Here’s an interesting article about an academic study that affirms a popular belief – that eBay is a good place to find bargains. According to this summary on ZDnet, eBay shoppers saved an estimated US$8 billion dollars in 2004. The study by Wolfgang Jank and Galit Shmueli will be published in a future issue of the Journal of Information Systems Research.
Graduate students should make a habit of reading at least one peer-reviewed article a week, especially if their degree program requires a thesis or professional paper.
eBay’s next CEO, John Donahoe, hopes to bring sellers and buyers back to the service by offering better search options and a more secure marketplace, as I discussed on 23 January 2008.
As The Register points out, eBay’s lower listing fees are balanced by a hike in the final sales fees. While it will cost sellers list to relist an item, sellers will pay eBay more money if and when that item sells.
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