The future of eBay...

I posted a few days ago about the newest changes that were announced by eBay, and I started out my post by saying:

"eBay has a master plan, and they are executing it in small steps. The final goal of this plan is still a mystery, but the more changes they roll out, the more I feel like my small business isn't welcome there anymore."

Today I checked in on Skip McGrath's blog, only to find a very similar post - except he actually made a list of possible outcomes:

• Will eBay eventually abandon the auction format altogether?
• Will eBay eventually abandon the sale of used goods including antiques and collectibles?
• Will eBay announce tiered listing fees for large sellers or continue to seek out and do private deals with large sellers?

Skip is one of the most knowledgeable and trusted eBay experts around, and to see him speculating about these scenarios really makes me worry...

If you have a small business selling vintage on eBay, my advice is to start branching out. The days of being an eBay only business are pretty much over - and the chance that at some point in the future being on eBay at all no longer being an option is growing every day...