Reflections on eBay – Then and Now
by e-dazed
A veteran eBay member

I am e-dazed and I've been an eBay member since July 4th, 1996! Almost nine years, I can't believe it's been so long.

How did I get started with eBay? I had been selling antiques and collectibles in bricks-and-mortar antique malls since 1992. I discovered the Internet in 1996, and that changed everything. I never made any money through the old-fashioned antique mall channel – the market exposure was too low and overhead too high. Then, in 1996, somewhere in my travels on the World Wide Web, someone mentioned "Auction Web" which, of course, was what eBay was first called.

So, I checked it out – and a giant light bulb went off in my head. I quickly sensed that eBay's exciting concept meant huge market exposure and low overhead. “Yes!!” I exulted.

Soon afterwards, I shut down my antique mall locations and started selling only through my own website and on eBay. I'm still going strong almost nine years, and more than 1860 positive feedback, later. All these years I have also been an eBay buyer as well. After I started making a profit, buying and selling on eBay has been a core part of my business.

One of the greatest things about eBay is that it's so portable. During my long tenure as a member, I moved my physical location several times. I started in Texas, and then moved to Arizona, before moving back to a different city in Texas. And now I'm about to move to Minnesota! The great thing is – my portable eBay business goes everywhere with me. What other business can do that?

When I first started Uncle Griff was just a plain old user like me, living in Vermont. I used to remember him on the discussion boards. Now look at him – he's famous! And, everyone used to speak reverently about Pierre Omidyar, eBay's founder. It was almost like he was some sort of mystery man – and maybe didn't even exist! The customer support people used to have pets at work, or at least they said they did. Everything just seemed so fun.

One thing that I like about eBay is that, as it has grown, eBay truly has tried to listen to its user base, its Community of buyers and sellers. They really seem to care about making the site better for members and meeting people's specific needs. You wouldn't believe how many features on the site that we take for granted now weren't there in 1996. Back then there was no ability to block bidders, there was no Unpaid Item process, and there were no eBay PowerSellers. Also, in 1996, we didn't have auction management software like Seller's Assistant and certainly no My eBay. The site has come a long way, constantly evolving to meet user needs. Sometimes we like the changes, sometimes we don't, but that's just the way the world is.

Over the years I have interacted with many people while transacting on the site. People often ask me about my favorite customer or favorite selling experience. That's hard to say because there have been so many of them! There's queensophie who has only purchased from me a couple of times, but every time, she has utterly charmed me. There are the hundreds of members who have taken the time to email me and say “thank you, this is even better than I expected” or “thanks for the great packaging.” It just shows that people can be so nice, in the Community.

Similarly, my best buying experiences are hard to pinpoint. There have been so many! Years ago, there was Cliff G. (Where are you, Cliff?). He set the standard for what an eBay seller should be. He was helpful to buyers, as well as to other sellers. He had great merchandise and quick shipping. Cliff G. was just perfect. There are so many sellers who try so hard to do the right thing. I can tell you from my experience – it is hard work.

There are times when a buying or selling experience hasn't been so great, but those are few and far between. The positives far outweigh the negatives.

I love eBay. I don't know what I'd do without it!