If I had any eBay stock, I would be selling it right now. I am a devoted eBay fan and have bought many items there, and sold a few. A few weeks ago, I tried to sell some things I wanted to get rid of. Unfortunately, nobody wanted them so I didn’t make a sale. I did however, get billed for placing the items, something I had never had to do before. Oops, forgot to read the fine print in the latest “terms and conditions.”

Now eBay has announced that it wants to do away with the auction format, and go more for the fixed price model, hoping to compete with Amazon. I think that is a huge mistake. I shop eBay looking for good deals and bargains. If I wanted to pay fixed price, I would simply go to Amazon, which in fact, is exactly what I already do.

I’ve been a fan of eBay since their earliest days and told a lot of people about it long before they went public. But if they turn to a fixed price format, then they have just lost a good customer. I’d much rather go with Amazon, who has always had good prices, great shipping practices, and dependability. But I am sure going to miss those bargains.