> A biz model as good as ebay is sure to spur on competition...i hope.
That's just the thing: I don't think competition is good for anyone but the
stockholders of the company that eats the smaller company. When Corporation
B goes in on Corporation A's game, he either puts A out of business and
controls the market, or the two continue on a wild growth race, like yeast
in homebrew, until the market becomes such a sty that they both choke on
their own excrement and vomit.
What made eBay good was that they used to always have the most clued-in
(though not perfect) interface; it's continually become dumbed-down (and
services/options/freedoms quietly removed!) until now, with this week's
changes, they're basically on par with any of the other unenlightened,
visionless corporate auction sites.
But yeah, old-timers seem to be leaving eBay in droves -- their
new-improvements message board has been full of _nothing_ this past week but
messages from people talking about folding up and going elsewhere, most with
100+ feedbacks ... me, I'm going to the county flea market this weekend ...