With a projected annual growth of nearly 8% in 2011, the e-commerce and online auction industry seems to be defying the current global economic downturn. Perhaps it’s Cyber-Convenience? Industry pioneer eBid.net has announced that it has surged past the 4 million mark in live auctions; further solidifying it’s position among the elite alternative online marketplaces.
The site currently has over 100,000 sports card and sports memorabilia listings, including over 35,000 baseball cards.
“Everything we do has a reason behind it. When looking for ways to improve the eBid experience we have a long-standing commitment to listening to our members because we realize that if we don’t take care of our members, someone else will," said eBid Co-Founder Gary Sewell. At eBid, member-driven innovation is not a one-time event, or a slogan. It’s a culture. It’s a commitment. It’s what we do.”
In addition to this record-breaking number, eBid has seen a 111% growth in new buyers and sellers who have become members during the first quarter of 2011.
In fact, March and April of 2011 have proven to be the busiest months in terms of sales, up over 75% compared to the same period in 2010. This continued, significant surge in membership growth is largely due to the pervasive dissatisfaction with other online marketplaces.
eBay’s well-documented slow transition away from its core auction format has triggered disappointment among its most prolific sellers seeking friendlier waters. The long-standing eBid model, with a fee structure allowing free listing and sales fees of between 0% and 3%, is striving to be one of the alternatives.
On eBid it is free to list your auction. After joining, members must upgrade their account from 'buyer' to either 'seller', which is free or 'seller+'. Seller offers access to the company's standard auction format which is free to list with a 3% Final Value Fee. Upgrading to seller+ allows use of the free auction platform which has no listing fees and no FVF. Seller+ subscriptions can be purchased for 7, 30, 90, 365 days or a lifetime ($49.95).