EcommerceBytes-NewsFlash, Number 1369 - September 18, 2006 1 of 5 
AuctionBytes Survey Reveals Impending Shift by eBay Sellers
By Ina Steiner
A recent AuctionBytes survey reveals that while 92% of respondents currently sell on eBay, only 38% of respondents said they plan to be selling on eBay in 6 months. The survey also found that sellers who earned over $100,000 annually in sales showed an even wider disparity: 95% of those who earn $100,000 or more annually currently sell on eBay. When that subset was asked if they would be selling on eBay in 6 months, the number dropped to 33%. The report concludes that the fourth quarter (historically the busiest due to holiday shoppers) will be crucial in either curing this "seller malaise" or cementing the current attitude of auction sellers.
The survey asked AuctionBytes readers about issues such as fees, fraud, online payment services, marketing and customer service. Respondents also reported on which marketplaces they currently sell, and where they intend to be selling in 6 months, including such marketplaces as eBay, Yahoo, Bidville, Amazon and Overstock.com.
The survey also asked online-auction sellers if they had their own independent websites, and how significant sales from those site were. A large number of respondents (54%) have their own website or storefront. For those who do, 29% said it makes up over 50% of their sales, and 50% said they made more sales in the past 12 months from their website/storefront than in the previous 12 months.
AuctionBytes released the results of the survey in the September 17 issue of AuctionBytes-Update newsletter. The report is available at no charge on the AuctionBytes.com website at http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y206/m09/abu0175/s02
About the Survey
AuctionBytes conducted an online survey of readers in September 2006. A request to readers to complete the survey was made in the September 3, 2006 issue of AuctionBytes-Update and in several issues of the AuctionBytes Newflash newsletter. The online survey form was live from September 3 to September 13. A total of 1225 people completed the survey.
Table of Contents
- Methodology
- Who are the respondents
- Where are sellers selling, and will this change in 6 months
- What are sellers' biggest concerns
- How many sellers have their own sites, and how significant are sales from those independent sites
- What payment services do respondents offer
- How are auction sellers marketing their businesses
- How can shoppers contact sellers
- Conclusions
About the author:
Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com.
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