would happen to the 9,996 sellers of iPhones that don't make it into one of the 4 Buy Box positions and their counterparts in all of the categories where the new experience rolls out.



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Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: FeelingFroggy This user has validated their user name.

Mon Feb 19 21:21:57 2018

Does Weing really understand what he is saying or is it just the same forced hot air spewing that ebay is so famous for.

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: maxmad This user has validated their user name.

Mon Feb 19 21:32:29 2018

the end of ebay has finally arrived

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: TomH This user has validated their user name.

Mon Feb 19 21:35:26 2018

Idiots!!!

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: pace306 This user has validated their user name.

Mon Feb 19 22:23:02 2018

If there’s 10k iPhones listed and you only show 4, then either you will get sued or all your sellers will leave - since it’s ecommeeve not gambling.

No ones heard a peep about the authenticity program- and like a cheap balloon - too much hot air will make you explode.  

Such dumb people  

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: pace306 This user has validated their user name.

Mon Feb 19 22:23:44 2018

*ecommerce

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: Silver Ice King This user has validated their user name.

Mon Feb 19 22:59:46 2018

Wenig seems to have this new attitude that everything is now going to be the only way to deal on Ebay.  All sellers will use Ebay Pay when it is rolled out or you will not sell on Ebay, all buyers will now see only 4 or 5 options to choose their purchases from and that is it.  Evidently Wenig is so scared of losing his job that he has decided that if he is going to go down then Ebay is going with him because he is sure setting the stage for it.

By doing this all he is going to do is watch all the smaller sellers close their stores and Ebay will lose all of that fixed monthly income they are depending on and buyers will start looking elsewhere for items because they do like choice.  Wenig is going to make Craigslists day for used items as buyers will start going that route if they only have 4 or 5 choices of who to buy from.  

Can this man get any dumber in how he runs the company?  His way has not worked since he took over and both buyers and sellers have shown that and now he turns around and says if you want to use Ebay you will do it my way or not at all.  What a turn around from what Ebay was designed to be !!!

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: geoffreymason This user has validated their user name.

Mon Feb 19 23:36:36 2018

I do not sell mainstream goods but, rather, unique, unusual, and hard-to-find collectibles. Does this change mean that I will no longer be able to sell these on ebay? I am in the process of editing my large inventory of listings to make them less ebay-centric before jumping to other sites. I think that I'd better speed up the process. Any thoughts, folks?

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: geoffreymason This user has validated their user name.

Mon Feb 19 23:41:43 2018

Ignorance and arrogance are a disastrous combination, and Wenig is its personification. By the way, Wen, there are no degrees of uniqueness; ''so unique'' means nothing.

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

This user has validated their user name. by: toolguy

Mon Feb 19 23:43:17 2018

ROTFLMAO

Is he on dope? or is he just a dope?

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

This user has validated their user name. by: toolguy

Mon Feb 19 23:47:05 2018

Devin Wenig must own a lot of Amazon stock!

Because he sure isn't driving eBay in the right direction, even I see the disaster ahead. . .

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: Paul W This user has validated their user name.

Tue Feb 20 00:02:44 2018

DW's "best four options" may not correspond with many buyers' choices.
It sure seems as if DW really does want to rid eBay of smaller sellers.  You can bet that the "best four options" will be mega-sellers and everyone else is simply SOL.  Glad my eCrater sales are improving.  May soon be my only choice.  I know some folks think eCrater is ghost town, but I have had over 2000 sales on eCrater, way less than on eBay, but not insignificant.

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: OnlyPollyPocket This user has validated their user name.

Tue Feb 20 00:12:38 2018

Just when you think this guy can't come up with anything dumber, he proves you wrong yet again.

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: TDAKS This user has validated their user name.

Tue Feb 20 00:42:52 2018

Ebay is going to kill Amazon. 4 buy boxes instead of only 1. Just joking.
It's sad that ebay took a wrong turn years ago in it's decision to take on Amazon at it's own game. Something like a cat wishing to become a dog. Learning how to bark is about as close as it will become.

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: Michael in BC This user has validated their user name.

Tue Feb 20 01:01:10 2018

As a collector of vintage postcards, say from Vancouver BC Canada, I would be happy to have 10,000 listings come up in search.  I can then refine my search as I see fit, and I am very capable of doing that.  

If eBay is to show only 4 out of a potential range of thousands, then I won't be searching on eBay.... and I won't be trying to sell on eBay.  How would they decide which 4 to select ?  Oooh, that one's got a TREE on it..... let's choose that one

Highest price ............. could be a grossly overvalued common card
Lowest price ............. could be an absolute junker not worth what's asked
Used ..........what does that mean...... badly damaged ?  .....written on ?

Some postcards are literally unique.  Otherwise "common views". could be by a sought-after early photographer, or could have been mailed from a scarce post office, or could have been written by someone of historical importance.

It's not possible for a "bot" to select 4 at random and expect this to represent a complete range of all listings.

Please, eBay .............keep all your new-in-the-box and bubble-pack stuff and concentrate on that.  Take all your vintage, OOAK, and old and interesting categories and sell this part of the business to a VENUE that can handle it.

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: BobNJ This user has validated their user name.

Tue Feb 20 01:15:24 2018

Just flat out will not work with any collectible category let alone many commodity items. How can eBay pick the features or specifics I'm interested in?

For what it's worth, NONE of my friends ever go to eBay to buy anything new. They go to local stores, Amazon or a manufacturer website. They only go to eBay for used or collectibles period. Those are all NOT commodity items so there goes a large group of eBay's buyers with these coming changes.

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: Patricia This user has validated their user name.

Tue Feb 20 01:27:08 2018

If we list our items but only a few will be actually seen WHY would anyone even bother to list on eBay?  It would virtually be a lottery to even be seen at all?  Stupid doesn't accurately describe these people!

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

by: Small Guy This user has validated their user name.

Tue Feb 20 01:33:54 2018

A line from a Tennessee Williams play best describes Ebay... "they are just trying to spell God's name with the wrong set of blocks".  Ebay is like a drug addict - in complete denial. and you can't reason with them.

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

This user has validated their user name. by: Ming the Merciless

Tue Feb 20 01:45:49 2018

More BS(chool) B.S.

Can his irrelevant ideas get any more self destructive?

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

This user has validated their user name. by: LasVagueness

Tue Feb 20 01:51:11 2018

"Evolutionary, spectrum of value, and collapse the complexity" sounds both lofty and hinky to me.

We have too much 'evolutionary' going on with seller updates and constant tweaks.

Spectrum of value...as determined by eBay (I prefer to whittle down my own spectrum of value). There is much more to value than price (say, a seller's feedback and history on eBay).

Isn't 'collapse the complexity' the reason for this forum? Why do I have a feeling that layer upon layer of complexity will be *added* as eBay tries to (euphemistically) 'collapse' the market into a favored few sellers?

Perminate Link for eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity   eBay to Change Search to Collapse Complexity

This user has validated their user name. by: Marie

Tue Feb 20 02:11:08 2018

Why does he think that buyers want just another Amazon?  Why not celebrate and promote the differences between the sites instead of trying to fit into what they see as a business model?

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