I don't think I'm wrong at all. My company is primarily a marketing firm. I'd say from the responses in this thread about the Ebay listing so far, that most people are still under the impression that Ebay is this new, dynamic marketplace and a source for internet buzz. They couldn't be further from the truth.
It was at one time. Had the Picasso been listed in 2003-2004, it might have caused a bit of a sensation, maybe even a slot in some prime time news show...but Ebay is dying now, it's stock price being supported only by PayPal. The fees have become so outrageous, it's THE most expensive venue for anybody who wants to sell on the internet. The search barely works. Sellers can no longer give out negative feedback. In Ebay's pursuit to make everybody in the world a seller (so they can generate more fees), the marketplace became flooded with inventory, with few buyers. Cheap China junk by massive power sellers also flooded the marketplace, resulting in bootleg designer items and scams. The auction format is almost completely dead...nobody dares to list anything in the auction format now hoping it gets bid up...you'll lose your ass since you're lucky if 10 people find your item due to the wonky search...most sellers use the Buy It Now listing. Finally, the collectible/antique sellers have been leaving by the tens of thousands the past few years to Amazon, Etsy or opened their own open sourced shopping carts ecommerce sites. We advice out clients to use what we call "Ebay Arbitrage"...don't sell on Ebay, buy on Ebay. Buy the items for pennies on Ebay, then turn around and sell them for a huge markup on your own private ecommerce site. There's no listing fees for your own site.
Ebay's image is now one of a massive, dysfunctional, internet 99 cent store...a place for cheap deals, used clothing, refurbished electronics, China junk and possible ripoffs, not rare collectibles...it's really not a place you would list a 55 million dollar Picaso, even if you were only trying to create a little internet buzz.
I realize the intentions were honorable by ARTS...but their knowledge and timing were off by about 6 years.
GLTA. I hope everyone's investment goals are met.
