Ebay Ban On Digital Downloads
Ebay has announced to its loyal customer base that they have less than 7 days before ebay impliments its new policy to ban digital downloads in the auction marketplace. Sure, piles of $1.00 listings selling some crappy ebook may give ebay a bad name BUT what the big suits in their swish office are missing is that people like digital downloads. Most people, me included, will often search ebay for some crappy ebook that we can instantly download so we can use it as a giveaway, to write articles with or just because we want to read it ourselves. What ebay is missing with its ban on digital downloads is the fact that both buyers and sellers want instant gratification.
Of course, ebay tells us that there is an alternative. Surprise, Surprise its their crappy classified ad system. Not only does this not have the thrill of the auction chase but you can’t instantly download either. Oh and did I mention that the fees are $10.00 per listing per month! That’s sure to have an impact on some sellers.
It would seem to me with the ban on digital downloads by ebay that they have now been taken over by some grandpa that has never been on the internet. I mean, face it, it’s the year 2008 and the worlds biggest search engine and market place wants us to go back to the 1950’s where we cruise the classifieds looking for something, order it, wait for it to be delivered in the mailbox. Yep, the Beverley Hillbillies have definetely moved in and are on the ebay board.
You would think that a site as big as ebay might exercise a bit of loyalty to its base… after all that’s what is putting the Armani suits on their back and the gas in their Ferraris. But no, they quietly make an announcement that in one week’s time there will be a ban on digital downloads at ebay. Did they bother to ease the community into their new policy? No…. well you do have a week to get organised don’t you! Perhaps they could have actually asked people what they wanted. No how stupid of me …. grandpa ebay just does what it wants and not want the market wants. Did they pause to think for one minute about all the people out there struggling to make a living off their marketplace, setting up stores, writing madly to have the rug ripped out of them. No. Ebay has forgotten its own mission statement …. maybe they should ask Google if they could borrow the “don’t be evil” statement.
Yep, I know that there are a lot of you that will be saying well this will clean up the marketplace. But, is it our job to clean it up? The whole point of ebay is that it shows that there is a market for anything … a ghost in a jar, a rotten cheese sandwich, Britney Spears chewing gum … you name it someone is thinking of selling it on ebay so why not digital products.
Some of you will probably say well put it on a cd but…. have you ever tried to put a domain name on a cd? Can’t be done!
Talk in the forums is to move to another online auction site and I’m all for it. About time the big guns were taught a lesson I say…. and the lesson is nothing about digital downloads it’s about the customer.
Let’s have your thoughts!
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