BAM eBay Blog

What Might Be the Impact of the Brexit on eBay Buyers?

Both eBay buyers and sellers are likely wondering what any impact of the "Brexit," the British vote to leave the European Union, might have on commerce on the site.

EBay was cautious, stating in an announcement on the UK site simply that, "As a global business enabling cross-border trade for SMBs worldwide, eBay has been a consistent supporter of the EU Single Market and the creation of a true EU Digital Single Market.  We believe there are advantages for both sellers and buyers to be part of large open trade blocks. But our business is a global one and our sellers are successful within and outside the European Union. British voters have decided that their interests are best represented outside of the EU and so we will continue to put the best interests of British SMBs and customers at the heart of what we do.

"We will continue to work with the UK Government and at a European level to ensure we are close to any discussions/changes resulting from this vote, which may affect our customers.

"Regards,
"The eBay-Team"

Meanwhile, one eBayer on a US discussion board wrote on June 24, "GB Pound down: buy British antiques!"

"If the Pound stays down, now could be the best time for years for eBay $US buyers to buy £GB Antiques listings," they wrote.

Another responded, "Thanks for the heads up, I have a couple of items in my watch list from the UK."

But one eBayer wrote, "Note that the OP is from the UK. Self-promotion!? And now that the UK has voted to leave the EU who known what the Pound is going to do."

My take on it is it probably is too early to tell, but it couldn't hurt to look at eBay UK listings to see if there are bargains to be had.

What do you think the impact of the Brexit will be on eBay buying or selling? Let me know in the comments section!

Are You the Typical eBay Buyer?

eBay has announced a "Summer of Choice" promotion, and with it comes some interesting stats about eBay buyers.  EBay now has 162 million active buyers, according to the press announcement, and I was surprised to read that 79% of merchandise sold on eBay is new. (I guess I still think of eBay is the big "yard sale in the sky," though I certainly do look for new as well as pre-owned items on the site).

What does America want, according to eBay, and do you match up with that profile?

Clearly, one thing a lot of Americans want is to shop from their smartphone or tablet; the eBay stats say more than 85% of U.S. residents do.  With that, eBay tells us that of its U.S. app users, approximately 42% use Android, 50% use iOS and 8% use both apps. (Both apps? OK).

Personally, I'm an iPhone user, so in that respect I match up as a rather typical user.

What do Android vs. iPhone and other iOS users buy the most?  Android users spend the most on the P & A, Fashion and Electronics categories; iOS users spend more on Fashion and Electronics categories.  So actually, Android and iOS users aren't that different.

What else do buyers want?  Judging by the percentage of eBay listings, 63%, that ship for free,  eBay buyers would rather not pay for their postage (big surprise!).  Plus, Amazon has made free shipping the gold standard of online shopping with its Prime program, so it may be that folks' expectations are skewing toward free shipping.

But I thought that the stats about some individual U.S. states were the most interesting.  Pennsylvania and New Hampshire have the most residents who make purchases on their laptop or desktop (91%), but Pennsylvanians are more likely to be inspired to buy while sitting on a couch watching a tv show.

Ohio and Georgia residents are the clothes horses of the group; 81% "are most likely to purchase fashion apparel on their smartphone or tablet."  Meanwhile, 22% of Californians, New Yorkers and Virginians are more likely inspired to buy when commuting to or from work.  (As a Virginia resident in the DC metro area, which has some of the worst traffic in the country, I can say that makes sense!).

But back to the "Summer of Choice" promotion.  If you want to participate in that, eBay invites people to go to twitter.com/eBay to vote on dueling mobile deals.  The first contest begins on June 24, and is between a "Char-Broil Classic Grill at 70 percent off versus a Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ Blender at 50 percent off."  (That grill better come with free shipping!).

"The polls will be open for three days, and the winning item will featured within the eBay app for iOS and Android for 48-hours for purchase."

Every time I hear "Summer of Choice," it reminds me of the "Summer of George" from the tv show "Seinfeld," in which George Costanza was all geared up to have the best summer ever.  Here's wishing you the best summer ever, and asking for your feedback...do you think you're a typical eBay buyer, according to these stats, or otherwise? Why or why not?