Is Ebay a good reflection of buying habits?

[Mark Phillips]

Do you think it's fair to assume that Ebay is a good reflection of buying habits on a wider scale?

Or do people go to Ebay for specific things?

 

[Ola]

It very save for biz transaction and due 2 this it is risk free in terms of transport.

 

[thatguy]

eBay is the garage sale of the Internet.

So yes - in one respect, it does reflect some trends.

However, like any garage sale you are following trends of used easy to ship goods. So realize it only gives you a read on a portion of the market. You would not buy a candy bar, a couch, a roll of paper towels, a bowl of fruit, etc - whereas a used Sega system or a collector's beanie baby would be perfect. Used electronics and collectables are the biggest sellers on eBay.