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Comment by sxates | Hacker News Reader

The fact that eBay is now primarily (80%!) new items that are 'buy it now' not auctions is why I have lost interest. Amazon wins that game hands down with competitive pricing, 2 day shipping, and no-hassle returns. I can't get any of those assurances from a bunch of random sellers on eBay.

What made eBay fun and interesting were all the weird things you could find there that you couldn't find on sites like Amazon. Now every time I try to go searching for something on eBay I have to wade through all the shady sellers who have packed it with thousands of items that are better bought elsewhere.

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I don't know if it's different in the US (I'm in the UK) and obviously this is just personal experience, but I still feel like ebay has a much broader array of stuff vs amazon. If you're after something really obscure then ebay is a way better bet than amazon.

That doesn't stop Ebay from trying. It seems every week they come out with some new initiative to try to enforce consistency between the thousands of sellers on the site. All these initiatives really do is create busywork and resentment for the sellers.

My wife has been selling new Women's clothes on Ebay for many years, and has seen this all first-hand. Her life these days is nothing but stress, as she has to go through and change thousands of listings for the latest boondoggle. Her income has been decreasing steadily over the years and it's almost too much to bear now.

If Ebay keeps trying to be Amazon, they are doomed to fail.

It's still mostly where I go if I need some non-mainstream used item but it's definitely not their focus anymore and that makes them less attractive for me generally. And, as you say, it was always caveat emptor to some degree but my impression is that it's gotten much worse.

Ebay auctions were also just fun and new for me back in the day. For various reasons, I just sort of grew out of it and, if I actually need something, I'll just buy it off Amazon or whoever rather than trying to chase down a bargain that may or may not actually be one.

for non-Americans, Ebay is great for cross boarder shopping. Amazon doesn't have nearly the selection outside the USAA, so E-bay becomes a great way to do that.

Yeah Amazon is pretty weird for cross-border stuff, even in the EU. I'm in Czech Republic which doesn't have its own "amazon.cz" ... you can order from amazon.co.uk or amazon.de but many items are unavailable. I think there's an upper-limit on price as it tends to be Electronics (laptops, phones) that I struggled with.

Yep! This 100%! Ebay is trash now. What was fun was finding some thing you wanted (like vibram shoes) and bidding against other people on them and possibly sniping an awesome deal. Instead it's now like "Well I can buy these now... for regular price.. just like anywhere else.."

There are some niche markets that eBay caters for and Amazon doesn't. For example, used car parts, especially if you are into classic cars, you can find anything on eBay.

I think this is not fair. It really depends on what you are looking for.

You really do not get speciality items from Amazon. For example old photographic gear.

I very much see where you are getting at and largely agree, though I must also note that I have frequently managed to find the same item significantly cheaper on eBay than Amazon. If you are in no hurry to get the item(s), cross-checking eBay might very well be worth it.

FWIW you can filter results to show just auctions, used items, etc.

The key to eBay, IMO, is setting up good searches and email alerts.

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